Patent ID: 7130884

Claim:
A client system in a message exchanging system, the message exchanging system comprising a plurality of client systems and at least one server system connected together via a communications network, the server system authenticating each user of said plurality of client systems and accumulating and distributing messages, said plurality of client systems exchanging messages via said server system, the client system comprising: a first message exchanging application that is limited to one-to-one message exchanges with a first client system of said plurality of client systems via a first interface; a second message exchanging application that enables simultaneous message exchanges with at least one additional second client systems of said plurality of client systems via a second interface; and a message exchange switching system that switches between the first interface of said first message exchanging application and the second interface of said second message exchanging application, in response to an action by a user of the client system when said client system receives a message from said second client system while said first message exchanging application is exchanging messages with said first client system, to enable message exchanges with said first and at least one additional second client systems.