Rescinding Messages in a Messaging System With Multiple Messaging Channels

• US 20130041956A1
• Filed: 08/08/2011
• Published: 02/14/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/08/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Inventors: Davenport, Benjamin Peter, Deng, Peter Xiu, Perlow, Jonathan David, Zhang, Lucy Congyun, Gertzfield, Ben
• Granted Patent: US 8,706,824 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/214 using selective forwarding
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/56 Unified messaging, e.g. interactions between e-mail, instant messaging or converged IP messaging [CPM]

Abstract

A messaging system facilitates communication between users through various messaging channels. The messaging system supports multiple communication channels and includes a messaging module that automatically selects one or more of the messaging channels for delivering a message to a recipient of the message using, for example, a set of policy rules or a trained model. The messaging module may also provide, in a user interface for sending and receiving messages, a visual indication of the selected messaging channel to the sender of the message to provide the user with transparency about how the message will be delivered. Additionally, the message may be delivered via multiple messaging channels, where the messaging module may rescind messages from some of the messaging channels upon receiving a reply from the recipient of the message or other confirmation that the recipient has seen the message via one of the communication channels.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving a message addressed to a user of a messaging system;

delivering a plurality of copies of the message to the user via a plurality of messaging channels, each copy delivered via a different messaging channel of the plurality of messaging channels;

receiving a reply to the message from the user via one of the plurality of messaging channels; and

responsive to receiving the reply, rescinding copies of the message delivered to one or more other messaging channels of the plurality of messaging channels.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein rescinding comprises deleting copies of the message delivered to the one or more other messaging channels.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein rescinding comprises marking copies of the message delivered to the one or more other messaging channels as having been read.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the messaging channels comprise at least one of web-chat, email, and mobile chat channels.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of messaging channels comprise rescindable channels and non-rescindable channels, and rescinding copies of the message comprises rescinding copies of the message delivered to one or more of the rescindable channels.

6. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving a message addressed to a user of a messaging system;

delivering copies of the message to the user via a plurality of messaging channels, each copy delivered via a different messaging channel of the plurality of messaging channels;

receiving an indication of the user reading one of the copies delivered to one of the messaging channels; and

responsive to receiving the indication, rescinding copies of the message delivered to one or more other messaging channels of the plurality of messaging channels.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein rescinding comprises deleting copies of the message delivered to the one or more other messaging channels.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein rescinding comprises marking copies of the message delivered to the one or more other messaging channels as having been read.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the plurality of messaging channels comprise at least one of web-chat, email, and mobile chat channels.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein the plurality of messaging channels comprise rescindable channels and non-rescindable channels, and rescinding copies of the message comprises rescinding copies of the message delivered to one or more of the rescindable channels.