Visualization method for messages stored in an inbox

• US 9,537,674 B2
• Filed: 12/24/2007
• Issued: 01/03/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/24/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: BCE Incorporated
• Original Assignee: BCE Incorporated
• Inventors: Freeman, Karen, Macphie, David Robert, Sheppard, Nasahn Adam, Short, Jason Edward, Wallack, Timothy Foster
• Primary Examiner(s): Augustine, Nicholas
• Application Number:
  US12/810,389
• Publication Number:
  US 20100273457A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,298 Days
• Field of Search: 715/810, 715/811, 715/853
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/224 providing notification on incoming messages, e.g. pushed notifications of received messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5335 Message type or catagory, e.g. priority, indication
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/537 Arrangements for indicating the presence of a recorded message , whereby the presence information might include a preview or summary of the message
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/157 defining a virtual conference space and using avatars or agents computer conference optimisation or adaptation H04L12/1827

Abstract

A method for notifying a user of a computer having a display about incoming messages stored in an inbox. The method includes the steps of receiving attribute information describing attributes of a plurality of messages in the inbox and generating message visualization structures associated with the respective messages and determining at least one non-textual visual feature of each message visualization structure on the basis of an attribute of a respective message. The method also includes rendering on the display the visualization structures within a graphical environment in which the message visualization structures convey information about the messages and their respective attributes in a non-textual list manner.

Claims

1. A method for notifying a user of a computer having a display about incoming messages stored in an inbox, the method comprising:

a) receiving size information and originator information about a plurality of messages in the inbox;

b) for each of the plurality of messages, generating a message visualization structure associated with the respective message, and determining a first non-textual visual feature of the message visualization structure on the basis of the size information of the message and a second non-textual visual feature of the message visualization structure on the basis of the originator information of the respective message;

c) rendering on the display the visualization structures within a graphical environment in which the message visualization structures convey information about the messages, their respective size information, and their respective originator information in a non-textual-list manner, wherein at least one of the first non-textual visual feature and the second non-textual visual feature includes an animation of the message visualization structure associated with the corresponding message.

2. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the visualization structures move in the graphical environment.

3. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein at least one of the first non-textual visual feature and the second non-textual visual feature includes the color of one of the visualization structures.

4. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein at least one of the first non-textual visual feature and the second non-textual visual feature includes a geometric feature of one of the visualization structures.

5. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein one of the visualization structures includes a pictogram.

6. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein one of the visualization structures includes a text field for displaying text based information.

7. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the graphical environment defines a virtual reality.

8. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the messages in the inbox are incoming voice mail messages.

9. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the messages in the inbox are incoming e-mail messages.

10. A method as defined in claim 1, including communicating with a message service that includes the inbox to gather the size information.

11. A method as defined in claim 10, including sending a request to the message service to prompt the message service to generate the size information.

12. A method as defined in claim 11, including sending the request to the message service periodically.

13. A method as defined in claim 11, wherein the request includes log-in credentials to allow the message service to authenticate the request.

14. A method as defined in claim 10, including receiving the size information pushed from the message service.

42. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the messages in the inbox are incoming SMS messages.

44. The method as defined in claim 8, wherein the size information of a particular message comprises an indication of a duration of the particular message.

45. The method as defined in claim 8, wherein the size information of a particular message comprises an indication of an amount of space occupied by the particular message when stored in the inbox.

15. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium containing a program for execution by a computer having a display, the program implementing a message notification system to notify a user about incoming messages stored in an inbox, the notification system comprising:

a) an input interface to receive size information and originator information about a plurality of messages in the inbox;

b) a processing entity coupled to the input interface for generating message visualization structure associated with each of the plurality of messages, for each message;

the processing entity determining a first non-textual visual feature of the message visualization structure on the basis of the size information of the respective message and determining a second non-textual visual feature of the message visualization structure on the basis of the originator information of the respective message;

c) an output interface for releasing output data to cause the display of the computer to render the visualization structures, the output data defining a graphical environment in which the message visualization structures are rendered on the display simultaneously and convey information about the messages, their respective sizes, and their respective originator information in a non-textual-list manner, wherein at least one of the first non-textual visual feature and the second non-textual visual feature includes an animation of the message visualization structure associated with the corresponding message.

16. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium as defined in claim 15, wherein the output data defines a graphical is environment in which the visualization structures move.

17. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium as defined in claim 16, wherein the visualization structures move randomly.

18. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium as defined in claim 16, wherein the visualization structures move and simulate a physical effect.

19. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium as defined in claim 15, wherein at least one of the first non-textual visual feature and the second non-textual visual feature includes the color of at least one of the visualization structures.

20. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium as defined in claim 15, wherein at least one of the first non-textual visual feature and the second non-textual visual feature includes a geometric feature of at least one of the visualization structures.

21. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium as defined in claim 15, wherein at least one of the visualization structures includes a pictogram.

22. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium as defined in claim 15, wherein at least one of the visualization structures appear to the eye as two-dimensional structure.

23. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium as defined in claim 15, wherein at least one of the visualization structures appear as three-dimensional structure.

24. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium as defined in claim 15, wherein a plurality of visualization structures associated to different messages appear as being stacked.

25. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium as defined in claim 15, wherein at least one of the visualization structures includes a text field for displaying text based information.

26. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium as defined in claim 15, wherein the messages in the inbox are incoming voice mail messages.

27. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium as defined in claim 15, wherein the messages in the inbox are incoming e-mail messages.

28. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium as defined in claim 15, wherein the graphical environment defines a virtual reality.

29. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium as defined in claim 15, wherein the input interface includes a filter to perform filtering on the size information.

30. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium as defined in claim 29, including a configuration module allowing a user to set a filtering behavior of the filter.

31. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium as defined in claim 15, including an input interface for communicating with a message service that includes the inbox to gather the size information.

32. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium as defined in claim 31, wherein the input interface sends a request to the message service to prompt the message service to generate the size information.

33. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium as defined in claim 32, wherein the input interface sends the request to the message service periodically.

34. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium as defined in claim 32, wherein the request includes log in credentials to allow the message service to authenticate the request.

35. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium as defined in claim 31, wherein the input interface receives the size information pushed from the message service.

43. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium as defined in claim 15, wherein the messages in the inbox are incoming SMS messages.

46. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium as defined in claim 26, wherein the size information of a particular message comprises an indication of a duration of the particular message.

47. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium as defined in claim 26, wherein the size information of a particular message comprises an indication of an amount of space occupied by the particular message when stored in the inbox.

36. A computerized telephone, comprising:

a) a user interface having a display;

b) a message notification system to notify a user about incoming voice mail messages stored in an inbox, the notification system comprising;

i) an input interface to receive size information and originator information about a plurality of the incoming voice mail messages;

ii) a processing entity coupled to the input interface for generating a message visualization structure associated with each of the plurality of voice mail messages, for each message;

the processing entity determining a first non-textual visual feature of the message visualization structure on the basis of size information of the respective voice mail message and a second non-textual visual feature of the message visualization structure on the basis of originator information of the respective voice mail message;

iii) an output interface for rendering on the display a graphical environment containing the visualization structure which convey information about the voice mail messages, their respective size information, and their respective originator information in a non-textual-list manner, wherein at least one of the first non-textual visual feature and the second non-textual visual feature includes an animation of the message visualization structure associated with the corresponding message.

37. A computerized telephone as defined in claim 36, wherein said computerized telephone is a cordless telephone including a base station and at least one handset that is capable of wireless communication with the base station.

38. A computerized telephone as defined in claim 37, wherein the base station comprises the display.

39. A computerized telephone as defined in claim 37, wherein the handset comprises the display.

40. A computerized telephone as defined in claim 36, wherein the display is touch sensitive, wherein the graphical environment is responsive to user inputs made by touching an area of the display.

41. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium containing a screen saver program for execution by a computer having a display, the screen saver program implementing a message notification system to notify a user about incoming messages stored in an inbox, the screen saver program comprising:

a) an input interface to receive size information and originator information about messages in the inbox;

b) a processing entity coupled to the input interface for generating a message visualization structure associated with each of the plurality of messages;

c) an output interface for releasing output data to cause the display of the computer to render the visualization structures, the output data defining a graphical environment in which the message visualization structures are rendered on the display and convey information about the messages, their respective size information, and their respective originator information in a non-textual list manner, wherein at least one of the first non-textual visual feature and the second non-textual visual feature includes an animation of the message visualization structure associated with the corresponding message.