Layers in messaging applications

• US 10,368,208 B2
• Filed: 01/06/2017
• Issued: 07/30/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/12/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Ciechanowski, Bartosz, Sarma, Bhaskar P., Dahlberg, William R., Bistolas, Eugene, Gutknecht, Olivier, Begeman, Nathaniel
• Primary Examiner(s): Mastrodonato, Margaret G
• Application Number:
  US15/400,780
• Publication Number:
  US 20170359703A1
• Time in Patent Office: 935 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/08 Annexed information, e.g. attachments
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/216 Handling conversation history, e.g. grouping of messages in sessions or threads
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72436 for text messaging, e.g. short messaging services [SMS] or e-mails
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]

Abstract

A text messaging system that allows messaging apps to send one or more layer identifiers that can specify content for a layer and Z depth of that layer relative to other layers in a text message transcript such as a sent message layer and a received message layer.

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, by a first messaging app, a message from a second messaging app, the first messaging app and the second messaging app configured to communicate text messages through one or more messaging servers;

receiving, by the first messaging app, a first layer identifier associated with the message, the first layer identifier specifying, for a first layer, a Z depth of the first layer relative to at least one of one or more message bubbles in a sent message layer and one or more message bubbles in a received message layer in a message transcript;

receiving or generating, by the first messaging app, content for display in the first layer; and

displaying the sent message layer and a received message layer and the content in the first layer,

wherein the first layer is displayed at the Z depth relative to at least one of the one or more message bubbles in the sent message layer and the one or more message bubbles in the received message layer, and

wherein the sent message layer and the received message layer have different Z depths.

2. The medium as in claim 1 wherein the first layer is, in Z depth, between the sent message layer and the received message layer.

3. The medium as in claim 1 wherein the Z depth of the first layer places the first layer in front of the sent message layer and the received message layer and wherein the first layer is composited with both the sent message layer and the received message layer based on a set of alpha values.

4. The medium as in claim 3 wherein the messaging app displays the message transcript without an on-screen keyboard, wherein each message bubble in both the sent message layer and the received message layer has a unique message bubble identifier;

and wherein the method further comprises;

displaying, by the messaging app, a second layer associated with a second layer identifier sent with the message, the second layer identifier specifying a Z depth of the second layer that places, in Z depth, the second layer between the sent message layer and the received message layer.

5. The medium as in claim 1 wherein the first messaging app instantiates a first view for the first layer and the content for the first layer is placed in the first view, and the first messaging app instantiates a second view for the sent message layer and a third view for the received message layer.

6. The medium as in claim 4 wherein at least one of the first layer or the second layer displays an animation over a period of time.

7. The medium as in claim 6 wherein after the animation is completed, the first layer and the second layer are no longer displayed.

8. The medium as in claim 7 wherein the first layer identifier specifies the content for display in the first layer and the second layer identifier specifies the content for display in the second layer.

9. The medium as in claim 8 wherein the first messaging app generates the content for display in the first layer based on the first identifier and the first messaging app generates the content for display in the second layer based on the second identifier.

10. The medium as in claim 1, wherein the first layer identifier specifies the Z depth of the first layer implicitly in alpha values of pixels, or regions of pixels, of the first layer relative to alpha values in the sent message layer and alpha values in the received message layer.

11. The medium as in claim 1 wherein the sent message layer, the received message layer and the first layer have different Z depths.

12. A device comprising:

at least one processor; and

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

receive, by a first messaging app, text entered by a user;

detect the text includes a set of one or more predetermined words associated with a first layer identifier; and

send, by the first messaging app, the text and the first layer identifier to a second messaging app in response to a send command after detecting the text,

wherein the first messaging app and the second messaging app are configured to communicate text messages through one or more messaging servers,

wherein the first layer identifier specifies, for a first layer, a Z depth of the first layer relative to at least one of one or more message bubbles in a sent message layer and one or more message bubbles in a received message layer, and

wherein the sent message layer and the received message layer have different Z depths.

13. The device as in claim 12, wherein the instructions further cause the at least one processor to:

send, by the first messaging app, a second layer identifier to the second messaging app, the second layer identifier specifying, for a second layer, a Z depth of the second layer relative to the first layer and relative to the sent message layer and the received message layer.

14. The device as in claim 12, wherein the first layer identifier specifies the Z depth of the first layer implicitly in alpha values of pixels, or regions of pixels, of the first layer relative to alpha values in the sent message layer and alpha values in the received message layer.

15. The device as in claim 12 wherein the sent message layer, the received message layer and the first layer have different Z depths.

16. A machine implemented method comprising:

receiving, by a first messaging app, a message from a second messaging app, the first messaging app and the second messaging app configured to communicate text messages through one or more messaging servers;

receiving, by the first messaging app, a first layer identifier associated with the message, the first layer identifier specifying, for a first layer, a Z depth of the first layer relative to at least one of one or more message bubbles in a sent message layer and one or more message bubbles in a received message layer in a message transcript;

receiving or generating, by the first messaging app, content for display in the first layer; and

displaying the sent message layer and a received message layer and the content in the first layer,

wherein the first layer is displayed at the Z depth relative to at least one of the one or more message bubbles in the sent message layer and the one or more message bubbles in the received message layer, and

wherein the sent message layer and the received message layer have different Z depths.

17. The method as in claim 16 wherein the first layer is, in Z depth, between the sent message layer and the received message layer.

18. The method as in claim 16 wherein the Z depth of the first layer places the first layer in front of the sent message layer and the received message layer and wherein the first layer is composited with both the sent message layer and the received message layer based on a set of alpha values.

19. The method as in claim 16 wherein the sent message layer, the received message layer and the first layer have different Z depths.