Enabling display of a recipient list for a group text message

• US 8,200,763 B2
• Filed: 11/22/2006
• Issued: 06/12/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/22/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Yahoo! Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Quoc, Michael, Wascovich, Dan, Fukuda, Matthew, Ott, E. Stanley IV, Ho, Edward, Trevor, Jonathan James
• Primary Examiner(s): Chan, Wing
• Assistant Examiner(s): KATSIKIS, KOSTAS J
• Application Number:
  US11/562,827
• Publication Number:
  US 20080120410A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,029 Days
• Field of Search: 709/225, 709/206
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]

Abstract

A device, system, and method are directed towards providing a recipient list for a message to be communicated within a group associated with an event. A recipient list for the message is defined based on identities of a plurality of members in the group. Ordering information for the recipient list is determined based on at least one characteristic of the event. Additional ordering information may also be determined based on other characteristics of other events. The recipient list is ordered based on the determined ordering information(s). The ordered recipient list is truncated if a length of the recipient list exceeds a first threshold. A selectable option to retrieve the (truncated) recipient list is provided with the message, if a length of the message plus a length if of the (truncated) recipient list exceeds a second threshold. Otherwise, the (truncated) recipient list is provided with the message.

Claims

1. A method operating on a processor of managing a communication over a network by performing actions, comprising:

receiving a message to be communicated within a plurality of members associated with an event, the event being a current physical gathering of members in the plurality of members;

after receiving the message, determining a recipient list for the received message based on identities of the plurality of members, wherein the determined recipient list has an initial order;

after determining the recipient list, determining ordering information for the recipient list based on at least one characteristic of the event;

re-ordering the recipient list based on the determined ordering information; and

providing with the message, access to the ordered recipient list;

determining additional ordering information for the recipient list based on other characteristics of other events, wherein the other events include at least one of the plurality of members, and wherein re-ordering the recipient list is further based on the additional ordering information; and

wherein determining the additional ordering information is based at least on one of;

an aggregate amount of messages sent by each of the plurality of members, for each of the other events, or

a number of matched characteristics between the at least one characteristic and the other characteristics.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

truncating the recipient list at a threshold number of recipients if a length of the recipient list exceeds the threshold, and wherein the information configured to provide the ordered recipient list is based on the truncated recipient list.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein providing with the message, access to the ordered recipient list further comprises:

providing with the message, a selectable option to retrieve the ordered recipient list, if a length of the message plus a length of the recipient list is equal to or greater than a threshold; and

providing with the message, the ordered recipient list, if a length of the message plus a length of the recipient list is less than the threshold.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein providing with the message comprises:

sending the message and the information to a mobile device associated with one of the plurality of members.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the event includes a physical social gathering of people.

6. A network device of managing a communication over a network, comprising:

a transceiver to send and receive data over the network; and

a processor that is operable to perform actions, comprising;

receiving a message to be communicated within a group associated with an event, the event being a current physical gathering of members of the group;

after receiving the message, determining a recipient list for the received message based on the group, wherein the determined recipient list has an initial order;

truncating the recipient list if a length of the recipient list exceeds a threshold; and

after determining the recipient list, determining ordering information for the truncated recipient list based on at least one characteristic of the event;

re-ordering the truncated recipient list based on the determined ordering information;

providing the message and information configured to provide the truncated recipient list, to a plurality of client devices, wherein each device of the plurality of client devices are associated with a different one of a plurality of members of the group;

re-ordering the truncated recipient list based on characteristics of other events, wherein every one of the other events includes at least one of the plurality of members, wherein the other events includes at least one of a past event occurring before the event, a present event occurring concurrently with the event, or a future event scheduled to occur after the event, and

wherein the information configured to provide the truncated recipient list is based on the ordered and truncated recipient list.

7. The network device of claim 6, wherein the information configured to provide the ordered recipient list includes a portion of a Short Message Service (SMS) message, a portion of an Instant Message (IM) message, or a Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) link to enable retrieving the recipient list.

8. A system for managing a communication over a network, comprising:

at least one processor;

an event manager operable on the at least one processor to perform actions comprising;

determining event characteristics for a plurality of events, wherein the plurality of events includes a current event;

providing at least one of the event characteristics to a recipient list manager;

a message server operable to perform actions comprising;

receiving a message to be communicated within a group associated with the current event, the event being a current physical gathering of members of the group;

receiving from the recipient list manager, access to the recipient list; and

providing with the message, the access to the recipient list,

the recipient list manager operable to perform actions comprising;

after receiving the message, determining the recipient list for the received message based on a plurality of members in the group, wherein the determined recipient list has an initial order;

after determining the recipient list, determining ordering information for the recipient list based on the at least one provided characteristic of the event;

re-ordering the recipient list based on the determined ordering information; and

sending to the message server, the access to the recipient list;

determining additional ordering information for the recipient list based on other characteristics of other events, wherein the other events include at least one of the plurality of members, and wherein re-ordering the recipient list is further based on the additional ordering information; and

wherein determining the additional ordering information is based at least on one of;

an aggregate amount of messages sent by each of the plurality of members, for each of the other events, or

a number of matched characteristics between the at least one characteristic and the other characteristics.

9. The system of claim 8, further comprising:

a mobile device associated with at least one of the plurality of members and operable to perform actions comprising;

receiving the message from the message server; and

retrieving the recipient list based on a selectable option.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the recipient list manager is further operable to perform actions, comprising:

truncating the recipient list, before sending to the message server, if a length of the recipient list exceeds a threshold.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the message includes an Instant Messaging (IM) message, an email message, or an Short Messaging Service (SMS) message.

12. A non-transitory processor readable medium having processor executable instructions for managing a communication, over a network, the processor executable instructions configured to enable a processor to perform actions, comprising:

receiving a message to be communicated within a group associated with an event, the event being a current physical gathering of members of the group;

after receiving the message, determining a recipient list for the received message based on identities of a plurality of members in the group, wherein the determined recipient list has an initial order;

after determining the recipient list, determining ordering information for the recipient list based on at least one characteristic of the event;

re-ordering the recipient list based on the determined ordering information; and

adding information configured to provide the recipient list to the message;

determining additional ordering information for the recipient list based on other characteristics of other events, wherein the other events include at least one of the plurality of members, and wherein re-ordering the recipient list is further based on the additional ordering information; and

wherein determining the additional ordering information is based at least on one of;

an aggregate amount of messages sent by each of the plurality of members, for each of the other events, or

a number of matched characteristics between the at least one characteristic and the other characteristics.

13. The non-transitory processor readable medium of claim 12, wherein the information configured to provide the recipient list comprises at least one of a selectable option to retrieve the recipient list if a length of the message plus the recipient list exceeds a threshold, or the recipient list.

14. The non-transitory processor readable medium of claim 12, wherein the actions further comprises:

providing the message with a truncated version of the recipient list if a length of the recipient list exceeds a threshold.

15. A mobile device for managing a communication over a network, comprising:

a transceiver to send and receive data over the network; and

a processor that is operable to perform actions, comprising;

sending a request to add a member to a group associated with an event, wherein the member is a user of the mobile device, the event being a current physical gathering of members of the group;

receiving a message to be communicated within the group, wherein the message includes information configured to provide a recipient list for the received message, and wherein the recipient list includes at least one other member of the group; and

retrieving the recipient list based on the information included in the received message, wherein the recipient list is re-ordered based on at least one characteristic of the event;

determining additional ordering information for the recipient list based on other characteristics of other events, wherein the other events include at least one of the plurality of members, and wherein re-ordering the recipient list is further based on the additional ordering information; and

wherein determining the additional ordering information is based at least on one of;

an aggregate amount of messages sent by each of the plurality of members, for each of the other events, or

a number of matched characteristics between the at least one characteristic and the other characteristics.

16. The mobile device of claim 15, wherein the message is an SMS message.