DEVICE AND METHOD FOR PROVIDING AND DISPLAYING ANIMATED SMS MESSAGES

• US 20080182566A1
• Filed: 01/31/2007
• Published: 07/31/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications USA Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications USA Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Camp, William O. Jr.
• Granted Patent: US 7,756,536 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/418
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/18 Commands or executable codes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72427 for supporting games or graphical animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72439 for image or video messaging
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

A device and method of creating and displaying a short message service (SMS) message capable of attaching and displaying animated characteristics is disclosed. To create an animated SMS message the user responds to input prompts asking for: a mobile identification number that identifies the receiving party, an animation flag that determines whether the SMS message will have animation characteristics, a content pointer location that specifies the location of a content file resident on the receiving device, and the actual text of the SMS message. To display an animated SMS message the receiving device parses the SMS message to determine how to apply the desired animation characteristics. An animation flag is checked and the location of a content file on the receiving device is determined. The content file is retrieved and combined with the text of the SMS message and the combination is then animated according to the animation type specified.

Claims

1. A method of creating a text based short message service (SMS) message capable of attaching animated characteristics to the SMS message, the method comprising:

prompting a user to input data;

providing a mobile identification number that identifies a receiving portable mobile communications device that is the intended recipient of the SMS message;

setting an animation flag that determines whether the SMS message will have animation characteristics applied to it by the receiving portable mobile communications device;

providing a content pointer location that specifies the location of a content file resident on the receiving portable mobile communications device;

providing the text and/or characters to be associated with the SMS message; and

constructing the SMS message using the input data.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising prompting a user to input data providing an animation type parameter that specifies how the content file associated with the SMS message will be animated.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the animation type includes facial expression animation.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein the animation type includes synchronizing an audio file with a picture file.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the content file is a picture.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the content file is an emoticon.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the content file is an audio file.

8. The method of claim 1 further wherein the SMS message is sent from a sending portable mobile communications device to a receiving portable mobile communications device over a mobile network.

9. The method of claim 1 further wherein the SMS message is sent from a computer device to a receiving portable mobile communications device over an Internet Protocol (IP) network that is communicable with a mobile network.

10. On a portable mobile communications device, a method of displaying a text based short message service (SMS) message having animated characteristics associated with the SMS message, the method comprising:

receiving the SMS message from the mobile network;

parsing the SMS message to determine how to manipulate the message to apply the desired animation characteristics; and

displaying the parsed animated SMS message.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the parsing step comprises:

determining whether the received SMS message has been associated with animation characteristics;

determining the location of a content file on the portable mobile communications device that is to be associated with the received SMS message;

retrieving the content file;

determining the animation type to be applied to the retrieved content file;

combining the text of the SMS message with the retrieved content file; and

applying the animation type to the combined text and content file to create an animated SMS message.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the animation type includes facial expression animation.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein the animation type includes synchronizing an audio file with a picture file.

14. The method of claim 11 wherein the content file is a picture.

15. The method of claim 11 wherein the content file is an emoticon.

16. The method of claim 11 wherein the content file is an audio file.

17. A computer program product embodied on a computer readable medium for creating a text based short message service (SMS) message capable of attaching animated characteristics to the SMS message, the computer program product comprising:

computer program code for prompting a user to input data;

computer program code for providing a mobile identification number that identifies a receiving portable mobile communications device that is the intended recipient of the SMS message;

computer program code for setting an animation flag that determines whether the SMS message will have animation characteristics applied to it by the receiving portable mobile communications device;

computer program code for providing a content pointer location that specifies the location of a content file resident on the receiving portable mobile communications device;

computer program code for providing the text and/or characters to be associated with the SMS message; and

computer program code for constructing the SMS message using the input data.

18. The computer program product of claim 17 further comprising computer program code for prompting a user to input data to provide an animation type parameter that specifies how the content file associated with the SMS message will be animated.

19. The computer program product of claim 18 wherein the animation type includes facial expression animation.

20. The computer program product of claim 18 wherein the animation type includes synchronizing an audio file with a picture file.

21. The computer program product of claim 17 wherein the content file is a picture.

22. The computer program product of claim 17 wherein the content file is an emoticon.

23. The computer program product of claim 17 wherein the content file is an audio file.

24. The computer program product of claim 17 further wherein the SMS message is sent from a sending portable mobile communications device to a receiving portable mobile communications device over a mobile network.

25. The computer program product of claim 17 further wherein the SMS message is sent from a computer device to a receiving portable mobile communications device over an Internet Protocol (IP) network that is communicable with a mobile network.

26. A computer program product embodied on a computer readable medium for displaying, on a portable mobile communications device, a text based short message service (SMS) message having animated characteristics associated with the SMS message, the computer program product comprising:

computer program code for receiving the SMS message from the mobile network;

computer program code for parsing the SMS message to determine how to manipulate the message to apply the desired animation characteristics; and

computer program code for displaying the parsed animated SMS message.

27. The computer program product of claim 26 wherein the parsing step comprises:

computer program code for determining whether the received SMS message has been associated with animation characteristics;

computer program code for determining the location of a content file on the portable mobile communications device that is to be associated with the received SMS message;

computer program code for retrieving the content file;

computer program code for determining the animation type to be applied to the retrieved content file;

computer program code for combining the text of the SMS message with the retrieved content file; and

computer program code for applying the animation type to the combined text and content file to create an animated SMS message.

28. The computer program product of claim 27 wherein the animation type includes facial expression animation.

29. The computer program product of claim 27 wherein the animation type includes synchronizing an audio file with a picture file.

30. The computer program product of claim 27 wherein the content file is a picture.

31. The computer program product of claim 27 wherein the content file is an emoticon.

32. The computer program product of claim 27 wherein the content file is an audio file.

33. A portable mobile communications device for creating and receiving a text based short message service (SMS) message capable of attaching and displaying animated characteristics associated with the SMS message, the portable mobile communications device comprising:

an SMS application for composing, sending, receiving, and parsing an SMS message;

an RF module for communicating with a mobile network to send and receive an SMS message;

content storage for storing content files to be associated with an SMS message;

an animation application for applying animation characteristics to a content file associated with an SMS message;

a processor for executing the SMS application and animation application; and

a display for displaying animated SMS messages.

34. The portable mobile communications device of claim 33 wherein the SMS application creates an SMS message having animation characteristics by prompting a user to input data:

providing a mobile identification number that identifies a receiving portable mobile communications device that is the intended recipient of the SMS message;

setting an animation flag that determines whether the SMS message will have animation characteristics applied to it by the receiving portable mobile communications device;

providing a content pointer location that specifies the location of a content file resident on the receiving portable mobile communications device;

providing the text and/or characters to be associated with the SMS message; and

constructing the SMS message using the input data.

35. The portable mobile communications device of claim 34 wherein the SMS application further comprises prompting a user to input data providing an animation type parameter that specifies how the content file associated with the SMS message will be animated.

36. The portable mobile communications device of claim 33 wherein the SMS application displays a text based short message service (SMS) message having animated characteristics associated with the SMS message by:

receiving the SMS message from the mobile network;

parsing the SMS message to determine how to manipulate the message to apply the desired animation characteristics; and

displaying the parsed animated SMS message.

37. The portable mobile communications device of claim 36 wherein the SMS application parsing step comprises:

determining whether the received SMS message has been associated with animation characteristics;

determining the location of a content file on the portable mobile communications device that is to be associated with the received SMS message;

retrieving the content file;

determining the animation type to be applied to the retrieved content file;

combining the text of the SMS message with the retrieved content file; and

applying the animation type to the combined text and content file to create an animated SMS message.

38. The portable mobile communications device of claim 37 wherein the animation type includes facial expression animation.

39. The portable mobile communications device of claim 37 wherein the animation type includes synchronizing an audio file with a picture file.

40. The portable mobile communications device of claim 37 wherein the content file is a picture.

41. The portable mobile communications device of claim 37 wherein the content file is an emoticon.

42. The portable mobile communications device of claim 37 wherein the content file is an audio file.