Handheld electronic device and associated method providing time data in a messaging environment

1. A method of displaying an instant message conversation on an electronic device, the instant message conversation comprising a plurality of instant messages exchanged between the electronic device and a second electronic device, the method comprising:

determining that a first instant message has occurred at a first time between the electronic device and the second electronic device;

displaying at least a portion of the first instant message;

determining that a second instant message has occurred at a second time between the electronic device and the second electronic device;

displaying at least a portion of the second instant message;

refraining from displaying a time stamp representative of the second time if an amount of time that has elapsed between the first time and the second time is less than a predetermined duration of time.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising displaying a time stamp representative of the first time.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first instant message corresponds to a latest communication in the instant messaging conversation between the electronic device and the second electronic device.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising displaying a time stamp representative of the second time if the amount of time that has lapsed is greater than or equal to the predetermined duration of time.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the time stamp representative of the second time is disposed adjacent to the second instant message.

6. The method of claim 4 , wherein the time stamp representative of the second time is disposed between the first instant message and the second instant message.

7. The method of claim 4 , wherein displaying the time stamp representative of the second time comprises displaying the time stamp representative of the second time as a relative time.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the time stamp representative of the second time is an active time stamp which changes to reflect a progression of time.

9. The method of claim 7 , further comprising displaying the time stamp representative of the second time as an absolute time if a second predetermined duration of time has lapsed since the second time.

10. The method of claim 4 , further comprising displaying at least one of the time stamp representative of the first time and the time stamp representative of the second time as a time of day and a date.

11. The method of claim 4 , further comprising:

detecting a change in date; and

responsive to detecting the change in date, displaying at least one of the time stamp representative of the first time and the time stamp representative of the second time as a time of day and a date.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first instant message is a non-responded to message.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second instant message is a resumption message.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of instant messages between the electronic device and the second electronic device comprises a plurality of incoming messages and a plurality of outgoing messages.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein each incoming message comprises an incoming symbol and an incoming text portion.

16. The method of claim 14 , wherein each outgoing message comprises an outgoing symbol and an outgoing text portion.

17. An electronic device for displaying an instant message conversation, the instant message conversation comprising a plurality of instant messages exchanged between the electronic device and a second electronic device, the electronic device comprising:

a display;

a memory; and

a processor electronically coupled with the display and the memory, the processor configured to:

determine that a first instant message has occurred at a first time between the electronic device and the second electronic device;

output upon the display at least a portion of the first instant message;

determine that a second instant message has occurred at a second time between the electronic device and the second electronic device;

output upon the display at least a portion of the second instant message; and

refrain from displaying a time stamp representative of the second time if an amount of time that has elapsed between the first time and the second time is less than a predetermined duration of time.

18. The electronic device of claim 17 , wherein the processor is further configured to display a time stamp representative of the first time.

19. The electronic device of claim 17 , wherein the first instant message corresponds to a latest communication in the instant messaging conversation between the electronic device and the second electronic device.

20. The electronic device of claim 17 , wherein the processor is further configured to display a time stamp representative of the second time if the amount of time that has lapsed is greater than or equal to the predetermined duration of time.

21. The electronic device of claim 20 , wherein the time stamp representative of the second time is disposed adjacent to the second instant message.

22. The electronic device of claim 20 , wherein the time stamp representative of the second time is disposed between the first instant message and the second instant message.

23. The electronic device of claim 20 , wherein displaying the time stamp representative of the second time comprises displaying the time stamp representative of the second time as a relative time.

24. The electronic device of claim 23 , wherein the time stamp representative of the second time is an active time stamp which changes to reflect a progression of time.

25. The electronic device of claim 23 , wherein the processor is further configured to display the time stamp representative of the second time as an absolute time if a second predetermined duration of time has lapsed since the second time.

26. The electronic device of claim 20 , wherein the processor is further configured to display at least one of the time stamp representative of the first time and the time stamp representative of the second time as a time of day and a date.

27. The electronic device of claim 20 , wherein the processor is further configured to:

detect a change in date; and

responsive to detecting the change in date, display at least one of the time stamp representative of the first time and the time stamp representative of the second time as a time of day and a date.

28. The electronic device of claim 27 , wherein the first instant message is a non-responded to message.

29. The electronic device of claim 27 , wherein the second instant message is a resumption message.

30. The electronic device of claim 27 , wherein the plurality of instant messages between the electronic device and the second electronic device comprises a plurality of incoming messages and a plurality of outgoing messages.

31. The electronic device of claim 30 , wherein each incoming message comprises an incoming symbol and an incoming text portion.

32. The electronic device of claim 30 , wherein each outgoing message comprises an outgoing symbol and an outgoing text portion.

33. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising computer executable instructions embedded thereon for execution by a processor of an electronic device for displaying an instant message conversation upon a display of the electronic device, the instant message conversation comprising a plurality of instant messages exchanged between the electronic device and a second electronic device, such that when executed, the processor:

determines that a first instant message has occurred at a first time between the electronic device and the second electronic device;

outputs at least a portion of the first instant message upon the display;

determines that a second instant message has occurred at a second time between the electronic device and the second electronic device;

outputs at least a portion of the second instant message upon the display; and

refrains from displaying a time stamp representative of the second time if an amount of time that has elapsed between the first time and the second time is less than a predetermined duration of time.

34. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 33 , further comprising computer instructions such that when executed cause the processor to display a time stamp representative of the first time.

35. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 33 , wherein the first instant message corresponds to a latest communication in the instant messaging conversation between the electronic device and the second electronic device.

36. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 33 , further comprising computer instructions such that when executed cause the processor to display a time stamp representative of the second time if the amount of time that has lapsed is greater than or equal to the predetermined duration of time.

37. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 36 , wherein the time stamp representative of the second time is disposed adjacent to the second instant message.

38. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 36 , wherein the time stamp representative of the second time is disposed between the first message and the second instant message.

39. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 36 , wherein displaying the time stamp representative of the second time comprises displaying the time stamp representative of the second time as a relative time.

40. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 39 , wherein the time stamp representative of the second time is an active time stamp which changes to reflect a progression of time.

41. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 39 , further comprising computer instructions such that when executed cause the processor to display the time stamp representative of the second time as an absolute time if a second predetermined duration of time has lapsed since the second time.

42. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 36 , further comprising computer instructions such that when executed cause the processor to display at least one of the time stamp representative of the first time and the time stamp representative of the second time as a time of day and a date.

43. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 36 , further comprising computer instructions such that when executed cause the processor to:

detect a change in date; and

responsive to detecting the change in date, display at least one of the time stamp representative of the first time and the time stamp representative of the second time as a time of day and a date.

44. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 33 , wherein the first instant message is a non-responded to message.

45. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 33 , wherein the second instant message is a resumption message.

46. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 33 , wherein the plurality of instant messages between the electronic device and the second electronic device comprises a plurality of incoming messages and a plurality of outgoing messages.

47. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 46 , wherein each incoming message comprises an incoming symbol and an incoming text portion.

48. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 46 wherein each outgoing message comprises an outgoing symbol and an outgoing text portion.

49. A method of displaying an instant message conversation on an electronic device, the instant message conversation comprising a plurality of instant messages exchanged between the electronic device and a second electronic device, the method comprising:

displaying the plurality of instant messages exchanged between the electronic device and a second electronic device;

associating each instant message of the plurality of instant messages with a corresponding time of communication indicating when the instant message was exchanged; and

displaying a time stamp representative of the time of communication for only a most recently exchanged instant message.

50. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising computer executable instructions embedded thereon for execution by a processor of an electronic device for displaying an instant message conversation on an electronic device, the instant message conversation comprising a plurality of instant messages exchanged between the electronic device and a second electronic device, the computer executable instructions, when executed, cause the processor to:

display the plurality of instant messages exchanged between the electronic device and a second electronic device;

associate each instant message of the plurality of instant messages with a corresponding time of communication indicating when the instant message was exchanged; and

display a time stamp representative of the time of communication for only a most recently exchanged instant message.

51. An electronic device for displaying an instant message conversation, the instant message conversation comprising a plurality of instant messages exchanged between the electronic device and a second electronic device, the electronic device comprising:

a display;

a memory; and

a processor electronically coupled with the display and the memory, the processor configured to:

display the plurality of instant messages exchanged between the electronic device and a second electronic device;

associate each instant message of the plurality of instant messages with a corresponding time of communication indicating when the instant message was exchanged; and

display a time stamp representative of the time of communication for only a most recently exchanged instant message.