Conversation-based user interface

• US 20070047697A1
• Filed: 08/23/2006
• Published: 03/01/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/14/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Orative Corp. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: White, Mike, Withey, Kate, Schramm, Steven, Drewry, John
• Granted Patent: US 7,974,391 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/88.130
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/54 Presence management, e.g. monitoring or registration for receipt of user log-on information, or the connection status of the users
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/00 Telephonic communication systems specially adapted for combination with other electrical systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/1091 Fixed mobile conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2011 Service processing based on information specified by a party before or during a call, e.g. information, tone or routing selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/206 composed of PSTN and wireless network
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42093 Notifying the calling party of information on the called or connected party
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42263 where the same subscriber uses different terminals, i.e. nomadism
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42365 Presence services providing information on the willingness to communicate or the ability to communicate in terms of media capability or network connectivity
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/436 Arrangements for screening incoming calls , i.e. evaluating the characteristics of a call before deciding whether to answer it based on the calling party profile H04M3/42059; based on location H04M3/42348; based on presence H04M3/42365; diversion H04M3/54

Abstract

A conversation-based user interface (UI) is described. The presenting of the UI includes receiving communications from numerous people. The communications include media that is electronic. A conversation list is generated that includes conversation information of each of the communications. The conversation information includes information of a sender and the media of each communication. The conversation list is displayed.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a plurality of communications from a plurality of people, wherein the plurality of communications include a plurality of media that is electronic;

generating a conversation list that includes conversation information of each of the plurality of communications, the conversation information including information of a sender; and

displaying the conversation list.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the conversation information includes information of the media of each communication.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of media includes telephone calls, telephone call requests, voice messages, voice mail, electronic mail messages, and text messages.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein communications of the conversation list are arranged according to at least one multi-dimensional filtering scheme.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the at least one filtering scheme includes one or more of filtering on presence, availability, location, email, phone number, network identification, title, profession company, department, location/facility, region, group affiliation, mailing list of which contact is a member, supervisor name, assistant, instant messaging address, children, spouse, notes, category, last active date, and miscellaneous fields or information.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the conversation list includes state information of the conversation.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the conversation list includes a first indicator with one or more communications, wherein the first indicator indicates when a user receiving a communication is to respond to the communication.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the conversation list includes a second indicator with one or more communications, wherein the second indicator indicates one or more of presence and availability of a sender of the communication.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the conversation list includes information of one or more of priority of each communication and status of each communication.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the conversation list includes one or more of a sender name and time information of the conversation.

11. The method of claim 1, comprising filtering the conversation list using a plurality of criteria.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the criteria include one or more of user, media type, conversation type, communications for which a user receiving the communications is to respond, and most recent ones of the plurality of communications.

13. The method of claim 11, comprising generating and displaying a filtered conversation list resulting from filtering using each of the plurality of criteria.

14. The method of claim 1, comprising generating the conversation list for each person of the plurality of people, wherein the conversation list includes communications of the plurality of communications that correspond to a conversation with a person.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the conversation list includes a third indicator with one or more communications, wherein the third indicator indicates a break in a thread of the communication.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the conversation list includes a fourth indicator with one or more communications, wherein the fourth indicator indicates when one or more states of a response to a received communication.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the one or more states include at least one of on device, on facilitator, on server, and on destination device.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the conversation list includes one or more of subject information and time information of the conversation.

19. The method of claim 1, comprising generating a conversation detail screen that includes a summary of message exchanges and conversation activity with each person of the plurality of people.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the displaying is on a client device.

21. The method of claim 1, comprising updating the conversation list in response to expiry times of each of the plurality of communications.

22. A device comprising a user interface application coupled to a processor, the device configured to receive a plurality of communications from a plurality of people, wherein the plurality of communications include a plurality of media that is electronic, wherein the user interface application is configured to generate a conversation list that includes conversation information of each of the plurality of communications, the conversation information including information of a sender and the media of each communication, wherein the user interface application is configured to display the conversation list.

23. The device of claim 22, wherein the conversation information includes information of the media of each communication, wherein the plurality of media includes telephone calls, telephone call requests, voice messages, voice mail, electronic mail messages, and text messages.

24. The device of claim 22, wherein the conversation list includes state information of the conversation.

25. The device of claim 22, wherein the conversation list includes a first indicator with one or more communications, wherein the first indicator indicates when a user receiving a communication is to respond to the communication.

26. The device of claim 22, wherein the conversation list includes a second indicator with one or more communications, wherein the second indicator indicates one or more of presence and availability of a sender of the communication.

27. The device of claim 22, wherein the conversation list includes information of one or more of priority of each communication and status of each communication.

28. The device of claim 22, wherein the conversation list includes one or more of a sender name and time information of the conversation.

29. The device of claim 22, configured to filter the conversation list using a plurality of criteria.

30. The device of claim 29, wherein the criteria include one or more of user, media type, conversation type, communications for which a user receiving the communications is to respond, and most recent ones of the plurality of communications.

31. The device of claim 29, wherein the criteria includes one or more of presence, availability, location, email, phone number, network identification, title, profession company, department, location/facility, region, group affiliation, mailing list of which contact is a member, supervisor name, assistant, instant messaging address, children, spouse, notes, category, last active date, and miscellaneous fields or information.

32. The device of claim 29, configured to generate and display a filtered conversation list resulting from filtering using each of the plurality of criteria.

33. The device of claim 22, configured to generate the conversation list for each person of the plurality of people, wherein the conversation list includes communications of the plurality of communications that correspond to a conversation with a person.

34. The device of claim 33, wherein the conversation list includes a third indicator with one or more communications, wherein the third indicator indicates a break in a thread of the communication.

35. The device of claim 33, wherein the conversation list includes a fourth indicator with one or more communications, wherein the fourth indicator indicates when one or more states of a response to a received communication.

36. The device of claim 35, wherein the one or more states include at least one of on device, on facilitator, on server, and on destination device.

37. The device of claim 33, wherein the conversation list includes one or more of subject information and time information of the conversation.

38. The device of claim 22, configured to generate a conversation detail screen that includes a summary of message exchanges and conversation activity with each person of the plurality of people.

39. The device of claim 22, configured to update the conversation list in response to expiry times of each of the plurality of communications.

40. A computer readable media including executable instructions which, when executed in a processing system, provide a conversation-based user interface by:

receiving a plurality of communications from a plurality of people, wherein the plurality of communications include a plurality of media that is electronic;

generating a conversation list that includes conversation information of each of the plurality of communications, the conversation information including information of a sender; and

displaying the conversation list.