Abbreviated user interface for instant messaging to minimize active window focus changes

摘要

An abbreviated user interface for instant messaging (or other type of communications occurring in a graphical user interface environment permitting concurrent running of multiple application) is provided. The abbreviated user interface is different from a related primary user interface and is presented when the primary user interface is instantiated, yet is not on top of a z-order of a graphical environment. The abbreviated user interface can be a light-weight one that permits a user to quickly read messages. In one embodiment, a user can create outgoing messages using the abbreviated user interface. Presentation of the abbreviated user interface can require a user action, such as hovering a pointer over a task bar element for a duration or pressing a hot-key combination. In one embodiment, presentation of an otherwise unread message within the abbreviated interface for a designated time can cause the message to be marked as read.

主权项

1. A method for presenting text messages comprising:
visually changing a taskbar element for a communication application in a graphical user interface environment upon receiving at least one previously unread text message at the communication application, wherein said graphical user interface environment comprises a plurality of different application windows each corresponding to an active application instance, wherein one of said application windows is a communication window for an instance of the communication application which permits real-time communications over a network between at least two people, wherein the communication window is not on top of a z-order of the graphical user interface environment; detecting a manual user action made within the graphical user interface environment corresponding to the taskbar element for the communication application; responsive to said manual user action, displaying an abbreviated user interface next to a task bar element for the communication application instance, wherein the abbreviated user interface has focus and is placed on top of the z-order of the graphical user interface environment, wherein the abbreviated user interface is a small-footprint interface relative to the communications window, wherein said abbreviated user interface lacks interface elements of the communications window, wherein said abbreviated user interface is not a thumbnail of the communication window, wherein and wherein said abbreviated user interface is concurrently active with the communications window and provides a non-comprehensive subset of functionality compared to functionality of the communications window including allowing entry of text in the communication application window through the abbreviated user interface; presenting the at least one previously unread text message of the communication application instance within the abbreviated user interface without altering the z-order of the communication window relative to the other ones of the plurality of different application windows; when the unread text message is presented within the abbreviated user interface for at least a previously determined duration, marking the text message as read for the application instances, which causes the text message to be marked as read within the communication interface window; and detecting a close event to close or hide the abbreviated application window; and responsive to the close event, removing the abbreviated user interface from the graphical user interface environment, wherein upon removal the z-order of the plurality of different application windows remains unchanged from a state existent before the manual user action was detected.