Delivery/read receipts for electronic messaging

• US 10,051,104 B2
• Filed: 05/14/2012
• Issued: 08/14/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/14/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Karunamuni, Chanaka G., Dellinger, Richard R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu, Kieu
• Assistant Examiner(s): Calderon, IV, Alvaro R
• Application Number:
  US13/471,372
• Publication Number:
  US 20130305164A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,283 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/7243 with interactive means for internal management of messages

Abstract

Systems, methods, and computer program products for delivery/read receipts for electronic messaging are disclosed. During one-on-one electronic messaging sessions in a conversation view format, only a single read receipt is shown only for the most recent message transmitted in the conversation. In some implementations, a delivery receipt is shown which then can be replaced or morphed into a read receipt. In a group conversation, a read receipt can be displayed for the recipient who most recently caught up in the ongoing conversation.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

at a sender device with a display;

displaying, on the display, a message conversation that includes a plurality of messages between a sender and a recipient associated with one or more recipient devices, including concurrently displaying;

a first message sent from the sender device that has been delivered to one or more recipient devices and has been read;

a second message sent from the sender device that has been delivered to one or more recipient devices but has not been read;

a third message sent from a respective one of the one or more recipient devices to the sender device; and

displaying a delivery receipt for the second message, the delivery receipt indicating that the second message has been delivered to one or more of the recipient devices, wherein the delivery receipt is displayed at a first respective location in the message conversation; and

in response to determining that the second message has been read on at least one of the recipient devices, replacing the delivery receipt with a read receipt for the second message in the message conversation, wherein replacing display of the delivery receipt with the read receipt for the second message includes;

ceasing to display the delivery receipt in the message conversation; and

displaying the read receipt for the second message at the first respective location in the message conversation at which the delivery receipt was previously displayed without displaying a read receipt for the first message and a read receipt for the third message.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein replacing the delivery receipt in the message conversation comprises morphing the delivery receipt into the read receipt.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the delivery receipt or the read receipt includes a graphical confirmation.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in response to determining that the first message has been read on at least one of the recipient devices, displaying the read receipt for the first message at a second respective location in the message conversation;

wherein displaying the read receipt for the second message at the first respective location without displaying the read receipts for the first message and the third message comprises ceasing to display the read receipt for the first message at the second respective location in the message conversation.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the second respective location is below the first message and wherein the first respective location is below the second message.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein a separation between the first message and the second or third messages in the message conversation results from displaying the read receipt for the first message;

and

wherein replacing display of the delivery receipt with the read receipt for the second message further includes moving the second or third messages in the message conversation to reduce or eliminate the separation between the first message and the second or third messages.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein replacing display of the delivery receipt with the read receipt for the second message further includes replacing a displayed delivery time of the delivery receipt with a displayed read time of the read receipt.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium configured to store instructions, which, when executed by a sender device with a display and one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform operations, comprising:

displaying, on the display, a message conversation that includes a plurality of messages between a sender and a recipient associated with one or more recipient devices, including concurrently displaying;

a first message sent from the sender device that has been delivered to one or more recipient devices and has been read;

a second message sent from the sender device that has been delivered to one or more recipient devices but has not been read;

a third message sent from a respective one of the one or more recipient devices to the sender device; and

displaying a delivery receipt for the second message, the delivery receipt indicating that the second message has been delivered to one or more of the recipient devices, wherein the delivery receipt is displayed at a first respective location in the message conversation; and

in response to determining that the second message has been read on at least one of the recipient devices, replacing the delivery receipt with a read receipt for the second message in the message conversation, wherein replacing display of the delivery receipt with the read receipt for the second message includes;

ceasing to display the delivery receipt in the message conversation; and

displaying the read receipt for the second message at the first respective location in the message conversation at which the delivery receipt was previously displayed without displaying a read receipt for the first message and a read receipt for the third message.

9. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein replacing the delivery receipt in the message conversation comprises morphing the delivery receipt into the read receipt.

10. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the delivery receipt or the read receipt includes a graphical confirmation.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, the operations further comprising:

in response to determining that the first message has been read on at least one of the recipient devices, displaying the read receipt for the first message at a second respective location in the message conversation;

wherein displaying the read receipt for the second message at the first respective location without displaying the read receipts for the first message and the third message comprises ceasing to display the read receipt for the first message at the second respective location in the message conversation.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the second respective location is below the first message and wherein the first respective location is below the second message.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11,

wherein a separation between the first message and the second or third messages in the message conversation results from displaying the read receipt for the first message;

and

wherein replacing display of the delivery receipt with the read receipt for the second message further includes moving the second or third messages in the message conversation to reduce or eliminate the separation between the first message and the second or third messages.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein replacing display of the delivery receipt with the read receipt for the second message further includes replacing a displayed delivery time of the delivery receipt with a displayed read time of the read receipt.

15. A sender device comprising:

a display

one or more processors;

memory coupled to the one or more processors and configured to store instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform operations comprising;

displaying, on the display, a message conversation that includes a plurality of messages between a sender and a recipient associated with one or more recipient devices, including concurrently displaying;

a first message sent from the sender device that has been delivered to one or more recipient devices and has been read;

a second message sent from the sender device that has been delivered to one or more recipient devices but has not been read;

a third message sent from a respective one of the one or more recipient devices to the sender device; and

displaying a delivery receipt for the second message, the delivery receipt indicating that the second message has been delivered to one or more of the recipient devices, wherein the delivery receipt is displayed at a first respective location in the message conversation; and

in response to determining that the second message has been read on at least one of the recipient devices, replacing the delivery receipt with a read receipt for the second message in the message conversation, wherein replacing display of the delivery receipt with the read receipt for the second message includes;

ceasing to display the delivery receipt in the message conversation; and

displaying the read receipt for the second message at the first respective location in the message conversation at which the delivery receipt was previously displayed without displaying a read receipt for the first message and a read receipt for the third message.

16. The sender device of claim 15, where replacing the delivery receipt in the message conversation comprises morphing the delivery receipt into the read receipt.

17. The sender device of claim 15, wherein the delivery receipt or the read receipt includes a graphical confirmation.

18. The sender device of claim 15, the operations further comprising:

in response to determining that the first message has been read on at least one of the recipient devices, displaying the read receipt for the first message at a second respective location in the message conversation;

wherein displaying the read receipt for the second message at the first respective location without displaying the read receipts for the first message and the third message comprises ceasing to display the read receipt for the first message at the second respective location in the message conversation.

19. The sender device of claim 18, wherein the second respective location is below the first message and wherein the first respective location is below the second message.

20. The sender device of claim 18, wherein a separation between the first message and the second or third messages in the message conversation results from displaying the read receipt for the first message;

and

wherein replacing display of the delivery receipt with the read receipt for the second message further includes moving the second or third messages in the message conversation to reduce or eliminate the separation between the first message and the second or third messages.

21. The sender device of claim 15, wherein replacing display of the delivery receipt with the read receipt for the second message further includes replacing a displayed delivery time of the delivery receipt with a displayed read time of the read receipt.