Enabled and disabled menu choices based on presence state

• US 9,356,894 B2
• Filed: 09/14/2012
• Issued: 05/31/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/04/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Inventors: Appelman, Barry, Ben-Yoseph, Roy, Heikes, Brian, Kucharewski, Valerie
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham, Linh K
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nicholas, Wendy
• Application Number:
  US13/617,413
• Publication Number:
  US 20130067341A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,355 Days
• Field of Search: 715/739, 715/751, 715/752, 715/758, 715/760, 715/810, 715/811, 379/93.01, 379/93.13, 379/93.17, 379/142.04, 345/156, 455/416, 455/518, 455/519, 709/206, 709/204, 709/205, 709/207, 709/227, 709/228
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/043 using or handling presence information

Abstract

A computer implemented method for intelligently enabling menu choices includes rendering, on a client system, an address book user interface comprising information related to one or more contacts, selecting a contact from the address book user interface, determining an online presence state for the selected contact, enabling one or more menu options based upon the determined online presence state, with the menu options enabled for a first online presence state differing from the menu options enabled for a second online presence state, and presenting the enabled menu options to a user in a user interface.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

providing for display at least a portion of a list of contacts for a user of a communications system;

receiving an indication of a selection of a contact on the list;

determining, by at least one processor, an e-mail address associated with the selected contact;

if the e-mail address associated with the selected contact comprises a first domain name, configuring, by at least one processor, a first menu of options for presentation to the user, the first menu of options comprising system-defined options based on the first domain name, wherein the first menu of options includes a selectable message option that when selected allows the user to send the selected contact an electronic message other than an e-mail; and

if the e-mail address associated with the selected contact comprises a domain name, other than the first domain name, configuring, by the at least one processor, a second menu of options for presentation to the user, the second menu of options comprising system-defined options based on the domain name other than the first domain name, wherein the second menu of options includes one or more disabled menu options, the one or more disabled menu options comprising a changed, grayed out or deleted selectable message option.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein:

the selectable message option allows the user to send the selected contact an instant message

the second menu of options includes one or more disabled menu options, the one or more disabled menu options comprising the selectable message option.

3. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein the selectable message option is grayed out in the second menu of options.

4. The method as recited in claim 2, further comprising enabling display of indications of statuses of one or more of the contacts in connection with the display of the list of contacts.

5. The method as recited in claim 4, further comprising providing, in connection with the display of the list of contacts, a first indication that the first contact is associated with the first domain name.

6. The method as recited in claim 5, wherein the first indication comprises a first icon next to a name of the first contact.

7. The method as recited in claim 6, further comprising including the first icon in the first menu of options.

8. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

determining a screen name associated with the first domain name.

9. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the first menu of options and the second menu of options comprise the same menu options, with the second menu of options including the one or more disabled menu options.

10. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein:

the first menu of options includes a selectable video call option that when selected initiates a video call with the selected contact; and

the one or more disabled menu options comprise the selectable video call option.

11. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein the selectable video call option is grayed out in the second menu of options.

12. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein the first menu of options further includes a selectable block message option that when selected allows the user to block an electronic message.

13. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein enabling display of the list of contacts comprises sending the list of contacts to a client device for display.

14. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein enabling display of the list of contacts comprises causing a display of a client device to display the list of contacts.

15. A graphical user interface produced on a computing device having a display device associated therewith, the graphical user interface comprising:

a first interface area displayed on the display device, the first interface area comprising a list of contacts for a user of a communications system;

wherein upon selection of a first contact from the list with an e-mail address that comprises a first domain name, a first menu of options is displayed on the display device, the first menu of options comprising system-defined options based on the first domain name, wherein the first menu of options includes a selectable message option that when selected allows the user to send the selected contact an electronic message other than an e-mail; and

wherein upon selection of a second contact from the list with an e-mail address that comprises a second domain name, a second menu of options is displayed on the display device, the second menu of options comprising system-defined options based on the second domain name other than the first domain name, wherein the second menu of options includes one or more disabled menu options, the one or more disabled menu options comprising a changed, graved out, or deleted selectable message option.

16. The graphical user interface as recited in claim 15, wherein:

the selectable message option allows the user to send the selected contact an instant message.

17. The graphical user interface as recited in claim 16, wherein the selectable message option is grayed out in the second menu of options.

18. The graphical user interface as recited in claim 17, further comprising providing a first indication in the first menu of contacts that the selected contact is associated with the first domain name.

19. The graphical user interface as recited in claim 18, wherein the first indication comprises an icon.

20. The graphical user interface as recited in claim 15, further comprising:

displaying a screen name associated with the first domain name and the first contact.

21. The graphical user interface as recited in claim 20, wherein the first menu of options comprises system-defined options based on the screen name associated with the first domain name and the first contact.

22. The graphical user interface as recited in claim 15, wherein:

the first menu of options includes a selectable video call option that when selected initiates a video call with the selected contact; and

the selectable video call option is disabled in the second menu of options.

23. The graphical user interface as recited in claim 22, wherein the selectable video call option is grayed out in the second menu of options.

24. A system comprising:

at least one processor, and a non-transitory storage medium storing a list of contacts associated with a user of a communication system and a set of instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to;

determine domain names associated with e-mail addresses corresponding to contacts on the list of contacts;

configure a first menu of options for display upon selection of a contact from the list with an e-mail address that comprises a first domain name, the first menu of options comprising system-defined options based on the first domain name, wherein the first menu of options includes a selectable message option that when selected allows the user to send the selected contact an electronic message other than an e-mail; and

configure a second menu of options for device upon selection of a contact from the list with an e-mail address that comprises a second domain name, the second menu of options comprising system-defined options based on the second domain name other than the first domain name, wherein the second menu of options includes one or more disabled menu options, the one or more disabled menu options comprising a changed, grayed out, or deleted selectable message option.

25. The system as recited in claim 24, wherein:

the first menu of options includes a selectable video call option that when selected initiates a video call with the selected contact; and

the one or more disabled menu options comprise the selectable video call option.

26. The system as recited in claim 25, wherein the selectable video call option is grayed out in the second menu of options.

27. The system as recited in claim 25, wherein the first menu of options further includes a selectable block message option that when selected allows the user to block an electronic message.

28. The system as recited in claim 25, wherein:

the selectable message option allows the user to send the selected contact an instant message.

29. The system as recited in claim 28, wherein the selectable message option is grayed out in the second menu of options.

30. The system as recited in claim 29, further comprising providing a first indication that the selected contact is associated with the first domain name.

31. The system as recited in claim 29, wherein the first indication comprises a first icon next to a name of the selected contact.

32. The system as recited in claim 31, further comprising:

determining a screen name associated with the first domain name.