Communication history aggregation and presentation

• US 9,300,621 B2
• Filed: 05/04/2012
• Issued: 03/29/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/05/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Guzman Suarez, Angela J., Westen, Peter T., Payne, Jeremy D., Coffman, Patrick L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Reyes, Mariela
• Assistant Examiner(s): HARMON, COURTNEY N
• Application Number:
  US13/464,807
• Publication Number:
  US 20130204888A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,425 Days
• Field of Search: 707/758
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/90344 by using string matching techniques
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/216 Handling conversation history, e.g. grouping of messages in sessions or threads
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/42 Mailbox-related aspects, e.g. synchronisation of mailboxes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/48 Message addressing, e.g. address format or anonymous messages, aliases
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/56 Unified messaging, e.g. interactions between e-mail, instant messaging or converged IP messaging [CPM]

Abstract

A unified communication application can allow a user to communicate with contacts across multiple electronic communication services. The unified communication application can aggregate communication history between the user and another person. A set of communication files associated with user identifiers of the user and the other person can be obtained, arranged, and presented to the user in an order based on a timestamp of each conversation line in the files.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a computer that includes a display, a request for a communication history between a first user and a second user, the communication history including communications between the first user and the second user across a plurality of electronic communication services associated with different user identifiers for the first user;

in response to receiving the request, obtaining a set of communication session information for the plurality of electronic communication services, including a first communication history and a second communication history, wherein;

the first communication history includes a plurality of messages between the first user and the second user via a first communication service, of the plurality of electronic communication services, in which the first user is identified with a first user identifier that serves to uniquely identify the first user to the first communication service and the second user is identified with a second user identifier that serves to uniquely identify the second user to the first communication service, the first communication history being obtained without regard to messages in the second communication history; and

the second communication history includes a plurality of messages between the first user and the second user via a second communication service, of the plurality of electronic communication services, in which the first user is identified with a third user identifier that serves to uniquely identify the first user to the second communication service independently of the first user identifier and is different from the first user identifier and the second user is identified with a fourth user identifier that serves to uniquely identify the second user to the second communication service independently of the second user identifier and is different from the second user identifier, the second communication history being obtained without regard to messages in the first communication history;

generating, by the computer, a combined communication history based on timestamps associated with messages from the first communication history and the second communication history, wherein generating the combined communication history includes aggregating the messages from the first communication history and the second communication history into the combined communication history based on the timestamps associated with the messages, wherein the plurality of messages between the first user and the second user in the first communication history and the plurality of messages between the first user and the second user in the second communication history are interleaved based on the timestamps; and

in conjunction with generating the combined communication history, concurrently displaying, on the display;

at least a portion of the combined communication history including the aggregated and interleaved messages; and

a communication creation affordance for sending a new communication from the first user to the second user via one of the plurality of communication services.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the request is received from the first user and includes the second identifier for the second user, the method further comprising:

determining, by the computer, one or more additional identifiers for the second user, wherein obtaining the set of communication session information includes obtaining a communication session file associated with one of the one or more additional identifiers of the second user.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the one or more additional identifiers for the second user is determined by searching a database of user contacts and identifying a set of identifiers associated with the second identifier for the second user, the one or more additional identifiers being associated with different ones of the plurality of electronic communication services.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the messages in the combined communication history are arranged in a chronological order.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining access to the set of communication session information for the plurality of electronic communication services includes:

identifying a first set of user identifiers associated with the first user, each of the first set of user identifiers being associated with one of the plurality of electronic communication services; and

identifying, for the plurality of electronic communication services, a second set of user identifiers associated with the second user, wherein the set of communication session information is obtained by retrieving communication session files associated with at least one user identifier in the first set of user identifiers and at least one user identifier in the second set of user identifiers.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein all the messages in the combined communication history are provided in a single file, wherein the method further comprises:

displaying a portion of the messages in a window in a user interface of the computer, wherein the portion of the messages displayed corresponds to a portion of the file.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the combined communication history includes at least one of textual data, audio data, video data, image data, or a combination thereof.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of communication session information includes a first subset of communication session files that are obtained locally and a second subset of communication session files that are obtained from a remote server accessible through an application programming interface (API).

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of electronic communication services includes at least one of e-mail, instant messaging, Short Message Service (SMS), or Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP).

22. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the combined communication history includes loading a portion of the messages in the combined communication history that corresponds to a portion of a page that is being viewed, and wherein the method further comprises:

preloading an additional portion of the messages prior to the page being scrolled such that the additional portion of the messages would be ready for display; and

unloading a portion of the messages and loading another portion of the messages based at least in part upon a scrolling of the page.

23. The method of claim 1, wherein the first communication history includes at least one message sent by the first user to the second user via the first communication service and at least one message sent by the second user to the first user via the first communication service, and the second communication history includes at least one message sent by the first user to the second user via the second communication service and at least one message sent by the second user to the first user via the second communication service.

24. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of messages in the first communication history is visually distinguished in the combined communication history from the plurality of messages in the second communication history.

29. The method of claim 1, wherein displaying at least the portion of the communication history includes concurrently displaying messages from the first user and the second user arranged relative to different sides of a communication history region, including:

displaying the messages from the first user arranged relative to a first side of the communication history region, wherein the messages from the first user that are arranged relative to the first side of the communication history region include;

a communication from the first user via the first communication service; and

a communication from the first user via the second communication service; and

displaying the messages from the second user arranged relative to a second side of the communication history region that is different from the first side of the communication history region, wherein the messages from the second user that are arranged relative to the second side of the communication history region include;

a communication from the second user via the first communication service; and

a communication from the first user via the second communication service.

30. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication creation affordance includes a text entry region and a message sending affordance for sending a new communication that includes text entered in the text entry region.

10. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium encoded with program instructions that, when executed, cause a processor in a computing device including a display to execute a method, the method comprising:

receiving a request for a communication history between a first user and a second user, the communication history including communications between the first user and the second user across a plurality of electronic communication services associated with different user identifiers for the first user;

in response to receiving the request, obtaining a set of communication session information for the plurality of electronic communication services, including a first communication history and a second communication history, wherein;

the first communication history includes a plurality of messages between the first user and the second user via a first communication service, of the plurality of electronic communication services, in which the first user is identified with a first user identifier that serves to uniquely identify the first user to the first communication service and the second user is identified with a second user identifier that serves to uniquely identify the second user to the first communication service, the first communication history being obtained without regard to messages in the second communication history; and

the second communication history includes a plurality of messages between the first user and the second user via a second communication service, of the plurality of electronic communication services, in which the first user is identified with a third user identifier that serves to uniquely identify the first user to the second communication service independently of the first user identifier and is different from the first user identifier and the second user is identified with a fourth user identifier that serves to uniquely identify the second user to the second communication service independently of the second user identifier and is different from the second user identifier, the second communication history being obtained without regard to messages in the first communication history;

generating a combined communication history based on timestamps associated with messages from the first communication history and the second communication history, wherein generating the combined communication history includes aggregating the messages from the first communication history and the second communication history into the combined communication history based on the timestamps associated with the messages, wherein the plurality of messages between the first user and the second user in the first communication history and the plurality of messages between the first user and the second user in the second communication history are interleaved based on the timestamps; and

in conjunction with generating the combined communication history, concurrently displaying, on the display;

at least a portion of the combined communication history including the aggregated and interleaved messages; and

a communication creation affordance for sending a new communication from the first user to the second user via one of the plurality of communication services.

11. The computer readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the request is received through at least one of a keyboard input, a gesture input, or a voice command.

12. The computer readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the different ones of the plurality of electronic communication services include different electronic communication services that are provided by different service providers.

13. The computer readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein receiving the request for the communication history between the first user and the second user includes receiving a selection of a user identifier of the second user in any one of the plurality of electronic communication services.

14. The computer readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein receiving the request for the communication history between the first user and the second user includes receiving a selection of a user identifier, for the second user, of one or more identifiers stored in a database of user contacts associated with the first user.

20. The computer readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein all the messages in the combined communication history are provided in a single file, wherein the method further comprises:

displaying a portion of the messages in a window in a user interface of the computing device, wherein the portion of the messages displayed corresponds to a portion of the file.

21. The computer readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein obtaining the set of communication session information comprises:

determining communication history that include at least one user identifier of the first user and at least one user identifier of the second user.

25. The computer readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the first communication history includes at least one message sent by the first user to the second user via the first communication service and at least one message sent by the second user to the first user via the first communication service, and the second communication history includes at least one message sent by the first user to the second user via the second communication service and at least one message sent by the second user to the first user via the second communication service.

26. The computer readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the plurality of messages in the first communication history is visually distinguished in the combined communication history from the plurality of messages in the second communication history.

15. An electronic device, comprising:

a display;

a processor;

a memory device coupled to the processor, the memory device including instructions to be executed for facilitating communication, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to;

receive a request for a communication history between a first user and a second user, the communication history including communications between the first user and the second user across a plurality of electronic communication services associated with different user identifiers for the first user;

in response to receiving the request, obtain a set of communication session information for the plurality of electronic communication services, including a first communication history and a second communication history, wherein;

the first communication history includes a plurality of messages between the first user and the second user via a first communication service, of the plurality of electronic communication services, in which the first user is identified with a first user identifier that serves to uniquely identify the first user to the first communication service and the second user is identified with a second user identifier that serves to uniquely identify the second user to the first communication service, the first communication history being obtained without regard to messages in the second communication history; and

the second communication history includes a plurality of messages between the first user and the second user via a second communication service, of the plurality of electronic communication services, in which the first user is identified with a third user identifier that serves to uniquely identify the first user to the second communication service independently of the first user identifier and is different from the first user identifier and the second user is identified with a fourth user identifier that serves to uniquely identify the second user to the second communication service independently of the second user identifier and is different from the second user identifier, the second communication history being obtained without regard to messages in the first communication history;

generate a combined communication history based on timestamps associated with messages from the first communication history and the second communication history, wherein generating the combined communication history includes aggregating the messages from the first communication history and the second communication history into the combined communication history based on the timestamps associated with the messages, wherein the plurality of messages between the first user and the second user in the first communication history and the plurality of messages between the first user and the second user in the second communication history are interleaved based on the timestamps; and

in conjunction with generating the combined communication history, concurrently display, on the display;

at least a portion of the combined communication history including the aggregated and interleaved messages; and

a communication creation affordance for sending a new communication from the first user to the second user via one of the plurality of communication services.

16. The electronic device of claim 15, wherein the messages in the combined communication history are provided on a page in a user interface of the electronic device, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to:

display a portion of the page that corresponds to a portion of the messages in the combined communication history.

17. The electronic device of claim 16, wherein at least the portion of the messages is loaded, and the instructions further cause the processor to:

receive an indication that the portion of the page has changed to another portion of the page; and

in response to receiving the indication, loading another portion of the messages corresponding to the another portion of the page.

18. The electronic device of claim 15, wherein the messages in the combined communication history are arranged in a reverse chronological order.

19. The electronic device of claim 15, wherein the set of communication session information is obtained through one or more application programming interfaces (APIs).

27. The electronic device of claim 15, wherein the first communication history includes at least one message sent by the first user to the second user via the first communication service and at least one message sent by the second user to the first user via the first communication service, and the second communication history includes at least one message sent by the first user to the second user via the second communication service and at least one message sent by the second user to the first user via the second communication service.

28. The electronic device of claim 15, wherein the plurality of messages in the first communication history is visually distinguished in the combined communication history from the plurality of messages in the second communication history at least by font and/or color.