Text message sessions

• US 8,577,401 B1
• Filed: 09/06/2012
• Issued: 11/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Osinga, Douwe
• Primary Examiner(s): MITCHELL, NATHAN A
• Application Number:
  US13/605,111
• Time in Patent Office: 425 Days
• Field of Search: 455/466, 705/26.1, 705/26.4, 705 2661- 2664, 705/26.7
• US Class Current: 455/466
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/21 for social networking applications

Abstract

The subject matter of this document can be embodied in, among other things, a computer-method that includes receiving a text message associated with a first telephone number, and establishing a communication session associated with the received text message. The communication session is established by modifying the received text message so that the received text message is associated with a second telephone number that is different from the first telephone number, and subsequent text messages associated with the second telephone number are included as part of the communication session. The method also includes transmitting the text message to a text messaging system, such that the text message appears to have originated from the second telephone number. Upon receiving a text message reply from a user in response to the transmitted text message, the text message reply is associated with the established communication session.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

receiving, by a computing system and as having been sent by a remote computing device, a first text message that has been addressed to a first telephone number and that includes a request for information about a product or a service;

identifying, by the computing system and in response to receiving the first text message, multiple products or services that are available for purchase;

providing, by the computing system and in response to receiving the first text message, multiple text messages for receipt by the remote computing device, wherein;

(i) each of the multiple text messages is addressed to a telephone number of the remote computing device,

(ii) the multiple text messages are identified as having been sent from multiple different telephone numbers, and

(iii) the multiple text messages respectively identify the multiple products or services that are available for purchase;

receiving, by the computing system and as having been sent by the remote computing device in response to providing the multiple text messages, a second text message that has been addressed to one of the multiple different telephone numbers, the second text message being a reply to one of the multiple text messages that was identified as having been sent from the one of the multiple different telephone numbers; and

determining, by the computing system and in response to receiving the second text message, that the user has selected for purchase the product or service that was identified by the one of the multiple text messages.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the first telephone number and each of the multiple different telephone numbers are associated with an entity that operates the computing system.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the first text message, the second text message, and the multiple text messages are each in the form of a short message service (SMS) message, a multimedia messaging service (MMS) message, or an enhanced messaging service (EMS) message.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the multiple different telephone numbers include the first telephone number.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the remote computing device is a cellular telephone or a smartphone.

6. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

receiving, by a computing system and as having been sent by a remote computing device, a first text message that has been addressed to a first telephone number;

identifying, by the computing system and in response to receiving the first text message, multiple items for presentation to a user of the remote computing device in multiple respective text messages;

providing, by the computing system and in response to receiving the first text message, multiple text messages for receipt by the remote computing device, wherein;

(i) each of the multiple text messages is addressed to a telephone number of the remote computing device,

(ii) the multiple text messages are identified as having been sent from multiple different telephone numbers, and

(iii) the multiple text messages respectively identify the multiple items;

receiving, by the computing system and as having been sent by the remote computing device in response to providing the multiple text messages, a second text message that has been addressed to one of the multiple different telephone numbers, the second text message being a reply to one of the multiple text messages that was identified as having been sent from the one of the multiple different telephone numbers; and

associating, by the computing system and in response to receiving the second text message, information included in the second text message with an item of the multiple items that was identified by the one of the multiple messages.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, wherein the second text message is a reply to the one of the multiple text messages.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, wherein the first telephone number and each of the multiple different telephone numbers are associated with an entity that operates the computing system.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, wherein the first text message includes a request to be placed on a text message mailing list.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, wherein the first text message includes a request for multiple offers.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein each of the multiple items is one of the multiple offers such that the multiple text messages identify the multiple offers.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, wherein the second text message indicates acceptance by the user of one of the multiple offers that was identified by the one of the multiple text messages.

13. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

sending, by a remote computing device and for receipt by a computing system, a first text message that has been addressed to a first telephone number;

receiving, by the remote computing device and in response to sending the first text message, multiple text messages that the computing system provided for receipt by the remote computing device, wherein;

(i) each of the multiple text messages is addressed to a telephone number of the remote computing device,

(ii) the multiple text messages are identified as having been sent from multiple different telephone numbers, and

(iii) the multiple text messages respectively identify multiple items; and

sending, by the remote computing device and for receipt by the computing system in response to receiving the multiple text messages, a second text message that is addressed to one of the multiple different telephone numbers, the second text message being a reply to one of the multiple text messages that was identified as having been sent from the one of the multiple different telephone numbers, so as to cause the computing system to associate information that is included in the second text message with an item of the multiple items that was identified by the one of the multiple text messages.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, wherein the second text message is a reply to the one of the multiple text messages.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, wherein the first telephone number and each of the multiple different telephone numbers are associated with an entity that operates the computing system.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, wherein the first text message includes a request to be placed on a text message mailing list.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, wherein the first text message includes a request for multiple offers.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 17, wherein each of the multiple items is one of the multiple offers such that the multiple text messages identify the multiple offers.

19. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, wherein the second text message indicates acceptance by the user of one of the multiple offers that was identified by the one of the multiple text messages.