Systems and methods for transmitting and displaying private message data via a text input application

• US 10,091,157 B2
• Filed: 07/13/2017
• Issued: 10/02/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/05/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: William Mcmichael
• Original Assignee: William Mcmichael
• Inventors: McMichael, William
• Primary Examiner(s): Whipple, Brian
• Application Number:
  US15/649,210
• Publication Number:
  US 20170310633A1
• Time in Patent Office: 446 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/224 providing notification on incoming messages, e.g. pushed notifications of received messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/42 Mailbox-related aspects, e.g. synchronisation of mailboxes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/02 Protecting privacy or anonymity, e.g. protecting personally identifiable information [PII]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/033 of the user plane, e.g. user's traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to systems and methods for transmitting and displaying private messages securely using a mobile device. The mobile device provides a user interface which is displayed on a mobile device while a messaging application is displayed on the mobile device'"'"'s display. A private messaging applet runs within the keyboard region of a mobile device display, and receives and displays private messages from within the keyboard region of the mobile device display. The private message is displayed by initially obfuscating the entire message, and, based on detecting a user'"'"'s contact with the display, displaying a smaller portion of the private message in relation to the location of the user'"'"'s contact with the display. The private message is automatically deleted from the mobile device after the user removes contact with the display. The private messaging applet allows a user to remove a sent private message from a private messaging server.

Claims

1. A method for transmitting a private message via a display of a communication apparatus, the method comprising:

displaying, on a display of a communication apparatus, a messaging screen of a messaging application having a message portion and a keyboard portion, the messaging screen further including a private messaging button which, when selected, executes a private messaging application;

receiving private message data at the communication apparatus, the private message data input into a private messaging field of a second communication apparatus, and in response to receiving the private message data, displaying an indicator on the display of the communication apparatus that the private message data has been received;

detecting selection of the private messaging button;

executing a private messaging application in response to detecting selection of the private messaging button, the private messaging application including a private messaging field and a private messaging screen which, when the private messaging application is executed, replaces the keyboard portion of the messaging screen;

displaying, within the keyboard portion of the messaging screen, a private message contained in the private message data so that the displayed private message is obfuscated;

continuously detecting display input, the display input including a display location; and

displaying, at or near the display location, a portion of the private message corresponding to the display location, the portion of the private message being unobfuscated,

wherein the portion of the private message displayed is determined based on a position of the display input relative to the display of the communication apparatus.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving from the second communication apparatus an instruction to delete the private message data from memory of the communication apparatus prior to displaying the private message.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising upon selecting the private messaging button, displaying, on the display, a list of private messaging contacts.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising displaying, on the display, most recently contacted persons from the private messaging contacts.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising displaying, on a left-most side of the private messaging application, the most recently contacted persons.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

executing another application based on input received from the messaging screen; and

displaying, on at least a portion of the display, another application screen.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the indicator is a numeric indicator showing a number of received private message data and wherein the numeric indicator is displayed over or near the private messaging button.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the indicator represents a private message in a list of private messages.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising permanently deleting a private message once a user exits the private message screen.

10. A system for transferring and displaying private messaging data, comprising:

a first computing device configured to;

display, on a display connected to the device, a messaging screen having a message portion and a keyboard portion, the messaging screen containing a private messaging icon which, when selected, executes a private messaging application;

receive user input on the display and determine whether a first condition is met;

display a private messaging screen within the keyboard portion of the messaging screen in response to the user input once the first condition is met;

receive private message data from users on the device display, the private message data containing a tag indicating the private message data is private; and

transmit the private message data to a second computing device;

a second computing device configured to;

receive and store private message data from at least one computing device;

send private message data to a computing device in response to receiving a valid retrieve instruction; and

delete private message data in response to receiving a valid purge instruction; and

a third computing device configured to;

display, on a second display connected to a second device, a messaging screen, the messaging screen containing having the message portion and the keyboard portion, the messaging screen containing the private messaging icon which, when selected, executes the private messaging application;

receive a first user input on the second display and determine whether a second condition is met;

display a private messaging screen in response to the first user input once the second condition is met;

receive private message data that has been tagged as private from another computing device;

display an indicator of the private message data received on either of the private message icon or the private message screen;

receive a second user input on the second display and determine whether a third condition is met, the receiving causing the third computing device execute the private messaging application which replaces the keyboard portion of the messaging screen;

display the private message data on the display in a manner which obfuscates the private message data;

continuously detect a third user input, the third input including a location on the display; and

display, at or near the location on the display, a portion of the private message data unobfuscated while the third input is detected,

wherein the portion of the private message data which is unobfuscated is determined based on a position of the third user input relative to the second display.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the second computing device is configured to receive device requests to delete private message data from the third computing device.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the second computing device is a messaging server connected to the first computing device and the third computing device via a network.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein in response to receiving a valid retrieve instruction on the second computing device from the third computing device, the second computing device sends the private message data to the third computing device.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the private message data is encrypted prior to transmission to the third computing device.

15. A method for transmitting a private message via a communication apparatus, the method comprising:

displaying, on a display of a communication device, a messaging screen of a messaging application having a message portion and a keyboard portion, the messaging screen further including a private messaging icon which, when selected, executes a private messaging application;

receiving private message data at the communication device, the private message data input into a private messaging field of a second communication device, and in response to receiving the private message data, displaying an indicator on the display of the communication apparatus that the private message data has been received;

detecting user selection of the private messaging icon;

displaying, within the keyboard portion of the messaging screen, at least one private message contained within the private message data on the display so that contents of the private message are obfuscated;

detecting user selection of a portion of the obfuscated contents; and

displaying, at or near the user-selected portion of the obfuscated contents, an unobfuscated portion of the private message determined based on the user-selected portion of the obfuscated contents.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

upon executing the private messaging application, displaying an indicator of sent private message data; and

upon detecting selection of the indicator of the sent private message data, sending an instruction to at least a second computing device to delete the sent private message data.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the private message icon is a tab, the tab located within at least a portion of the messaging screen.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein detecting user selection of the private messaging icon includes detecting continuous contact across a region of the messaging screen, the continuous contact originating in a predetermined region of the messaging screen, and terminating a predetermined distance from the predetermined region.

19. The method of claim 15, further comprising upon detecting selection of the private messaging icon, switching from displaying the indicator of the received private message data to displaying contact icons.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

upon detecting a second user selection, the second user selection being of a contact icon, displaying a second private messaging screen configured to accept an input, the input including private message data; and

storing the private message data and adding a tag to the stored input, marking the input as private message data.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising transmitting the private message data to a second communication device.