Instant Message Retraction via Focus-Triggered Delay

Solution Overview

Problem

Instant messages are often sent to the wrong party due to accidental focus on new windows, and there is no capability to retract sent messages, leading to confusion and embarrassment.

Innovation Solution

A system that detects the first command to send an instant message from a newly focused window, delays its execution based on a configurable retraction policy, and provides a retraction control to cancel the message, allowing users to send or retract the message before a specified delay time expires.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If instant messages are sent immediately without delay, then communication efficiency is improved, but the risk of sending messages to the wrong party increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecommunication efficiencyVSAvoidmessage accuracy

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs a preliminary check by detecting whether the instant message window is newly focused before allowing immediate sending. This preliminary action prevents accidental messages by verifying window focus state before the message is transmitted, thus maintaining communication efficiency while improving message accuracy.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Reliability

If a delay is introduced before sending instant messages, then message accuracy is improved, but communication efficiency deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemessage accuracyVSAvoidcommunication efficiency

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs a preliminary check by detecting whether the instant message window is newly focused before allowing immediate sending. This preliminary action prevents accidental messages by verifying window focus state before the message is transmitted, thus maintaining communication efficiency while improving message accuracy.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

3Device complexity

If no retraction capability is provided, then device complexity is reduced, but the ability to correct errors is lost

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesystem simplicityVSAvoiderror correction capability

Core Design Contradiction:

Device complexityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs a preliminary check by detecting whether the instant message window is newly focused before allowing immediate sending. This preliminary action prevents accidental messages by verifying window focus state before the message is transmitted, thus maintaining communication efficiency while improving message accuracy.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentUS7725537B2Method of and system for retracting instant messages

Publication Date: 2010.05.25 GOOGLE LLC

AI summary

A method of and system for enabling retraction of instant messages detects a command to send an instant message from an instant message window. The system determines if the command is the first command sent from the instant message window after the window has received focus. If so, the system delays the execution of the command for a delay time according to a retraction policy, and provides a retraction control for canceling said command. The system cancels the command in response to actuation of the retraction control. The system may cancel the instant message in response to actuation of the retraction control. The system sends the instant message in response to expiration of the delay time without an actuation of the retraction control. The system may provide a control for sending the instant message before expiration of the delay time. The retraction policy may provide different delay times for different categories of recipients. The delay time may be zero for certain categories of recipients. The retraction policy may be configurable by a user.