Sticker distribution system for messaging apps

• US 10,194,288 B2
• Filed: 01/04/2017
• Issued: 01/29/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/12/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Sarma, Bhaskar P., Lindeman, Kevin J., Garcia, Roberto, Peterson, Adele C., Carter, David Alex, Wood, Justin N., Bistolas, Eugene M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Eng, George
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ahsan, Umair
• Application Number:
  US15/398,553
• Publication Number:
  US 20170359701A1
• Time in Patent Office: 755 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/046 Interoperability with other network applications or services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/063 Content adaptation, e.g. replacement of unsuitable content
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/10 Multimedia information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]

Abstract

A distribution system for distributing stickers that are available in a set of different resolutions for different target devices is described. The distribution system (e.g. a messaging sticker store) can create a bundle of stickers for each screen resolution in the set of target devices.

Claims

1. A non-transitory machine readable medium storing executable program instructions which when executed by a data processing system cause the data processing system to perform a method comprising:

receiving a plurality of stickers, each sticker comprising an image for use within a messaging application, each sticker in the plurality of stickers having a plurality of versions for use with different screen resolutions;

grouping the plurality of stickers into a plurality of bundles, each bundle of the plurality of bundles having stickers in a respective version for one of the different screen resolutions;

storing the plurality of bundles in a memory;

receiving, subsequent to the storing, a first request from a first device for a set of stickers, the first request specifying a screen resolution of the first device;

retrieving, in response to the first request and from the memory, a first bundle of the plurality of bundles that is for use with the screen resolution of the first device; and

sending the first bundle of the plurality of bundles to the first device.

2. The medium as in claim 1 wherein one of the versions of the plurality of versions is a high resolution version for use on a high resolution screen and another version of the plurality of versions is a low resolution version for use on a low resolution screen and wherein each of the bundles has stickers of only one of the different screen resolutions.

3. The medium as in claim 1 wherein the method is performed by one or more servers in a service that provides one or more catalogs of apps, messaging extension apps and stickers and wherein the plurality of stickers are received from a developer of stickers or a graphic artist.

4. The medium as in claim 3 wherein the first request is from a first messaging app that is configured to communicate text messages with other messaging apps through one or more messaging servers.

5. The medium as in claim 4 wherein the first request specifies a screen resolution either implicitly or explicitly.

6. The medium as in claim 5 wherein the first request implicitly specifies the screen resolution by specifying a set of model and manufacturer identifiers.

7. The medium as in claim 6 wherein each bundle includes a metadata file that contains sticker identifiers, one for each sticker in the bundle.

8. The medium as in claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving a second request from a second device for the set of stickers, the second request specifying a screen resolution of the second device which is different than the screen resolution of the first device; and

sending, in response to the second request, a second bundle of the plurality of bundles that is for use with the screen resolution of the second device.

9. The medium as in claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving a second request from a second device for one of the stickers in the set of stickers, the second request specifying a sticker identifier and a screen resolution of the second device which is different than the screen resolution of the first device, the second request being in response to receiving a message from a first messaging app on the first device, the message including the sticker identifier; and

sending, in response to the second request, at least one of;

the sticker identified by the sticker identifier that is for use with the screen resolution of the first device, or the bundle containing the sticker identified by the sticker identifier that is for use with the screen resolution of the first device.

10. The medium as in claim 1 wherein each bundle includes a metadata file that contains sticker identifiers, one for each bundle and also contains an attribution or identifier of a developer of the stickers or a graphic artist and also contains at least one authorization token which is sent, with an identifier for one of the stickers in the bundle, from the first device to a second device that includes a messaging app which uses the authorization token and the identifier to retrieve the sticker that is identified by the identifier and that is for use with the screen resolution of the second device.

11. A machine implemented method comprising:

receiving a plurality of stickers, each sticker comprising an image, each sticker in the plurality of stickers having a plurality of versions for use with different screen resolutions;

grouping the plurality of stickers into a plurality of bundles, each bundle of the plurality of bundles having stickers in a respective version for one of the different screen resolutions;

storing the plurality of bundles in a memory;

receiving, subsequent to the storing, a first request from a first device for a set of stickers, the first request specifying a screen resolution of the first device;

retrieving, in response to the first request and from the memory, a first bundle of the plurality of bundles that is for use with the screen resolution of the first device; and

sending the first bundle of the plurality of bundles to the first device.

12. The method as in claim 11 wherein one of the versions of the plurality of versions is a high resolution version for use on a high resolution screen and another version of the plurality of versions is a low resolution version for use on a low resolution screen and wherein each of the bundles has stickers of only one of the different screen resolutions.

13. The method as in claim 11 wherein the method is performed by one or more servers in a service that provides one or more catalogs of apps, messaging extension apps and stickers and wherein the plurality of stickers are received from a developer of stickers or a graphic artist.

14. The method as in claim 13 wherein the first request is from a first messaging app that is configured to communicate text messages with other messaging apps through one or more messaging servers.

15. The method as in claim 14 wherein the first request specifies a screen resolution either implicitly or explicitly.

16. The method as in claim 15 wherein the first request implicitly specifies the screen resolution by specifying a set of model and manufacturer identifiers.

17. The method as in claim 16 wherein each bundle includes a metadata file that contains sticker identifiers, one for each sticker in the bundle.

18. The method as in claim 11, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving a second request from a second device for the set of stickers, the second request specifying a screen resolution of the second device which is different than the screen resolution of the first device; and

sending, in response to the second request, a second bundle of the plurality of bundles that is for use with the screen resolution of the second device.

19. The method as in claim 11, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving a second request from a second device for one of the stickers in the set of stickers, the second request specifying a sticker identifier and being in response to receiving a message from a first messaging app on the first device, the message including the sticker identifier; and

sending, in response to the second request, at least one of;

the sticker identified by the sticker identifier or the bundle containing the sticker identified by the sticker identifier.

20. The method as in claim 11 wherein each bundle includes a metadata file that contains sticker identifiers, one for each bundle and also contains an attribution or identifier of a developer of the stickers or a graphic artist and also contains at least one authorization token which is sent, with an identifier for one of the stickers in the bundle, from the first device to a second device that includes a messaging app which uses the authorization token and the identifier to retrieve the sticker that is identified by the identifier and that is for use with the screen resolution of the second device.

21. A device, comprising:

at least one processor; and

a first memory including instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to;

receive a plurality of stickers, each sticker comprising an image, each sticker in the plurality of stickers having a plurality of versions for use with different screen resolutions;

group the plurality of stickers into a plurality of bundles, each bundle of the plurality of bundles having stickers in a respective version for one of the different screen resolutions;

store the plurality of bundles in a second memory;

receive, subsequent to the storing, a first request from a first device for a set of stickers, the first request specifying a screen resolution of the first device;

retrieve, in response to the first request and from the second memory, a first bundle of the plurality of bundles that is for use with the screen resolution of the first device; and

send the first bundle of the plurality of bundles to the first device.