Messaging device having a graphical user interface for initiating communication to recipients

• US 10,416,878 B2
• Filed: 11/28/2016
• Issued: 09/17/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/25/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: T-Mobile USA, Inc. (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: T-Mobile USA, Inc. (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Ligh, Ming, Chow, Paulo S. T., Goulart, Valerie, Giardini, Anthony, Gormley, Georgiana, Gough, Jeff, Carney, Patrick
• Primary Examiner(s): Hailu, Tadesse
• Application Number:
  US15/362,775
• Publication Number:
  US 20170123650A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,023 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0486 Drag-and-drop
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/27453 Directories allowing storage of additional subscriber data, e.g. metadata
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/27475 using interactive graphical means or pictorial representations
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/7243 with interactive means for internal management of messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72436 for text messaging, e.g. short messaging services [SMS] or e-mails
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/22 including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector digitizers for touch screens G06F3/041
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]

Abstract

A messaging device allows a user to initiate communication to recipients via a graphical user interface. In some embodiments, messages are composed by a user via a touchscreen display. Pre-existing messages may also be retrieved by the user via the display. Icons representing potential message recipients are displayed, and the user may deliver a message to a recipient by associating the message with the icon that represents the desired recipient, such as by a drag-and-drop or pop-and-hop motion. In addition, the user may indicate to which of the recipient'"'"'s various electronic devices or services the message is to be delivered. In some embodiments, the user may deliver the message to a group of recipients.

Claims

1. A method to communicate via a graphical user interface, the method comprising:

displaying multiple icons on a graphical user interface,

wherein each of the multiple icons is associated with a recipient;

displaying concurrently a composition area and the multiple icons;

receiving a message in the composition area;

detecting a drag-and-drop or pop-and-hop motion to associate the message received in the composition area with a selected recipient associated with one of the multiple icons;

in response to detecting the association of the message received in the composition area with the selected icon, displaying delivery methods by which the message is deliverable to the selected recipient associated with the selected icon on the graphical user interface,

wherein the delivery methods, the multiple icons, and the composition area are concurrently displayed, and

wherein the delivery methods include a preferred delivery method for the selected recipient associated with the selected icon;

detecting a selected delivery method; and

transmitting the message to the selected recipient associated with the selected icon via the selected delivery method.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the message is a pre-existing message visible on the graphical user interface.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the multiple icons include at least one of the following:

a photograph,

a predefined icon selected from a library, or

an electronic drawing created by a user via the graphical user interface.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the delivery methods include at least one of the following:

email,

Short Message Service (SMS),

Multimedia Message Service (MMS),

generating a visible electronic note, or

any combination thereof.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the preferred method is a delivery method most recently used by a user.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein a recipient is associated with more than one person.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the message in the composition area further includes at least one of the following:

receiving input from a virtual keyboard,

receiving handwriting input from a stylus,

receiving handwriting input from a finger, or

any combination thereof.

8. A system for sending messages, the system comprising:

at least one processor;

a touchscreen display to receive user input and display icons,

wherein each of the icons are associated with at least one of multiple recipients; and

one or more memory devices configured to store contact information for the multiple recipients and delivery methods associated with each of the multiple recipients,

wherein the one or more memory devices are further configured to store instructions that when executed by the at least one processor cause a device to;

provide a composition area,

wherein the composition area is configured to visually display the composition of a message;

detect associating the message received in the composition area with a selected one of the multiple icons,

wherein the selected icon is associated with an intended message recipient,

in response to detecting the association of the message with the selected icon, displaying at least two delivery methods associated with the intended recipient,

wherein the at least two delivery methods, the icons, and the composition area are concurrently displayed;

detect a selection of one of the at least two displayed delivery methods; and

transmit the received message to the intended message recipient via the selected delivery method.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein associating the message with the selected icon further includes:

detecting the touching of the message on the touchscreen display;

detecting the dragging of the message to the selected icon associated with the intended recipient; and

detecting the release of the message.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein associating the message with the selected icon further includes:

detecting the tapping of the message on the touchscreen display; and

detecting a subsequent tapping of the selected icon associated with the intended recipient.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the intended recipient is associated with a group of devices, and wherein instructions further include instructions to transmit the received message to the group of devices via the selected delivery method.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the instructions further include instructions to:

detect, via the touchscreen display, from a user an associating command associating two or more of the icons, the associated icons forming a group;

display the group as a recipient on the touchscreen display.

13. A tangible computer-readable medium to store instructions for executing a method to communicate, the method comprising:

displaying multiple icons on a graphical user interface,

wherein each of the multiple icons is associated with a recipient;

displaying concurrently a composition area and the multiple icons;

receiving user input to compose a message in the composition area;

detecting a motion to associate the message received in the composition area with a selected recipient associated with one of the multiple icons;

in response to detecting the association of the message with the selected icon, displaying delivery methods to deliver the message to the selected recipient associated with the selected icon,

wherein the delivery methods, the multiple icons, and the composition area are displayed concurrently;

detecting a selected delivery method; and

transmitting the message to the selected recipient associated with the selected icon via the selected delivery method.

14. The tangible computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the recipient is associated with a group.

15. The tangible computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the motion includes at least one of the following:

dragging,

popping,

hopping,

tapping, or

any combination thereof.

16. The tangible computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the recipient is associated with a single person.

17. The tangible computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the method further comprises:

displaying a message icon in association with the selected recipient, wherein the message icon indicates that the selected recipient has a message waiting.

18. The tangible computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the method further comprises:

maintaining a data structure that associates;

the multiple icons with multiple recipients and respective contact information, preferred delivery methods for each of the multiple recipients, and previously used delivery methods for each of the multiple recipients.

19. The tangible computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the method further comprises:

before transmitting the message, receiving a circle motion to associate two or more of the multiple icons;

determining that recipients associated with the two or more multiple icons are the intended recipients; and

transmitting the message to the selected recipients associated with the selected icons via the selected delivery method.

20. The tangible computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving a request from a user to deliver the message at a predetermined time; and

transmitting the message to the selected recipient associated with the selected icon via the selected delivery method at the predetermined time,

wherein the predetermined time is partially based on calendar information stored in a data structure associated with the selected recipient.