Messaging application user interface for auto-completing address text and modifying the auto-completion behavior

Claim 2

A computer-implemented method of addressing an instant message to a member of a plurality of potential instant message recipients, each potential instant message recipient having an associated instant message address, the method comprising: accessing a subset of the plurality of potential instant message recipients that is generated based on a predetermined criterion; auto-completing a partially entered instant message address text based on the subset of potential instant message recipients; and modifying the auto-completion based on a predetermined signal added to and included with the partially entered instant message address text.

Claim 3

The method of claim 1 , wherein the predetermined signal is appended to a pre-entered portion of the instant message address text to be autocompleted.

Claim 4

The method of claim 1 , further comprising allowing for autocompletion of preentered text that appears in the instant message address text to be autocompleted.

Claim 5

The method of claim 1 , further comprising searching the subset for a potential instant message recipient having an associated instant message address that corresponds to the partially entered instant message address text; and if a potential instant message recipient that corresponds to the partially entered instant message address text is found in the subset, auto-completing the partially entered instant message address text using the instant message address associated with the corresponding potential instant message recipient.

Claim 6

The method of claim 4 , wherein the subset is searched for a corresponding potential instant message recipient unless the partially entered instant message address text includes the predetermined signal.

Claim 7

The method of claim 4 , wherein the predetermined signal modifies searching the subset for the potential instant message recipient corresponding to the partially entered instant message address text so that the searching includes identifying a potential instant message recipient to whom an instant message was most recently sent.

Claim 8

The method of claim 4 , wherein searching the subset for a potential instant message recipient corresponding to the partially entered instant message address text includes identifying a potential instant message recipient to whom an instant message was most recently sent.

Claim 9

The method of claim 1 , wherein the predetermined signal modifies the auto-completion to auto-complete the partially entered instant message address text using the instant message address of the last instant message sent if the partially entered instant message address text includes the predetermined signal.

Claim 10

The method of claim 1 , wherein the predetermined signal modifies the auto-completion to auto-complete the partially entered instant message address text using the instant message address of the second-to-last message sent if the partially entered instant message address text includes the predetermined signal.

Claim 11

The method of claim 1 , wherein the predetermined criterion includes a potential instant message recipient in the subset if the potential instant message recipient is a member of a buddy list and the potential instant message recipient is currently online.

Claim 12

The method of claim 10 , wherein the address text of the instant message is a user name of the potential instant message recipient to whom the instant message is addressed.

Claim 13

The method of claim 10 , wherein currently online includes the potential instant message recipient being online when the partially entered instant message address is being autocompleted.

Claim 14

The method of claim 1 , wherein the predetermined criterion is used to include a potential instant message recipient in the subset if an instant message has been sent to the potential instant message recipient by a computer user entering the partially entered instant message address text during a current communication session and the potential instant message recipient is currently online.

Claim 15

The method of claim 13 , wherein currently online includes the potential instant message recipient being online when the partially entered instant message address is being autocompleted.

Claim 16

The method of claim 1 , wherein the predetermined criterion includes a potential instant message recipient in the subset if an instant message has been received from the potential instant message recipient during the current communication session and the potential instant message recipient is currently online.

Claim 17

The method of claim 15 , wherein currently online includes the potential instant message recipient being online when the partially entered instant message address is being autocompleted.

Claim 18

The method of claim 1 wherein modifying the auto-completion based on the predetermined signal added to and included with the partially entered instant message address text includes modifying a behavior of the auto-completion based on the predetermined signal added to and included with the partially entered instant message address text.

Claim 21

The method of claim 18 , wherein one or more of the set of signals is appended to a preentered portion of the address text.

Claim 22

The method of claim 18 , further comprising allowing for autocompletion of preentered text that appears in the address text to be autocompleted.

Claim 23

The method of claim 18 , wherein the set includes a last-address signal, and the message is addressed to the recipient of the last message sent when the last-address signal is entered.

Claim 24

The method of claim 18 , wherein the set includes a second-to-last address signal, and the message is addressed to the recipient of the second-to-last message sent when the second-to-last-address signal is entered.

Claim 25

The method of claim 18 , wherein the set includes a no-autocompletion signal, and no auto-completion is performed when the no-autocompletion signal is entered.

Claim 26

The method of claim 18 , wherein providing a set of user-selectable command line signals that modify includes providing a set of user-selectable signals that modify, but do not disable, behavior of an auto-completion feature by decreasing a plurality of auto-completion entries in an address list.

Claim 27

The method of claim 18 , wherein the set includes at least two user-selectable command line signals.

Claim 28

A protocol for addressing a message to a member of a plurality of potential message recipients, each potential message recipient having an associated address, the protocol comprising: one or more user-selectable command line signals added to and included with a partially entered address text for a message that modify behavior of an auto-completion feature; and a predetermined criterion for selecting a subset of the plurality of potential message recipients.

Claim 29

A protocol for addressing a message to a member of a plurality of potential message recipients, each potential message recipient having an associated address, the protocol comprising: one or more user-selectable command line signals added to and included with a partially entered address text for a message that modify behavior of an auto-completion feature; and a predetermined criterion for selecting a subset of the plurality of potential message recipients.

Claim 30

The protocol of claim 26 , wherein the one or more user-selectable command line signals for modifying behavior includes one or more user-selectable command line signals for modifying, but not disabling, behavior of an auto-completion feature.

Claim 31

The protocol of claim 26 , wherein the one or more user-selectable command line signals includes at least two user-selectable command line signals.

Claim 32

A computer-implemented method of addressing an instant message to a member of a plurality of potential instant message recipients, each potential instant message recipient having an associated instant message address, the method comprising: accessing a subset of a plurality of potential instant message recipients; receiving, at a first time period, a first partially-entered instant message address text; receiving, at the first time period, a first predetermined signal added to and inputted with the first partially-entered instant message address text, wherein the first predetermined signal processes a first type of auto-completion behavior and the first predetermined signal and the first partially entered instant message address text are entered in a command line; auto-completing, at the first time period, the first partially-entered instant message text based on the subset of potential instant message recipients; receiving, at a second time period, a second partially-entered instant message address text; receiving, at the second time period, a second predetermined signal added to and inputted with the second partially-entered instant message address text, wherein the second predetermined signal processes a second and a different type of auto-completion behavior and the second predetermined signal and the second partially entered instant message address text are entered in the command line; and auto-completing, at the second time period, the second partially-entered instant message text based on the subset of potential instant message recipients.

Claim 33

A computer-implemented method of addressing an instant message to a member of a plurality of potential instant message recipients, each potential instant message recipient having an associated instant message address, the method comprising: accessing a subset of a plurality of potential instant message recipients; receiving, at a first time period, a first partially-entered instant message address text; receiving, at the first time period, a first predetermined signal added to and inputted with the first partially-entered instant message address text, wherein the first predetermined signal processes a first type of auto-completion behavior and the first predetermined signal and the first partially entered instant message address text are entered in a command line; auto-completing, at the first time period, the first partially-entered instant message text based on the subset of potential instant message recipients; receiving, at a second time period, a second partially-entered instant message address text; receiving, at the second time period, a second predetermined signal added to and inputted with the second partially-entered instant message address text, wherein the second predetermined signal processes a second and a different type of auto-completion behavior and the second predetermined signal and the second partially entered instant message address text are entered in the command line; and auto-completing, at the second time period, the second partially-entered instant message text based on the subset of potential instant message recipients.

Claim 34

The method of claim 29 wherein the first type of auto-completion behavior comprises auto-completing the first partially-entered instant message address text using the instant message address of the last instant message sent.

Claim 35

The method of claim 30 wherein the second type of auto-completion behavior comprises auto-completing the second partially-entered instant message address text using the instant message address of the second-to-last message sent.

Claim 36

The method of claim 29 wherein the first type of auto-completion behavior comprises auto-completing the first partially-entered instant message address text using the instant message address of the second-to-last message sent.

Claim 37

The method of claim 29 wherein the first and the second partially-entered instant message address text are the same.

Claim 38

The method of claim 29 wherein the first and the second partially-entered instant message address text are different.

Claim 39

The method of claim 29 wherein the first time period and the second time period are different.