Patent ID: 8627205

Claim:
A method of managing multi-media content across a plurality of software applications running on users' computers, each user's computer having a memory and a computer display able to provide a graphical user interface adapted to display a software application in a foreground window when said software application is selected to run in the foreground of said interface, said user's computer being accessible to multiple streams of multi-media content and comprising a system manager, the method comprising: i) providing in the toolbar of each said software application a place holder adapted to provide a space within the software application's foreground window for the display of said multiple streams of multi-media content by said system manager, said place holder comprising means to output a blank bitmap having pre-defined characteristics comprising background color, width, height and location; ii) registering said place holder for each said software application with the system manager; iii) compiling said multiple streams of multi-media content; iv) directing one or more of said compiled multiple streams of multi-media content to be simultaneously displayed over said placeholder within the software application's foreground window when each said software application is running in the foreground of said interface; and v) providing separate control of the sound volume for each simultaneously displayed stream of multi-media content; wherein said place holder comprises a window control feature of a software application that contains instructions to register the software application with said system manager when the application is executed; and wherein said directing step comprises: i) the system manager maintaining a list of the software applications that are running and contain place holders; ii) the system manager comparing the Process ID of each registered software application to the Process ID of the software application that is running in the foreground; iii) when the system manager detects that a registered software application is running in the foreground, the system manager sends a message to the place holder in the software application that is running in the foreground indicating that the system manager is ready to display the multi-media content; iv) the place holder in the software application that is running in the foreground receives the message; v) the place holder in the software application that is running in the foreground sends a message to the system manager indicating the characteristics of the place holder; vi) the system manager receives the characteristics of the place holder and adjusts the size of the multi-media content; vii) the system manager displays the multi-media content in the space provided by the place holder.