Systems, methods and apparatus for providing unread message alerts

• US 20090177617A1
• Filed: 01/03/2008
• Published: 07/09/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/03/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Lee, Michael M.
• Granted Patent: US 9,106,447 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/48 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/00 User-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, transmitted according to store-and-forward or real-time protocols, e.g. e-mail
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/222 using geographical location information, e.g. messages transmitted or received in proximity of a certain spot or area

Abstract

The present invention includes systems, apparatus and methods for providing message alerts to a user prior to that user communicating with a second party. The user may desire to communicate with a second party by sending a text-based message or by speaking to them through a communications device, such as a cellular phone. Prior to sending the message or speaking with the second party, the device can provide the user with message alerts, the option to review alert content, and/or to view the alert content itself. The message alerts and alert content can be notifications and/or previews of opened/unopened e-mail messages, voicemail messages, text messages, etc. Alert content can be located based on, for example, contact information of the person with whom the user desires to communicate, subject line data of a text-based message, main body data of a text based message, etc.

Claims

1. A method of providing a message alert to a user prior to the user communicating with a second party, comprising:

receiving a request to facilitate communications with the second party;

locating at least one keyterm based on the request;

searching for alert content associated with the at least one keyterm; and

providing the message alert to the user if alert content is found.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein locating comprises:

extracting information from at least one of;

second party contact information, subject line data, and main body data.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein extracting comprises:

identifying second party contact information; and

storing the identified information as the keyterm.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

accepting configuration settings from the user, and wherein searching for alert content is based, at least in part, on the configuration settings and is based, at least in part, on the at least one keyterm.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving comprises:

obtaining a request to send a text-based message to the second party.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving comprises obtaining a request to speak with the second party through a communication device.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein searching comprises:

looking for at least one of;

read text-based messages, unread text-based messages, heard audio messages, and unheard audio messages.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein looking comprises:

reading through at least one of text-based messages and audio messages which have been converted to text-based messages.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

giving the user an option to review at least some of the alert content located during searching; and

supplying the at least some alert content to the user if the user opts to review it.

10. Apparatus for providing a message alert to a user prior to communicating with a second party comprising:

receiver circuitry for receiving requests to facilitate communications with the second party;

locator circuitry for locating at least one keyterm based on the request;

searching circuitry for searching for alert content associated with the at least one keyterm; and

alert circuitry for providing the alert message to the user if alert content is found.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the at least one keyterm comprises at least one of:

second party contact information,

subject line data, and

main body data.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising:

identifying circuitry that identifies second party contact information; and

storing circuitry for storing the second party contact information as one of the at least one keyterm.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, further comprising:

configuration circuitry that accepts configuration settings changes made by the user, and wherein the searching circuitry searches for alert content based at least in part on the configuration settings and at least in part on the at least one keyterm.

14. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the receiver circuitry comprises:

processing circuitry for processing a request to send a text-based message to a second party.

15. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the receiver circuitry comprises:

processing circuitry for processing a request to speak with a second party through the apparatus.

16. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein searching circuitry comprises at least one of:

circuitry for reviewing read text-based messages;

circuitry for reviewing unread text-based messages;

circuitry for reviewing heard audio messages; and

circuitry for reviewing unheard audio messages.

17. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein searching circuitry comprises:

circuitry for reviewing text-based messages and audio messages which have been converted to text-based messages.

18. The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising:

prompting circuitry for providing the user with the option to review at least some of the alert content found by the searching circuitry; and

supplying circuitry for supplying the at least some alert content to the user if the user opts to review it.

19. A method of providing a message alert to a user:

receiving a request to send a text-based message to a second party;

inputting message content from the user;

extracting at least one keyterm from the message content while receiving the message content;

searching for alert content associated with the at least one keyterm as the at least on keyterm is extracted; and

providing the user with a message alert that alert content is available to review as the alert content is located.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

receiving configuration settings, and wherein searching for alert content is based at least in part on the received configuration settings and at least in part on the at least one keyterm.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein extracting comprises:

searching for sequences of at least one of;

a repeated lexical word and groups of words, which appear more than a predetermined number of times; and

storing information found during searching for sequences as the at least one keyterm.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein extracting comprises:

searching for at least one of;

a word and groups of words, which match a predetermined part-of-speech pattern; and

storing the found word and groups of words as the at least one keyterm.

23. The method of claim 19, wherein searching comprises at least one of:

reviewing read text-based messages;

reviewing unread text-based messages;

reviewing heard audio messages; and

reviewing unheard audio messages.

24. The method of claim 19, wherein searching comprises at least one of:

scanning through text-based messages; and

scanning through audio messages which have been converted to text-based messages.

25. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

prompting the user with the option to review at least some alert content found during searching; and

supplying the at least some alert content to the user if the user opts to review it.