Instant Messaging

• US 20160036735A1
• Filed: 10/31/2014
• Published: 02/04/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Atamel, Mete, Engstrand, Jakob O., Pycock, James E., Holzer, Jimmy Enrico Jacques
• Granted Patent: US 10,182,023 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 51/10 Multimedia information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/222 using geographical location information, e.g. messages transmitted or received in proximity of a certain spot or area
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal

Abstract

A method implemented by a client application when executed on a user device during an instant messaging communication between said user device and at least one further device, the method comprising: transmitting a first message comprising media data over a communication network from said user device to said at least one further device; receiving a second message comprising further media data transmitted over said communication network from said at least one further device; determining that the media data and the further media data are of the same data type; and generating a composite media object based on the media data and the further media data in response to said determination and displaying the composite media object on a display of said user device.

Claims

1. A method implemented by a client application when executed on a user device during an instant messaging communication between said user device and at least one further device, the method comprising:

transmitting a first message comprising media data over a communication network from said user device to said at least one further device;

receiving a second message comprising further media data transmitted over said communication network from said at least one further device;

determining that the media data and the further media data are of the same data type; and

generating a composite media object based on the media data and the further media data in response to said determination and displaying the composite media object on a display of said user device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the media data comprises location information associated with said user device and the further media data comprises further location information associated with said at least one further user device.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the location information comprises latitude and longitude information associated with said user device, and the further location information comprises latitude and longitude information associated with said at least one further user device.

4. The method of claim 1, the method comprising detecting selection in a user interface provided by said client application to transmit location information to a user of said at least one further user device, and obtaining the location information associated with said user device in response to said detection.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein obtaining the location information associated with said user device comprises transmitting a request for said location information to a location determination module of said user device, the location determination module configured to obtain a geographic location of said user device.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein in response to transmitting said media data to said at least one further device, the method further comprising:

obtaining map data based on said location information; and

displaying a map in a user interface provided by said client application using the map data obtained based on said location information together with a visual indicator of a location of said user device.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the map is displayed in said user interface in an area in which messages exchanged during said instant messaging communication are displayed.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the obtaining map data based on said location information comprises transmitting said location information to a map server coupled to said communications network and receiving the map data from the map server

9. The method of claim 6, wherein generating the composite media object comprises obtaining map data based on said location information and said further location information, and displaying the composite media object comprises displaying said map using the map data obtained based on said location information and said further location information.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the obtaining map data based on said location information and said further location information comprises transmitting said location information and said further location to the map server and receiving the map data from the map server.

11. The method of claim 9, the method further comprising displaying a visual indicator of the location of said user device and a further visual indicator of a location of said at least one further device on said map.

12. The method of claim 6, wherein the map data comprises a plurality of map tile images.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the media data is a media file, the further media data is a further media file, and the composite media object is a composite media file based on said media file and the further media file.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the media file is an audio file, the further media file is a further audio file, and the composite media file is a composite audio file.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the media file is an image file, the further media file is a further image file, and the composite media file is a composite image file.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the media file is a video file, the further media file is a further video file, and the composite media file is a composite video file.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting the receipt of the second message with a predetermined time period following transmission of the first message, and

generating the composite media object based on the media data and the further media data in response to said detection.

18. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a number of messages not comprising data of said same data type during the instant messaging communication between transmitting the first message and receiving the second message;

detecting that said number is less than a predetermined number, and

generating the composite media object based on the media data and the further media data in response to said detection.

19. A user device comprising:

a display;

a network interface configured to transmit and receive messages between the user device and at least one further user device over a communication network during an instant messaging communication;

one or more processors configured to run a client application, wherein the client application is configured to;

transmit a first message comprising media data over a communication network from said user device to said at least one further device;

receive a second message comprising further media data transmitted over said communication network from said at least one further device;

determine that the media data and the further media data are of the same data type;

generate a composite media object based on the media data and the further media data in response to said determination; and

display the composite media object on said display of the user device.

20. A computer program product, the computer program product being embodied on a computer-readable medium and configured so as when executed on a processor of a user device to:

transmit a first message comprising media data over a communication network from said user device to said at least one further device;

receive a second message comprising further media data transmitted over said communication network from said at least one further device;

determine that the media data and the further media data are of the same data type;

generate a composite media object based on the media data and the further media data in response to said determination; and

display the composite media object on a display of the user device.