Novel communication and messaging system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016239165-A1
Application number	US-201615040659-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Feb 10, 2016
Priority date	Feb 16, 2015
Publication date	Aug 18, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A client device displays a user interface, which includes a menu item associated with forced reminders. In response to a user selecting the menu item, the client device displays a forced-reminder user interface, which includes a content display area configured to display one or more forced-reminder messages.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A computer-executable method, comprising:
displaying, by a client device, a user interface, wherein the user interface includes a menu item associated with forced reminders; in response to a user selecting the menu item, displaying a forced-reminder user interface, wherein the forced-reminder user interface includes a content display area configured to display one or more forced-reminder messages.

2 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
in response to the user configuring a filtering option in the force-reminder user interface, displaying at least one of: all forced-reminder messages associated with the user; one or more forced-reminder messages received by the user; one or more forced-reminder messages sent by the user; and one or more forced-reminder messages deleted by the user.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein displaying a respective forced-reminder message further comprising:
obtaining confirmation-status information associated the forced-reminder message; and displaying the confirmation status information to indicate whether all, a portion of, or none of recipients of the forced-reminder message have confirmed the forced-reminder message.

4 . The method of claim 3 , further comprising:
in response to the user configuring a filtering option in the force-reminder user interface, displaying at least one of: one or more forced-reminder messages that are confirmed by all recipients; one or more forced-reminder messages that are confirmed by a portion of recipients; and one or more forced-reminder messages that have not been confirmed by any recipient.

5 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
in response to the user entering a command in the forced-reminder user interface, displaying a forced-reminder-message-generation user interface, wherein the forced-reminder-message-generation user interface includes an input control area, wherein the input control area includes at least: a recipient input control for allowing the user to specify one or more recipients of a generated forced-reminder message; a communication-channel input control for allowing the user to specify a communication channel for delivering the generated forced-reminder message; and a delivery-time control for allowing the user to specify a time to deliver the generated forced-reminder.

6 . The method of claim 5 , wherein the communication channel includes one of:
a telephone channel; and a short-message-service (SMS) channel.

7 . The method of claim 6 , further comprising:
in response to the user specifying the communication channel as the telephone channel, making a voice call to the one or more specified recipients at the specified delivery time; and in response to a recipient answering the voice call, playing the generated forced-reminder message to the recipient.

8 . The method of claim 5 , wherein the generated force-reminder message include a system-generated audio message that is specific to a predetermined special event, and wherein the system-generated audio message is overlaid over an audio message recorded by the user.

9 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the system-generate audio message includes one or more of:
a holiday greeting; a birthday greeting; and an anniversary greeting.

10 . The method of claim 1 , wherein a respective forced-reminder message includes one or more of:
text; emoji; graphics; audio; and video.

11 . A computer system, comprising:
a processor; a memory storing instructions that when executed by the processor cause the computer system to perform a method, the method comprising:
displaying a user interface, wherein the user interface includes a menu item associated with forced reminders;
in response to a user selecting the menu item, displaying a forced-reminder user interface, wherein the forced-reminder user interface includes a content display area configured to display one or more forced-reminder messages.

12 . The computer system of claim 11 , wherein displaying a respective forced-reminder message further comprising:
obtaining confirmation-status information associated the forced-reminder message; and displaying the confirmation status information to indicate whether all, a portion of, or none of recipients of the forced-reminder message have confirmed the forced-reminder message.

13 . The computer system of claim 11 , wherein the method further comprises:
in response to the user entering a command in the forced-reminder user interface, displaying a forced-reminder-message-generation user interface, wherein the forced-reminder-message-generation user interface includes an input control area, wherein the input control area includes at least: a recipient input control for allowing the user to specify one or more recipients of a generated forced-reminder message; a communication-channel input control for allowing the user to specify a communication channel for delivering the generated forced-reminder message, wherein the communication channel includes one of: a telephone channel and a short-message-service (SMS) channel; and a delivery-time control for allowing the user to specify a time to deliver the generated forced-reminder.

14 . The computer system of claim 13 , wherein the method further comprising:
in response to the user specifying the communication channel as the telephone channel, making a voice call to the one or more specified recipients at the specified delivery time; and in response to a recipient answering the voice call, playing the generated forced-reminder message to the recipient.

15 . A method, comprising:
at a first point in time, transmitting, from a first client device to a second client device, a first message; displaying, by a user interface of the second client device, status information associated with the first message, wherein the status information indicates whether the first message has been read by a user of the second client device; transmitting at a second point in time, from the first client device to the second client device, a second message, wherein the second message includes the first message; and updating, by the user interface of the second client device, the status information associated with the first message.

16 . The method of claim 15 , wherein the first message includes one or more of:
text; emoji; graphics; audio; and video.

17 . The method of claim 15 , wherein updating the status information associated with the first message involves:
in response to the user of the second client device reading the second message, changing the status information associated with the first message from unread to read.

18 . The method of claim 15 , wherein the second message is transmitted to the second client device via a telephone channel as a voice call.

19 . The method of claim 15 , wherein the second message is transmitted to the second client device via a short message service (SMS) channel as an SMS message.

20 . The method of claim 15 , wherein transmitting the second message involves:
determining whether the first message has remained unread for a predetermined time interval specified by a first client device; and in response to the first message has remained unread for the predetermined time interval, transmitting the second message.

Assignees

• Alibaba Group Holding Ltd

Inventors

• Chen Hang
• Wu Zhenhao
• Zhang Lili
• Guo Chenlu
• Bao Feng
• Yu Liying
• Zhang Yuan
• Dong Qi
• Yu Kaikai
• Ren Qing
• Zhang Junshao
• Zhang Yi
• Shi Jiarui
• Du Jie

Classifications

• G06F3/165

  Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path · CPC title

• G06F3/04847 Primary

  Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials · CPC title

• G06F3/0482 Primary

  Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus · CPC title

• H04L51/22

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04L51/42 Primary

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