Notification breakthrough status and profile

• US 8,239,472 B2
• Filed: 01/21/2011
• Issued: 08/07/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Stroupe, Autumn L., Flynt, David W., Todd, Marc W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bengzon, Greg C
• Application Number:
  US13/011,499
• Publication Number:
  US 20110119630A1
• Time in Patent Office: 564 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/224 providing notification on incoming messages, e.g. pushed notifications of received messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 Push-based network services
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2745 using static electronic memories, e.g. chips
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/27453 Directories allowing storage of additional subscriber data, e.g. metadata
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/663 Preventing unauthorised calls to a telephone set
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/7243 with interactive means for internal management of messages

Abstract

Techniques and tools are described for notifications of events, such as receipt of messages, and specifically to tools and techniques related to breakthrough notification profile and status. For example, it is determining whether a profile is active and whether a contact associated with an event is identified as having a status related to the profile. If the profile is active, a notification related to the event is issued only if the sender has the status. If the profile is not active, the notification is issued whether or not the sender has the status.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

using a communication device;

in a user interface, displaying a list of contacts;

receiving a user indication to display a menu for a selected contact out of the list of contacts;

responsive to receiving the user indication to display the menu, displaying a menu for the selected contact, wherein the menu comprises a plurality of options including an option to give the selected contact breakthrough status;

via the menu for the selected contact, receiving at the communication device a user indication to give the selected contact breakthrough status;

responsive to receiving the user indication at the communication device to give the selected contact breakthrough status via the menu for the selected contact, giving the selected contact breakthrough status and displaying in the user interface a list of breakthrough contacts consisting of contacts having breakthrough status;

receiving a user indication of a selection of a contact from the list of breakthrough contacts;

responsive to receiving the user indication of a selection of a breakthrough contact, displaying a second menu for the selected breakthrough contact, the second menu comprising an option to assign a personalized audible notification to the selected breakthrough contact selected from the list of contacts having breakthrough status;

receiving an indication of an incoming communication;

determining whether a breakthrough profile is active, wherein the determining whether the breakthrough profile is active is not based on calendar data indicating that a user of the communication device is in a meeting;

determining whether a contact associated with the incoming communication is identified as having a breakthrough status; and

when the breakthrough profile is active, issuing a notification indicating the incoming communication only if the contact has the breakthrough status, wherein the notification is a personalized audible notification if the contact has been assigned a personalized audible notification.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the incoming communication is a message selected from the group consisting of a voicemail message, an e-mail message, an instant message, and a text message.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the notification is audible.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising issuing a non-audible notification if the breakthrough profile is active and the contact does not have the breakthrough status.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein no notification is issued while the breakthrough profile is active if the contact does not have the breakthrough status.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein multiple contacts are identified as having the breakthrough status.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein the menu further comprises an option to send a text message to the selected contact.

7. A communication device comprising:

a memory storing computer software;

a processor programmed to execute the software to;

in a user interface, display a list of contacts;

receive a user indication to display a menu for a selected contact out of the list of contacts;

responsive to receiving the user indication to display the menu, display a menu for the selected contact, wherein the menu comprises a plurality of options including an option to give the selected contact breakthrough status;

via the menu for the selected contact, receiving a user indication at the communication device to give the selected contact breakthrough status;

responsive to receiving the user indication at the communication device to give the selected contact breakthrough status via the menu for the selected contact, giving the selected contact breakthrough status and displaying in the user interface a list of breakthrough contacts consisting of contacts having breakthrough status;

receive a user indication of a selection of a contact from the list of breakthrough contacts;

responsive to receiving the user indication of a selection of a breakthrough contact, display a second menu for the selected breakthrough contact, the second menu comprising an option to assign a personalized audible notification to the selected breakthrough contact selected from the list of contacts having breakthrough status;

receive a message from a sender;

determine whether the sender is a contact with breakthrough status at the time the message is received;

determine whether a breakthrough only profile is active at the time the message is received without reference to calendar data indicating that a user of the communication device is in a meeting;

when either the breakthrough only profile is not active or the sender has breakthrough status, issue a notification, wherein the notification is a personalized audible notification if the sender is a contact who has been assigned a personalized audible notification; and

when the breakthrough only profile is active and the sender does not have breakthrough status, not issue the notification.

8. The device of claim 7, wherein the notification is audible.

9. The device of claim 8, wherein the processor is programmed to further execute the software to issue a non-audible notification if the breakthrough only profile is active and the sender does not have breakthrough status.

10. The device of claim 8, wherein no notification is issued while the breakthrough only profile is active if the sender does not have breakthrough status.

11. The device of claim 7, wherein multiple contacts have breakthrough status.

12. The device of claim 7, wherein the communication device is a mobile device.

13. A computer-readable storage medium not consisting of a signal, the computer-readable storage medium storing computer-executable instructions for causing a computer system to perform a method comprising:

maintaining information related to a set of contacts;

in a user interface, displaying the set of contacts;

receiving a user indication to display a menu for a selected contact out of the set of contacts;

responsive to receiving the user indication to display the menu, displaying a menu for the selected contact, wherein the menu comprises an option to give the selected contact breakthrough status;

via the menu for the selected contact, receiving a user indication at the computer system to give the selected contact breakthrough status;

responsive to receiving the user indication at the computer system to give the selected contact breakthrough status via the menu for the selected contact, giving the selected contact breakthrough status and displaying in the user interface a list of breakthrough contacts consisting of contacts having breakthrough status;

receiving at the user interface a user indication of a selection of a contact from the list of breakthrough contacts;

responsive to receiving the user indication of a selection of a breakthrough contact, displaying a second menu for the selected breakthrough contact, the second menu comprising an option to assign a personalized audible notification to the selected breakthrough contact selected from the list of contacts having breakthrough status;

tracking a subset of contacts from the set of contacts, the subset of contacts having breakthrough status;

receiving a message from a sender;

determining whether the sender belongs to the subset of contacts having breakthrough status;

determining whether a breakthrough only profile is active at the time the message is received, wherein the determining whether the breakthrough only profile is active is not based on calendar data indicating that a user of the computer system is in a meeting;

if the breakthrough only profile is active, issuing a first type of notification only if the sender has the breakthrough status, otherwise, issuing a second type of notification, wherein the first type of notification is audible notification if the sender is a contact who has been assigned a personalized audible notification; and

if the breakthrough only profile is not active, issuing the first type of notification whether or not the sender has the breakthrough status.

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the first type of notification is an audible notification and the second type of notification is a screen display notification.

15. A mobile communication device comprising:

a processor;

a hardware display; and

stored instructions executable by the processor to perform;

on the hardware display, displaying a list of contacts stored by the device, the list of contacts comprising breakthrough identifiers displayed for contacts having a breakthrough status, wherein the breakthrough identifiers are a shape, an icon or a particular color;

receiving a user indication of a selection of a selected contact out of the list of contacts;

receiving a user indication to display a menu for the selected contact;

responsive to receiving the user indication to display the menu, on the hardware display, displaying a menu for the selected contact, wherein the menu comprises an option to send a text message to the selected contact, an option to share the selected contact, an option to delete the selected contact, and an option to give the selected contact breakthrough status;

via the menu for the selected contact, receiving a user indication at the mobile communication device to give the selected contact breakthrough status;

responsive to receiving the user indication at the mobile communication device to give the selected contact breakthrough status via the menu for the selected contact, giving the selected contact breakthrough status and displaying a list of contacts consisting of contacts having breakthrough status;

receiving a user indication of a selection of a selected contact out of the list of contacts having breakthrough status;

responsive to receiving a user indication of a selected contact out of the list of contacts having breakthrough status, displaying a second menu for the selected contact having breakthrough status, the second menu comprising an option to assign a personalized audible notification to the selected breakthrough contact selected from the list of contacts having breakthrough status;

receiving an indication of an incoming communication;

determining whether a breakthrough profile is active, wherein the determining the breakthrough profile is active is not based on calendar data indicating that a user of the mobile communication device is in a meeting;

determining whether a contact associated with the incoming communication is identified as having a breakthrough status;

as a result of determining the breakthrough profile is active and the contact has breakthrough status, sounding an audible notification indicating the incoming communication, wherein the audible notification is a personalized audible notification if the contact has been assigned a personalized audible notification.

17. A method comprising:

using a communication device;

in a user interface, displaying a list of contacts;

receiving a user indication to select a contact from the list of contacts;

responsive to receiving the user indication to select the contact, displaying a first menu, wherein the first menu comprises an option to give the selected contact breakthrough status;

via the first menu for the selected contact, receiving a user indication at the communication device to give the selected contact breakthrough status;

responsive to receiving the user indication at the communication device to give the selected contact breakthrough status via the menu for the selected contact, giving the selected contact breakthrough status and displaying a list of breakthrough contacts consisting of contacts having breakthrough status;

receiving a user indication of a selection of a breakthrough contact from the list of breakthrough contacts;

responsive to receiving the user indication to give the selected breakthrough contact breakthrough status, displaying a second menu for the selected breakthrough contact, the second menu comprising an option to assign a personalized audible notification to the selected breakthrough contact selected from the list of contacts having breakthrough status;

receiving an indication of an appointment reminder or a task reminder;

determining whether a breakthrough profile is active, wherein the determining the breakthrough profile is active is not based on calendar data indicating that a user of the communication device is in a meeting;

determining whether a contact associated with the appointment reminder or the task reminder is identified as having a breakthrough status; and

when the breakthrough profile is active, issuing a notification indicating the appointment reminder or a task reminder only if the contact has the breakthrough status, wherein the notification is a personalized audible notification if the contact has been assigned a personalized audible notification.