Patent ID: 8230021

Claim:
A method for adding a customizable reply function to an interface in an instant messaging (IM) client, the method comprising: creating a customized reply function for automatically creating and sending a reply message to a received message at the IM client by: initiating a reply function creation module, wherein the reply function creation module is initiated from within the IM client; within the module, prompting a user to define a string of characters to be associated with the customized reply function, the prompting comprising requesting a user to specify for the string of characters a static portion including a fixed sequence of characters and a variable portion, the variable portion including at least one of a queried portion and a calculated portion, wherein the queried portion includes an instruction for the IM client to query the user for information to be inserted into the string and the calculated portion defines a formula that instructs the IM client to perform one or more steps to generate characters to be inserted into the string of characters; within the module, prompting the user to choose at least one action of the IM client to be associated with the customized reply function, wherein the at least one action is in addition to the action of automatically sending the reply message using the customized reply function and is performed together with the action of sending the reply message, the at least one action comprising automatically minimizing the IM client after the reply message is sent; and within the module, prompting the user to select one or more other options for the customized reply function comprising presentation characteristics of a representation of the customized reply function in the interface of the IM client one or more IM session criteria specifying when the representation of the customized reply function will be available in the interface of the IM client, and at least one alternate method for activating the customized reply function in the interface of the IM clients via one of a keyboard input or a speech input; and incorporating the customized reply function into the interface of the IM client, whereby the representation of the customized reply function, with the presentation characteristics, is made available if the IM session criteria are met and a subsequent user selection of the incorporated representation of the reply function in the IM client interface instructs the IM client to output the string of characters associated with the customized reply function and to perform the at least one action associated with the customized reply function.