AUDIOCONS

• US 20120162350A1
• Filed: 12/16/2011
• Published: 06/28/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Voxer IP LLC (Voxer, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Voxer IP LLC (Voxer, Inc.)
• Inventors: LEE, Justin V., PERELMAN, Igal, HALES, Steven A., STIEFEL, Daniel E.
• Application Number:
  US13/329,142
• Publication Number:
  US 20120162350A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/14.03
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/08 Annexed information, e.g. attachments
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/10 Multimedia information
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/7243 with interactive means for internal management of messages

Abstract

A messaging application supports a mode of communication in which users can add audio effects to text messages in order to express emotions. These audio effects are described as audiocons. The audiocons may also alternatively include visual effects. In one implementation the message application supports system-defined audiocons, user-defined audiocons, and text-to-speech audiocons. Additionally, the audiocons may be inserted into a communication stream having a mixture of calls, text messaging, and instant messaging including a system having a real-time mode for time-based media and a time-shifted mode.

Claims

1. A computer program product comprising a messaging application embedded in a computer readable medium having computer readable code including:

computer code for determining if a command is an instruction to generate additional media content having audio representative of emotion, wherein the media content is selected from the group consisting of an audio file, a video file, and an animation; and

computer code for detecting the command and in response emitting into a communication stream a media bubble including the media content having audio representative of emotion.

2. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the media content is emitted into a media bubble having a size comparable in at least one dimension to other bubbles used for voice or text messages.

3. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein further comprising:

computer code for receiving a media file from a user;

computer code for associating a command with the media file; and

computer code for generating a user-defined media bubble based on the user-provided media file and the associated command.

4. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the command is selected from a library of commands.

5. The computer program product of claim 1, further comprising computer code to determine whether the command is to generate a system-defined media content or a user-defined media content.

6. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the media content is a text-to-voice audio message.

7. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the command comprises text within at least one delimiter.

8. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the media content representative of emotion is emitted as a media bubble for expressing emotion that is separate from other bubbles used for text or voice messages.

9. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the media bubble provides an indication to the recipient whether the media content has been consumed.

10. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein in a live mode the media content is played at a recipient device upon receipt and in time-delayed mode a recipient selects the media content to play it.

11. A method of expressing emotional content in a messaging environment, comprising:

determining if a command is an instruction to generate additional media content having audio representative of emotion, wherein the media content is selected from the group consisting of an audio file, a video file, and an animation; and

detecting the command and in response emitting into a communication stream a media bubble including the media content having audio representative of emotion.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the media content is emitted into a media bubble having a size comparable in at least one dimension to other bubbles used for voice or text messages.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

receiving a media file from a user;

associating a command with the media file; and

generating a user-defined media bubble based on the user-provided media file and the associated command.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the command is selected from a library of commands.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein detecting the command determines whether the command is to generate a system-defined media bubble or a user-defined media bubble, wherein system-defined media content is played for a system-defined media bubble and a user-defined media content is played for a user-defined media bubble.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the media content is a text-to-voice audio message generated based on text associated with the command.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the command comprises text within at least one delimiter.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein the media content representative of emotion is emitted in a media bubble for expressing emotion that is separate from other bubbles used for text or voice messages.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein the media bubble provides an indication to the recipient whether the media content has been consumed.

20. The method of claim 11, wherein in a live mode the media content is played at a recipient device upon receipt and in time-delayed mode a recipient selects the media content to play it.

21. A messaging application embedded in a computer readable medium, the message application including:

a user interface;

a rendering module;

a database;

the messaging application supporting a communication stream into which additional audio media content representative of emotion may be inserted including at least one of system-defined media content and user-defined content.

22. The messaging application of claim 21, wherein the media content includes media selected from the group consisting of an audio file, a video file, and an animation.

23. The messaging application of claim 21, wherein the messaging application detects a command for generating the media content in a text message and the additional media content is emitted as a media bubble.

24. The messaging application of claim 21, where the messaging application detects a command for emitting media content representative of emotion within a text string.

25. The messaging application of claim 21, wherein the messaging application is configured to receive a media file from a user;

associating a command with the media file; and

generate a user-defined media bubble based on the user-provided media file and the associated command.

26. A method of expressing emotional content in a messaging environment, comprising:

determining if a command is an instruction to generate additional media content having audio representative of emotion; and

detecting the command and in response emitting into a communication stream a media bubble including the media content having audio representative of emotion.

27. A computer program product comprising a messaging application embedded in a computer readable medium having computer readable code including:

computer code for determining if a command is an instruction to generate additional media content having audio representative of emotion; and

computer code for detecting the command and in response emitting into a communication stream a media bubble including the media content having audio representative of emotion.