Methods and Systems for Managing Multiple Modes of Communication within a Single On-Screen User Interface

• US 20170185267A1
• Filed: 12/28/2015
• Published: 06/29/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: D'Argenio, Michael J., Nelson, Zachariah Eamon, Frazier, Kristopher T., Katai, Lonnie
• Granted Patent: US 10,775,982 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/066 Format adaptation, e.g. format conversion or compression
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/216 Handling conversation history, e.g. grouping of messages in sessions or threads
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72469 for operating the device by selecting functions from two or more displayed items, e.g. menus or icons
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/60 logging of communication history, e.g. outgoing or incoming calls, missed calls, messages or URLs logging of telephone numbers H04M1/56, H04M1/57

Abstract

An exemplary multimode communication system presents a single on-screen user interface on a communication device associated with a user. The user interface includes a contact communication pane that displays a communication history between the user and a selected contact, and a communication initiation pane that displays a first user input panel configured to allow the user to initiate a communication session of a first communication mode with the selected contact. While the communication history is displayed in the contact communication pane, the multimode communication system detects a user action with respect to the communication initiation pane and, in response, graphically replaces the first user input panel with a second user input panel configured to allow the user to initiate a communication session of a second communication mode with the selected contact. Corresponding systems and methods are also described.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

presenting, by a multimode communication system, a single on-screen user interface on a communication device associated with a user, the on-screen user interface concurrently including;

a contact communication pane that displays a communication history between the user and a selected contact, and

a communication initiation pane that displays a first user input panel configured to allow the user to initiate a communication session of a first communication mode with the selected contact while the communication history is displayed within the contact communication pane;

detecting, by the multimode communication system, a user action performed by the user with respect to the communication initiation pane while the communication history is displayed within the contact communication pane; and

graphically replacing, by the multimode communication system in response to the user action, the first user input panel with a second user input panel within the communication initiation pane, the second user input panel configured to allow the user to initiate a communication session of a second communication mode with the selected contact while the communication history is displayed in the contact communication pane.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

presenting, by the multimode communication system within the contact communication pane, a plurality of selectable items, each selectable item representative of a contact of the user;

detecting, by the multimode communication system, that the user selects a first item from the plurality of selectable items; and

determining, by the multimode communication system, that the first item is representative of the selected contact;

wherein the communication history between the user and the selected contact is displayed within the contact communication pane in response to the determining that the first item is representative of the selected contact.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

detecting, by the multimode communication system, that the user selects a second item from the plurality of selectable items; and

determining, by the multimode communication system, that the second item is representative of a second selected contact;

wherein the first user input panel is configured to allow the user to initiate a group communication session of the first communication mode with the selected contact and the second selected contact while the communication history is displayed within the contact communication pane; and

wherein the second user input panel is configured to allow the user to initiate a group communication session of the second communication mode with the selected contact and the second selected contact while the communication history is displayed in the contact communication pane.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the on-screen user interface is a touchscreen user interface and the user action performed by the user is a touch gesture performed by the user with respect to the touchscreen user interface.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the communication session of the first communication mode is a phone call; and

the communication session of the second communication mode is a messaging exchange.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the first user input panel includes a call initiation panel configured to allow the user to initiate a phone call; and

the second user input panel includes an alphabetic typing keypad configured to allow the user to input a message.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein:

the call initiation panel includes at least one of a numeric dialing keypad to allow the user to dial a phone number of the selected contact and a selectable contact information item representative of the phone number of the selected contact to allow the user to directly initiate the phone call with the selected contact without dialing the phone number of the selected contact; and

the alphabetic typing keypad includes a QWERTY keypad.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting, by the multimode communication system in response to the presenting of the communication initiation pane that displays the first user input panel, a first communication initiation action performed by the user with respect to the first user input panel;

initiating, by the multimode communication system in response to the first communication initiation action, a first communication session of the first communication mode between the user and the selected contact;

detecting, by the multimode communication system subsequent to the graphically replacing of the first user input panel with the second user input panel, a second communication initiation action performed by the user with respect to the second user input panel; and

initiating, by the multimode communication system in response to the second communication initiation action, a second communication session of the second communication mode between the user and the selected contact.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the detecting of the user action, the graphical replacement of the first user input panel with the second user input panel, and the detecting of the second communication initiation action are performed while the first communication session of the first communication mode between the user and the selected contact is ongoing.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the communication initiation pane includes a graphical user input component configured to allow the user to select one of the first communication mode and the second communication mode for communication sessions the user initiates with the selected contact; and

the user action includes a manipulation by the user of the graphical user input component.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication history displayed within the contact communication pane includes communication history information related to both the first communication mode and the second communication mode.

12. The method of claim 1, embodied as computer-executable instructions on at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium.

13. A method comprising:

presenting, by a multimode communication system, a single touchscreen user interface on a communication device associated with a user, the touchscreen user interface concurrently including;

a contact communication pane that displays a communication history between the user and a selected contact, and

a communication initiation pane that displays;

an alphabetic typing keypad configured to allow the user to initiate a messaging exchange with the selected contact while the communication history is displayed within the contact communication pane, and

a graphical user input component configured to allow the user to select between phone calls and messaging exchanges for communication sessions the user initiates with the selected contact;

detecting, by the multimode communication system, a manipulation of the graphical user input component performed by the user to select phone calls for communication sessions the user initiates with the selected contact while the communication history is displayed within the contact communication pane; and

graphically replacing, by the multimode communication system in response to the manipulation of the graphical user input component to select phone calls, the alphabetic typing keypad with a call initiation panel configured to allow the user to initiate phone calls with the selected contact while the communication history is displayed in the contact communication pane.

14. The method of claim 13, embodied as computer-executable instructions on at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium.

15. A system comprising:

at least one physical computing device that;

presents a single on-screen user interface on a communication device associated with a user, the on-screen user interface concurrently including;

a contact communication pane that displays a communication history between the user and a selected contact, and

a communication initiation pane that displays a first user input panel configured to allow the user to initiate a communication session of a first communication mode with the selected contact while the communication history is displayed within the contact communication pane;

detects a user action performed by the user with respect to the communication initiation pane while the communication history is displayed within the contact communication pane; and

graphically replaces the first user input panel with a second user input panel within the communication initiation pane in response to the user action, the second user input panel configured to allow the user to initiate a communication session of a second communication mode with the selected contact while the communication history is displayed in the contact communication pane.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the at least one physical computing device further:

presents within the contact communication pane a plurality of selectable items, each selectable item representative of a contact of the user;

detects that the user selects a first item from the plurality of selectable items; and

determines that the first item is representative of the selected contact;

wherein the communication history between the user and the selected contact is displayed within the contact communication pane in response to the determining that the first item is representative of the selected contact.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein:

the communication session of the first communication mode is a messaging exchange; and

the communication session of the second communication mode is a phone call.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein:

the first user input panel includes an alphabetic typing keypad configured to allow the user to input a message; and

the second user input panel includes a call initiation panel configured to allow the user to initiate a phone call, the second user input panel including at least one of a numeric dialing keypad to allow the user to dial a phone number of the selected contact and a selectable contact information item representative of the phone number of the selected contact to allow the user to directly initiate the phone call with the selected contact without dialing the phone number.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the at least one physical computing device further:

detects a first communication initiation action performed by the user with respect to the first user input panel in response to the presenting of the communication initiation pane that displays the first user input panel;

initiates a first communication session of the first communication mode between the user and the selected contact in response to the first communication initiation action;

detects a second communication initiation action performed by the user with respect to the second user input panel subsequent to the graphically replacing of the first user input panel with the second user input panel; and

initiates a second communication session of the second communication mode between the user and the selected contact in response to the second communication initiation action.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein:

the communication initiation pane includes a graphical user input component configured to allow the user to select one of the first communication mode and the second communication mode for communication sessions the user initiates with the selected contact; and

the user action includes a manipulation by the user of the graphical user input component.