Abstract: A method, apparatus, and computer instructions for distributing meeting minutes from an instant messaging session. Meeting minutes are generated using data from the instant messaging session, in response to receiving a user input to distribute text from the instant messaging session. The meeting minutes are then distributed by email to a list of recipients.

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 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.

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.