Conversation merging for electronic devices

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11533303-B2
Application number	US-202117222922-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 5, 2021
Priority date	May 29, 2018
Publication date	Dec 20, 2022
Grant date	Dec 20, 2022

Abstract

Aspects of subject technology provide systems and methods for generation and distribution of a stable identifier associated with multiple aliases of a user account. The stable identifier may be provided to various electronic devices by a server, responsive to requests associated with communications to those devices from one of the associated aliases. In this way, messaging applications can utilize the stable identifier to merge conversations from a single user having multiple aliases, and secure access to a secure device can be provided to an authorized user, even if the authorized user attempts access from an unauthorized account alias.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
storing, for a user account, an identifier of the user account and a first account alias of the user account;
generating a messaging alias for the user account, the messaging alias different from the identifier and the first account alias for the user account;
storing the messaging alias in association with the identifier of the user account; and
facilitating, based on the first account alias and the messaging alias, messaging between a user device associated with the user account and another user device.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein facilitating the messaging comprises:
receiving a query from the other user device corresponding to a message that was transmitted using the first account alias of the user account, the query indicating the first account alias and including a request for information associated with the message; and
providing the information and the messaging alias to the other user device responsive to the query.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the other user device is not associated with the user account.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein facilitating the messaging comprises:
receiving a first message from the user device for the other user device;
providing the first message to the other user device;
receiving a second message for the user device from the other user device; and
providing the second message to the user device.

5. The method of claim 4 , further comprising providing the messaging alias to the other user device.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the messaging alias is a merge identifier.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
storing the messaging alias in association with the identifier of the user account, the first account alias of the user account, and a public key.

8. A system, comprising:
a memory storing an identifier of a user account and a first account alias of the user account; and
one or more processors configured to:
generate a messaging alias for the user account, the messaging alias different from the identifier and the first account alias for the user account;
store the messaging alias in the memory in association with the identifier of the user account; and
facilitate, based on the first account alias and the messaging alias, messaging between a user device associated with the user account and another user device.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the one or more processors are configured to facilitate the messaging by:
receiving a query from the other user device corresponding to a message that was transmitted using the first account alias of the user account, the query indicating the first account alias and including a request for information associated with the message; and
providing the information and the messaging alias to the other user device responsive to the query.

10. The system of claim 8 wherein the other user device is not associated with the user account.

11. The system of claim 8 , wherein the one or more processors are configured to facilitate the messaging by:
receiving a first message from the user device for the other user device;
providing the first message to the other user device;
receiving a second message for the user device from the other user device; and
providing the second message to the user device.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to provide the messaging alias to the other user device.

13. The system of claim 12 , wherein the messaging alias is a merge identifier.

14. The system of claim 8 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to store the messaging alias in association with the identifier of the user account, the first account alias of the user account, and a public key.

15. A non-transitory machine-readable medium comprising instructions which, when executed by one or more processors cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:
storing, for a user account, an identifier of the user account and a first account alias of the user account;
generating a messaging alias for the user account, the messaging alias different from the identifier and the first account alias for the user account;
storing the messaging alias in association with the identifier of the user account; and
facilitating, based on the first account alias and the messaging alias, messaging between a user device associated with the user account and another user device.

16. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 15 , wherein facilitating the messaging comprises:
receiving a query from the other user device corresponding to a message that was transmitted using the first account alias of the user account, the query indicating the first account alias and including a request for information associated with the message; and
providing the information and the messaging alias to the other user device responsive to the query.

17. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 15 , wherein the other user device is not associated with the user account.

18. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 15 , wherein facilitating the messaging comprises:
receiving a first message from the user device for the other user device;
providing the first message to the other user device;
receiving a second message for the user device from the other user device; and
providing the second message to the user device.

19. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 18 , the operations further comprising providing the messaging alias to the other user device.

20. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 19 , wherein the messaging alias is a merge identifier.

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Circosta Nicholas Joseph
• Burns Patrick
• Sarma Bhaskar
• Pollack Daniel B
• Qu Liang
• Lindeman Kevin
• Garcia Roberto

Classifications

• H04L51/48

  Message addressing, e.g. address format or anonymous messages, aliases · CPC title

• H04L9/0866

  involving user or device identifiers, e.g. serial number, physical or biometrical information, DNA, hand-signature or measurable physical characteristics · CPC title

• H04L51/42

  Mailbox-related aspects, e.g. synchronisation of mailboxes · CPC title

• H04W12/02

  Protecting privacy or anonymity, e.g. protecting personally identifiable information [PII] · CPC title

• H04L63/0815 Primary

  providing single-sign-on or federations · CPC title