Patent ID: 7383316

Claim:
A computer-implemented method for providing relative geographic data to an instant text messaging application executing on a user computing device, the method comprising: obtaining user geographic data from a location provider of the user computing device, wherein the user geographic data identifies the location of the user computing device; obtaining remote geographic data of a remote computing device, wherein the remote geographic data identifies the location of the remote computing device; determining relative geographic data, wherein the relative geographic data includes information associated with the geographic location of the remote computing device in relation to the geographic location of the user computing device; associating the relative geographic data with the instant text messaging application, wherein the instant text messaging application is configured to send text messages to the remote computing device and receive text messages from the remote computing device; displaying a user interface for the instant text messaging application, wherein the user interface includes an online status for at least one contact name of the remote computing device, wherein the relative geographic data is displayed in the user interface in association with the at least one contact name, wherein displaying the relative geographic data in the user interface in association with the at least one contact name includes: displaying a calculated distance between the user computing device and the remote computing device when the calculated distance is less than a predetermined distance threshold, and displaying a city name associated with the location of the remote computing device when the calculated distance is greater than the predetermined distance threshold.