US Patent 7529796 File sharing using near real time messaging

A system and method for providing file sharing using an instant messaging application are described herein. In one embodiment, a communication channel is established via an instant messaging application between a local device and a remote device over a network. In a file sharing window on the local device a representation of a file stored in the remote device is displayed. The file sharing window is associated with the instant messaging application and the file sharing window enables the local device to access the file stored in the remote device via the communication channel of the instant messaging application.