Remote messaging for mobile communication device and accessory

• US 9,716,986 B2
• Filed: 06/30/2014
• Issued: 07/25/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/06/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Bolton, Lawrence G., Rathi, Shailesh
• Primary Examiner(s): Agosta, Steve D
• Application Number:
  US14/320,183
• Publication Number:
  US 20150031340A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,121 Days
• Field of Search: 455 412, 455 413, 4554121, 4554122, 4554141, 455418-420, 4555561, 4555562, 455466, 370312, 379 671, 379 68, 379 8828
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/224 providing notification on incoming messages, e.g. pushed notifications of received messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6041 Portable telephones adapted for handsfree use
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72436 for text messaging, e.g. short messaging services [SMS] or e-mails
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72442 for playing music files
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements

Abstract

Message notifications to an accessory from a mobile communication device are provided according to some embodiments of the invention. When a message such as a text message, email, and/or voicemail is received at a mobile communication device, the mobile communication device can notify an attached accessory that a message has been received. In response, the accessory can request the full message, media associated with the message, an attachment to the message, and/or an audio/video stream of the message for presentation to a user.

Claims

1. A method for use in an accessory, the method comprising:

providing, by an accessory connected to a mobile communication device (MCD) through a wireless link, capability information indicating that the accessory supports text message notifications;

receiving, by the accessory from the MCD in response to determining that the accessory supports text message notifications based on the capability information, a text message notification indicating that the MCD has received and stored a full text message from a mobile communication network, wherein the full text message includes multimedia, and wherein the text message notification includes an identifier associated with the text message, a partial text message having a lesser portion of the full text message, and an indication that the full text message includes the multimedia;

producing, by the accessory, a non-visual sensory notification to alert a user when the partial text message is received by the accessory;

displaying, by the accessory to the user in response to receiving the text message notification from the MCD, the partial text message;

sending, by the accessory to the MCD, a user request to access the full text message including the multimedia, wherein the user request includes the identifier;

receiving, by the accessory from the MCD in response to the user request, the full text message including the multimedia stored by the MCD; and

providing, by the accessory to the user in response to receiving the full text message from the MCD, the full text message.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the full text message includes a text message selected from the group consisting of an MMS message, an SMS message, and/or an email.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein sending the user request includes sending a command to the MCD requesting the full text message.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the text message notification includes contact information associated with the full text message.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein displaying the partial text message includes displaying the contact information associated with the full text message.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the text message notification indicates that the full text message includes multimedia, and wherein providing the full text message includes providing the multimedia to the user.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the non-visual sensory notification is one or more of an audible alert or a vibration alert.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising displaying a listing of one or more text messages that have been received.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the user request is a request to retrieve the full text message from a memory.

10. An accessory for use with a mobile communication device, the accessory comprising:

an accessory controller;

a speaker to provide sound output;

a wireless input/output interface coupled with the accessory controller and including a control signal path, wherein the input/output interface is configured to

send a wireless service message to the mobile communication device (MCD), wherein the wireless service message includes capability information indicating that the accessory is configured to receive text message notifications,

receive, from the MCD in response to determining that the accessory supports text message notifications based on the capability information, a wireless text message notification indicating that the MCD has received and stored a full text message from a mobile communication network, wherein the full text message includes multimedia, and wherein the text message notification includes an identifier associated with the text message, a partial text message having a lesser portion of the full text message stored in the MCD, and an indication that the full text message includes the multimedia,

send a user request to access the full text message including the multimedia to the MCD,

receive, in response to the user request, the full text message including the multimedia; and

a user interface comprising a display device coupled with the accessory controller, the user interface being configured to;

produce a non-visual sensory notification to alert a user when the partial text message is received by the accessory;

display to the user, in response to receiving the text message notification from the MCD, the partial text message, and

display to the user, in response to receiving the full text message from the MCD, the full text message.

11. The accessory according to claim 10, wherein the wireless text message notification includes the full text message, and the user interface is configured to display a portion of the text message on the display device in response to receiving the wireless text message notification.

12. The accessory according to claim 10, wherein the wireless text message notification includes the full text message and the user interface is configured to display the full text message on the display device in response to receiving the wireless text message notification.

13. The accessory according to claim 10, wherein the wireless text message notification includes a message identifier and not the full text message, and wherein the accessory controller is configured to then send the user request for the full text message to the MCD in response to receiving an indication from a user to view or hear the full text message.

14. A method for use in a mobile communication device having a telephone interface, the method comprising:

determining that an accessory connected to the mobile communication device (MCD) through a wireless link supports text message notifications based on capability information indicating that the accessory supports text message notifications;

receiving a text message through the telephone interface, wherein the text message includes a full text message having multimedia;

storing the full text message from the telephone interface;

sending, through the wireless link in response to receiving the text message, a text message notification to the accessory indicating that the MCD has received and stored the full text message, wherein the text message notification includes an identifier associated with the text message, a partial text message having a lesser portion of the full text message, and an indication that the full text message includes the multimedia, and wherein the text message notification is configured to cause the accessory to produce a non-visual sensory notification to alert a user when the partial text message is received by the accessory;

receiving, from the accessory through the wireless link, a user request to access the full text message including the multimedia, wherein the user request includes the identifier; and

sending, through the wireless link in response to receiving the user request, the full text message including the multimedia.