Device independent message distribution platform

• US 9,577,966 B1
• Filed: 06/12/2015
• Issued: 02/21/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/23/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Twitter Inc (X Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Twitter Inc (X Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Dorsey, Jack, Stone, Christopher Isaac
• Primary Examiner(s): O'Connor, Brian
• Application Number:
  US14/738,790
• Time in Patent Office: 620 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0631 Resource planning, allocation, distributing or scheduling for enterprises or organisations
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/18 for broadcast or conference , e.g. multicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/046 Interoperability with other network applications or services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/066 Format adaptation, e.g. format conversion or compression
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/56 Unified messaging, e.g. interactions between e-mail, instant messaging or converged IP messaging [CPM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]

Abstract

An example system for device-independent point to multipoint communication is configured to receive a message addressed to one or more destination users, the message type being, for example, Short Message Service (SMS), Instant Messaging (IM), E-mail, web form input, or Application Program Interface (API) function call. The system also is configured to determine information about the destination users, the information comprising preferred devices and interfaces for receiving messages, the information further including message receiving preferences. The system applies rules to the message based on destination user information to determine the message endpoints, the message endpoints being, for example, Short Message Service (SMS), Instant Messaging (IM), E-mail, web page output, or Application Program Interface (API) function call. The system translates the message based on the destination user information and message endpoints and transmits the message to each endpoint of the message.

Claims

1. A method of message distribution, comprising:

receiving, from a first computing device of a first user, a selection of a plurality of endpoints for receiving update messages;

storing the selection of the plurality of endpoints in a storage;

receiving, from a second computing device of a second user, a request to broadcast an update message, wherein the update message lacks identification of the first user as an intended recipient;

identifying, by a computer processor, a plurality of followers of the second user in response to the request, wherein the first user is among the plurality of followers;

identifying, in the storage, the plurality of endpoints selected by the first user; and

broadcasting the update message to the plurality of endpoints.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, from a user, a request for a message timeline; and

sending the message timeline to an endpoint of the requesting user.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the message timeline comprises a public message timeline.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein the message timeline comprises a private message timeline.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

authenticating a user;

processing a request from the authenticated user for a message timeline; and

sending the message timeline to an endpoint of the requesting user.

6. A message distribution system comprising:

one or more computer processors;

a routing engine implemented by the computer processors, the routing engine being configured to;

receive from each of a plurality of respective users of the message distribution system, endpoint information indicative of one or more endpoints for the respective user to receive messages and follower information indicative of one or more message sources to be followed by the respective user;

store, in a memory, the endpoint information and the follower information for the users;

receive a first message originating from a first message source for distribution to one or more unspecified recipients;

identify, using the follower information stored in the memory, followers of the first message source as recipients for the first message; and

identify, using the endpoint information stored in the memory, endpoints for the identified followers of the first message source; and

a transmission engine implemented by the computer processors, the transmission engine being configured to send the first message to the endpoints for the identified followers.

7. The message distribution system according to claim 6, wherein the transmission engine is configured to send a targeted second message to the endpoints for the identified followers.

8. The message distribution system according to claim 7, wherein the second message is targeted based on the first message.

9. The message distribution system according to claim 7, wherein the second message is targeted based on a device associated with an endpoint of a user.

10. The message distribution system according to claim 7, wherein the second message is targeted based on a location of a user.

11. The message distribution system according to claim 7, wherein the second message is targeted based on a time and date.

12. The message distribution system according to claim 7, wherein the second message is targeted based on user activity.

13. The message distribution system according to claim 7, wherein the second message is in sync with the first message.

14. The message distribution system according to claim 7, wherein the second message comprises advertising.

15. The message distribution system according to claim 7, wherein the first message includes display content.

16. The message distribution system according to claim 7, wherein the first message includes a uniform resources locator (URL).

17. The message distribution system according to claim 6, wherein the transmission engine comprises a web transmission engine.

18. The message distribution system according to claim 6, wherein the transmission engine comprises an instant messaging transmission engine.

19. The message distribution system according to claim 6, wherein the transmission engine comprises an email transmission engine.

20. The message distribution system according to claim 6, wherein the transmission engine comprises a short messaging service (SMS) transmission engine.

21. The message distribution system according to claim 6, wherein the routing engine is configured to convert a portion of the received first message and the transmission engine is configured to send first message including the converted portion to the endpoints for the identified followers.

22. The message distribution system according to claim 21, wherein the routing engine is configured to convert a link contained in the first message.

23. The message distribution system according to claim 22, wherein the link comprises a uniform resources locator (URL).

24. The message distribution system according to claim 6, wherein the routing engine is configured to receive, from a user, a request for a message timeline and the transmission engine is configured to send the message timeline to an endpoint of the requesting user.

25. The message distribution system according to claim 24, wherein the message timeline comprises a public message timeline.

26. The message distribution system according to claim 24, wherein the message timeline comprises a private message timeline.

27. The message distribution system according to claim 6, wherein the routing engine is configured to authenticate a user and process a request from the authenticated user for a message timeline, and the transmission engine is configured to send the message timeline to an endpoint of the requesting user.

28. The message distribution system according to claim 6, wherein the routing engine is configured to receive, from a user, a request for a list of user followers and the transmission engine is configured to send the list to the requesting user.

29. The message distribution system according to claim 6, wherein the routing engine is configured to receive a second message from a first user directly addressed to a second user and identify, using the endpoint information stored in the memory, endpoints for the second user, and the transmission engine is configured to send the second message to the identified endpoints for the second user.

30. The message distribution system according to claim 6, wherein the routing engine is configured to receive, from the users, preference information indicative of preferences for the respective users.

31. The message distribution system according to claim 6, wherein the first message comprises a vote request.

32. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions which, when executed by one or more computer processors of a message distribution system, control the message distribution system to perform operations comprising:

receiving from each of a plurality of respective users of the message distribution system, endpoint information indicative of one or more endpoints for the respective user to receive messages and follower information indicative of one or more message sources to be followed by the respective user;

storing, in a memory, the endpoint information and the follower information for the users;

receiving a first message originating from a first message source for distribution to one or more unspecified recipients;

identifying, using the follower information stored in the memory, followers of the first message source as recipients for the first message;

identifying, using the endpoint information stored in the memory, endpoints for the identified followers of the first message source; and

transmitting the first message to the endpoints for the identified followers.

33. The computer-readable medium according to claim 32,

wherein the one or more computer processors control the message distribution system to receive, from a user, a request for a message timeline and to send the message timeline to an endpoint of the requesting user.

34. The computer-readable medium according to claim 33, wherein the message timeline comprises a public message timeline.

35. The computer-readable medium according to claim 33, wherein the message timeline comprises a private message timeline.

36. The computer-readable medium according to claim 32, wherein the one or more computer processors control the message distribution system to authenticate a user;

process a request from the authenticated user for a message timeline; and

to send the message timeline to an endpoint of the requesting user.

37. The computer-readable medium according to claim 32, wherein the one or more computer processors control the message distribution system to receive, from a user, a request for a list of user followers and to send the list to an endpoint of the requesting user.

38. The computer-readable medium according to claim 32, wherein the one or more computer processors control the message distribution system to receive a second message from a first user directly addressed to a second user;

identify, using the endpoint information stored in the memory, endpoints for the second user; and

send the second message to the identified endpoints for the second user.

39. The computer-readable medium according to claim 32, wherein the first message comprises a vote request.

40. A message distribution system comprising one or more servers, the servers comprising:

memory; and

one or more processors configured to execute executable instructions stored in the memory to control the message distribution system to perform operations comprising;

receiving from each of a plurality of respective users of the message distribution system, endpoint information indicative of one or more endpoints for the respective user to receive messages and follower information indicative of one or more message sources to be followed by the respective user;

storing, in the memory, the endpoint information and the follower information for the users;

receiving a first message originating from a first message source for distribution to one or more unspecified recipients;

identifying, using the follower information stored in the memory, followers of the first message source as recipients for the first message;

identifying, using the endpoint information stored in the memory, endpoints for the identified followers of the first message source; and

transmitting the first message to the endpoints for the identified followers.

41. The message distribution system according to claim 40, wherein the operations further comprise receiving, from a user, a request for a message timeline and sending the message timeline to an endpoint of the requesting user.

42. The message distribution system according to claim 41, wherein the message timeline comprises a public message timeline.

43. The message distribution system according to claim 41, wherein the message timeline comprises a private message timeline.

44. The message distribution system according to claim 40, wherein the operations further comprise:

authenticating a user;

processing a request from the authenticated user for a message timeline; and

sending the message timeline to an endpoint of the requesting user.