DOODLE-IN-CHAT-CONTEXT

• US 20110276904A1
• Filed: 12/30/2010
• Published: 11/10/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/04/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qwest Communications International Incorporated (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Qwest Communications International Incorporated (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Gosling, Katrin B., Tane, Jesse, Heaton, Martin Nicholas John, Riering-Czekalla, Peter, van der Flier, Astrid, Gibson, Michael, Stafford, Coe Leta Rayne, Oberwelz, Elger, Adams, Matthew Robert, Switky, Andrew Paul, Venza, Valentina, Mehin, Afshin Frederick, Howard, Suzanne Gibbs, Zambetti, Nicholas, Cerami, Richard
• Granted Patent: US 9,003,306 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/758
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1827 Network arrangements for conference optimisation or adaptation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/56 Unified messaging, e.g. interactions between e-mail, instant messaging or converged IP messaging [CPM]

Abstract

Solutions for providing integrated media services, e.g., in the context of communications services offered through a user supersystem configured as an interactive graphical communications hub. For example, interactions with a messaging interface may provide access to media creation functionality, including doodle functionality, in the context of the messaging and/or in the context of other media. In one implementation, the communications interface allows a user to doodle in the context of an image file (e.g., a photo) while in the context of a chat application.

Claims

1. A communication system for providing created media in a chat context, the system comprising:

a display device;

an input device; and

a computing device in communication with the display device and the input device, the computing device comprising at least one processor and at least one computer readable storage medium in communication with the at least one processor, the at least one computer readable storage medium having encoded thereon a set of instructions that are executable by the processor to cause the computer system to perform one or more operations, the set of instructions comprising;

instructions for rendering a chat interface at the display device, the chat interface providing a user interface to allow a user of the computing device to interact, within a chat context, with a second user at a separate computing device;

instructions for receiving, with the input device, a request for a chat-context media interaction;

instructions for providing a media creation interface with the display device, in response to the request for a chat-context media interaction;

instructions for receiving, with the input device, user input for creating media within the chat context;

instructions for rendering the created media within the chat context; and

instructions for transmitting the created media, within the chat context, for reception by the second user.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the computing device is part of a supersystem for providing interactive communications services within a local network, the supersystem comprising:

a tablet system, comprising a first client subsystem of the local network and a first user interface module configured to provide interactivity with first communications services provided by the first client subsystem;

a handset system, comprising a second client subsystem of the local network and a second user interface module configured to provide interactivity with second communications services provided by the second client subsystem; and

a base station system, comprising;

a first interface subsystem configured to communicatively and removably couple the base station with the tablet system;

a second interface subsystem configured to communicatively and removably couple the base station with the handset system; and

a communications subsystem configured to communicatively couple the base station with the local area network such that at least a portion of the first and second communications services are provided via the base station.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the base station system comprises the computing device.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the tablet system comprises the computing device.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein the tablet system comprises the display device and the input device.

6. The system of claim 2, wherein the handset system comprises the display device and the input device.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the display device comprises a touchscreen that serves as the input device.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the computing device is a household communication hub comprising the display device and the input device.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the media comprises a doodle created through manipulation of the input device.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the instructions for providing a media creation interface comprise instructions for providing a set of virtual drawing tools.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the media comprises captured media.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the captured media is selected from the group consisting of a captured image, a captured audio clip, and a captured video clip.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the communication system further comprises a media capture device in communication with the computing device, and wherein the instructions for providing a media-creation interface comprise instructions to provide control of the media capture device.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the media capture device is selected from the group consisting of an image capture device and an audio capture device.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein rendering the created media within the chat context comprises displaying the created media as a background image within the chat interface.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the background image is a moving image comprising live video.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the chat interface comprises a graphical bubble comprising each message within the chat context, and wherein rendering the created media comprises rendering a graphical bubble comprising the created media.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein the chat context comprises a family chat context, wherein the second user is part of a group of users participating in the family chat, and wherein the instructions for transmitting the created media comprise instructions for transmitting the created media to each user within the group of users.

19. An apparatus, comprising:

a computer readable medium having encoded thereon a set of instructions executable by one or more computers to perform one or more operations for providing created media in a chat context, the set of instructions comprising;

instructions for rendering a chat interface at the display device, the chat interface providing a user interface to allow a user of the computing device to interact, within a chat context, with a second user at a separate computing device;

instructions for receiving, with the input device, a request for a chat-context media interaction;

instructions for providing a media creation interface with the display device, in response to the request for a chat-context media interaction;

instructions for receiving, with the input device, user input for creating media within the chat context;

instructions for rendering the created media within the chat context; and

instructions for transmitting the created media, within the chat context, for reception by the second user.

20. A method of providing created media in a chat context, the method comprising:

instructions for rendering a chat interface at the display device, the chat interface providing a user interface to allow a user of the computing device to interact, within a chat context, with a second user at a separate computing device;

instructions for receiving, with the input device, a request for a chat-context media interaction;

instructions for providing a media creation interface with the display device, in response to the request for a chat-context media interaction;

instructions for receiving, with the input device, user input for creating media within the chat context;

instructions for rendering the created media within the chat context; and

instructions for transmitting the created media, within the chat context, for reception by the second user.