Abstract: Stacks that associate different electronic content are created using tags that are associated with electronic content. Stacks may be personal, organizational and/or shared. A tag may be associated with different types of electronic content (e.g. documents, people, contacts, meetings, emails, . . . ) that may be stored in different locations. The tag acts as an identifier that travels with the content as the electronic content is used. Content may be automatically/manually tagged. As the tagged content is used, the different applications that interact with the content (e.g. a messaging application, a content application) can use the tag to perform different actions. Changes to content with a tag may be aggregated such that users looking at the “consolidated” view can see all changes made to content or activity related to that content.

Abstract: Stacks that associate different electronic content are created using tags that are associated with electronic content. Stacks may be personal, organizational and/or shared. A tag may be associated with different types of electronic content (e.g. documents, people, contacts, meetings, emails, . . . ) that may be stored in different locations. The tag acts as an identifier that travels with the content as the electronic content is used. Content may be automatically/manually tagged. As the tagged content is used, the different applications that interact with the content (e.g. a messaging application, a content application) can use the tag to perform different actions. Changes to content with a tag may be aggregated such that users looking at the “consolidated” view can see all changes made to content or activity related to that content.

Abstract: Messaging content that is associated with a user is selected for sharing and transferring with one or more other recipients. A user may select all/portion of the messaging content to transfer. For example, a user may select a single folder from their mailbox, their entire mailbox, one or more conversation threads, one or more subjects, and the like. The selection may be made manually/automatically. For example, a user may use a graphical user interface to select messaging content to share and/or messaging content may be automatically selected based on a rule and/or some other condition. After selection, the selected messaging content is transferred to the other recipient(s) with which the user has selected for sharing/transferring. The recipient(s) of the selected messaging content may accept/decline the transfer of messaging content. Upon accepting the invitation, the messaging content is transferred and stored in the recipient's mailbox.

Abstract: A system and method for controlling the flow of reply messages cooperative with a multi-party Instant Messaging or chat service including a multi-party IM/chat group primary message having a text portion, a primary author indication portion, a blind-copy recipient list, wherein the blind-copy recipient list contains a plurality of recipients for the primary message; a demultiplexer for converting the primary message into a plurality of reduced multi-party messages, wherein each of the reduced multi-party messages are addressed to a sub-group of the blind-copy recipient list; a message submitter for submitting the reduced multi-party messages to an IM/chat service; a multiplexer which receives a plurality of reduced multi-party reply messages from the IM/chat service; and a reply message generator for extracting reply message text from the received reduced-party reply messages, and for generating a unitary simulated multi-party reply message containing the extracted reply message text for display to the primar

Abstract: A method, apparatus, and computer instructions for managing user lists. A group of instant messaging addresses used most frequently by a user of an instant messaging client on the communications device is identified. The identified group of instant messaging addresses is displayed visibly within a display in the communications device.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, and computer instructions for allowing areas of a display to be associated with particular instant messaging users. The present invention provides a menu option to allow a user to select whether to have instant messaging dialog windows open up in the same position as the current window, or alternatively, to have the dialog windows from a specific person open up in a specified location on the display. Thus, the instant messaging software may allow window positions to be associated and “saved” with particular users. A user may create roles or add individual people to a preferences list to allow for different instant messaging window preferences for each role or person. In this manner, a user may specify areas of the display in which an instant messaging dialog window may open according to the various roles.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, and computer instructions for sending a user's availability information to an instant messaging (IM) partner. A user predefines areas of the user's display and associates these predefined areas, or “hotspots”, with user defined messages. If the user is not available to immediately respond to an incoming message, the user may move the IM dialog window to a “hotspot” in the display. Depending upon the user-defined message associated with the “hotspot”, the IM application generates an automated response indicating the user's availability to respond to the message, and sends the message to the IM partner. The user also may predefine and associate the user's IM status with a “hotspot”. Moving an IM dialog window into a “hotspot” automatically changes the user's status based on the associated “hotspot”. This change is communicated to only the particular IM dialog window partner while other IM partners are unaffected.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, and computer instructions for predicting the availability of an instant messaging user in an instant messaging system and providing that information to a message sender. The present invention analyzes a user's collaborative data to determine the user's availability to respond to an instant message and monitors z-order movement of an instant messaging window on a user's screen to determine how much attention the user is paying to the instant messaging. The instant messaging application then uses the collaborative data and the z-order information to predict the availability of the user to respond to the instant message. This information is subsequently displayed to an instant messaging partner in the partner's instant messaging window.