Unified message box for wireless mobile communication devices

• US 7,212,808 B2
• Filed: 10/15/2003
• Issued: 05/01/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Varia Holdings LLC
• Original Assignee: Wildseed Ltd. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Nelson, Jonathan O., Graham, Tyrol R., Engstrom, G. Eric, Hull, Eric J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Gesesse; Tilahun
• Application Number:
  US10/687,511
• Publication Number:
  US 20040137955A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,294 Days
• Field of Search: 455/550.1, 455/556, 455/466, 455/414.1, 455/412.1, 455/567, 455/458, 455/412, 455/412.2, 455/566, 455/413, 379/88.21, 379/142.01
• US Class Current: 455/412.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/56 Unified messaging, e.g. interactions between e-mail, instant messaging or converged IP messaging [CPM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/7243 with interactive means for internal management of messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

A mobile communication device, such as a wireless mobile phone, is provided with a unified message function equipped to facilitate a user in interacting with communication messages of different message types supported by the mobile communication device via an unified message box.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a wireless mobile communication device, a first user request from an input key of the wireless mobile communication device;

in response, displaying by the wireless mobile communication device, on a display of the wireless mobile communication device, a list of communication messages of at least two message types, at least one of the two message types selected from a message type group consisting of an email message type, a text message type, a voice message type, and a call message type;

first facilitating, by the wireless mobile communication device, selection, from the displayed list of communication messages, one communication message of the displayed list; and

in response to a selection of the first facilitating, second facilitating by the wireless mobile communication device, reply to the selected communication message, with the second facilitating including

(1) automatically selecting a first communication protocol associated with the selected communication message to enable reply to the selected message using the first communication protocol, or

(2) rendering a menu of communication protocols to enable selection of a second communication protocol for replying to the selected communication message using the second communication protocol.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the displaying comprises displaying on the display a pictorial icon depicting a sender/caller of a communication message of the list of communication messages.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the displaying comprises displaying on the display a pictorial icon depicting an unknown sender/caller for a communication message of the list of communication messages.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising

receiving a second user request from the same or another input key of the wireless mobile communication device;

and

in response, expanding the display of a selected one of the displayed communication messages.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said displaying comprises displaying the list of communication messages with at least three message types, at least two of the message types selected from the message type group consisting of the email message type, the text message type, the voice message type, and the call message type.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said displaying comprises displaying the list of communication messages with at least four message types comprising the email message type, the text message type, the voice message type, and the call message type.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second communication protocols are different communication protocols.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying outgoing communication messages of the at least two message types in a list of outgoing communication messages.

9. A wireless mobile communication device comprising:

a transceiver to facilitate sending and receiving communication messages of a plurality of message types;

a display;

an input device; and

an unified message function to

first render on the display, in response to a first input inputted using the input device, a list of communication messages of at least two message types, at least one of the two message types selected from a message type group consisting of an email message type, a text message type, a voice message type, and a call message type,

first facilitate, by the wireless mobile communication device, selection, from the rendered list of communication messages, one communication message of the rendered list, and

in response to a selection of said first facilitate, second facilitate by the wireless mobile communication device, reply to the selected communication message, with the second facilitate including

(1) automatically select a first communication protocol associated with the selected communication message to enable reply to the selected message using the first communication protocol, or

(2) second render a menu of communication protocols to enable selection of a second communication protocol for replying to the selected communication message using the second communication protocol.

10. The wireless mobile communication device of claim 9, wherein the unified message function is designed to display, as part of said first rendering, a pictorial icon depicting a sender/caller of a communication message of the list of communication messages.

11. The wireless mobile communication device of claim 9, wherein the unified message function is designed to display, as part of said first rendering, a pictorial icon depicting an unknown sender/caller for a communication message of the list of communication messages.

12. The wireless mobile communication device of claim 9, wherein the unified message function is further designed to expand the display of a selected one of the displayed communication messages, in response to a second input inputted from the input device.

13. The wireless mobile communication device of claim 9, wherein the unified message function is designed to render the list of communication messages with at least three message types, at least two of the message types selected from the message type group consisting of the email message type, the text message type, the voice message type, and the call message type.

14. The wireless mobile communication device of claim 9, wherein the unified message function is designed to render the list of communication messages with at least four message types comprising the email message type, the text message type, the voice message type, and the call message type.

15. The wireless mobile communication device of claim 9, wherein the wireless mobile communication device comprises a wireless mobile phone.

16. The wireless mobile communication device of claim 9, wherein the first and second communication protocols are different communication protocols.

17. The wireless mobile communication device of claim 9, wherein the unified message function is further adapted to render outgoing communication messages of the at least two message types in a list of outgoing communication messages.