Portable electronic device for instant messaging multiple recipients

• US 8,407,603 B2
• Filed: 09/30/2008
• Issued: 03/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/06/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Christie, Greg, Van Os, Marcel, Lemay, Stephen O., Doll, Evan Russell, Santamaria, Justin
• Primary Examiner(s): Abdul-Ali, Omar
• Assistant Examiner(s): KEATON, SHERROD L
• Application Number:
  US12/242,846
• Publication Number:
  US 20090177981A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,638 Days
• Field of Search: 715/751, 715/758
• US Class Current: 715/751
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1822 Conducting the conference, e.g. admission, detection, selection or grouping of participants, correlating users to one or more conference sessions, prioritising transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1831 Tracking arrangements for later retrieval, e.g. recording contents, participants activities or behavior, network status
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72436 for text messaging, e.g. short messaging services [SMS] or e-mails

Abstract

A portable electronic device with a touch screen display displays a list of instant messaging conversations including a group conversation. The group conversation includes a first multi-recipient identifier and a group conversation indicia. In response to detecting a user selection of the group conversation, the device displays a set of outgoing messages from a user of the device to multiple recipients in a chronological order and a second multi-recipient identifier. The device receives a new outgoing message for the group conversation entered by the user of the device through the touch screen display, and responds to detecting a user request to send the new outgoing message to the multiple recipients by sending the new outgoing message to the multiple recipients in the group conversation. The new outgoing message is appended to the set of outgoing messages displayed on the touch screen display.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

at a portable electronic device with a touch screen display;

displaying a list of instant messaging conversations including a group conversation, wherein;

the group conversation includes a first multi-recipient identifier and a group conversation indicia,

the group conversation indicia corresponds to a set of outgoing messages from a user of the device to multiple recipients, and

the first multi-recipient identifier and the group conversation indicia are distinct from one another;

in response to detecting a user selection of the group conversation, displaying the set of outgoing messages from the user of the device to multiple recipients in a chronological order and displaying a detail icon adjacent to a second multi-recipient identifier;

in response to detecting a user selection of the detail icon, replacing the second multi-recipient identifier with a set of contact icons, each contact icon representing one of the multiple recipients;

in response to detecting a user selection of one of the set of contact icons, displaying contact information of a corresponding recipient;

receiving a new outgoing message for the group conversation entered by the user of the device through the touch screen display; and

in response to detecting a user request to send the new outgoing message to the multiple recipients;

sending the new outgoing message to the multiple recipients in the group conversation; and

appending the new outgoing message to the set of outgoing messages displayed on the touch screen display.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first multi-recipient identifier identifies a subset, not all, of the multiple recipients and the second multi-recipient identifier identifies all of the multiple recipients.

3. The method of claim 1, further including:

displaying an error message indicating a communication error in connection with sending the new outgoing message to at least one of the multiple recipients;

displaying a resend-message icon on the touch screen display; and

resending the new outgoing message to the at least one of the multiple recipients in response to a user selection of the resend-message icon.

4. The method of claim 1, further including:

after appending the new outgoing message to the set of outgoing messages, displaying the list of conversations in response to detecting a user request to return to the list of conversations; and

updating the display of the group conversation in the list of conversations by replacing a previously-displayed outgoing message associated with the group conversation with the new outgoing message.

5. The method of claim 1, further including:

receiving a reply message from a recipient in the multiple recipients in response to the new outgoing message, wherein there is an existing conversation between the user of the device and the recipient in the list of conversations;

updating the existing conversation between the user of the device and the recipient by appending the reply message to previous messages in the existing conversation between the user of the device and the recipient; and

in response to detecting a user selection of the existing conversation between the user of the device and the recipient, displaying the reply message and the previous messages in the existing conversation between the user of the device and the recipient.

6. The method of claim 1, further including:

in response to detecting a user selection of the detail icon, replacing the detail icon with a hide detail icon; and

in response to detecting a user selection of the hide detail icon, replacing the set of contact icons with the second multi-recipient identifier.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein one of the set of contact icons is a telephone number.

8. A portable electronic device, comprising:

a touch screen display;

one or more processors;

memory; and

one or more programs, wherein the one or more programs are stored in the memory and configured to be executed by the one or more processors, the programs including instructions for;

displaying a list of instant messaging conversations including a group conversation, wherein;

the group conversation includes a first multi-recipient identifier and a group conversation indicia,

the group conversation indicia corresponds to a set of outgoing messages from a user of the device to multiple recipients, and

the first multi-recipient identifier and the group conversation indicia are distinct from one another;

in response to detecting a user selection of the group conversation, displaying the set of outgoing messages from the user of the device to multiple recipients in a chronological order and displaying a detail icon adjacent to a second multi-recipient identifier;

in response to detecting a user selection of the detail icon, replacing the second multi-recipient identifier with a set of contact icons, each contact icon representing one of the multiple recipients;

in response to detecting a user selection of one of the set of contact icons, displaying contact information of a corresponding recipient;

receiving a new outgoing message for the group conversation entered by the user of the device through the touch screen display; and

in response to detecting a user request to send the new outgoing message to the multiple recipients;

sending the new outgoing message to the multiple recipients in the group conversation; and

appending the new outgoing message to the set of outgoing messages displayed on the touch screen display.

12. The device of claim 8, wherein the first multi-recipient identifier identifies a subset, not all, of the multiple recipients and the second multi-recipient identifier identifies all of the multiple recipients.

13. The device of claim 8, including instructions for:

displaying an error message indicating a communication error in connection with sending the new outgoing message to at least one of the multiple recipients;

displaying a resend-message icon on the touch screen display; and

resending the new outgoing message to the at least one of the multiple recipients in response to a user selection of the resend-message icon.

14. The device of claim 8, including instructions for:

after appending the new outgoing message to the set of outgoing messages,

displaying the list of conversations in response to detecting a user request to return to the list of conversations; and

updating the display of the group conversation in the list of conversations by replacing a previously-displayed outgoing message associated with the group conversation with the new outgoing message.

15. The device of claim 8, including instructions for:

receiving a reply message from a recipient in the multiple recipients in response to the new outgoing message, wherein there is an existing conversation between the user of the device and the recipient in the list of conversations;

updating the existing conversation between the user of the device and the recipient by appending the reply message to previous messages in the existing conversation between the user of the device and the recipient; and

in response to detecting a user selection of the existing conversation between the user of the device and the recipient, displaying the reply message and the previous messages in the existing conversation between the user of the device and the recipient.

16. The device of claim 8, including instructions for:

in response to detecting a user selection of the detail icon, replacing the detail icon with a hide detail icon; and

in response to detecting a user selection of the hide detail icon, replacing the set of contact icons with the second multi-recipient identifier.

9. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having stored therein instructions, which when executed by a portable electronic device with a touch screen display, cause the device to:

display a list of instant messaging conversations including a group conversation, wherein;

the group conversation includes a first multi-recipient identifier and a group conversation indicia,

the group conversation indicia corresponds to a set of outgoing messages from a user of the device to multiple recipients, and

the first multi-recipient identifier and the group conversation indicia are distinct from one another;

in response to detecting a user selection of the group conversation, display the set of outgoing messages from user of the device to multiple recipients in a chronological order and display a detail icon adjacent to a second multi-recipient identifier;

in response to detecting a user selection of the detail icon, replace the second multi-recipient identifier with a set of contact icons, each contact icon representing one of the multiple recipients;

in response to detecting a user selection of one of the set of contact icons, display contact information of a corresponding recipient;

receive a new outgoing message for the group conversation entered by the user of the device through the touch screen display; and

in response to detecting a user request to send the new outgoing message to the multiple recipients;

send the new outgoing message to the multiple recipients in the group conversation; and

append the new outgoing message to the set of outgoing messages displayed on the touch screen display.

17. The computer readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the first multi-recipient identifier identifies a subset, not all, of the multiple recipients and the second multi-recipient identifier identifies all of the multiple recipients.

18. The computer readable storage medium of claim 9, including instructions which cause the device to:

display an error message indicating a communication error in connection with sending the new outgoing message to at least one of the multiple recipients;

display a resend-message icon on the touch screen display; and

resend the new outgoing message to the at least one of the multiple recipients in response to a user selection of the resend-message icon.

19. The computer readable storage medium of claim 9, including instructions which cause the device to:

after appending the new outgoing message to the set of outgoing messages,

display the list of conversations in response to detecting a user request to return to the list of conversations; and

update the display of the group conversation in the list of conversations by replacing a previously-displayed outgoing message associated with the group conversation with the new outgoing message.

20. The computer readable storage medium of claim 9, including instructions which cause the device to:

receive a reply message from a recipient in the multiple recipients in response to the new outgoing message, wherein there is an existing conversation between the user of the device and the recipient in the list of conversations;

update the existing conversation between the user of the device and the recipient by appending the reply message to previous messages in the existing conversation between the user of the device and the recipient; and

in response to detecting a user selection of the existing conversation between the user of the device and the recipient, display the reply message and the previous messages in the existing conversation between the user of the device and the recipient.

21. The computer readable storage medium of claim 9, including instructions which cause the device to:

in response to detecting a user selection of the detail icon, replace the detail icon with a hide detail icon; and

in response to detecting a user selection of the hide detail icon, replace the set of contact icons with the second multi-recipient identifier.

10. A graphical user interface on a portable electronic device with a touch screen display, comprising:

a list of instant messaging conversations between a user of the device and one or more respective other persons, the list of conversations including a group conversation that includes a first multi-recipient identifier and a group conversation indicia, the group conversation indicia corresponding to a set of outgoing messages from a user of the device to multiple recipients, and the first multi-recipient identifier and the group conversation indicia being distinct from one another, wherein;

in response to detecting a user selection of the group conversation, the set of outgoing messages from the user of the device to multiple recipients is displayed in a chronological order and a detail icon is displayed adjacent to a second multi-recipient identifier;

in response to detecting a user selection of the detail icon, the second multi-recipient identifier is replaced with a set of contact icons, where each icon represents one of the multiple recipients;

in response to detecting a user selection of one of the set of contact icons, contact information of a corresponding recipient is displayed;

a new outgoing message for the group conversation entered by the user of the device is received through the touch screen display; and

in response to detecting a user request to send the new outgoing message to the multiple recipients, the new outgoing message is sent to the multiple recipients in the group conversation and the new outgoing message is appended to the set of outgoing messages displayed on the touch screen display.

11. The graphical user interface of claim 10, wherein:

after the user request to send the new outgoing message is processed,

one or more user interface objects associated with a non-messaging application are displayed on the touch screen display;

an error message indicating a communication error in connection with sending the new outgoing message to at least one of the multiple recipients and a resend-message icon are displayed on the touch screen display; and

the new outgoing message is resent to the at least one of the multiple recipients in response to a user selection of the resend-message icon; and

the error message ceases to be displayed.