Setting reminders from an instant messaging application

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9665266-B2
Application number	US-201113282825-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 27, 2011
Priority date	Oct 27, 2011
Publication date	May 30, 2017
Grant date	May 30, 2017

Abstract

A method for providing a reminder from within an instant messaging application executing on a computing device, the method comprising receiving textual input from within the instant messaging application. In response to receiving the textual input, a reminder-triggering condition is determined based on a predetermined symbol within the textual input. An instant message is sent that includes the reminder-triggering condition for the reminder.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for setting a reminder from within an instant messaging application executing on a computing device, the method comprising:
populating a list with abbreviations of reminder-triggering conditions;
associating one or more of the abbreviations with a respective symbol, each symbol being associated with one or more abbreviations of time, location and proximity;
detecting the symbol in one or more user input symbols, within textual input, received from direct user input to the instant messaging application;
displaying in a drop-down menu, in response to detecting the symbol, the list of abbreviations associated with detected symbol;
receiving selection input to select one abbreviation from the displayed drop-down menu;

generating from within said instant messaging application, a reminder having the reminder-triggering condition corresponding to the selected abbreviation; and
sending in an instant message from the computing device the generated reminder that includes the selected reminder-triggering condition.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein providing the list of preset reminder-triggering conditions comprises providing a list of preset locations from which a location is selected for providing a location-based reminder.

3. The method as claimed in claim 2 wherein the list of preset locations includes an option to select a map location on a map displayed on the computing device.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein providing the list of preset reminder-triggering conditions comprises providing a list of contacts for providing a proximity reminder based on a proximity of a current position of the computing device to a selected contact.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the user input symbols being one or more non-alphanumeric characters.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein determining the reminder-triggering condition based on the predetermined symbol comprises:
in response to receiving textual input containing a first symbol followed immediately by numeric input, generating a time-based reminder-triggering condition;
in response to receiving textual input containing the first symbol followed immediately by alphabetic input, generating a location-based reminder-triggering condition; and
in response to receiving textual input containing a second symbol, generating a contact-proximity-based reminder-triggering condition.

7. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions in code which loads into a memory and executes a processor of a computing device causing the computing device to:
populate a list with abbreviations of reminder-triggering conditions;
associate one or more of the abbreviations with a respective symbols, each symbol, being associated with one or more abbreviations of time, location and proximity;
detect the symbol in one or more user input symbols, within textual input, received from direct user input to the instant messaging application;
display in a drop-down menu, in response to detecting the symbol, the list of abbreviations associated with detected symbol; receiving selection input to select one abbreviation from the displayed drop-down menu;
generate from within said instant messaging application, a reminder having the reminder-triggering condition corresponding to the selected abbreviation; and
send in an instant message from the computing device the generated reminder that includes the selected reminder-triggering condition.

8. The computer-readable medium as claimed in claim 7 wherein the code to provide the list of preset reminder-triggering conditions comprises code for providing a list of preset locations from which a location is selected for providing a location-based reminder.

9. The computer-readable medium as claimed in claim 8 wherein the code for providing the list of preset locations includes code for providing an option to select a map location on a map displayed on the computing device.

10. The computer-readable medium as claimed in claim 7 wherein the code to provide the list of preset reminder-triggering conditions comprises code for providing a list of contacts for providing a proximity reminder based on a proximity of a current position of the computing device to a selected contact.

11. The computer-readable medium as claimed in claim 7 wherein the user input symbols being one or more non-alphanumeric characters.

12. The computer-readable medium as claimed in claim 7 wherein the code for determining the reminder-triggering condition based on the predetermined symbol comprises:
code for generating a time-based reminder-triggering condition in response to receiving textual input containing a first symbol followed immediately by numeric input;
code for generating a location-based reminder-triggering condition in response to receiving textual input containing the first symbol followed immediately by alphabetic input; and
code for generating a contact-proximity-based reminder-triggering condition in response to receiving textual input containing a second symbol.

13. A computing device comprising:
a memory for storing data for an instant messaging application;
a processor operatively coupled to the memory that executes the instant messaging application;
a user interface for receiving textual input for the instant messaging application, wherein the processor is configured to:
populate a list with abbreviations of reminder-triggering conditions;
associate one or more of the abbreviations with a respective symbol, each symbol being associated with one or more abbreviations of time, location and proximity;
the processor further configured to:
detect the symbol in one or more user input symbols, within textual input, received from direct user input to the instant messaging application;
display in a drop-down menu, in response to detecting the symbol, the list of abbreviations associated with detected symbol;
receive selection input to select one abbreviation from the displayed drop-down menu;

generate from within said instant messaging application, a reminder having the reminder-triggering condition corresponding to the selected abbreviation;
and

a transceiver in the computing device for transmitting in an instant message the generated reminder that includes the selected reminder-triggering condition.

14. The computing device as claimed in claim 13 wherein the preset reminder-triggering conditions comprise preset locations from which a location is selected for providing a location-based reminder.

15. The computing device as claimed in claim 13 wherein the preset reminder-triggering conditions comprise contacts for providing a proximity reminder based on a proximity of a current position of the computing device to a selected contact.

16. The computing device as claimed in claim 13 wherein the user input symbols being one or more non-alphanumeric characters.

17. The computing device as claimed in claim 13 wherein the processor is configured to cause the computing device to:
in response to receiving textual input containing a first symbol followed immediately by numeric input, generate a time-based reminder-triggering condition;
in response to receiving textual input containing the first symbol followed immediately by alphabetic input, generate a location-based reminder-triggering condition; and
in response to receiving textual input containing a second symbol, generate a contact-proximity-based reminder-triggering condition.

Assignees

• Pasquero Jerome
• Fyke Steven Henry
• Walker David Ryan
• Blackberry Ltd

Inventors

• Pasquero Jerome
• Fyke Steven Henry
• Walker David Ryan

Classifications

• H04L51/04

  Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM] · CPC title

• H04M1/72552

  Electricity · mapped topic

• G06F3/0488 Primary

  using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures · CPC title

• H04M1/72572

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04W4/12

  Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements · CPC title