Conditional communication

• US 7,860,935 B2
• Filed: 12/28/2007
• Issued: 12/28/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Ryan, Christopher, Lee, Michael, Forstall, Scott, Lamiraux, Henri
• Primary Examiner(s): MESFIN, YEMANE
• Application Number:
  US12/005,677
• Publication Number:
  US 20090172118A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,096 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206, 709/225, 709/226, 709/229
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/214 using selective forwarding
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information

Abstract

Conditional communication settings may be defined by a user of a communications device to be transmitted with a communication to a receiving device, where the receiving device may be restricted from performing a user-specified type of communication operations with a user-specified contact until the conditional communication settings are satisfied. The conditional communication settings may include a condition value setting, which may be a task to be performed by a recipient, a date and/or time, a location, an operation to be performed by a third party contact, or other suitable criterion. The receiving device may detect whether such condition value setting has been satisfied. Unless the condition value setting has been satisfied, the receiving device may be prevented from performing the user-specified type of communication operation with the user-specified contact.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

generating a conditional communication using a first communications device, wherein generating comprises;

defining at least one condition for the conditional communication;

defining at least one recipient of the conditional communication; and

defining at least one blocked operation of a mode of communication for the conditional communication, wherein;

the at least one recipient is prevented from performing the at least one blocked operation until the at least one condition has been satisfied;

the at least one recipient is authorized to perform at least one non-blocked operation of the mode of communication; and

the performance of the at least one non-blocked operation does not satisfy the at least one condition; and

transmitting the conditional communication.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving the conditional communication in a second communications device; and

preventing the second communications device from performing the at least one blocked operation of the mode of communication until the at least one condition has been satisfied.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein generating further comprises:

defining at least one blocked contact.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein preventing further comprises preventing the second communications device from performing the at least one blocked operation of the mode of communication with the at least one blocked contact.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one condition comprises at least one of:

opening an email communication;

opening an attachment to an email communication;

opening a most recent email communication in an email string;

checking a voice message;

performing a communication with a third party;

completing a task list;

a date occurring;

a time occurring;

arriving at a geographic location; and

detecting that a third party performed an operation.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein detecting that a third party performed an operation comprises detecting that the third party performed at least one of:

an email communication;

a telephone communication;

a text message communication; and

an instant message communication.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one blocked operation of the mode of communication comprises at least one of:

an email communication operation;

a telephone communication operation;

a text message communication operation; and

an instant message communication operation.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein generating further comprises:

defining at least one event upon which the at least one condition is operative to expire.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the at least one event upon which the at least one condition is operative to expire comprises at least one of:

a date occurring;

a time occurring;

arriving at a geographic location; and

receiving a communication from a third party communications device.

26. The method of claim 1, wherein the mode of communication for the conditional communication comprises at least one of:

an audio communications mode;

a video communications mode; and

a data communications mode.

27. The method of claim 1, wherein the mode of communication for the conditional communication comprises at least one of:

an email communications mode;

an instant message communications mode; and

a text message communications mode.

28. The method of claim 1, wherein the blocked operation of the mode of communication comprises at least one of:

sending a telephone call;

receiving a telephone call;

sending an email;

receiving an email;

sending a text message;

receiving a text message;

sending an instant message; and

receiving an instant message.

29. The method of claim 27, wherein the non-blocked operation of the mode of communication comprises at least one of:

sending a telephone call;

receiving a telephone call;

sending an email;

receiving an email;

sending a text message;

receiving a text message;

sending an instant message; and

receiving an instant message.

10. A method of communicating, which includes transmitting a conditional communication from a first communications device to a second communications device, the conditional communication comprising a condition and a blocked operation of a mode of communication, the method comprising:

receiving the conditional communication with the second communications device;

determining whether the condition has been satisfied;

preventing the second communications device from performing the blocked operation of the mode of communication if it is determined that the condition has not been satisfied; and

allowing the second communications device to perform at least one non-blocked operation of the mode of communication, wherein the performance of the at least one non-blocked operation does not satisfy the condition.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

permitting the second communications device to perform the blocked operation of the mode of communication if it is determined that the condition has been satisfied.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein receiving the conditional communication further comprises:

receiving at least one blocked contact.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein preventing only prevents the second communications device from performing the blocked operation of the mode of communication with the blocked contact.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

determining that the condition has not been satisfied;

receiving an instruction to ignore the condition; and

permitting the communications device to perform the blocked operation of the mode of communication in response to receiving an instruction to ignore the condition.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

informing the first communications device that an instruction to ignore the condition was received.

16. A method for transmitting a conditional communication as part of a first communications operation using a first communications device, the method comprising:

generating the conditional communication using the first communications device, generating comprising;

defining at least one condition type;

defining at least one condition value associated with the defined condition type;

defining at least one recipient of the first communications operation;

defining at least one blocked operation of a mode of communication for the conditional communication; and

defining at least one blocked contact;

storing the defined condition type, condition value, recipient, blocked operation of the mode of communication and blocked contact in memory;

initiating the first communications operation; and

transmitting the conditional communication as part of the first communications operation, wherein a recipient device of the conditional communication is authorized to perform at least one non-blocked operation of the mode of communication, wherein the performance of the at least one non-blocked operation does not satisfy the at least one condition value.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

receiving the conditional communication in a second communications device that is operative to extract the condition type and condition value;

determining whether the condition value has been satisfied; and

preventing the second communications device from performing the blocked operation of the mode of communication with the blocked contact in response to determining that the condition value has not been satisfied.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein generating the conditional communication further comprises:

defining at least one event upon which the condition is operative to expire.

19. A communications device with a restricted communications operation, the communications device comprising processing circuitry, memory and communications circuitry, the processing circuitry operative to:

direct the communications circuitry to receive a conditional communication comprising;

a condition type;

a condition value;

a blocked operation of a mode of communication for the conditional communication; and

a blocked contact;

store the received condition type, condition value, blocked operation of the mode of communication and blocked contact in memory;

receive a request to perform a communications operation;

determine whether the stored condition value has been satisfied;

determine whether the requested communications operation is with the blocked contact using the blocked operation of the mode of communication;

prevent the communications circuitry from performing the requested communications operation in response to determining that the condition value has not been satisfied and that the requested communications operation is with the blocked contact using the blocked operation of the mode of communication; and

authorize the communications circuitry to perform at least one non-blocked operation of the mode of communication, wherein the performance of the at least one non-blocked operation does not satisfy the condition value.

20. The communications device of claim 19, wherein the processing circuitry is further operative to:

permit the communications device to perform the requested communications operation in response to at least one of;

determining that the condition type has been satisfied; and

determining that the requested communications operation is not with the blocked contact using the blocked operation of the mode of communication.

21. The communications device of claim 19, wherein the processing circuitry is further operative to:

determine whether the conditional communication has expired; and

permit the communications circuitry to perform a communications operation with the blocked contact using the blocked operation of the mode of communication in response to determining that the conditional communication has expired.

22. A server comprising memory and processing circuitry, the processing circuitry operative to:

store in memory;

a condition, a blocked contact and a blocked operation of a mode of communication associated with a first communications device;

receive a request from the first communications device to perform a communications operation;

determine whether the condition has been satisfied;

determine whether the requested communications operation is with the blocked contact using the blocked operation of the mode of communication; and

prevent the first communications device from performing the requested communications operation in response to determining that the condition has not been satisfied and that the requested communications operation is with the blocked contact using the blocked operation of the mode of communication, wherein the first device is authorized to perform at least one non-blocked operation of the mode of communication, and wherein the performance of the at least one non-blocked operation does not satisfy the condition.

23. The server of claim 22, wherein the processing circuitry is further operative to:

permit the first communications device to perform the requested communications operation in response to at least one of;

determining that the condition has been satisfied; and

determining that the requested communications operation is not with the blocked contact using the blocked operation of the mode of communication.

24. The server of claim 22, wherein the processing circuitry is further operative to:

receive the condition, blocked contact and blocked operation of the mode of communication from a second communications device.

25. The server of claim 22, wherein the processing circuitry is further operative to:

determine that the condition has not been satisfied;

receive an instruction to ignore the condition; and

permit the first communications device to perform a communications operation using the blocked operation of the mode of communication with the blocked contact in response to receiving the instruction to ignore the condition.