Patent ID: 6434604
Filing Date: 2002-08-13
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
A chat screen displaying system including a server and a plurality of clients connected to the server via a network, each of the clients including a message producing unit which transfers a message from a sender to the server, and a message displaying unit which displays the transferred message from the server;wherein the message producing unit appends shape information representing a balloon form specified by the sender and sender information representing the sender to statement data representing the statement from the sender to produce the message and to transfer the message to the server and the message displaying unit; wherein the message displaying unit divides the received message into the statement data and shape information and displays at least the statement data on a screen with the statement surrounded by the balloon form specified by the shape information; wherein the message producing unit further appends a user ID of the sender to the message and transfers the message; wherein the message displaying unit retrieves a color table, which resides in the message displaying unit based on the user ID, and displays the statement data using the retrieved color as a background color in the balloon form related to the statement data; and wherein the balloon form is specified by the sender by selecting the balloon form from a plurality of balloon forms, each having a distinct shape.