Enhanced message handling

• US 8,769,418 B2
• Filed: 04/27/2011
• Issued: 07/01/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Borange, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Borange, Inc.
• Inventors: Lee, Mason, Brichter, Loren
• Primary Examiner(s): Lo, Weilun
• Assistant Examiner(s): WENG, PEI YONG
• Application Number:
  US13/095,851
• Publication Number:
  US 20120278732A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,161 Days
• Field of Search: 715/752, 715/751, 715/759, 715/753
• US Class Current: 715/752
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/043 using or handling presence information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/214 using selective forwarding
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/48 Message addressing, e.g. address format or anonymous messages, aliases
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/52 for supporting social networking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/141 Setup of application sessions admission control or resource allocation in data switching networks H04L47/70
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72436 for text messaging, e.g. short messaging services [SMS] or e-mails

Abstract

Methods, computer readable media, and apparatuses for enhanced message handling are presented. A first message may be sent to a first identity. Thereafter, a second message may be sent to a second identity. Alternatively, a first message may be received from a first identity, and a second message may be received from a second identity. In either case, in response to determining, based on local address book data, that the first identity and the second identity are both associated with a first person, the first message and the second message may be displayed in a single conversation window. Subsequently sent and/or received messages may be similarly aggregated into the conversation window based on such messages being to and/or from one or more identities of the same person. Additionally, these subsequently aggregated messages may be sent and/or received via different communication services, such as email, SMS, and/or social networking services.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

registering, by a computing device, an identity for use with a first communication service, the identity being used when communicating via a second communication service different from the first communication service;

sending, by the computing device, a first message to a first identity;

sending, by the computing device, a second message to a second identity; and

in response to determining, based on local address book data, that the first identity and the second identity are both associated with a first person, displaying, by the computing device, the first message and the second message in a single conversation window,

wherein the first communication service is a messaging service provided at least in part by a software application executed by the computing device, the messaging service facilitating transmission of messages in accordance with one or more protocols,

wherein the identity registered for use with the first communication service includes a handle and a denotation of the second communication service on which the handle is used to communicate,

wherein the identity registered for use with the first communication service is at least one of a telephone number associated with a Short Message Service (SMS) communication service different from the messaging service, an email address associated with an email communication service different from the messaging service, and a username associated with a social networking service different from the messaging service, and

wherein the messaging service is further provided at least in part by at least one message server that is configured to store registration information and process messages associated with the first communication service, the at least one message server being further configured to cause, when processing at least one message to be sent to a recipient identity that is not registered with the first communication service, a connection to be established to a communication service associated with the recipient identity.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the computing device, a third message; and

in response to determining, based on the local address book data, that the third message is from the first person, displaying the third message in the single conversation window.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first identity is a telephone number.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first identity is an email address.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first identity is a username associated with a social networking service.

6. The method of claim 1,

wherein the first message is sent via the first communication service when the first identity is registered with the first communication service, and

wherein the second message is sent via the second communication service when the second identity is not registered with the first communication service.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the computing device, user input specifying two or more identities associated with a user to be used in sending new messages, the two or more identities being registered for use with the first communication service; and

in response to receiving a command to send a new message, sending, by the computing device, via the first communication service, the new message as originating from the user associated with the two or more specified identities.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein a second person receiving the new message is able to update local address book data based on information registered with the first communication service about the two or more identities.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in response to determining, based on the local address book data, that the first identity and the second identity are not both associated with a first person,

displaying, by the computing device, the first message in a first conversation window; and

displaying, by the computing device, the second message in a second conversation window different from the first conversation window.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in response to determining, based on the local address book data, that the first identity and the second identity are not both associated with a first person, and in response to determining that the first message and the second message include the same content, displaying the first message and the second message in a group conversation window.

11. A method, comprising:

registering, by a computing device, an identity for use with a first communication service, the identity being used when communicating via a second communication service different from the first communication service;

receiving, by the computing device, via the first communication service, a first message from a first identity;

receiving, by the computing device, a second message from a second identity; and

in response to determining, based on local address book data, that the first identity and the second identity are both associated with a first person, displaying, by the computing device, the first message and the second message in a single conversation window,

wherein the first communication service is a messaging service provided at least in part by a software application executed by the computing device, the messaging service facilitating transmission of messages in accordance with one or more protocols,

wherein the identity registered for use with the first communication service includes a handle and a denotation of the second communication service on which the handle is used to communicate,

wherein the identity registered for use with the first communication service is at least one of a telephone number associated with a Short Message Service (SMS) communication service different from the messaging service, an email address associated with an email communication service different from the messaging service, and a username associated with a social networking service different from the messaging service, and

wherein the messaging service is further provided at least in part by at least one message server that is configured to store registration information and process messages associated with the first communication service, the at least one message server being further configured to cause, when processing at least one message to be sent to a recipient identity that is not registered with the first communication service, a connection to be established to a communication service associated with the recipient identity.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

prior to receiving the first message, sending, by the computing device, a third message to the first person via the first communication service,

wherein at least one of the first message and the second message are sent by the first person as a reply to the third message, and

wherein the first person is not registered with the first communication service.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the first identity is a telephone number that has been registered with the first communication service.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the first identity is an email address that has been registered with the first communication service.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the first identity is a username associated with a social networking service that has been registered with the first communication service.

16. The method of claim 11,

wherein the second message is received via the second communication service.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

updating, by the computing device, the local address book based on information about the first person included in the first message.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the information about the first person was previously registered with the first communication service.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the information about the first person was attached to the first message by at least one computing device that processes messages associated with the first communication service.

20. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

receiving, by the computing device, a third message, the third message having been sent as from two or more identities associated with the first person.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein at least one of the two or more identities is a third identity different from the first identity and the second identity.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

in response to receiving the third message, determining, by the computing device, that a second conversation is also associated with the first person, the second conversation being previously displayed in a second conversation window different from the single conversation window; and

updating, by the computing device, the single conversation window to include one or more messages from the second conversation.

23. At least one non-transitory computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon that, when executed, cause at least one computing device to:

register an identity for use with a first communication service, the identity being used when communicating via a second communication service different from the first communication service;

receive a first request to send a first message to a first identity;

in response to determining that the first identity is registered with the first communication service, determine to send the first message via the first communication service;

send the first message to the first identity;

receive a second request to send a second message to a second identity;

in response to determining that the second identity is not registered with the first communication service, determine to send the second message via the second communication service;

send the second message to the second identity; and

in response to determining, based on local address book data, that the first identity and the second identity are both associated with a first person, display the first message and the second message in a single conversation window,

wherein the first communication service is a messaging service provided at least in part by a software application executed by the at least one computing device, the messaging service facilitating transmission of messages in accordance with one or more protocols,

wherein the identity registered for use with the first communication service includes a handle and a denotation of the second communication service on which the handle is used to communicate,

wherein the identity registered for use with the first communication service is at least one of a telephone number associated with a Short Message Service (SMS) communication service different from the messaging service, an email address associated with an email communication service different from the messaging service, and a username associated with a social networking service different from the messaging service, and

wherein the messaging service is further provided at least in part by at least one message server that is configured to store registration information and process messages associated with the first communication service, the at least one message server being further configured to cause, when processing at least one message to be sent to a recipient identity that is not registered with the first communication service, a connection to be established to a communication service associated with the recipient identity.