Time based electronic message delivery

• US 9,515,977 B2
• Filed: 09/14/2012
• Issued: 12/06/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/18/2002
• 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, Hussain, Muhammad Mohsin
• Primary Examiner(s): Walsh, John B
• Application Number:
  US13/617,330
• Publication Number:
  US 20130097255A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,544 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/54 Interprogram communication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/542 Event management; Broadcasting; Multicasting; Notifications
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/08 Auctions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/043 using or handling presence information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/06 Message adaptation to terminal or network requirements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/224 providing notification on incoming messages, e.g. pushed notifications of received messages

Abstract

An electronic message may be reconfigured to effect an enhanced notification using an input interface to receive at least one electronic message created by or on behalf of a message source for delivery to an intended recipient. A matching engine determines whether the electronic message corresponds to a predetermined definition of an enhanced notification. An enhancement engine reconfigures the electronic message to the enhanced notification if stored information related to the intended recipient indicates that the intended recipient is subscribed to receive the enhanced notification. Reconfiguring the electronic message may include reconfiguring the message to provide special handling, routing or presentation.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

identifying a time period associated with an electronic message;

presenting, by at least one processor, an electronic notification associated with the electronic message to a recipient via one or more delivery mechanisms during the time period;

determining whether the recipient has interacted with the electronic notification;

upon determining the recipient has interacted with the electronic notification, deleting the electronic message prior to the recipient accessing the electronic message; and

if the electronic notification is still being presented at the expiration of the time period, ceasing to present the electronic notification to the recipient once the time period expires.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising determining the time period based on the content of the electronic message.

3. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein the time period comprises a period during which the electronic message is expected to be relevant to the recipient.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein time period is set by the recipient.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein determining whether the recipient has interacted with the electronic notification comprises determining if the recipient has viewed the electronic notification sent via a first delivery mechanism.

6. The method as recited in claim 5, further comprising, if the electronic notification sent via the first delivery mechanism has not been viewed, and if the time period has not expired, sending the electronic notification to the recipient via a second delivery mechanism.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising sending the electronic notification to the intended recipient concurrently via two different delivery mechanisms.

8. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein ceasing to present the electronic notification to the recipient comprises ceasing to present the electronic notification via each of the one or more delivery mechanisms.

11. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the electronic notification comprises a pop-up window.

43. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein determining whether the recipient has interacted with the electronic notification comprises detecting if the recipient has interacted with a graphical element associated with the electronic notification.

44. The method as recited in claim 43, wherein the graphical element associated with the electronic notification is a button.

45. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein determining whether the recipient has interacted with the electronic notification comprises detecting if the recipient has accessed the electronic notification.

46. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein determining whether the recipient has interacted with the electronic notification comprises detecting if the recipient has responded to a sender of the electronic message.

9. The method as recited 1, wherein the electronic notification comprises an icon.

10. The method as recited in claim 9, wherein the electronic notification further comprises an audio alert.

12. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium including a set of instructions that, when executed, cause at least one processor to perform steps comprising:

identifying a time period associated with an electronic message;

presenting an electronic notification associated with the electronic message to a recipient via one or more delivery mechanisms during the time period;

determining whether the recipient has interacted with the electronic notification;

upon determining the recipient has interacted with the electronic notification, deleting the electronic message associated with the electronic notification prior to the recipient accessing the electronic message; and

if the electronic notification is still being presented at the expiration of the time period, ceasing to present the electronic notification to the recipient once the time period expires.

13. The computer-readable storage medium as recited in claim 12, wherein determining whether the recipient has interacted with the electronic notification comprises determining if the recipient has viewed the electronic notification sent via a first delivery mechanism.

14. The computer-readable storage medium as recited in claim 13, further comprising instructions that, when executed, cause the at least one processor to send the electronic notification to the recipient via a second delivery mechanism if the electronic notification via the first delivery mechanism has not been viewed and the time period has not expired.

15. The computer-readable storage medium as recited in claim 12, further comprising instructions that, when executed, cause the at least one processor to send the electronic notification to the recipient concurrently via two different delivery mechanisms.

16. The computer-readable storage medium as recited in claim 15, wherein at least one of the two different delivery mechanisms comprises an operating system.

17. The computer-readable storage medium as recited in claim 12, wherein the electronic notification comprises an icon.

18. The computer-readable storage medium as recited in claim 17, wherein the electronic notification further comprises an audio alert.

19. The computer-readable storage medium as recited in claim 12, wherein ceasing to present the electronic notification to the recipient comprises ceasing to present the electronic notification via each of the one or more delivery mechanisms.

20. The computer-readable storage medium as recited in claim 12, further comprising instructions that, when executed, cause the at least one processor to determine the time period based on the content of the electronic message.

21. The computer-readable storage medium as recited in claim 20, wherein the time period comprises a period during which the electronic message is expected to be relevant to the recipient.

22. The computer-readable storage medium as recited in claim 12, wherein the time period is set by the recipient.

23. A method comprising:

identifying a time period associated with an electronic notification corresponding to an electronic message received by a recipient;

presenting, by at least one processor, the electronic notification to the recipient via one or more delivery mechanisms until the recipient interacts with the electronic notification;

upon the recipient interacting with the electronic notification, deleting the electronic message prior to the recipient accessing the electronic message and ceasing to present the electronic notification to the recipient; and

if the recipient has not interacted with the electronic notification, continuing to present the electronic notification until the time period associated with the electronic notification expires.

24. The method as recited in claim 23, further comprising presenting the electronic notification via a first delivery mechanism.

25. The method as recited in claim 24, further comprising:

determining the recipient has not interacted with the electronic notification sent via the first delivery mechanism;

determining the time period has not expired; and

presenting the electronic notification via a second delivery mechanism based on determining the recipient has not interacted with the electronic notification sent via the first delivery mechanism and determining the time period has not expired.

26. The method as recited in claim 25, further comprising:

determining the recipient has not interacted with the electronic notification sent via the second delivery mechanism; and

sending the electronic notification via a third delivery mechanism based on determining the recipient has not interacted with the electronic notification sent via the second delivery mechanism and determining the time period has not expired.

27. The method as recited in claim 25, wherein:

the first delivery mechanism comprises an operating system; and

the second delivery mechanism comprises a mobile device or an online communications system.

28. The method as recited in claim 24, further comprising concurrently presenting the electronic notification via a second delivery mechanism.

29. The method as recited in claim 28, wherein:

the first delivery mechanism comprises an operating system; and

the second delivery mechanism comprises a mobile device or an online communications system.

30. The method as recited in claim 29, wherein the electronic notification sent via the first delivery mechanism comprises a pop up window.

31. The method as recited in claim 29, wherein the electronic notification sent via the first delivery mechanism comprises an icon.

32. The method as recited in claim 31, wherein the electronic notification sent via the first delivery mechanism further comprises an audible alert.

33. The method as recited in claim 29, wherein the electronic notification sent via the second delivery mechanism comprises a pop up window or a text message.

34. A mobile device comprising:

a display device;

one or more processors;

a non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising instructions, that when executed by the one or more processors, cause the mobile device to;

identify a time period associated with an electronic notification corresponding to an electronic message;

display, on the display device, the electronic notification to a recipient using one or more delivery mechanisms until the recipient interacts with the electronic notification;

delete the electronic message prior to the recipient accessing the electronic message upon the recipient interacting with the electronic notification; and

if the recipient has not interacted with the electronic notification, continuing to display the electronic notification until the time period associated with the electronic notification expires.

35. The mobile device as recited in claim 34, further comprising instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the mobile device to display the electronic notification via a first delivery mechanism.

36. The mobile device as recited in claim 35, further comprising instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the mobile device to:

determine the recipient has not interacted with the electronic notification displayed via the first delivery mechanism;

determine the time period has not expired; and

display the electronic notification via a second delivery mechanism based on determining the recipient has not interacted with the electronic notification displayed via the first delivery mechanism and determining the time period has not expired.

37. The mobile device as recited in claim 35, further comprising instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the mobile device to:

determine the recipient has not interacted with the electronic notification displayed via the second delivery mechanism; and

display the electronic notification via a third delivery mechanism based on determining the recipient has not interacted with the electronic notification displayed via the first or second delivery mechanisms and determining the time period has not expired.

38. The mobile device as recited in claim 35, further comprising instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the mobile device to concurrently display the electronic notification using the first and second delivery mechanisms.

39. The mobile device as recited in claim 38, wherein the first delivery mechanism comprises an icon.

40. The mobile device as recited in claim 39, wherein the second delivery mechanism comprises a pop-up window.

41. The mobile device as recited in claim 39, wherein the first delivery mechanism further comprises an audio alert.

42. The mobile device as recited in claim 39, wherein the first delivery method further comprises a flashing indicator.