Managing electronic messages sent to reply telephone numbers

• US 10,033,669 B2
• Filed: 07/31/2014
• Issued: 07/24/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/18/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Inventors: Odell, James A., Appelman, Barry, Wick, Andrew L., Keister, Alan, Bergstrom, Raine, Yin, Xiaoyan, McNally, Barbara, Hullfish, Keith C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Donaghue, Larry
• Application Number:
  US14/447,905
• Publication Number:
  US 20140344385A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,454 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/214 using selective forwarding
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/48 Message addressing, e.g. address format or anonymous messages, aliases
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/52 for supporting social networking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42382 Text-based messaging services in telephone networks such as PSTN/ISDN, e.g. User-to-User Signalling or Short Message Service for fixed networks

Abstract

A graphical user interface on a display device of a computer enables communications using a computer service. The graphical user interface includes a list of potential message recipients selected by a user as significant to the user. The graphical user interface also includes a mobile device identifier associated with one or more of the listed potential message recipients and a user account identifier associated with one or more of the listed potential message recipients. At least one of the listed potential recipients includes a mobile device identifier as the only available conduit for data delivery to the potential message recipient using the computer service.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a first type of electronic message;

determining that the first type of electronic message is addressed to a telephone number;

identifying, within the received first type of electronic message, a first type of source indicator that indicates a source of the first type of electronic message as an intended destination of a reply message;

identifying a first user account associated with the telephone number;

preparing, using at least one processor, a second type of electronic message based on the content of the first type of electronic message and comprising a second type of source indicator based on the indication of the first type of source indicator;

sending the second type of electronic message to the identified first user account; and

based on determining that the first type electronic message is addressed to the telephone number, and further based on sending the second type of electronic message to the identified first user account associated with the telephone number, generating a reply source indicator for any reply message received from the first user account, wherein the reply source indicator comprises the telephone number.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating a message session information entry associated with the first user account; and

assigning the telephone number to the message session information entry.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

identifying a mobile telephone number associated with a sender of the first type of electronic message; and

associating the mobile telephone number with first type of source indicator that indicates the source of the first type of electronic message.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising selecting the telephone number from a pool of telephone numbers.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the telephone number comprises a temporary telephone number.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the telephone number comprises a short code.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying a second user account associated with a sender of the first type of electronic message;

in response to determining that the second user account indicates to hide the first type of source indicator, sending the second type of electronic message with a surrogate source indicator as the second type of source indicator and that indicates an original intended destination of the first type of electronic message; and

in response to determining that the second user account does not indicate to hide the first type of source indicator, sending the second type of electronic message with the second type of source indicator that is not a surrogate source indicator.

8. A method comprising:

receiving, from a first client device associated with a mobile telephone number, a first type of electronic message;

determining that the first type of electronic message is addressed to a telephone number associated with a first user account;

identifying, within the received first type of electronic message, a first type of source indicator that indicates a source of the first type of electronic message as an intended destination of a reply message;

identifying a second user account associated with the mobile telephone number;

preparing, using at least one processor, a second type of electronic message based on content of the first type of electronic message and comprising a second type of source indicator based on the indication of the first type of source indicator;

sending, from the identified second user account, the second type of electronic message to the first user account; and

based on determining that the first type electronic message is addressed to the telephone number, and further based on sending the second type of electronic message to the first user account, generating a reply source indicator for any reply message received from the first user account, wherein the reply source indicator comprises the telephone number.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

identifying a set of computing devices at which the first user account is active;

identifying a second client device from the identified set of computing devices; and

determining that the second client device is available to receive the second type of electronic message.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising determining that the first user account was active most recently at the second client device.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising determining that the first user account was active first at the second client device.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the second client device comprises a mobile telephone.

13. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

in response to determining that the second user account indicates to hide the first type of source indicator, sending the second type of electronic message with a surrogate source indicator as the second type of source indicator and that indicates the original intended destination of the first type of electronic message; and

in response to determining that the second user account does not indicate to hide the first type of source indicator, sending the second type of electronic message with the second type of source indicator that is not a surrogate source indicator.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the second type of source indicator comprises a username associated with the second user account and the surrogate source indicator comprises the mobile telephone number associated with the second user account.

15. A system comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing instructions thereon that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to;

receive a first type of electronic message;

determine that the first type of electronic message is addressed to a telephone number;

identify, within the received first type of electronic message, a first type of source indicator that indicates a source of the first type of electronic message as an intended destination of a reply message;

identify a first user account associated with the telephone number;

prepare a second type of electronic message based on the content of the first type of electronic message and comprising a second type of source indicator based on the indication of the first type of source indicator;

send the second type of electronic message to the identified first user account; and

based on determining that the first type electronic message is addressed to the telephone number, and further based on sending the second type of electronic message to the identified first user account associated with the telephone number, generate a reply source indicator for any reply message received from the first user account, wherein the reply source indicator comprises the telephone number.

16. The system of claim 15, further comprising instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to:

identify a mobile device at which the first user account is active; and

determine that the mobile device is available to receive the second type of electronic message.

17. The system of claim 16, further comprising instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to determine that the first user account was active most recently at the mobile device.

18. The system of claim 17, further comprising instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to determine that the first user account is signed in to a communications system through the mobile device.

19. The system of claim 15, further comprising instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to:

identify a second user account associated with a sender of the first type of electronic message;

in response to determining that the second user account indicates to hide the first type of source indicator, send the second type of electronic message with a surrogate source indicator as the second type of source indicator and that indicates an original intended destination of the first type of electronic message; and

in response to determining that the second user account does not indicate to hide the first type of source indicators, send the second type of electronic message with the second type of source indicator that is not a surrogate source indicator.

20. The system of claim 19, further comprising instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to:

receive an indication of whether to hide a reply source indicator for a reply electronic message sent by the second user account; and

associate the indication of whether to hide the reply source indicator with the second user account.