Text messaging conversation user interface functionality

• US 7,831,267 B2
• Filed: 12/16/2009
• Issued: 11/09/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Kuhl, Lawrence Edward, Klassen, Gerhard Dietrich, Wisebourt, Shaul S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Afshar; Kamran
• Application Number:
  US12/639,575
• Publication Number:
  US 20100087172A1
• Time in Patent Office: 328 Days
• Field of Search: 455/466, 455/550.1, 455/418, 455/566, 709203-207, 715/751, 715/753, 715/758, 715/759
• US Class Current: 455/466
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/216 Handling conversation history, e.g. grouping of messages in sessions or threads
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72436 for text messaging, e.g. short messaging services [SMS] or e-mails

Abstract

A computer readable medium, method and user device for a user interface functionality for SMS and SMS-like message conversations is provided. A group of individual SMS messages is treated as a single entity by the SMS conversation UI, the SMS conversation history UI saves space by including the SMS editor within the conversation history panel, and displays a pop-up display with useful information regarding the SMS message being edited.

Claims

1. A method for processing stored wireless text messages, the method comprising:

displaying a user interface element representing a thread, the thread comprising individual wireless text messages grouped together based on an address of a sender of the wireless text messages and an address of a recipient of the wireless text messages, the user interface element being displayed in place of displaying the thread as a whole;

receiving a selection of the user interface element; and

in response to receiving the selection, displaying the grouped wireless text messages of the thread.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the user interface element is displayed as an entry in a message list.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

starting a new thread upon receipt of a wireless text message from an address for which no thread has been started or upon transmission of a wireless text message to an address for which no thread has been started; and

adding each subsequent sent or received message to an appropriate thread for the message.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

in response to a user input, starting a new thread between two addresses in respect of which a thread had previously been started.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

saving individual wireless text messages in response to user input;

grouping saved individual wireless text messages that no longer belong to a thread; and

in response to a user input, displaying the saved individual wireless text messages to/from a selected address in a display list.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

responsive to user selection of a thread delete function and user selection of the thread, deleting the grouped wireless text messages of the thread.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

responsive to user selection of a thread save function and user selection of the thread, saving the grouped wireless text messages of the thread.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein displaying the grouped wireless text messages comprises displaying the grouped wireless text messages in a conversation history display listing each of the individual wireless text messages of the thread.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the conversation history display comprises an indication of a current radio signal strength and an indication of a number of unread wireless text messages.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein the conversation history display comprises a status for each wireless text message displayed.

11. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

in response to a user input, displaying a display element in association with a particular wireless text message in the conversation history display, the display element providing an indication of an elapsed time since a status of the particular wireless text message last changed.

12. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

displaying a message editor as part of the conversation history display.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising:

displaying a display element indicating a number of allowed characters remaining for a wireless text message being edited.

14. The method of claim 12 further comprising:

automatically splitting a message being composed into multiple messages if the message being composed is too long for a single message; and

while the message is being composed, displaying a number of single messages that will be sent.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein the grouped wireless text messages of the thread comprise SMS text messages.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein the grouped wireless text messages of the thread comprise wireless text messages of multiple different text messaging services.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein the UI element representing the thread is a particular wireless text message of the grouped wireless text messages of the thread.

18. A wireless user device, comprising:

a display screen that displays wireless text messages; and

a processor, coupled to the display screen, that displays a user interface element representing a thread, the thread comprising individual wireless text messages grouped together based on an address of a sender of the wireless text messages and an address of a recipient of the wireless text messages, the user interface element being displayed in place of displaying the thread as a whole;

the processor further operable to receive a selection of the user interface element, and in response to receiving the selection, display the grouped wireless text messages of the thread.

19. A computer readable medium for storing software instructions for execution by a processor, comprising:

software instructions stored in the computer readable medium and executable by the processor to display a user interface element representing a thread, the thread comprising individual wireless text messages grouped together based on an address of a sender of the wireless text messages and an address of a recipient of the wireless text messages, the user interface element being displayed in place of displaying the thread as a whole;

the software instructions being further executable to receive a selection of the user interface element, and in response to receiving the selection, display the grouped wireless text messages of the thread.