Patent ID: 8271595

Claim:
A method comprising: establishing an instant messaging session between a first client device and a second client device; sending a request from the first client device to a calendar server for a key to access calendar data of a user of the first client device; receiving the key at the first client device from the calendar server; transmitting the key via the instant messaging session from the first client device to the second client device to permit sharing of the calendar data of the user of the first client device with a user of the second client device; transmitting an additional request from the first client device to the calendar server for display preferences associated with the user of the first client device, the display preferences specifying a manner of displaying the calendar data of the user of the first client device to the user of the second client device; receiving the display preferences at the first client device from the calendar server; transmitting the display preferences from the first client device to the second client device via the instant messaging session; navigating, by the first client device, the calendar data of the user of the first client device in accordance with the display preferences; and simultaneously displaying the calendar data of the user of the first client device to the user of the second client device during the instant messaging session such that the calendar data of the user of the first client device and calendar data of the user of the second client device are separately displayed in accordance with the display preferences.