Patent ID: 8438227

Claim:
A method of instant messaging using a browser, the method comprising: receiving at a source server an instant message sent from a source user to a target user, at least one of the source user or the target user being a browser user using a browser to perform instant messaging; inquiring by the source server through a status server for information of a target server which the target user logs in; sending the instant message to the target server; transmitting by the target server the instant message to the target user; receiving periodically by one of the source server or the target server an instant message fetching command from the browser user at a variable frequency, the variable frequency increasing from a first frequency to a second frequency in response to the source user or the target user acquiring an instant message from or sending an instant message to the other of the source user and target user, the variable frequency decreasing to one or more interim frequencies before decreasing to the first frequency when the browser user acquires no instant message in response to subsequent instant message fetching commands; and deleting a memory in a cache used for the browser user in response to the browser user not receiving any instant message for a predetermined period of time.