throbber
I IIIII IIIIIIII Ill lllll lllll lllll lllll lllll lllll lllll lllll 111111111111111111
`US008150922B2
`
`c12) United States Patent
`Griffin et al.
`
`(IO) Patent No.:
`(45) Date of Patent:
`
`US 8,150,922 B2
`Apr. 3, 2012
`
`(54) VOICE AND TEXT GROUP CHAT DISPLAY
`MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUES FOR
`WIRELESS MOBILE TERMINALS
`
`(75)
`
`Inventors: Chris Michael Griffin, Naperville, IL
`(US); Bashar Jano, Algonquin, IL (US);
`Jin Woo Lee, Vernon Hills, IL (US);
`Mihaela Kamenova Mihaylova,
`Schaumburg, IL (US); Christopher
`Robert Dale Wilson, Carpentersville, IL
`(US)
`
`(73) Assignee: Research in Motion Limited, Waterloo,
`Ontario (CA)
`
`( *) Notice:
`
`Subject to any disclaimer, the term ofthis
`patent is extended or adjusted under 35
`U.S.C. 154(b) by O days.
`
`(21) Appl. No.: 10/197,022
`
`(22) Filed:
`
`Jul. 17, 2002
`
`(65)
`
`Prior Publication Data
`
`US 2004/0015553 Al
`
`Jan.22,2004
`
`(51)
`
`Int. Cl.
`G06F 15/16
`(2006.01)
`(52) U.S. Cl. ........................................ 709/206; 715/758
`( 58) Field of Classification Search . ... ... ... ... .. ... 709/206,
`709/204, 220; 370/310; 345/329, 728, 758;
`455/405, 435.1, 412.2; 715/753, 758; 705/27;
`725/74
`See application file for complete search history.
`
`(56)
`
`References Cited
`
`U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS
`5,528,671 A
`6/ 1996 Ryu et al. ........................ 379/93
`5,694,549 A
`12/1997 Carlin et al.
`5,742,905 A
`4/ 1998 Pepe et al.
`5,781,614 A
`7 I 1998 Brunson
`5,838,318 A
`11/ 1998 Porter et al.
`
`5,889,764 A
`N eedharn et al.
`3/1999
`Marianetti, II et al. ....... 382/187
`5,889,888 A
`3/1999
`5,905,476 A
`McLaughlin et al.
`5/1999
`5,987,401 A
`Trudeau
`11/1999
`5,987,503 A
`Murakami
`11/1999
`5,990,887 A
`Red Path et al.
`11/1999
`5,991,796 A
`Anuparn et al.
`11/1999
`6,020,884 A * 2/2000
`..... 345/747
`MacNaughton et al.
`6,061,716 A
`Moncreiff ..................... 709/205
`5/2000
`6,078,948 A
`Podgorny et al. ............. 709/204
`6/2000
`(Continued)
`
`CN
`
`FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS
`1348662 A
`5/2002
`(Continued)
`
`OTHER PUBLICATIONS
`
`http://web.archive.org/web/
`Workshop.
`MIRC
`The
`20020223232111/http://dooyoo-uk.tripod.com/mirc/irc.htrn.
`pp.
`1-8. Feb. 2002.*
`
`(Continued)
`
`Primary Examiner -
`
`John Macllwinen
`
`ABSTRACT
`(57)
`A single content region in a chat history display is used to
`display entries representative of a plurality of messages cor(cid:173)
`responding to all chat histories for all of chat threads currently
`engaged in by a given mobile terminal. Additionally, a buddy
`list display supports management of chat buddies, a detail
`view display allows otherwise truncated messages to be dis(cid:173)
`played, and a text message editor display supports the com(cid:173)
`position of text messages. Each chat user may designate pub(cid:173)
`lic display identifiers for purposes of identification to other
`chat users. Additionally, each user may designate private
`display identifiers for each of his/her buddies, which private
`display identifiers may be used to replace the public display
`identifiers for that user's buddies when displayed on the
`user's mobile terminal. In this manner, the use of speech and
`text based group chatting and similar services in wireless
`communication environments is more readily enabled.
`
`28 Claims, 9 Drawing Sheets
`
`1101
`
`1102 -~"-._
`
`1103
`
`1106
`
`1110
`
`/
`
`1108 · /
`
`f) <start new thread>-
`Buddies
`Reply
`
`1109
`
`1107
`
`Page 1 of 19
`
`Samsung Exhibit 1005
`
`

`

`US 8,150,922 B2
`Page 2
`
`..... 345/738
`
`U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS
`6/2000 Schindler ...................... 709/204
`6,081,830 A
`12/2000 Hymel et al
`6,157,814 A
`6,161,134 A *
`................... 709/220
`12/2000 Wang et al
`6,167,402 A *
`. ...................... 707/10
`12/2000 Yeager .
`6,212,548 Bl*
`4/2001 DeSimone et al.
`........... 709/204
`6,286,034 Bl
`9/2001 Sato et al. ..................... 709/204
`6,301,609 Bl
`10/2001 Aravamudan et al. ........ 709/207
`6,360,093 Bl
`3/2002 Ross et al.
`6,360,252 Bl *
`3/2002 Rudy et al. .................... 709/206
`6,370,563 B2
`4/2002 Murakami et al. ............ 709/205
`6,393,461 Bl
`5/2002 Okada et al.
`6,405,035 Bl
`6/2002 Singh
`6,430,567 B2
`8/2002 Burridge
`6,430,604 Bl
`8/2002 Ogle et al.
`6,433,795 Bl *
`8/2002 MacNaughton et al.
`6,434,604 Bl
`8/2002 Harada et al.
`6,446,112 Bl
`9/2002 Bunney et al.
`6,456,621 Bl
`9/2002 Wada et al.
`6,459,892 B2
`10/2002 Burgan et al. ................. 455/412
`6,471,521 Bl*
`10/2002 Dornbush et al. ............. 434/322
`6,480,885 Bl
`11/2002 Olivier
`6,484,196 Bl*
`11/2002 Maurille ....................... 709/206
`6,499,053 Bl
`12/2002 Marquette et al.
`6,501,834 Bl
`12/2002 Milewski et al.
`6,539,237 Bl
`3/2003 Sayers et al.
`6,539,421 Bl
`3/2003 Appelman et al.
`6,549,768 Bl
`4/2003 Fraccaroli
`6,594,255 Bl
`7/2003 Newman
`6,597,903 Bl*
`.................. 455/405
`7/2003 Dahm et al.
`6,630,944 Bl *
`10/2003 Kakuta et al. ................. 345/758
`6,668, 169 B2 *
`12/2003 Burgan et al. .............. 455/435.1
`6,677,976 B2
`1/2004 Parker et al.
`6,681,108 Bl*
`1/2004 Terry et al. ................. 455/412.2
`6,721,784 Bl
`4/2004 Leonard et al.
`6,760,580 B2 *
`7/2004 Robinson et al. .......... 455/412.2
`6,807 ,431 B2 *
`10/2004 Sayers et al. .................. 455/555
`6,901,255 B2 *
`5/2005 Shostak
`................ 455/422.1
`6,970,907 Bl *
`11/2005 Ullmann et al.
`.............. 709/206
`6,978,293 Bl *
`12/2005 Wong et al. ................... 709/206
`6,981,223 B2 *
`12/2005 Becker et al .................. 715/753
`7,003,327 Bl*
`2/2006 Payne et al .................... 455/566
`7,007,226 Bl*
`2/2006 Smith et al. ................... 715/206
`7,062,533 B2 *
`6/2006 Brown et al.
`................. 709/205
`7,080,124 Bl*
`7 /2006 Shankar ........................ 709/206
`7,100,116 Bl*
`8/2006 Shafrir et al. ................. 715/751
`2001/0031635 Al
`10/2001 Bharatia
`2001/0042095 Al
`11/2001 Kim et al. ..................... 709/204
`2001/0044787 Al *
`11/2001 Shwartz et al.
`................. 705/78
`2002/0007398 Al
`1/2002 Mediola et al.
`2002/0022954 Al
`2/2002 Shimohata et al. ............... 704/3
`2002/0023128 Al
`2/2002 Matsumoto et al. .......... 709/204
`2002/0073154 Al
`6/2002 Murakami et al.
`2002/0077082 Al
`6/2002 Cruickshank
`2002/0083035 Al
`6/2002 Pearl et al.
`2002/0095679 Al*
`7/2002 Bonini ............................ 725/74
`2002/0112014 Al
`8/2002 Bennett et al.
`
`2002/0133547 Al
`2003/0003953 Al
`2003/0007464 Al*
`2003/0012348 Al
`2003/0028597 Al *
`2003/0030670 Al *
`2003/0055897 Al*
`2003/0126213 Al
`2003/0149774 Al
`2003/0152040 Al
`2003/0153339 Al
`2003/0153340 Al
`2003/0153341 Al
`2003/0153342 Al
`2003/0153343 Al
`2003/0154243 Al
`2003/0154249 Al
`2003/0158902 Al
`2003/0177190 Al*
`2003/0212746 Al*
`2003/0236823 Al
`2004/0039779 Al *
`2004/0078304 Al *
`2004/0125790 Al
`2004/0203907 Al
`2004/0224710 Al
`2005/0027802 Al*
`2005/0126952 Al
`2005/0207557 Al*
`2006/0167944 Al *
`2007/0067404 Al*
`
`9/2002 Lin
`1/2003 Houplain
`. ...................... 370/310
`1/2003 Balani .
`1/2003 Skladman et al.
`2/2003 Salmi et al. ................... 709/204
`................. 345/7 58
`2/2003 Duarte et al.
`3/2003 Brown et al.
`................. 709/205
`7 /2003 Betzler
`8/2003 McConnell et al.
`8/2003 Crockett et al.
`8/2003 Crockett et al.
`8/2003 Crockett et al.
`8/2003 Crockett et al.
`8/2003 Crockett et al.
`8/2003 Crockett et al.
`8/2003 Crockett et al.
`8/2003 Crockett et al.
`8/2003 Volach
`9/2003 Moody et al .................. 709/206
`11/2003 Fitzpatrick et al ............ 709/206
`12/2003 Patzer et al.
`2/2004 Amstrong et al
`4/2004 Gabbard et al.
`7 /2004 Hiller et al.
`10/2004 Hiller et al.
`11/2004 Koskelainen et al.
`2/2005 Madsen et al. ................ 709/204
`6/2005 Zabawskyj et al
`........ 379/210.02
`9/2005 Dolan et al.
`7/2006 Baker ........................ 707/104.1
`3/2007 Brown et al.
`................. 709/206
`
`............ 709/204
`................ 705/27
`
`CN
`EP
`JP
`JP
`JP
`JP
`KR
`WO
`WO
`WO
`WO
`
`FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS
`1401102 A
`3/2003
`1 154 666 A2
`11/2002
`10154117
`6/1998
`11203227
`7 /1999
`11249990
`9/1999
`2002009819
`1/2002
`2001-0103278
`11/2001
`W099/63773
`12/1999
`WO 00/69140
`11/2000
`01/63512
`8/2001
`W02004/008336
`1/2004
`
`OTHER PUBLICATIONS
`
`PCT International Search Report for PCT/US03/22355 dated Sep.
`26, 2003.
`Supplementary European Search Report, EPO Appl. No.
`EP03764784, Dated Jun. 16, 2006, 3 pages.
`PCT International Search Report and Written Opinion, Dec. 7, 2005,
`PCT/US04/43581, 7 pages.
`PCT International Search Report, PCT/US03/22357, May 4, 2004, 3
`pages.
`* cited by examiner
`
`Page 2 of 19
`
`

`

`U.S. Patent
`
`Apr. 3, 2012
`
`Sheet 1 of 9
`
`US 8,150,922 B2
`
`Speaker
`
`Screen
`
`Key Pad
`
`Mic
`
`100
`
`FIG. 1
`
`103
`
`104
`
`106
`
`202
`
`101
`
`102
`
`105
`104
`
`107
`
`Mobile
`Terminal 1
`
`Mobile
`Terminal 2
`
`Mobile
`Terminal 3
`
`100
`
`100
`
`100
`
`100~ Mobile
`Terminal 4
`
`204
`
`202
`
`FIG. 2
`
`Server
`Complex
`
`Page 3 of 19
`
`

`

`U.S. Patent
`
`Apr. 3, 2012
`
`Sheet 2 of 9
`
`US 8,150,922 B2
`
`310
`
`305
`
`100 ~MoblleTenninal
`
`--
`
`:
`:
`'
`:
`
`309
`
`Application
`Storage
`
`Temporary
`Storage
`
`Permanent
`Storage
`
`3 1 1~
`
`Network
`Interface
`
`312
`
`1/0
`Controller
`
`Voice
`Codec
`
`1~
`!
`' '
`'
`' '
`'
`'
`L_ --- --- - - - - --- --- - -- --- - --- ---- -- --- --- ------- -- - -•
`
`/.-204 304
`
`_______ L/
`
`! Server Complex
`
`'
`
`303
`
`. . .
`
`302
`
`Nickname
`Manager
`
`Message
`Broadcaster
`
`Router
`
`Presence
`Manager
`
`----------------- -------- -----------
`
`'
`' '
`'
`' '
`---------~--·
`
`307
`
`306
`
`301
`
`FIG. 3
`
`Page 4 of 19
`
`

`

`U.S. Patent
`U.S. Patent
`
`Apr. 3, 2012
`Apr.3, 2012
`
`Sheet 3 of 9
`Sheet 3 of 9
`
`US 8,150,922 B2
`US 8,150,922 B2
`
`Recipient IDs: 123, 353, 125
`
`Thread ID: 984
`
`400
`
`
`
`Message Type: TEXT
`No Recipients: 3
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`Message length: 5
`
`Message: hello
`
`No Attachments:0
`
`No New Recipients: 1
`
`Recipient ID: 353
`Recipient Name: John Korn
`Recipient Nickname: John
`Recipient Short Name: JK
`
`
`FIG. 5
`
`501
`902
`903
`504
`505
`
`500
`
`Page 5 of 19
`
`Page 5 of 19
`
`

`

`U.S. Patent
`
`Apr. 3, 2012
`
`Sheet 4 of 9
`
`US 8,150,922 B2
`
`600
`
`List Type: GROUP
`
`No Groups: 1
`
`Group Name: my buddies
`
`Recipient/Os: 412, 321, 864
`
`No Ungrouped: 2
`
`Recipient IDs: 123, 104
`
`Recipient ID: 412
`
`Recipient Name: Jane Smith
`
`Recipient Nickname: Jane
`
`Recipient Short Name: JS
`
`Recipient Status: Available
`
`FIG. 6
`
`601
`
`602
`603
`604
`605
`606
`
`502
`503
`504
`505
`607
`
`701
`
`703
`
`702
`
`705
`
`704
`
`706
`
`Address
`
`Pub/Jc Nickname
`
`Pub/Jc Short Name·
`
`Subscnber IDs
`
`700
`
`ID
`
`123
`
`136
`
`876
`
`Status:
`Available
`
`12321012112 2016
`
`Off
`
`11310112108012
`
`TextOnly
`
`123 10 112 10 7291
`
`J1mJ
`
`Chris
`
`JaneT
`
`JJ
`cc
`JT
`
`120, 415, 654
`
`345, 246, 235, 346
`
`102, 349
`
`FIG. 7
`
`Page 6 of 19
`
`

`

`U.S. Patent
`
`Apr. 3, 2012
`
`Sheet 5 of 9
`
`US 8,150,922 B2
`
`800
`
`ID:
`
`123
`
`123
`
`876
`
`701
`
`801
`
`802
`
`803
`
`Buddy ID
`
`Nickname:
`
`Short Name:
`
`325
`
`124
`
`325
`
`Cool
`
`Dad
`
`BstFrnd
`
`FIG. 8
`
`00
`
`D
`
`JT
`
`Page 7 of 19
`
`

`

`U.S. Patent
`
`Apr. 3, 2012
`
`Sheet 6 of 9
`
`US 8,150,922 B2
`
`-+------"
`
`1002
`
`1001
`
`O nickname
`• +group name 3
`•
`group name 4
`• 0
`• 0
`group name 5
`• 0
`nickname 2 (sn2)
`O nickname 5 (sn5)
`•
`nickname 7 (sn7)
`
`nickname 1 (sn1)
`
`nickname 5 (sn5)
`
`1005
`
`• 0
`nickname 4 (sn4)
`O nickname 6 (sn6)
`
`Select
`
`Write
`
`1003
`
`1004
`
`FIG. 10
`
`Page 8 of 19
`
`

`

`U.S. Patent
`
`Apr. 3, 2012
`
`Sheet 7 of 9
`
`US 8,150,922 B2
`
`1101
`
`1102
`
`1104 ----
`1105
`
`1106
`
`nickname9, nickname2, nicknam ...
`
`(sn5) this is a short text message
`
`1103
`
`(sn1)this is a short text message
`
`(sn3) this is a short text message
`
`(sn9) message 4 of thread 2
`
`(sn4) message 5 of thread 2
`
`1103
`
`1110~
`
`(sn1)this is a short text message
`
`<start new thread>~~
`
`Buddies
`
`Reply
`
`1108
`
`1201
`
`1109
`FIG. 11
`
`1107
`
`talk to: nickname1, nickname3, ...
`
`1203
`
`FIG. 12
`
`Page 9 of 19
`
`

`

`U.S. Patent
`
`Apr. 3, 2012
`
`Sheet 8 of 9
`
`US 8,150,922 B2
`
`1302
`
`1303
`
`O nickname 4 (sn4)
`
`This is the full body of the
`message that might have been
`truncated in other views.
`
`nickname 12 (sn12)
`
`nickname 23 (sn23)
`
`nickname 33 (sn33)
`
`nickname 36 (sn36)
`
`1301
`
`1309
`
`1304
`
`1305
`
`Cancel
`
`Write
`
`1306 ~
`
`1307
`
`FIG. 13
`
`Page 10 of 19
`
`

`

`U.S. Patent
`
`Apr. 3, 2012
`
`Sheet 9 of 9
`
`US 8,150,922 B2
`
`1401
`
`write to: nickname1, nickname3, ...
`
`I
`
`1402
`
`Cancel
`
`Send
`
`1404
`FIG. 14
`
`1403
`
`Page 11 of 19
`
`

`

`US 8,150,922 B2
`
`1
`VOICE AND TEXT GROUP CHAT DISPLAY
`MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUES FOR
`WIRELESS MOBILE TERMINALS
`
`TECHNICAL FIELD
`
`The present invention relates generally to connnunication
`systems incorporating speech and textual input and output
`modalities and, in particular, to a novel technique of manag(cid:173)
`ing the display of a plurality of real-time speech and text
`conversations (e.g., chat threads) on limited display areas.
`
`BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
`
`2
`build dynamic and static buddy-lists, as well as a technique to
`incorporate user friendly and small screen friendly nick(cid:173)
`names that better enable users to identify and interact with
`users in large connnunities where the likelihood of name
`collisions is high especially when names have to be truncated
`to fit in small screens. Furthermore, relevant chat information
`is displayed to the user when needed in a manner suitable for
`small screens. Using the present invention, the number of
`steps and keypad entries the user has to take in order to
`10 perform the most common chat activities in a manner suitable
`of wireless devices is reduced. In a presently preferred
`embodiment, the techniques are distributed among a mobile
`terminal acting as the client in a client-server model while a
`15 chat server complex acts as the server part of a client-server
`model.
`To this end, a single content region in a chat history display
`is used to display entries representative of a plurality of mes(cid:173)
`sages corresponding to all of the chat histories for all of the
`chat threads currently engaged in by a given mobile terminal.
`Additionally, a buddy list display supports management of
`chat buddies (i.e., chat users that a given chat user frequently
`connnunicates with), a detail view display allows otherwise
`truncated messages to be displayed, and a text message editor
`display supports the composition of text messages. Nick(cid:173)
`names and other identifiers of chat participants ( or users) are
`controlled on two levels. At the first level, each chat user may
`have a designated display identifier, such as a public nick(cid:173)
`name and a public short name. At the second level, each user
`30 can designate private display identifiers, such as a private
`nickname and a private short name for each of his/her bud(cid:173)
`dies, which private display identifiers may be used to replace
`the public display identifiers for that user's buddies when
`displayed on the user's mobile terminal. By incorporating the
`techniques described herein, as opposed to prior art tech(cid:173)
`niques that relied on multiple windows and a bias towards
`simultaneously displaying all available information at all
`times, the use of speech and text based group chatting and
`similar services in wireless connnunication environments is
`more readily enabled.
`
`BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
`
`Text and, to a lesser degree, speech chatting systems, are
`generally known in the art, particularly in relation to personal
`computing systems. Published U.S. patent application Ser.
`Nos. 2001/0042095 Al; 2001/0011293 Al; and 2002/
`0023128 Al and U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,212,548 and 6,286,034
`illustrate exemplary system and user interfaces used today. A 20
`common feature of such systems is that the various conver(cid:173)
`sations ( or threads) are usually split out into distinct regions
`( or windows) on the display or screen. Furthermore, when a
`single thread comprises a plurality of both text and speech
`exchanges, such systems usually separate the two modalities. 25
`The speech is usually played over a speaker, whereas the
`plurality of text messages are displayed on the screen. Users
`have no means to reference old speech messages or distin(cid:173)
`guish when they occurred in the thread relative to other mes(cid:173)
`sages in that thread.
`Particularly troublesome is the fact that such interfaces
`become unwieldy when implemented on small screen devices
`with cumbersome text input mechanisms (as is common on
`mobile terminals in today's wireless markets.)
`Published U.S. patent application Ser. No. 2002/0023128 35
`Al ("the '128 Publication") describes a system where the
`screen area is split into six distinct windows. One window
`presents a chat history of one thread (the thread in focus)
`while another window displays a chat history of the combined
`plurality of the remaining threads. A chat history comprises a 40
`plurality of entries displayed on the screen that describe both
`inbound (i.e., received by the user's mobile terminal) and
`outbound (i.e., sent by the user's mobile terminal) chat mes(cid:173)
`sages. The entries are usually displayed on the screen in
`chronological order and usually only describe text messages. 45
`The '128 Publication also exemplifies the verboseness of
`chat history entries displayed on the screen. An entry might
`list a timestamp, a thread identifier, the sender's identifier,
`and the message. In the case that a single message targets a
`plurality of individuals (i.e., a chat group), the entries may 50
`contain a list of the plurality of other recipient's information
`as well. The combined information of all the entries in the
`chat history is too overwhelming for very small displays.
`Therefore, it would be advantageous to provide a technique
`for displaying multiple chat threads (or histories) using lim- 55
`ited display areas. Such a technique should acconnnodate the
`occurrence of speech messages, and should avoid the verbos-
`ity of prior art techniques.
`
`FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of a wireless mobile
`terminal in accordance with the present invention.
`FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a wireless connnunications
`system in accordance with the present invention.
`FIG. 3 is a block diagram of wireless connnunication chat
`components in accordance with the present invention.
`FIG. 4 is a schematic illustration of an outbound text mes(cid:173)
`sage in accordance with the present invention.
`FIG. 5 is a schematic illustration of an inbound text mes(cid:173)
`sage in accordance with the present invention.
`FIG. 6 is a schematic illustration of a buddy list update
`message in accordance with the present invention.
`FIG. 7 is a table that illustrates the data contained in a
`presence manager in accordance with the present invention.
`FIG. 8 is a table that illustrates the data contained in a
`60 nickname manager in accordance with the present invention.
`FIG. 9 is a schematic illustration of a buddy list display
`listed in alphabetical order in accordance with the present
`invention.
`FIG. 10 is a schematic illustration of a buddy list display
`listed in group order in accordance with the present invention.
`FIG. 11 is a schematic illustration of a chat history display
`in accordance with the present invention.
`
`SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
`
`The present invention provides techniques, principally
`applicable to wireless connnunication environments, for dis(cid:173)
`playing and interacting with speech and text group chat
`threads. In particular, the present invention describes tech- 65
`niques to display a plurality of chat threads in a single chat
`history on a limited display area. It describes a technique to
`
`Page 12 of 19
`
`

`

`US 8,150,922 B2
`
`3
`FIG. 12 is a schematic illustration of a title bar for the chat
`history display when speech is recorded in accordance with
`the present invention.
`FIG. 13 is a schematic illustration of a detail view display
`of a single communication message in accordance with the
`present invention.
`FIG. 14 is a schematic illustration of a text message editor
`in accordance with the present invention.
`
`DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED
`EMBODIMENT
`
`The present invention may be more fully described with
`reference to FIGS. 1-14. FIG. 1 illustrates a wireless mobile
`terminal 100 that may comprise any wireless communication
`device such as a handheld cellular phone or a wirelessly
`enabled Personal Digital Assistant (PDA). The configuration
`of the mobile terminal 100 shown inFIG.1 is exemplary only,
`and it is generally understood that a variety of terminals and
`terminal configurations could be used. As shown, the mobile
`terminal 100 comprises a speaker 103 for rendering signals,
`such as received speech, audible; a display 102 to render text
`and graphical elements visible; a navigation rocker 105 that
`allows a user to navigate a list or menu displayed on the
`screen; programmable buttons ( or "softkeys") 104; a keypad
`106 that allows the user to input digits, letters, and other
`symbols (e.g., punctuation); a microphone 107 that captures
`audio such as the user's speech; and a push-to-talk button 101
`that allows the user to initiate recording and transmission of
`audio. These and other components of the mobile terminal
`(not shown) are well known in the art and need not be
`described in greater detail herein. Additionally, there are a
`variety of styles and instances of components that can be used
`instead of ( or in conjunction with) the components described
`in FIG. 1. For example, the push-to-talk button 101 may be
`omitted and replaced with automatic voice detection mecha(cid:173)
`nisms. Touch screens and hand writing recognition tech(cid:173)
`niques can replace the need for the softkeys 104, the naviga(cid:173)
`tion rocker 105, and the keypad 106. The present invention is
`not limited in this regard. Additional components of the ter(cid:173)
`minal that are not necessarily visible to the user but are
`necessary to
`implement chat functionality are further
`described with reference to FIG. 3. The input devices avail(cid:173)
`able on the wireless mobile terminal (e.g., keypad, softkeys,
`etc.) may be employed by a user of the wireless mobile
`terminal to initiate a session of chat software and, within the
`operation of the chat software, to initiate one or more chat
`conversations (threads) as described in greater detail below.
`FIG. 2 illustrates the overall system architecture of a wire(cid:173)
`less communication system comprising a plurality of mobile 50
`terminals 100 in accordance with the present invention. The
`terminals 100 communicate with at least one chat server
`complex 204 by wirelessly transmitting data to a correspond(cid:173)
`ing wireless carrier's infrastructure 202. As known in the art,
`the wireless carrier infrastructures 202 comprise those ele(cid:173)
`ments necessary to support wireless communications with the
`terminals 100. Various service providers (such as Verizon or
`Sprint in the U.S., or Orange in Europe) build and maintain
`such infrastructures. The data packets are sent on to a com(cid:173)
`munication network 203 that forwards them onto the server
`complex 204. The communication network 203, which is a
`packet-based network, may comprise a public network such
`as the Internet or World Wide Web, a private network such as
`a corporate intranet, or some combination of public and pri(cid:173)
`vate network elements. The server complex 204 preferably
`comprises a plurality of networked server computers that may
`be programmed to implement the functionality described
`
`4
`below. The particular number of servers used and the manner
`in which they communicate with each other is a matter of
`design choice. Techniques for programming server comput(cid:173)
`ers and mobile terminals in accordance with the present
`invention are well known in the art.
`When the server complex 204 communicates with one or
`more mobile terminals, the server complex 204 sends its data
`to the network 203 that, in turn, forwards the data onto at least
`one of the carrier infrastructures 202. Each relevant carrier
`10 infrastructure 202 then transmits the data to one or more ofits
`corresponding mobile terminals 100. Preferably, when a plu(cid:173)
`rality of users chat together (i.e., send chat messages from one
`terminal 100 to another), data comprising text, speech, and/or
`graphical messages ( or some combination thereof) are sent to
`15 the server complex 204. The server complex 204 then sends
`copies of the message out to the targeted terminals 100, pref(cid:173)
`erably including, in one embodiment, the initiating or sending
`terminal. Those having ordinary skill in the art will recognize
`that the server complex 204 can be placed inside a wireless
`20 carrier's infrastructure 202, or that it may be eliminated in
`cases where direct terminal-to-terminal transfer is supported.
`In the latter case, substantially all of the chat messaging
`functionality is supported by the mobile terminals. Further(cid:173)
`more, the present invention would benefit systems other than
`25 packet data based systems, as well as systems that are limited
`in scope to a single wireless carrier's domain.
`FIG. 3 illustrates in more detail components found in both
`the terminals 100 and the server complex 204 used to
`exchange group speech and text chat messages. Focusing on
`30 the components of the terminal 100, machine-readable and
`executable instructions (typically referred to as software,
`code, or program) are preferably stored in an application
`storage (or memory) 310 and executed (or run) on a central
`processing unit (CPU) 211. All storage devices described
`35 herein may comprise any combination of volatile (e.g., ran(cid:173)
`dom access memory) or non-volatile (e.g., read-only
`memory) storage as known in the art. Likewise, the CPU 211
`may comprise a microprocessor, microcontroller, digital sig(cid:173)
`nal processor, co-processor, similar devices or combinations
`40 thereof. Using known programming techniques, the software
`can manipulate the display 102, capture speech from the
`microphone 107, capture input data from the key pad 106,
`navigation rocker 105, soft keys 104 and/or push-to-talk but(cid:173)
`ton 101 using the I/0 controller 312. Outbound chat messages
`45 sent to the server complex 204, as well as those inbound chat
`messages received from the server complex 204, pass through
`the network interface 306 that provides connectivity between
`the terminal and the data network. Where the terminal 100
`comprises a wireless device, the network interface 306 com(cid:173)
`prises the entire physical interface necessary to communicate
`with the server complex 204, including a wireless transceiver.
`Preferably, but not necessarily, speech sent to the server com(cid:173)
`plex 204 is first encoded using a voice codec 307, which may
`be implemented in software. Similarly, voice from the server
`55 complex 204, may, when necessary, be decoded using the
`voice codec 307 before it is sent to the speaker 103. The
`software uses temporary storage 309 to save working data
`that does not persist between software initiations (sessions).
`On the other hand, the software uses the permanent storage
`60 305 to persist data for longer periods of time that can span
`multiple software sessions.
`Focusing on components of the server complex 204, the
`data traffic comprising encoded speech and text messages
`( e.g., outbound chat messages 400; see FIG. 4) flows into the
`65 server complex 204 preferably via the router 301. Note that
`the router 301, presence manager 302, message broadcaster
`303 and nickname manager 304 may be implemented on one
`
`Page 13 of 19
`
`

`

`US 8,150,922 B2
`
`5
`or more server computers or the like residing within the server
`complex 204. The router 301 directs the outbound chat mes(cid:173)
`sage 400 towards a message broadcaster 303 that determines
`the plurality of inbound chat message copies ( e.g., inbound
`chat messages 500; see FIG. 5) needed and their destinations.
`In the context of the present invention, the term inbound
`refers to messages directed to one or more mobile terminals,
`whereas the term outbound refers to messages sent by mobile
`terminals. The message broadcaster 303 decomposes the
`incoming message 400, and locates the list of recipient iden(cid:173)
`tifiers 402. It then queries a presence manager 302 to establish
`the recipients' current status 702 (i.e., an indicator of whether
`the recipient is ready to receive the particular type of message,
`speech and/or text messages only, etc.) and the terminal's
`address 703. FIG. 7 illustrates a table with the plurality of
`presence data records 700 contained within the presence
`manager 303. Each presence record 700, comprises the user's
`identifier 701, the current status 702, the current terminal
`address 703 (if known), a public display identifier, such as a
`public nickname 704 and a public short name 705, and a
`plurality of other user identifiers 706 that subscribe to the
`presence information of the user corresponding to that record.
`The public display identifiers or public nickname set 704-705
`is used in inbound chat messages 500 sent to the terminal 100
`unless the receiver (i.e., the receiving user) overrides the
`public nickname set 704-705 with private display identifiers
`or a private nickname set 802-803. When presence status 702
`changes, the presence manager 302 sends a buddy list update
`message 600 to all the subscribers listed in the subscriber
`identifier field 706 of the corresponding presence record 700.
`Those having ordinary skill in the art will recognize that
`presence records 700 may contain other information and
`attributes such as forwarding address, processing rules that
`describe what to do in various circumstances, graphical rep(cid:173)
`resentation for various status, profiles (i.e., a plurality of a
`different value sets that could be used at various times or
`depending on the receiver, etc.) and so on.
`Although not illustrated in FIG. 3, the server complex 204
`may include other components such as authentication and
`encryption servers that ensure the authenticity of the chat
`communication messages and secure the privacy of their con(cid:173)
`tent. The server complex 204 may also include a plurality of
`other components like speech-to-text and text-to-speech
`translators, natural language translators, voice transcoders,
`and other similar transformation gateways that transform the
`message, its contents, and any attachments (e.g., ring-tones,
`images, and so on) to a more meaningful and usable format by
`the receiver. Techniques for implementing such other com(cid:173)
`ponents are well known in the art.
`Preferably, a nickname manager 304 resides in the server
`complex 204 and is responsible for managing lists of nick(cid:173)
`name sets 802-803 used by the receiver of an inbound chat
`message 500 to override public nicknames and short names.
`Note that nicknames and short names differ primarily in their
`length. Nicknames may be of any arbitrary length (possibly
`limited as a matter of design choice), whereas short names are
`preferably fixed in length or size. Additionally, nicknames
`and short names are instances of display identifiers used to
`identify the originators of chat messages. Such display iden(cid:173)
`tifiers are distinguished from identifiers used internally by the
`present invention to identify particular users ( e.g., identifiers
`having reference numerals 701, 403, and 604 in the accom(cid:173)
`panying FIGs).
`FIG. 8 illustrates the nickname record 800 contained
`within the nickname manager 304. Preferably, each nickname
`record 800 comprises a receiving user's identifier 701, the
`buddy's identifier 801 (i.e., the identifier of the chat buddy for
`
`6
`whom the receiving user desires the message broadcaster 303
`to replace the buddy's public nickname set 704-705 with the
`receiver's private nickname set 802-803 on all inbound chat
`messages 500) and the private nickname 802 and private short
`name 803. Like the case of presence records 700, those hav(cid:173)
`ing ordinary skill in the art recognize that nickname records
`800 may contain other information and attributes such as
`forwarding address, processing rules, graphical representa(cid:173)
`tion for various status, profiles (i.e., different field values that
`10 could be used in various times, etc.) and so on. Upon receiv(cid:173)
`ing a message targeted to a recipient designated by the receiv(cid:173)
`ing user's identifier 701, the nickname manager 304 deter(cid:173)
`mines the buddy identifier 801 (i.e., the identification of the
`chat participant that initiated transmission of the message).
`15 Based on the buddy identifier 801, the nickname manager 304
`inspects the nickname records cor

This document is available on Docket Alarm but you must sign up to view it.


Or .

Accessing this document will incur an additional charge of $.

After purchase, you can access this document again without charge.

Accept $ Charge
throbber

Still Working On It

This document is taking longer than usual to download. This can happen if we need to contact the court directly to obtain the document and their servers are running slowly.

Give it another minute or two to complete, and then try the refresh button.

throbber

A few More Minutes ... Still Working

It can take up to 5 minutes for us to download a document if the court servers are running slowly.

Thank you for your continued patience.

This document could not be displayed.

We could not find this document within its docket. Please go back to the docket page and check the link. If that does not work, go back to the docket and refresh it to pull the newest information.

Your account does not support viewing this document.

You need a Paid Account to view this document. Click here to change your account type.

Your account does not support viewing this document.

Set your membership status to view this document.

With a Docket Alarm membership, you'll get a whole lot more, including:

  • Up-to-date information for this case.
  • Email alerts whenever there is an update.
  • Full text search for other cases.
  • Get email alerts whenever a new case matches your search.

Become a Member

One Moment Please

The filing “” is large (MB) and is being downloaded.

Please refresh this page in a few minutes to see if the filing has been downloaded. The filing will also be emailed to you when the download completes.

Your document is on its way!

If you do not receive the document in five minutes, contact support at support@docketalarm.com.

Sealed Document

We are unable to display this document, it may be under a court ordered seal.

If you have proper credentials to access the file, you may proceed directly to the court's system using your government issued username and password.


Access Government Site

We are redirecting you
to a mobile optimized page.





Document Unreadable or Corrupt

Refresh this Document
Go to the Docket

We are unable to display this document.

Refresh this Document
Go to the Docket