Systems, methods and apparatus for providing unread message alerts

• US 9,106,447 B2
• Filed: 01/03/2008
• Issued: 08/11/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/03/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Lee, Michael M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Beausoliel, Jr., Robert
• Assistant Examiner(s): Khakhar, Nirav K
• Application Number:
  US12/006,695
• Publication Number:
  US 20090177617A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,777 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/48 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/00 User-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, transmitted according to store-and-forward or real-time protocols, e.g. e-mail
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/222 using geographical location information, e.g. messages transmitted or received in proximity of a certain spot or area

Abstract

The present invention includes systems, apparatus and methods for providing message alerts to a user prior to that user communicating with a second party. The user may desire to communicate with a second party by sending a text-based message or by speaking to them through a communications device, such as a cellular phone. Prior to sending the message or speaking with the second party, the device can provide the user with message alerts, the option to review alert content, and/or to view the alert content itself. The message alerts and alert content can be notifications and/or previews of opened/unopened e-mail messages, voicemail messages, text messages, etc. Alert content can be located based on, for example, contact information of the person with whom the user desires to communicate, subject line data of a text-based message, main body data of a text based message, etc.

Claims

1. A method of providing alert content to a user prior to the user communicating with a second party, comprising:

receiving input into a message on a mobile device, the input comprising a plurality of keyterms, wherein the input is received when the mobile device is in process of initiating a communication with another device, and the plurality of keyterms comprise at least two of;

contact information of a recipient of the message, one or more words of a subject line of the message, or one or more words of the body of the message, wherein receiving input into a message comprising a plurality of keyterms comprises receiving an input tagging a word in the message as a keyterm;

identifying, within local storage in the mobile communication device, a plurality of received messages that are associated with one or more of the keyterms, wherein the plurality of received messages comprise alert content, and the alert content comprises at least one of read text-based messages or heard audio messages, and at least one of unread text-based messages or unheard audio messages;

retrieving a plurality of configuration settings;

in response to the identifying, providing the alert content to the user in accordance with the plurality of configuration settings, wherein the configuration settings determine when the device is to deliver the alert content to the user relative to when the mobile device receives input into the message and when a connection for sending the message is completed.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing a prompt to the user to decide whether to proceed with initiating a communication with the second party.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving input comprising a plurality keyterms and identifying a plurality of received messages continues until the message is finalized or sent.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying comprises:

reading through at least one of text-based messages and audio messages which have been converted to text-based messages.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the alert content to the user comprises:

giving the user an option to review at least some of the alert content located during searching; and

supplying the at least some of the alert content to the user if the user opts to review it.

6. The medium of claim 1, wherein the configuration settings are to determine when the device is to deliver the alert content to the user including (1) after the user enters second party contact information and (2) after the device initiates communications with the second party but before the connection with the second party'"'"'s device is completed.

7. Apparatus for providing alert content to a user prior to communicating with a second party comprising:

receiver circuitry in a handheld mobile communication device for receiving input into a message on the handheld mobile communication device, the input comprising a plurality of keyterms, wherein the input is received when the handheld mobile communication device is in process of initiating a communication with another device, and the plurality of keyterms comprise at least two of;

contact information of a recipient of the message, one or more words of a subject line of the message, or one or more words of the body of the message, wherein receiving input into a message comprising a plurality of keyterms comprises receiving an input tagging a word in the message as a keyterm;

searching circuitry in the handheld mobile communication device for identifying within local storage in the handheld mobile communication device a plurality of received messages that are associated with one or more of the keyterms, wherein an alert content comprises at least one of read text-based messages or heard audio messages, and at least one of unread text-based messages or unheard audio messages;

retrieval circuitry in the handheld mobile communication device for retrieving a plurality of configuration settings;

alert circuitry in the handheld mobile communication device for providing the alert content to the user in accordance with the configuration settings, wherein the configuration settings determine when the handheld mobile communication device is to deliver the alert content to the user relative to when the handheld mobile communication device receives input into the message and when a connection for sending the message is completed; and

prompt circuitry in the handheld mobile communication device for providing a prompt to the user to decide whether to proceed with the request to communicate with the second party.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein receiving comprising a plurality of keyterms and identifying a plurality of received messages continues until the message is finalized or sent.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the receiver circuitry further comprises:

processing circuitry for processing a request to send a text-based message to another party through the handheld mobile communication device.

10. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the receiver circuitry further comprises:

processing circuitry for processing a request to speak with the second party through the handheld mobile communication device.

11. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein searching circuitry comprises at least one of:

circuitry for reviewing read text-based messages;

circuitry for reviewing unread text-based messages;

circuitry for reviewing heard audio messages; and

circuitry for reviewing unheard audio messages.

13. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the configuration settings indicate that alert content is to be provided when one of:

after the user enters text into a subject line of the message, while the user is entering a subject line in the message, or while the user is entering text into a main body of the message.

14. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the configuration settings to determine when the device is to deliver the alert content to the user including (1) after the user enters second party contact information and (2) after the device initiates communications with the second part but before the connection with the second party'"'"'s device is completed.

12. The apparatus of clam 7, wherein searching circuitry comprises:

circuitry for reviewing text-based messages and audio messages which have been converted to text-based messages.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium programmed with executable instructions that, when executed, perform a method of providing alert content to a user, comprising:

receiving input into a message on a mobile device, the input comprising a plurality of keyterms, wherein the input is received when the mobile device is in process of initiating a communication with another device, and the plurality of keyterms comprise at least two of;

contact information of a recipient of the message, one or more words of a subject line of the message, or one or more words of the body of the message, wherein receiving input into a message comprising a plurality of keyterms comprises receiving an input tagging a word in the message as a keyterm;

identifying, within local storage in the handheld mobile communication device, a plurality of messages that are associated with one or more of the keyterms, wherein alert content comprises at least one of read text-based messages or heard audio messages, and at least one of unread text-based messages or unheard audio messages;

retrieving a plurality of configuration settings; and

providing the user with the alert content to review in accordance with the configuration settings, wherein the configuration settings determine when the device is to deliver the alert content to the user relative to when the mobile device receives input into the message and when the device sends the message.

16. The medium of claim 15, further comprising:

providing the user with a prompt to decide whether to proceed with the request to send the message.

17. The medium of claim 15, wherein identifying comprises at least one of:

reviewing read text-based messages;

reviewing unread text-based messages;

reviewing heard audio messages; and

reviewing unheard audio messages.

18. The medium of claim 15, wherein identifying comprises at least one of:

scanning through text-based; and

scanning through audio messages which have been converted to text-based messages.

19. The medium of claim 15, wherein providing the user with the message content comprises:

prompting the user with the option to review at least some alert content found during searching; and

supplying the at least some alert content to the user if the user opts to review it.

20. The medium of claim 19, wherein the configuration settings indicate that alert content is to be provided when one of:

after the user enters text into a subject line of the message, while the user is entering a subject line into the message, or while the user is entering text into a main body of the message.

21. The medium of claim 15, wherein the configuration settings are to determine when the device is to deliver the alert content to the user including at least two of the group consisting of (1) after the user enters the second party contact information, (2) while the user is entering a subject in the text-based message, (3) after the user enters the subject in the text-based message, (4) while the user is entering a message body in the text-based message, and (5) after the user chooses to send the text-based message but before the device has sent the text-based message.