Plug-in for extending functionality of messenger application across supplemented and unsupplemented application instances

• US 10,313,296 B2
• Filed: 11/07/2017
• Issued: 06/04/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/21/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Inventors: Clark, Jason Duane, Padget, Benjamin Kyle, Lang, Christopher Jon
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Kim T
• Application Number:
  US15/805,512
• Publication Number:
  US 20180063069A1
• Time in Patent Office: 574 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44526 Plug-ins; Add-ons
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0261 based on user location
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/18 Commands or executable codes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/216 Handling conversation history, e.g. grouping of messages in sessions or threads
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/52 for supporting social networking services

Abstract

A first instance of a messenger application having a plug-in communicates with a second instance of the messenger application lacking the plug-in. The plug-in provides enhanced functionality to the first instance of the messenger application, while also providing corresponding functionality to the second instance, which lacks the plug-in. For example, the plug-in may provide rich, non-thread-native content to the first instance, while also providing corresponding thread-native content to the second instance. As another example, the plug-in may obtain data from the second instance and provide tailored advertisements to the second instance based upon that data. An another example, the plug-in may obtain location data from one or more of the instances and provide access to location-specific services that take the location data into account.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

establishing, by a first instance of a messenger application executing on a first client device and having a messenger plug-in, a conversation thread with a second instance of the messenger application executing on a second client device, the second instance lacking the messenger plug-in, the first client device and the second client device being in communication using the first instance and the second instance;

displaying, by the first instance, a user interface having a thread area configured to display thread-native content;

obtaining, by the first instance at least in part from the second instance, content tailoring data, wherein the content tailoring data comprises location data indicating a location of the first client device on which the first instance is executing;

obtaining, by the messenger plug-in based on the content tailoring data, thread-native content in a thread-native format;

sending the thread-native content to the second instance of the messenger application for display within a thread area of the second instance;

obtaining, by the messenger plug-in using the location data obtained from the first client device, enhanced content in an enhanced content format not natively displayable within the thread area;

displaying the enhanced content within a control area of the user interface of the first instance;

determining that the location of the first client device differs from a location of the second client device on which the second instance is executing; and

responsive to the determining, refraining from sending a counterpart of the enhanced content to the second instance.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising, by the messenger plug-in:

obtaining an enhanced content counterpart of the thread-native content, the enhanced content counterpart having a data format not natively displayable within the thread area; and

displaying the enhanced content counterpart within the control area of the user interface of the first instance.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the enhanced content counterpart contains an interactive text field for entering user input.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising, by the messenger plug-in:

obtaining the content tailoring data at least in part by extracting keywords from text of textual messages exchanged on the conversation thread, wherein obtaining the thread-native content comprises querying a database of content, the querying including the extracted keywords.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

obtaining the content tailoring data from a user profile on a social networking system of a user of the first instance or the second instance, wherein obtaining the thread-native content comprises the messenger plug-in querying a database of content, the querying including data from the user profile.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the content tailoring data comprises location data representing a location of the second client device on which the second instance is executing, and wherein the obtaining of the thread-native content comprises the messenger plug-in querying a database of content, the querying including the location data.

7. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions executable by a processor of a first client device and comprising:

instructions for establishing, by a first instance of a messenger application executing on the first client device and having a messenger plug-in, a conversation thread with a second instance of the messenger application executing on a second client device, the second instance lacking the messenger plug-in, the first client device and the second client device being in communication using the first instance and the second instance;

instructions for displaying, by the first instance, a user interface having a thread area configured to display thread-native content;

instructions for obtaining, by the first instance at least in part from the second instance, content tailoring data, wherein the content tailoring data comprises location data indicating a location of the first client device on which the first instance is executing;

instructions for obtaining, by the messenger plug-in based on the content tailoring data, thread-native content in a thread-native format; and

instructions for sending the thread-native content to the second instance of the messenger application for display within a thread area of the second instance;

instructions for obtaining, by the messenger plug-in using the location data obtained from the first client device, enhanced content in an enhanced content format not natively displayable within the thread area;

instructions for displaying the enhanced content within a control area of the user interface of the first instance;

instructions for determining that the location of the first client device differs from a location of the second client device on which the second instance is executing; and

responsive to the determining, instructions for refraining from sending a counterpart of the enhanced content to the second instance.

8. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 7, the instructions further comprising:

instructions for obtaining an enhanced content counterpart of the thread-native content, the enhanced content counterpart having a data format not natively displayable within the thread area; and

instructions for displaying the enhanced content counterpart within a control area of the user interface of the first instance.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the enhanced content counterpart contains an interactive text field for entering user input.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 7, the instructions further comprising:

instructions for obtaining the content tailoring data at least in part by extracting keywords from text of textual messages exchanged on the conversation thread, wherein obtaining the thread-native content comprises querying a database of content, the querying including the extracted keywords.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 7, the instructions further comprising:

instructions for obtaining the content tailoring data from a user profile on a social networking system of a user of the first instance or the second instance, wherein obtaining the thread-native content comprises the messenger plug-in querying a database of content, the querying including data from the user profile.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein the content tailoring data comprises location data representing a location of the second client device on which the second instance is executing, and wherein obtaining the thread-native content comprises the messenger plug-in querying a database of content, the querying including the location data.

13. A first client device comprising:

a computer processor; and

a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions executable by the computer processor and comprising;

instructions for establishing, by a first instance of a messenger application executing on the first client device and having a messenger plug-in, a conversation thread with a second instance of the messenger application executing on a second client device, the second instance lacking the messenger plug-in, the first client device and the second client device being in communication using the first instance and the second instance;

instructions for displaying, by the first instance, a user interface having a thread area configured to display thread-native content;

instructions for obtaining, by the first instance at least in part from the second instance, content tailoring data, wherein the content tailoring data comprises location data indicating a location of the first client device on which the first instance is executing;

instructions for obtaining, by the messenger plug-in based on the content tailoring data, thread-native content in a thread-native format; and

instructions for sending the thread-native content to the second instance of the messenger application for display within a thread area of the second instance;

instructions for obtaining, by the messenger plug-in using the location data obtained from the first client device, enhanced content in an enhanced content format not natively displayable within the thread area;

instructions for displaying the enhanced content within a control area of the user interface of the first instance;

instructions for determining that the location of the first client device differs from a location of the second client device on which the second instance is executing; and

responsive to the determining, instructions for refraining from sending a counterpart of the enhanced content to the second instance.

14. The first client device of claim 13, the instructions further comprising:

instructions for obtaining an enhanced content counterpart of the thread-native content, the enhanced content counterpart having a data format not natively displayable within the thread area; and

instructions for displaying the enhanced content counterpart within a control area of the user interface of the first instance.

15. The first client device of claim 14, wherein the enhanced content counterpart contains an interactive text field for entering user input.

16. The first client device of claim 13, the instructions further comprising:

instructions for obtaining the content tailoring data at least in part by extracting keywords from text of textual messages exchanged on the conversation thread, wherein obtaining the thread-native content comprises querying a database of content, the querying including the extracted keywords.

17. The first client device of claim 13, the instructions further comprising:

instructions for obtaining the content tailoring data from a user profile on a social networking system of a user of the first instance or the second instance, wherein obtaining the thread-native content comprises the messenger plug-in querying a database of content, the querying including data from the user profile.