Prohibiting mobile forwarding

• US 10,111,057 B2
• Filed: 12/12/2017
• Issued: 10/23/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/01/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Appelman, Barry
• Primary Examiner(s): Pollack, Melvin H
• Application Number:
  US15/839,751
• Publication Number:
  US 20180139590A1
• Time in Patent Office: 315 Days
• Field of Search: 709206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/066 Format adaptation, e.g. format conversion or compression
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/214 using selective forwarding
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/104 Grouping of entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/16 Communication-related supplementary services, e.g. call-transfer or call-hold
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/184 Messaging devices, e.g. message centre

Abstract

An incoming message and an indication of a sender-specified destination for the incoming message are received. In addition, a determination is made as to whether a mobile telephone number is known by the sender to be associated with the sender-specified destination. If a mobile telephone number is known by the sender to be associated with the sender-specified destination, a first message that is based on the incoming message is sent to the mobile telephone number. Furthermore, a second message is sent to the mobile telephone number that indicates that the first message was sent to the mobile telephone number based on a determination that the mobile telephone number is known by the sender to be associated with the sender-specified destination.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

adding one or more user designations corresponding to associated other users to a contact list, wherein the contact list specifies contact information for the other users;

adding at least one user designation of the one or more user designations to a communication list of users, wherein the communication list specifies users to contact via an alternative communication channel if a first communication channel is unavailable;

receiving an incoming message from a sender and an indication of a sender-specified first destination for the incoming message, wherein the sender-specified first destination is associated with a target user that corresponds to one of the at least one user designation on the communication list;

obtaining first information indicating that the sender-specified first destination is not available for the incoming message over the first communication channel;

in response to obtaining the first information indicating that the sender-specified first destination is not available and the target user being on the communication list, obtaining second information indicating that a second destination over the alternative communication channel is associated with the sender-specified first destination; and

in response to obtaining the second information indicating that the second destination is associated with the sender-specified first destination and the second destination being available to receive electronic messages, forwarding the incoming message to the second destination over the alternative communication channel.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein adding the one or more user designations to the contact list is performed in response to receiving first user input that indicates the one or more user designations corresponding to at least one associated other user.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein adding the at least one user designation to the communication list is performed in response to receiving second user input that indicates the at least one user designation.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3 further comprising causing an interface to be displayed on a device of the sender, wherein the interface enables provision of the second user input that specifies the at least one user designation to be added to the communication list.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 3 further comprising causing an interface to be displayed on a device of the sender, wherein the interface includes a prompt that requests a confirmation that the at least one user designation is to be added to the communication list, wherein the second user input includes the confirmation.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5 wherein the prompt is displayed on the device of the sender in response to the adding the one or more user designations to the contact list based on first user input received by the device.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 5 wherein the prompt is displayed on the device of the sender in response to at least one of:

a particular number of the user designations being input to the contact list by the first user input, or

a login to or logoff from a messaging service by the sender, wherein the at least one user designation is input to the contact list during a previous online session prior to a current online session.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 3 further comprising causing an interface to be displayed on a device of the sender, wherein the interface depicts the one or more user designations, and wherein the second user input indicates selection of the at least one user designation from the one or more user designations.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein the first communication channel uses instant messages over an Internet Protocol (IP) network, and wherein the alternative communication channel uses Short Messaging Service (SMS) messages over a cellular network.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein the first communication channel transmits instant messages communicated via an instant messaging server, and wherein the alternative communication channel transmits email messages over an Internet Protocol (IP) network.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein the second destination is a telephone number of a mobile device, wherein the second destination is determined to be available based on the mobile device being reachable via a cellular network.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein the second destination is a telephone number of a mobile device, wherein the second destination is determined to be available based on the mobile device being within a signal range to receive a communication.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 further comprising obtaining third information that indicates whether a particular user designation of the one or more user designations is automatically added to the communication list without requiring user input, based on at least one of:

one or more previous communications between the sender and a particular user of the particular user designation, or

one or more previous actions provided via third user input, wherein the one or more previous actions were applied to one or more previous messages sent to or received from the particular user in the one or more previous communications.

14. A system comprising:

at least one processor; and

a computer-readable storage device storing instructions, which when executed on the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform operations comprising;

adding one or more user designations corresponding to associated other users to a contact list, wherein the contact list specifies contact information for the other users;

adding at least one user designation of the one or more user designations to a communication list of users, wherein the communication list specifies users to contact via an alternative communication channel if a first communication channel is unavailable;

receiving an incoming message from a sender and an indication of a sender-specified first destination for the incoming message, wherein the sender-specified first destination is associated with a target user that corresponds to one of the at least one user designation on the communication list;

obtaining first information indicating that the sender-specified first destination is not available for the incoming message over the first communication channel;

in response to obtaining the first information indicating that the sender-specified first destination is not available and the target user being on the communication list, obtaining second information that indicates that a second destination over the alternative communication channel is associated with the sender-specified first destination; and

in response to the second information indicating that the second destination is associated with the sender-specified first destination and the second destination being available to receive electronic messages, forwarding the incoming message to the second destination over a communication network using the alternative communication channel.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein the operation of adding the one or more user designations to the contact list is performed in response to receiving first user input that indicates the one or more user designations corresponding to at least one associated other user.

16. The system of claim 14 wherein the operation of adding the at least one user designation to the communication list is performed in response to receiving second user input that indicates the at least one user designation.

17. The system of claim 14 wherein the operation of adding the at least one user designation to the contact list is based on one or more previous communications between the sender and at least one other user associated with the at least one user designation.

18. The system of claim 14 wherein the operation of adding the at least one user designation to the contact list is based on one or more previous actions provided via third user input, wherein the one or more previous actions were applied to one or more previous messages sent to or received from at least one other user associated with the at least one user designation in one or more previous communications.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium encoded with a computer executable program causing a processor to perform operations comprising:

adding one or more user designations corresponding to associated other users to a contact list, wherein the contact list specifies contact information for the other users;

adding at least one user designation of the one or more user designations to a communication list of users, wherein the communication list specifies users to contact via an alternative communication channel if a first communication channel is unavailable;

receiving an incoming message from a sender and an indication of a sender-specified first destination for the incoming message, wherein the sender-specified first destination is associated with a target user that corresponds to one of the at least one user designation on the communication list;

obtaining first information that indicates that the sender-specified first destination is not available for the incoming message over the first communication channel;

in response to obtaining the first information indicating that the sender-specified first destination is not available and the target user being on the communication list, obtaining second information that indicates that a second destination over the alternative communication channel is associated with the sender-specified first destination; and

in response to the second information indicating that the second destination is associated with the sender-specified first destination and the second destination being available to receive electronic messages, forwarding the incoming message to the second destination over a communication network using the alternative communication channel.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 19 wherein the operation of adding the at least one user designation to the communication list is performed at least one of:

in response to receiving first user input that indicates the at least one user designation, or

based on one or more of;

one or more previous communications between the sender and at least one user associated with the at least one user designation;

or

one or more previous actions provided via second user input, wherein the one or more previous actions were applied to one or more previous messages sent to or received from one or more other users associated with the at least one user designation in the one or more previous communications.