Apparatus and method for maintaining a message thread with opt-in permanence for entries

• US 10,439,972 B1
• Filed: 08/21/2017
• Issued: 10/08/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Snap, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Snap, Inc.
• Inventors: Spiegel, Evan, Sehn, Timothy
• Primary Examiner(s): Biagini, Christopher
• Application Number:
  US15/682,404
• Time in Patent Office: 778 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/216 Handling conversation history, e.g. grouping of messages in sessions or threads

Abstract

A server has a processor and a memory storing a message thread module with instructions executed by the processor to maintain a message thread between users of client devices. The message thread module serves a message thread with a new text entry to a client device in response to a request for the message thread from a user. Message thread state change is collected from the client device, where the message thread state change represents an indication to automatically delete the new text entry of the message thread after the duration of a transitory display period on the client device unless an indication of a gesture applied to a display screen presenting the new text entry of the message thread is received from the client device during the transitory display period. The message thread state change is queued at the server along with additional message thread state changes associated with the collecting operation performed for additional users associated with the message thread. The message thread is revised based upon the message thread state change and the additional message thread state changes to form shared message thread state. The shared message thread state is stored. The shared message thread state is supplied in response to a request for the message thread from a user.

Claims

1. A method implemented by a server with hardware processing circuitry and a memory storing instructions executed by the hardware processing circuitry to maintain a first message thread and a second message thread between a first user and a second user by:

directing, by the server, a second client device to display a text entry of the second message thread for a duration of a transitory display period, wherein the text entry is from the first user and is presented on a second display screen associated with the second client device of the second user, and wherein the first user generates the text entry with a first indication to preserve the text entry in the first message thread, wherein the first indication is a first gesture applied to a first display screen of a first client device associated with the first user that is received by the server as the first indication;

automatically deleting at the server the text entry of the second message thread for the second user after the duration of the transitory display period unless a second indication of a second gesture applied to the second display screen presenting the text entry of the message thread on the second client device associated with the second user is received at the server during the transitory display period, in which case the text entry of the message thread is maintained with altered text indicia by the server for the second message thread and the server provides feedback to the first user that the text entry of the second message thread is preserved;

modifying, at the direction of the server, the text entry of the first message thread associated with the first user on the first display screen associated with the first user if the server receives the second indication that the second user applied the second gesture to the second display screen associated with the second user during the transitory display period, wherein modifying includes the server providing first indicia indicating that only the first user provided the first indication and that there was no second indication and therefore only the first user preserved the text entry or second indicia in response to the first indication and the second indication to indicate that both the first user and the second user preserved the text entry; and

asynchronous batch mode processing of state change associated with the first message thread and the second message thread.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the transitory display period is a single digit number of seconds.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the transitory display period is less than ten seconds.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the hardware processing circuitry is comprised of a plurality of physically separate hardware processors.

5. A method implemented by a server with hardware processing circuitry and a memory storing instructions executed by the hardware processing circuitry, to maintain a first displayed version of a message thread presented on a first display screen of a first client device and a second displayed version of the message thread presented on a second display screen of a second client device by:

directing, by the server, the second client device to display, within the second displayed version of the message thread, a text entry of the message thread for a duration of a transitory display period, wherein the text entry is received as input at the first client device within the first displayed version of the message thread without a first indication to preserve the text entry in the first displayed version of the message thread;

automatically deleting at the server the text entry in the first displayed version of the message thread upon receiving an indication that the text entry in the second displayed version of the message thread was read, the automatic deleting based at least in part on the text entry being received as input without the first indication to preserve the text entry in the first displayed version of the message thread;

receiving a second indication of a second gesture applied to the second display screen indicating the text entry displayed within the second displayed version of the message thread is to be preserved during the transitory display period, and in response, maintaining the text entry of the message thread by the server for the second displayed version of the message thread; and

restoring the deleted text entry of the first displayed version of the message thread in response to the server receiving the second indication during the transitory display period, the restoring including displaying feedback within the first displayed version of the message thread that the text entry of the second displayed version of the message thread is preserved.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the transitory display period is a single digit number of seconds.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein the transitory display period is less than ten seconds.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the hardware processing circuitry is configured to preserve the text entry in the first displayed version of the message thread instead of automatically deleting the text entry upon receiving the indication that the text entry was read in response to the text entry being received as input with the first indication to preserve the text entry in the first displayed version of the message thread, and the hardware processing circuitry is further configured to display the feedback but refrain from restoring a previously preserved text entry in the first displayed version of the message thread in response to receiving the second indication.

9. The method of claim 5, further comprising asynchronous batch mode processing of state change associated with the first message thread and the second message thread.

10. The method of claim 5, wherein the hardware processing circuitry is comprised of a plurality of physically separate hardware processors.

11. A system comprising:

hardware processing circuitry;

one or more hardware memories storing instructions that when executed, configure the hardware processing circuitry to perform operations to maintain a first displayed version of a message thread presented on a first display screen of a first client device and a second displayed version of the message thread presented on a second display screen of a second client device, the operations comprising;

directing the second client device to display, within the second displayed version of the message thread, a text entry of the message thread for a duration of a transitory display period, wherein the text entry is received as input at the first client device within the first displayed version of the message thread without a first indication to preserve the text entry in the first displayed version of the message thread;

automatically deleting the text entry in the first displayed version of the message thread upon receiving an indication that the text entry in the second displayed version of the message thread was read, the automatic deleting based at least in part on the text entry being received as input without the first indication to preserve the text entry in the first displayed version of the message thread;

receiving a second indication of a second gesture applied to the second display screen indicating the text entry displayed within the second displayed version of the message thread is to be preserved during the transitory display period, and in response, maintaining the text entry of the message thread by the server for the second displayed version of the message thread; and

restoring the deleted text entry of the first displayed version of the message thread in response to the server receiving the second indication during the transitory display period, the restoring including displaying feedback within the first displayed version of the message thread that the text entry of the second displayed version of the message thread is preserved.

12. The system of claim 11, the operations further comprising:

preserving the text entry in the first displayed version of the message thread instead of automatically deleting the text entry upon receiving the indication that the text entry was read in response to the text entry being received as input with the first indication to preserve the text entry in the first displayed version of the message thread, and

displaying the feedback but refrain from restoring a previously preserved text entry in the first displayed version of the message thread in response to receiving the second indication.

13. The system of claim 11, the operations further comprising asynchronous batch mode processing of state change associated with the first message thread and the second message thread.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the transitory display period is less than ten seconds.