Priority of outbound messages communicated among end user communication devices

• US 20120254322A1
• Filed: 06/10/2011
• Published: 10/04/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Loment Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Loment Incorporated
• Inventors: Majeti, Venkata C., Pennabadi, Saiprasad
• Granted Patent: US 9,684,887 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/226 Delivery according to priorities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication

Abstract

An exemplary method implemented by a first end-user communication device originates an electronic communication. User input is received to create information to be conveyed by the transmission of a digital packet having a header segment and a user data segment. The user data segment contains a user message and a priority value where the priority value conveys a corresponding message priority to a recipient device. The priority value and the user message are determined by the user of the first end-user communication device. Under the control of a first module of an enhanced services application program, a composition screen is displayed by which the user input including the user message is entered. Visual indicia indicative of a current message priority to be assigned to the user message is displayed on the composition. The first module causes insertion of the priority value corresponding to the current message priority in a priority field in the user data segment prior to transmission of the digital packet. The digital packet is transmitted with the user data segment that contains the user message and the priority value.

Claims

1. A method for originating an electronic communication by a first end-user communication device, the method comprising:

receiving user input by the first end-user communication device to create information to be conveyed by the electronic communication via transmission of a digital packet having a header segment and a user data segment, the user data segment containing a user message and a priority value where the priority value conveys a corresponding message priority to a recipient device, the priority value and the user message being determined by the user of the first end-user communication device;

displaying, under the control of a first module of an enhanced services application program, a composition screen by which the user input including the user message is entered;

displaying on the composition screen visual indicia indicative of a current message priority to be assigned to the user message;

inserting, by the first module of the enhanced services application program, the priority value corresponding to the current message priority in a priority field in the user data segment prior to transmission of the digital packet;

transmitting the digital packet with the user data segment that contains the user message and the priority value.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the visual indicia is a first color that is displayed on the composition screen, other priority values having corresponding other visual indicia represented by other colors.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of:

the electronic communication being transmitted via one of a plurality of possible transport layer communication protocols comprising short messaging service (SMS) text messaging, multimedia messaging service (MMS), hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) messaging service and email protocols;

generating, under the control of the first module of the enhanced services application program, the same user data segment regardless of which one of the plurality of possible transport layer communication protocols is used to carry the electronic communication.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein;

the first module of an enhanced services application program comprises one of a plurality of modules in the enhanced services application program, and a first label is inserted into the user data segment to identify the first module;

said priority value being used for all of the modules in the enhanced services application program so that a certain priority value will cause the display of the same visual indicia in the composition screen regardless of which of the modules processes the electronic communication.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

the user message in the user data segment being encrypted before transmission;

the priority value associated with the user message identifying one of a plurality of encryption algorithms and encryption keys that is used by the first module to encrypt clear text user message entered by the user to produce a corresponding encrypted user message;

transmitting the encrypted user message as part of said packet.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

displaying on a screen to the first end-user a plurality of priorities;

upon the selection by the first end-user of one of the plurality of priorities, using said one as the priority for the user message;

upon the lack of a selection by the first end-user of one of the plurality of priorities, using a predetermined global default priority as the priority for the user message.

7. A computer program product, comprising a computer usable tangible medium having a computer readable program code embodied therein, said computer readable program code adapted to be executed to implement a method for generating an electronic communication by a first end-user communication device, the method comprising:

receiving user input by the first end-user communication device to create information to be conveyed by the electronic communication via transmission of a digital packet having a header segment and a user data segment, the user data segment containing a user message and a priority value where the priority value conveys a corresponding message priority to a recipient device, the priority value and the user message being determined by the user of the first end-user communication device;

displaying, under the control of a first module of an enhanced services application program, a composition screen by which the user input including the user message is entered;

displaying on the composition screen visual indicia indicative of a current message priority to be assigned to the user message;

inserting, by the first module of the enhanced services application program, the priority value corresponding to the current message priority in a priority field in the user data segment prior to transmission of the digital packet;

transmitting the digital packet with the user data segment that contains the user message and the priority value.

8. The computer program product of claim 7 wherein the visual indicia is a first color that is displayed on the composition screen, other priority values having corresponding other visual indicia represented by other colors.

9. The computer program product of claim 7 further comprising:

the electronic communication being transmitted via one of a plurality of possible transport layer communication protocols comprising short messaging service (SMS) text messaging, multimedia messaging service (MMS), hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) messaging service and email protocols;

generating, under the control of the first module of the enhanced services application program, the same user data segment regardless of which one of the plurality of possible transport layer communication protocols is used to carry the electronic communication.

10. The computer program product of claim 7 further comprising:

the first module of an enhanced services application program comprises one of a plurality of modules in the enhanced services application program, and a first label is inserted into the user data segment to identify the first module;

said priority value being used for all of the modules in the enhanced services application program so that a certain priority value will cause the display of the same visual indicia in the composition screen regardless of which of the modules processes the electronic communication.

11. The computer program product of claim 7 wherein;

the user message in the user data segment being encrypted before transmission;

the priority value associated with the user message identifying one of a plurality of encryption algorithms and encryption keys that is used by the first module to encrypt clear text user message entered by the user to produce a corresponding encrypted user message;

transmitting the encrypted user message as part of said packet.

12. The computer program product of claim 7 comprising;

displaying on a screen to the first end-user a plurality of priorities;

upon the selection by the first end-user of one of the plurality of priorities, using said one as the priority for the user message;

upon the lack of a selection by the first end-user of one of the plurality of priorities, using a predetermined global default priority as the priority for the user message.

13. An end-user wireless communication device that generates an electronic communication, the device comprising:

a microprocessor controlled apparatus receives user input to create information to be conveyed by the electronic communication;

a transmitter that transmits the electronic communication being a digital packet having a header segment and a user data segment, the user data segment containing a user message and a priority value where the priority value conveys a corresponding message priority to a recipient device, the priority value and the user message being determined by the user of the end-user communication device;

the microprocessor controlled apparatus causing the display, under the control of a first module of an enhanced services application program, of a composition screen by which the user input including the user message is entered;

the microprocessor controlled apparatus causing the display, under the control of the first module of the enhanced services application program, on the composition screen of visual indicia indicative of a current message priority to be assigned to the user message;

the microprocessor controlled apparatus inserting, under the control of the first module of the enhanced services application program, the priority value corresponding to the current message priority in a priority field in the user data segment prior to transmission of the digital packet;

the transmitter transmitting the digital packet with the user data segment that contains the user message and the priority value.

14. An end-user wireless communication device of claim 13 wherein the visual indicia is a first color that is displayed on the composition screen, other priority values having corresponding other visual indicia represented by other colors.

15. An end-user wireless communication device of claim 13 further comprising:

the transmitter transmitting the electronic communication via one of a plurality of possible transport layer communication protocols comprising short messaging service (SMS) text messaging, multimedia messaging service (MMS), hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) messaging service and email protocols;

the microprocessor controlled apparatus generating, under the control of the first module of the enhanced services application program, the same user data segment regardless of which one of the plurality of possible transport layer communication protocols is used to carry the electronic communication.

16. An end-user wireless communication device of claim 13 further comprising:

the first module of an enhanced services application program comprising one of a plurality of modules in the enhanced services application program;

the microprocessor controlled apparatus inserting a first label into the user data segment to identify the first module;

the microprocessor controlled apparatus using said priority value for all of the modules in the enhanced services application program so that a certain priority value will cause the display of the same visual indicia in the composition screen regardless of which of the modules processes the electronic communication.

17. An end-user wireless communication device of claim 13 wherein:

the microprocessor controlled apparatus encrypting the user message in the user data segment before transmission;

the microprocessor controlled apparatus using the priority value associated with the user message to identify one of a plurality of encryption algorithms and encryption keys that is used by the first module to encrypt clear text user message entered by the user to produce a corresponding encrypted user message;

the transmitter transmitting the encrypted user message as part of said packet.

18. An end-user wireless communication device of claim 13 comprising;

the microprocessor controlled apparatus causing the display on a screen to the first end-user a plurality of priorities;

the microprocessor controlled apparatus, upon the selection by the first end-user of one of the plurality of priorities, using said one as the priority for the user message;

the microprocessor controlled apparatus, upon the lack of a selection by the first end-user of one of the plurality of priorities, using a predetermined global default priority as the priority for the user message.