Patent ID: 8631082

Claim:
A method executed on a client computing device operated by a first user, the method comprising: receiving an indication that the first user is a member of a persistent instant messaging group in an instant messaging application, wherein a first instance of the instant messaging application is installed on the client computing device, wherein the persistent instant messaging group persists across multiple accesses to respective instances of the instant messaging application executing on client computing devices of respective members of the instant messaging group; receiving an indication that the first user has logged into the first instance of the instant messaging application on the client computing device; subsequent to receiving the indication that the first user has logged into the first instance of the instant messaging application, receiving a message transmitted to the persistent instant messaging group from another member of the instant messaging group when the first user was not logged into the first instance of the instant messaging application, wherein the message is received from an instant messaging server in communication with the client computing device; and displaying the message on a display screen of the client computing device responsive to receiving the message from the instant messaging server.