Patent ID: 8583741

Claim:
A method of restricting archiving of chat messages, comprising: at a server system having one or more processors and memory storing programs executed by the one or more processors: during a chat session between a first user and a second user, receiving a first command from one of the first user and the second user to archive the chat session, wherein the command to archive the chat session is received in response to activation, by either the first user or second user, of a second user interface option at a respective client device to start archiving for subsequent messages of the chat session; in response to the first command and without prior approval from the other one of the first user and the second user that is not responsible for issuing the first command, archiving two copies of the chat session between the first user and the second user in the server system such that one of the two copies is stored in a first account associated with the first user and the other of the two copies is stored in a second account associated with the second user, respectively; receiving a second command from one of the first user and the second user to stop archiving the chat session, wherein the command to stop archiving is received in response to activation, by either the first user or second user, of a first user interface option at a respective client device to stop archiving for subsequent messages of the chat session; in response to the second command and without prior approval from the other one of the first user and the second user that is not responsible for issuing the second command, stopping archiving of the two copies of the chat session in both the first account and the second account upon receipt of the command to stop archiving; receiving a third command from one of the first user and the second user to resume archiving of the chat session, wherein the command to resume archiving is received in response to activation, by either the first user or second user, of a second user interface option to start archiving for subsequent messages of the chat session; in response to the third command, resuming archiving of the chat session in the server system only in the account associated with the one of the first user and the second user that is responsible for issuing the command to resume archiving; and transmitting for display a message alerting both the first user and the second user that the archiving of the chat session is resumed.