STICKY MESSAGES

• US 20120216127A1
• Filed: 05/13/2011
• Published: 08/23/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/17/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: T-Mobile USA, Inc. (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: T-Mobile USA, Inc. (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Meyr, Nathaniel A.
• Granted Patent: US 9,588,669 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/752
• 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 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/169 Annotation, e.g. comment data or footnotes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/7243 with interactive means for internal management of messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4786 e-mailing message switching systems, e.g. electronic mail systems H04L51/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4882 for displaying messages, e.g. warnings, reminders arrangements for providing short real-time information to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1895

Abstract

Described herein are techniques related to sticky messaging, which enable the use of the content of text and/or multimedia messages outside the context of the messaging inbox of a telecommunications device, such as a mobile phone. An implementation described herein includes posting of the content (e.g., text, image, audio, and video) of a message onto a home screen of the telecommunications device. This Abstract is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims.

Claims

1. A telecommunications device comprising:

a messaging system configured to receive mobile-communications infrastructure messages via a mobile-communications infrastructure and to maintain an inbox of messages received by the telecommunications device;

a display configured to show a home-screen user interface (UI) to facilitate interaction with a user of the telecommunications device;

a user-interaction system configured to interact with the user,

wherein one or more systems of the device are configured to;

present one or more of the messages of the inbox to a user on the display;

provide an option for the user to choose to stick content of one or more of the received messages outside a context of the inbox;

in response to the option chosen by the user, sticking the content of the one or more received messages outside the context of the inbox.

2. A telecommunications device as recited in claim 1, wherein the option provided to the user includes a choice to post the content of one or more of the received messages onto the home-screen UI and the sticking includes posting the content of the one or more received messages onto the home-screen UI.

3. A telecommunications device as recited in claim 1, wherein the option provided to the user includes a choice to wallpaper the home-screen UI with the content of one or more of the received messages and the sticking includes wallpapering the home-screen UI with the content of the one or more received messages.

4. A telecommunications device as recited in claim 1, wherein the option provided to the user includes a choice to include the content of one or more of the received messages into a collection of such content accessible by the device and the sticking comprises including the content of the one or more received messages into a collection of such content accessible by the device.

5. A telecommunications device as recited in claim 1, wherein the user interaction system is further configured to present a widget or icon to the user on the home-screen UI, wherein the widget or icon contains the stuck content of the one or more received messages.

6. A telecommunications device as recited in claim 5, wherein the user interaction system is further configured to allow removal of the presented widget or icon, wherein such removal does not alter the one or more received messages that were the source of the content.

7. A method comprising:

presenting one or more messages in an inbox of such messages;

providing an option to a user to stick content of one or more messages outside a context of the inbox;

in response to input from the user regarding the provided option, sticking the content of the one or more messages outside the context of the inbox.

8. A method as recited in claim 7, wherein the sticking includes posting the content of the one or more received messages onto a home-screen user interface (UI) of a telecommunications device.

9. A method as recited in claim 7, wherein the sticking includes wallpapering a home-screen user interface (UI) of a telecommunications device with the content of the one or more received messages.

10. A method as recited in claim 7, wherein the sticking comprises including the content of the one or more received messages into a collection of such content accessible by a telecommunications device.

11. A method as recited in claim 7, wherein the content of the one or more messages is selected from a group consisting of text, images, videos, multimedia, slideshows, applications, music, audio, playlists, and ringtones.

12. A method as recited in claim 7, wherein the one or more messages are selected from a group consisting of text messages or multimedia messages which are received via a mobile-communications infrastructure.

13. A method as recited in claim 7, further comprising presenting a widget or icon to the user on the home-screen UI, wherein the widget or icon contains the stuck content of the one or more messages.

14. A method as recited in claim 13, further comprising enabling removal of the presented widget or icon, wherein such removal does not alter the one or more messages that were the source of the content.

15. A method as recited in claim 13, further comprising enabling interaction via the widget or icon to enable a user to direct a mobile communications device to perform an action related to the one or more received messages that were the source of the content.

16. A method comprising:

receiving a message;

determining whether the received message meets one or more criteria for a message to be designated sticky automatically;

in response to the determining, sticking the content of the received message outside the context of the inbox.

17. A method as recited in claim 16, wherein the one or more criteria for a message to be designated sticky automatically selected from a group consisting of designated sender, sender being a favorite, sender being in contact list, keywords in the content of the message, size of the message, the nature of the content, a sticky indicator being associated with the message, a meeting request being associated with the message, and a list being included in the message.

18. A method as recited in claim 16, wherein the sticking includes posting the content of the received message onto a home-screen user interface (UI) of a telecommunications device.

19. A method as recited in claim 16, wherein the sticking includes wallpapering a home-screen user interface (UI) of a telecommunications device with the content of the received message.

20. A method as recited in claim 16, wherein the sticking comprises including the content of the received message into a collection of such content accessible by a telecommunications device.