Patent ID: 7281215

Claim:
A user interface on a display that enables user perception of status regarding communications that leverage an instant messaging platform, the user interface comprising: an instant messaging application user interface that enables perception and selection of instant messages for an instant messaging user, the instant messaging application user interface including: an instant messaging conversation display area configured to display instant messages exchanged in instant messaging conversations of the user, interface actionable items, each interface actionable item being associated with a sender and configured to enable display on an instant messaging conversation between the sender and the user in the instant messaging conversation display area when activated, and an interface actionable item display area configured to, if the interface actionable items exceeds a maximum number, display the maximum number of interface actionable items as visible interface actionable items and maintain the interface actionable items not displayed as hidden interface actionable items; and a status indicator providing a perceivable indication to the user of statistics comprising a first number making perceivable a number of senders from whom at least one unacknowledged instant message has been received and a second number making perceivable a total number of senders with which the user is engaging in concurrent instant messaging sessions, the statistics including senders associated with each of the interface actionable items that are visible and hidden.