Patent ID: 8874644

Claim:
A method for comparing free time for members of an instant message (IM) chat within an IM chat interface, the method comprising: storing individual calendars corresponding to each member of the IM chat and at least one person who is not a member of the IM chat; initiating a free time comparison in response to an actuation of a selection mechanism via the IM chat interface, the IM chat interface comprising an IM chat area for displaying a dialog between the members of the IM chat, wherein initiating a free time comparison further comprises displaying a selection window including a plurality of selection mechanisms corresponding to each member of the IM chat and the at least one person who is not a member of the IM chat, wherein the selection mechanisms corresponding to each member of the IM chat are selected automatically by default, and wherein the selection mechanisms corresponding to each of the at least one person who is not a member of the IM chat are not selected by default, but can be manually selected to be included in the free time comparison; combining the individual calendars corresponding to each member of the IM chat and the at least one person who is not a member of the IM chat into a free time summary calendar, wherein the free time summary calendar indicates at least one of free time periods that are simultaneously available to all of the members of the IM chat and the at least one person who is not a member of the IM chat and conflict time periods during which at least two IM chat members simultaneously have an event scheduled; and enlarging the IM chat interface and displaying the free time summary calendar adjacent to the chat area of the IM chat interface, wherein the free time summary calendar indicates free time periods and conflict time periods in a format selected from the group consisting of: a day view format, a week view format, and month view format.