Systems, computing devices, and methods for facilitating communication to multiple contacts via multiple, different communication modalities

• US 10,652,195 B2
• Filed: 09/16/2016
• Issued: 05/12/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 09/16/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Crowdreach LLC
• Original Assignee: Crowdreach LLC
• Inventors: Rust, III, Carl King, Bose, Arun
• Primary Examiner(s): Sax, Steven P
• Application Number:
  US15/268,492
• Publication Number:
  US 20170078236A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,334 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/42 Mailbox-related aspects, e.g. synchronisation of mailboxes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/48 Message addressing, e.g. address format or anonymous messages, aliases
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/52 for supporting social networking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]

Abstract

Systems, computing devices, and methods for communicating to multiple contacts via multiple, different communication modalities are disclosed herein. According to an aspect, a computing device includes a user interface configured to present a plurality of contacts for communication via multiple, different communication modalities. The user interface can also receive user selection of two or more of the contacts for communication. The computing device can also include a communications manager configured to initiate communication with the two or more of the contacts via two of the modalities in response to receipt of the user selection of the contacts.

Claims

1. A computing device comprising:

a user interface comprising a display configured to;

present a plurality of contacts for communication via a plurality of different communication modalities,

wherein the user interface is configured to receive user selection of a template and marketing content for communication via the plurality of different communication modalities; and

receive user selection of at least two of the contacts for communication; and

a communications manager configured to;

initiate communication, based on a first user input, with the at least two of the contacts via at least two of the modalities in response to receipt of the user selection of the at least two of the contacts,

import, based on a second user input, a contact file having a predetermined set of individually separated fields;

select a plurality of fields from a second modality,

based on a third user input, graphically associate each of the selected plurality of fields from the second modality with each of the individually separated fields from the imported contact file;

generate a contact file having a mapped second set of contacts based on the associated plurality of fields from the second modality and the individually separated fields from the imported contact file;

import, from the second modality, the contact file having the mapped second set of contacts;

merge the mapped second set of contacts into the plurality of contacts for communication via the plurality of different communication modalities;

determine duplicate contacts among the mapped second set of contacts;

in response to determining duplicate contacts, remove the merged duplicate contacts;

communicate the template and marketing content to the at least two of the contacts via one of the modalities within the plurality of different communication modalities in response to receipt of the user selection of the at least two of the contacts.

2. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the user interface is configured to present the different modalities for selection as a preferred modality for communicating with the contact, and

wherein the communications manager is configured to initiate communication with each of the at least two of the contacts via the preferred communication modality for the contact in response to receipt of the user selection of the at least two of the contacts.

3. The computing device of claim 2, wherein the user interface is configured to display a single displayed component for interaction for selection of the at least two of the contacts for communication, and

wherein the communications manager is configured to initiate communication with the at least two of the contacts via the preferred modality of each of the at least two of the contacts in response to interaction with the single displayed component, wherein the preferred modality is email and text.

4. The computing device of claim 3, wherein the single displayed component is a displayed button.

5. The computing device of claim 1, wherein a communication modality comprises any one of, and, any combination of email, text messaging, and social network communication.

6. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the user interface and the communications manager are configured to:

present a web based interface for presentation of the contacts for a scheduled communication via the different communication modalities; and

receive user selection of the at least two of the contacts for communication, wherein the scheduled communication is available for sixty days.

7. The computing device of claim 6, wherein the web based interface is a dashboard.

8. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the user interface is configured to receive content for communication to each contact.

9. The computing device of claim 1, further comprising a communications manager configured to communicate an instruction to a second computing device to communicate content to the at least two of the contacts via the at least two of the modalities.

10. A method comprising:

at a computing device comprising a user interface comprising a display;

using the user interface to present a plurality of contacts for communication via a plurality of different communication modalities and receive user selection of a template and marketing content for communication via the plurality of different communication modalities;

initiating communication, based on a first user input, with the at least two of the contacts via at least two of the modalities in response to receipt of the user selection of the at least two of the contacts;

receiving user selection of at least two of the contacts for communication;

importing, based on a second user input, a contact file having a predetermined set of individually separated fields;

selecting a plurality of fields from a second modality,

based on a third user input, graphically associating each of the selected plurality of fields from the second modality with each of the individually separated fields from the imported contact file;

generating a contact file having a mapped second set of contacts based on the associated plurality of fields from the second modality and the individually separated fields from the imported contact file;

importing, from the second modality, the contact file having the mapped second set of contacts;

merging the mapped second set of contacts into the plurality of contacts for communication via the plurality of different communication modalities;

determining duplicate contacts among the mapped second set of contacts;

in response to determining duplicate contacts, remove the merged duplicate contacts;

in response to receipt of the user selection of the at least two of the contacts, initiating communication with the at least two of the contacts via at least two of the modalities;

communicating the template and marketing content to the at least two of the contacts via the plurality of different communication modalities in response to receipt of the user selection of the at least two of the contacts.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

using the user interface to present the different modalities for selection as a preferred modality for communicating with the contact; and

in response to receipt of the user selection of the at least two of the contacts, initiate communication with each of the at least one of the contacts via the preferred communication modality for the contact.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

displaying, via the user interface, a single displayed component for interaction for selection of the at least two of the contacts for communication; and

in response to interaction with the single displayed component, initiating communication with the at least one of the contacts via the preferred modality of each of the at least two of the contacts.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the single displayed component is a displayed button.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein a communication modality comprises any one of email, text messaging, and social network communication.

15. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

presenting a web based interface for presentation of the contacts for communication via the different communication modalities; and

receiving user selection of at least one contact within the at least two of the contacts for communication.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the web based interface is a graphical interface.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising receiving user selection of any one of a customized template and content for communication via each communication modality.

18. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

receiving content for communication to each contact; and

in response to receipt of the user selection of at least one contact within the at least two of the contacts, communicating the content to the at least one of the contacts via the at least one of the modalities.

19. The method of claim 10, further comprising communicating an instruction to a second computing device to communicate content to the at least one of the contacts via the at least one of the modalities.