U.S. patent application number 14/719163 was filed with the patent office on 2015-12-03 for canned answers in messages.
This patent application is currently assigned to Apple Inc.. The applicant listed for this patent is Apple Inc.. Invention is credited to Jerome Rene Bellegarda, Roberto Garcia, Tiffany S. Jon, Giulia Pagallo, Linden B. Siahaan, Justin Wood, Lawrence Y. YANG.
Application Number | 20150350118 14/719163 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 53366285 |
Filed Date | 2015-12-03 |
United States Patent
Application |
20150350118 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
YANG; Lawrence Y. ; et
al. |
December 3, 2015 |
CANNED ANSWERS IN MESSAGES
Abstract
At an electronic device with a touch-sensitive display, display
a message transcript, where the message transcript includes at
least one message from at least a first user. Determine, based at
least in-part on the at least one message, a plurality of suggested
one or more characters. Display, on the touch-sensitive display,
the plurality of suggested one or more characters. Detect an input
on the touch-sensitive display. Determine whether the input
represents user selection of one of the plurality of suggested one
or more characters. Display the selected one of the plurality of
suggested one or more characters in the message transcript. Send
the selected one or more characters to the first user.
Inventors: |
YANG; Lawrence Y.; (San
Francisco, CA) ; Pagallo; Giulia; (Cupertino, CA)
; Siahaan; Linden B.; (San Jose, CA) ; Wood;
Justin; (Los Altos, CA) ; Garcia; Roberto;
(Santa Clara, CA) ; Bellegarda; Jerome Rene;
(Saratoga, CA) ; Jon; Tiffany S.; (Sunnyvale,
CA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Apple Inc. |
Cupertino |
CA |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
Apple Inc.
Cupertino
CA
|
Family ID: |
53366285 |
Appl. No.: |
14/719163 |
Filed: |
May 21, 2015 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
62005958 |
May 30, 2014 |
|
|
|
62129790 |
Mar 7, 2015 |
|
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Current U.S.
Class: |
715/752 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06Q 10/10 20130101;
G06F 40/274 20200101; G06F 3/0481 20130101; G06F 16/3329 20190101;
G06F 3/0488 20130101; G06F 16/24578 20190101; G06F 40/279 20200101;
H04L 51/02 20130101; G06F 16/3322 20190101; G06F 3/0484 20130101;
G06F 3/04886 20130101 |
International
Class: |
H04L 12/58 20060101
H04L012/58; G06F 3/0484 20060101 G06F003/0484; G06F 17/30 20060101
G06F017/30; G06F 3/0481 20060101 G06F003/0481 |
Claims
1. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing one or
more programs, the one or more programs comprising instructions,
which when executed by one or more processors of an electronic
device with a touch-sensitive display, cause the electronic device
to: display a message transcript, the message transcript including
at least one message from at least a first user; determine, based
at least in-part on the at least one message, a plurality of
suggested one or more characters; display, on the touch-sensitive
display, the plurality of suggested one or more characters; detect
an input on the touch-sensitive display; determine whether the
input represents user selection of one of the plurality of
suggested one or more characters; and in accordance with a
determination that the input represents user selection of one of
the plurality of suggested one or more characters, display the
selected one of the plurality of suggested one or more characters
in the message transcript.
2. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to
claim 1, wherein the one or more programs further comprises
instructions for: detecting a second input on the touch-sensitive
display, the second input representing user selection of a
confirmation affordance; and in response to detecting the second
input, sending the selected one or more characters to the first
user.
3. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to
claim 1, wherein the one or more programs further comprises
instructions for: displaying a virtual keyboard, the virtual
keyboard including a number of character keys; detecting keyboard
input representing one or more contacts on the virtual keyboard;
and in response to detecting the keyboard input: ceasing to the
display the plurality of suggested one or more characters; and
displaying, in the third region, auto-correct information based on
the keyboard input.
4. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to
claim 1, wherein the one or more programs further comprises
instructions for: determining the plurality of suggested one or
more characters based on at least one word used in the at least one
message.
5. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to
claim 1, wherein the one or more programs further comprises
instructions for: identifying a use of the word "or" in the at
least one message; identifying a preceding word that appears
immediately before the word "or"; and identifying a subsequent word
that appears immediately after the word "or", wherein: displaying
the plurality of suggested one or more characters comprises
displaying at least the preceding word and the subsequent word.
6. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to
claim 1, wherein the one or more programs further comprises
instructions for: determining the plurality of suggested one or
more characters based on a punctuation mark used in the at least
one message.
7. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to
claim 1, wherein the one or more programs further comprises
instructions for: determining whether the at least one message
contains an interrogatory sentence; and in accordance with a
determination that the at least one message contains an
interrogatory sentence, displaying at least "yes" and "no" as part
of the plurality of suggested one or more characters.
8. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to
claim 1, wherein the one or more programs further comprises
instructions for: determining the plurality of suggested one or
more characters based on at least the identity of the first
user.
9. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to
claim 8, wherein the one or more programs further comprises
instructions for: identifying the most-frequently-sent messages to
the first user, wherein: displaying the plurality of suggested one
or more characters comprises displaying the most-frequently-sent
messages.
10. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to
claim 9, wherein the one or more programs further comprises
instructions for: identifying the most-recently-sent messages to
the first user, and wherein: displaying the plurality of suggested
one or more characters comprises displaying at least one of the
most-recently-sent messages.
11. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to
claim 1, wherein the one or more programs further comprises
instructions for: determining the plurality of suggested one or
more characters based on at least a location of the first user.
12. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to
claim 1, wherein the one or more programs further comprises
instructions for: determining a location of the electronic device,
and displaying an affordance for sending the location as a message
to the first user.
13. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to
claim 1, wherein the one or more programs further comprises
instructions for: determining the plurality of suggested one or
more characters based on at least one calendar entry stored in the
electronic device.
14. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to
claim 1, wherein the one or more programs further comprises
instructions for: obtaining a calendar entry based on the message
received from the first user; and displaying an affordance for
sending at least a portion of the obtained calendar entry as a
message to the first user.
15. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to
claim 1, wherein the one or more programs further comprises
instructions for: determining the plurality of suggested one or
more characters based on at least an honorific used in the at least
one message.
16. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to
claim 1, wherein the one or more programs further comprises
instructions for: obtaining a plurality of contact names stored on
the electronic device; detecting the use of a contact name of the
plurality of contact names in the at least one message; obtaining
contact information corresponding to the used contact name; and
displaying an affordance for sending at least a portion of the
obtained contact information as a message to the second user.
17. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to
claim 1, wherein the one or more programs further comprises
instructions for: displaying an affordance for calling a phone
number associated with the obtained contact information.
18. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to
claim 1, wherein the one or more programs further comprises
instructions for: counting the number of messages received from the
first user within a time interval; and in accordance with a
determination that the number exceeds a predetermined threshold,
displaying an affordance for calling the first user.
19. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to
claim 1, wherein the one or more programs further comprises
instructions for: counting the number of messages received from the
first user within a time interval; and in accordance with a
determination that the number exceeds a predetermined threshold,
displaying an affordance for video conferencing the first user.
20. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to
claim 1, wherein the one or more programs further comprises
instructions for: ranking the suggested one or more characters; and
displaying the top-ranked characters in the center most position
among the displayed suggested one or more characters.
21. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to
claim 1, wherein the plurality of suggested one or more characters
comprises a first word or phrase, a second word or phrase, and a
third word or phrase.
22. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to
claim 1, wherein the plurality of suggested one or more characters
consists of a first word or phrase, a second word or phrase, and a
third word or phrase.
23. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to
claim 1, wherein the plurality of suggested one or more characters
comprises at least one emoji.
24. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to
claim 1, wherein the at least one message is the
most-recently-received message from the first user.
25. A method comprising: at an electronic device with a
touch-sensitive display: displaying a message transcript, the
message transcript including at least one message from at least a
first user; determining, based at least in-part on the at least one
message, a plurality of suggested one or more characters;
displaying, on the touch-sensitive display, the plurality of
suggested one or more characters; detecting an input on the
touch-sensitive display; determining whether the input represents
user selection of one of the plurality of suggested one or more
characters; and in accordance with a determination that the input
represents user selection of one of the plurality of suggested one
or more characters, displaying the selected one of the plurality of
suggested one or more characters in the message transcript.
26. An electronic device, comprising: a touch-sensitive display;
one or more processors; a memory; and one or more programs, wherein
the one or more programs are stored in the memory and configured to
be executed by the one or more processors, the one or more programs
including instructions for: displaying a message transcript, the
message transcript including at least one message from at least a
first user; determining, based at least in-part on the at least one
message, a plurality of suggested one or more characters;
displaying, on the touch-sensitive display, the plurality of
suggested one or more characters; detecting an input on the
touch-sensitive display; determining whether the input represents
user selection of one of the plurality of suggested one or more
characters; and in accordance with a determination that the input
represents user selection of one of the plurality of suggested one
or more characters, displaying the selected one of the plurality of
suggested one or more characters in the message transcript.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims the benefit of priority of U.S.
Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/005,958, "Canned Answers
in Messages," filed May 30, 2014 and U.S. Provisional Patent
Application Ser. No. 62/129,790, "Canned Answers in Messages,"
filed Mar. 7, 2015.
[0002] This application relates to the following co-pending
provisional applications: U.S. Patent Application Ser. No.
62/005,837, "Device, Method, and Graphical User Interface for a
Predictive Keyboard," filed May 30, 2014; U.S. Patent Application
Ser. No. 62/046,876, "Device, Method, and Graphical User Interface
for a Predictive Keyboard," filed Sep. 5, 2014; U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 14/502,711, "Device, Method, and Graphical
User Interface for a Predictive Keyboard," filed Sep. 30, 2014;
U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 62/005,825, "Entropy-Guided Text
Prediction Using Combined Word and Character N-gram Language
Models," filed May 30, 2014; U.S. Patent Application Ser. No.
62/006,010, "Predictive Text Input," filed May 30, 2014; and U.S.
Patent Application Ser. No. 62/005,942, "Text Prediction Using
Combined Word N-gram and Unigram Language Models," filed May 30,
2014. The content of these applications are hereby incorporated by
reference in their entirety.
FIELD
[0003] The present disclosure relates generally to messaging, and
more specifically to techniques for suggesting predictive answers
that a user can select to respond to an incoming message.
BACKGROUND
[0004] Portable electronic devices, particularly cellular phones,
are popular devices for message-based communications. Exemplary
message-based communications include the short message service
(SMS) and iMessage technologies provided by Apple Inc., of
Cupertino, Calif. The small form factors of portable electronic
devices, however, present user interface challenges. One persistent
challenge arises from the reduced-size keyboards typically employed
by these devices, which are sub-optimal for typing. This difficulty
is exacerbated by continued improvement in electronics packaging
techniques that lend to smaller devices with even less room for
keyboard placement. Techniques for predicting a user's likely
response to an incoming message--thereby reducing the need for
manual user input--are thus desirable.
SUMMARY
[0005] In some embodiments, a method for responding to messages
comprises: at an electronic device with a touch-sensitive display:
displaying a message transcript, the message transcript including
at least one message from at least a first user; determining, based
at least in-part on the at least one message, a plurality of
suggested one or more characters; displaying, on the
touch-sensitive display, the plurality of suggested one or more
characters; detecting an input on the touch-sensitive display;
determining whether the input represents user selection of one of
the plurality of suggested one or more characters; and in
accordance with a determination that the input represents user
selection of one of the plurality of suggested one or more
characters, displaying the selected one of the plurality of
suggested one or more characters in the message transcript.
[0006] In some embodiments, a method for responding to messages
comprises: at an electronic device with a touch-sensitive display:
at an electronic device with a touch-sensitive display: displaying,
in a first region of the display, a message transcript, the message
transcript including at least one message from at least a first
user; displaying, in a second region of the display, a virtual
keyboard, the virtual keyboard including a number of character
keys; and displaying, in a third region of the display, a plurality
of suggested one or more characters, the plurality of suggested
characters determined based, at least in-part, on a content of the
at least one message received from the first user.
[0007] In some embodiments, a method for responding to messages
comprises: at an electronic device with a touch-sensitive display:
displaying a message transcript, the message transcript including
at least one message from at least a first user; determining, based
at least in-part on the at least one message, a plurality of
suggested one or more characters; and displaying a first suggested
one or more characters of the plurality of suggested one or more
characters in a first region on the touch-sensitive display,
wherein the first region is a contiguous region visually
distinguished from the background of the message transcript.
[0008] In some embodiments, a method for responding to messages
comprises: at an electronic device with a touch-sensitive display:
displaying a message transcript, the message transcript including
at least one message from at least a first user; determining, based
at least in-part on the at least one message, a plurality of
suggested one or more characters; and displaying a first affordance
representing a first suggested one or more characters of the
plurality of suggested one or more characters at the bottom of the
message transcript.
DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
[0009] FIG. 1A is a block diagram illustrating a portable
multifunction device with a touch-sensitive display in accordance
with some examples.
[0010] FIG. 1B is a block diagram illustrating exemplary components
for event handling in accordance with some embodiments.
[0011] FIG. 2 illustrates a portable multifunction device having a
touch screen in accordance with some embodiments.
[0012] FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an exemplary multifunction
device with a display and a touch-sensitive surface in accordance
with some embodiments.
[0013] FIGS. 4A and 4B illustrate an exemplary user interface for a
menu of applications on a portable multifunction device in
accordance with some embodiments.
[0014] FIGS. 5A-5J illustrate exemplary user interfaces for
responding to messages using predictive answers.
[0015] FIGS. 6A-6E illustrate exemplary types of predictive
answers.
[0016] FIG. 7 is a flow diagram illustrating a process for
transitioning between electronic devices.
[0017] FIG. 8 is a flow diagram illustrating a process for
transitioning between electronic devices.
[0018] FIG. 9 is a flow diagram illustrating a process for
transitioning between electronic devices.
[0019] FIG. 10 is a flow diagram illustrating a process for
transitioning between electronic devices.
[0020] FIGS. 11-15 are functional block diagram of electronic
devices in accordance with some embodiments.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0021] In the following description of the disclosure and
embodiments, reference is made to the accompanying drawings in
which it is shown by way of illustration specific embodiments that
can be practiced. It is to be understood that other embodiments and
examples can be practiced and changes can be made without departing
from the scope of the disclosure.
[0022] Below, FIGS. 1A-1B, 2, and 3 provide a description of
exemplary devices for performing the techniques described herein.
For brevity, these techniques may be referred to as "predictive
answers" for responding to user messages. FIGS. 4A-4B, 5A-5J, and
6A-6E illustrate exemplary user interfaces for invoking predictive
answers. The user interfaces in the figures are also used to
illustrate the processes described below, including those processes
in FIGS. 7-10.
[0023] Although the following description uses terms first, second,
etc. to describe various elements, these elements should not be
limited by the terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one
element from another. For example, a first contact could be termed
a second contact, and, similarly, a second contact could be termed
a first contact, without departing from the scope of the present
invention. The first contact and the second contact are both
contacts, but they are not the same contact.
[0024] The terminology used in the description of the various
described embodiments herein is for the purpose of describing
particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. As
used in the description of the various described embodiments and
the appended claims, the singular forms "a", "an," and "the" are
intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context
clearly indicates otherwise. It will also be understood that the
term "and/or" as used herein refers to and encompasses any and all
possible combinations of one or more of the associated listed
items. It will be further understood that the terms "includes,"
"including," "comprises," and/or "comprising," when used in this
specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers,
steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude
the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers,
steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.
[0025] The term "if" may be construed to mean "when" or "upon" or
"in response to determining" or "in response to detecting,"
depending on the context. Similarly, the phrase "if it is
determined" or "if [a stated condition or event] is detected" may
be construed to mean "upon determining" or "in response to
determining" or "upon detecting [the stated condition or event]" or
"in response to detecting [the stated condition or event],"
depending on the context.
[0026] Embodiments of electronic devices, user interfaces for such
devices, and associated processes for using such devices are
described. In some embodiments, the device is a portable
communications device, such as a mobile telephone, that also
contains other functions, such as PDA and/or music player
functions. Exemplary embodiments of portable multifunction devices
include, without limitation, the iPhone.RTM., iPod Touch.RTM., and
iPad.RTM. devices from Apple Inc. of Cupertino, Calif. Other
portable devices, such as laptops or tablet computers with
touch-sensitive surfaces (e.g., touch screen displays and/or touch
pads), may also be used. Exemplary embodiments of laptop and tablet
computers include, without limitation, the iPad.RTM. and
MacBook.RTM. devices from Apple Inc. of Cupertino, Calif. It should
also be understood that, in some embodiments, the device is not a
portable communications device, but is a desktop computer.
Exemplary embodiments of desktop computers include, without
limitation, the Mac Pro.RTM. from Apple Inc. of Cupertino,
Calif.
[0027] In the discussion that follows, an electronic device that
includes a display and a touch-sensitive surface is described. It
should be understood, however, that the electronic device
optionally includes one or more other physical user-interface
devices, such as button(s), a physical keyboard, a mouse, and/or a
joystick.
[0028] The device may support a variety of applications, such as
one or more of the following: a drawing application, a presentation
application, a word processing application, a website creation
application, a disk authoring application, a spreadsheet
application, a gaming application, a telephone application, a video
conferencing application, an e-mail application, an instant
messaging application, a workout support application, a photo
management application, a digital camera application, a digital
video camera application, a web browsing application, a digital
music player application, and/or a digital video player
application.
[0029] The various applications that are executed on the device
optionally use at least one common physical user-interface device,
such as the touch-sensitive surface. One or more functions of the
touch-sensitive surface as well as corresponding information
displayed on the device are, optionally, adjusted and/or varied
from one application to the next and/or within a respective
application. In this way, a common physical architecture (such as
the touch-sensitive surface) of the device optionally supports the
variety of applications with user interfaces that are intuitive and
transparent to the user.
[0030] FIGS. 1A and 1B are block diagrams illustrating exemplary
portable multifunction device 100 with touch-sensitive displays 112
in accordance with some embodiments. Touch-sensitive display 112 is
sometimes called a "touch screen" for convenience. Device 100 may
include memory 102. Device 100 may include memory controller 122,
one or more processing units (CPU's) 120, peripherals interface
118, RF circuitry 108, audio circuitry 110, speaker 111, microphone
113, input/output (I/O) subsystem 106, other input or control
devices 116, and external port 124. Device 100 may include one or
more optical sensors 164. Bus/signal lines 103 may allow these
components to communicate with one another. Device 100 is one
example of an electronic device that could be used to perform the
techniques described herein. Specific implementations involving
device 100 may have more or fewer components than shown, may
combine two or more components, or may have a different
configuration or arrangement of the components. The various
components shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B may be implemented in hardware,
software, or a combination of both. The components also can be
implemented using one or more signal processing and/or application
specific integrated circuits.
[0031] Memory 102 may include one or more computer readable storage
mediums. The computer readable storage mediums may be tangible and
non-transitory. Memory 102 may include high-speed random access
memory and may also include non-volatile memory, such as one or
more magnetic disk storage devices, flash memory devices, or other
non-volatile solid-state memory devices. Memory controller 122 may
control access to memory 102 by other components of device 100.
[0032] Peripherals interface 118 can be used to couple input and
output peripherals of the device to CPU 120 and memory 102. The one
or more processors 120 run or execute various software programs
and/or sets of instructions stored in memory 102 to perform various
functions for device 100 and to process data. In some embodiments,
peripherals interface 118, CPU 120, and memory controller 122 may
be implemented on a single chip, such as chip 104. In some other
embodiments, they may be implemented on separate chips.
[0033] RF (radio frequency) circuitry 108 receives and sends RF
signals, also called electromagnetic signals. RF circuitry 108
converts electrical signals to/from electromagnetic signals and
communicates with communications networks and other communications
devices via the electromagnetic signals. RF circuitry 108 may
include well-known circuitry for performing these functions,
including but not limited to an antenna system, an RF transceiver,
one or more amplifiers, a tuner, one or more oscillators, a digital
signal processor, a CODEC chipset, a subscriber identity module
(SIM) card, memory, and so forth. RF circuitry 108 may communicate
with networks, such as the Internet, also referred to as the World
Wide Web (WWW), an intranet and/or a wireless network, such as a
cellular telephone network, a wireless local area network (LAN)
and/or a metropolitan area network (MAN), and other devices by
wireless communication. The wireless communication may use any of a
plurality of communications standards, protocols and technologies,
including but not limited to Global System for Mobile
Communications (GSM), Enhanced Data GSM Environment (EDGE),
high-speed downlink packet access (HSDPA), wideband code division
multiple access (W-CDMA), code division multiple access (CDMA),
time division multiple access (TDMA), Bluetooth, Bluetooth Low
Energy (BTLE), Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) (e.g., IEEE 802.11a, IEEE
802.11b, IEEE 802.11g and/or IEEE 802.11n), voice over Internet
Protocol (VoIP), Wi-MAX, a protocol for e-mail (e.g., Internet
message access protocol (IMAP) and/or post office protocol (POP)),
instant messaging (e.g., extensible messaging and presence protocol
(XMPP), Session Initiation Protocol for Instant Messaging and
Presence Leveraging Extensions (SIMPLE), Instant Messaging and
Presence Service (IMPS)), and/or Short Message Service (SMS), or
any other suitable communication protocol, including communication
protocols not yet developed as of the filing date of this
document.
[0034] Audio circuitry 110, speaker 111, and microphone 113 provide
an audio interface between a user and device 100. Audio circuitry
110 receives audio data from peripherals interface 118, converts
the audio data to an electrical signal, and transmits the
electrical signal to speaker 111. Speaker 111 converts the
electrical signal to human-audible sound waves. Audio circuitry 110
also receives electrical signals converted by microphone 113 from
sound waves. Audio circuitry 110 converts the electrical signal to
audio data and transmits the audio data to peripherals interface
118 for processing. Audio data may be retrieved from and/or
transmitted to memory 102 and/or RF circuitry 108 by peripherals
interface 118. In some embodiments, audio circuitry 110 also
includes a headset jack (e.g., 212, FIG. 2). The headset jack
provides an interface between audio circuitry 110 and removable
audio input/output peripherals, such as output-only headphones or a
headset with both output (e.g., a headphone for one or both ears)
and input (e.g., a microphone).
[0035] I/O subsystem 106 couples input/output peripherals on device
100, such as touch screen 112 and other input control devices 116,
to peripherals interface 118. I/O subsystem 106 may include display
controller 156 and one or more input controllers 160 for other
input or control devices. The one or more input controllers 160
receive/send electrical signals from/to other input or control
devices 116. The other input control devices 116 may include
physical buttons (e.g., push buttons, rocker buttons, etc.), dials,
slider switches, joysticks, click wheels, and so forth. In some
alternate embodiments, input controller(s) 160 may be coupled to
any (or none) of the following: a keyboard, infrared port, USB
port, and a pointer device such as a mouse. The one or more buttons
(e.g., 208, FIG. 2) may include an up/down button for volume
control of speaker 111 and/or microphone 113. The one or more
buttons may include a push button (e.g., 206, FIG. 2). A quick
press of the push button may disengage a lock of touch screen 112
or begin a process that uses gestures on the touch screen to unlock
the device, as described in U.S. patent application Ser. No.
11/322,549, "Unlocking a Device by Performing Gestures on an Unlock
Image," filed Dec. 23, 2005, U.S. Pat. No. 7,657,849, which is
hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. A longer press of
the push button (e.g., 206) may turn power to device 100 on or off.
The user may be able to customize a functionality of one or more of
the buttons. Touch screen 112 is used to implement virtual or soft
buttons and one or more soft keyboards.
[0036] Touch-sensitive display 112 provides an input interface and
an output interface between the device and a user. Display
controller 156 receives and/or sends electrical signals from/to
touch screen 112. Touch screen 112 displays visual output to the
user. The visual output may include graphics, text, icons, video,
and any combination thereof (collectively termed "graphics"). In
some embodiments, some or all of the visual output may correspond
to user-interface objects.
[0037] Touch screen 112 has a touch-sensitive surface, sensor or
set of sensors that accepts input from the user based on haptic
and/or tactile contact. Touch screen 112 and display controller 156
(along with any associated modules and/or sets of instructions in
memory 102) detect contact (and any movement or breaking of the
contact) on touch screen 112 and converts the detected contact into
interaction with user-interface objects (e.g., one or more soft
keys, icons, web-pages or images) that are displayed on touch
screen 112. In an exemplary embodiment, a point of contact between
touch screen 112 and the user corresponds to a finger of the
user.
[0038] Touch screen 112 may use LCD (liquid crystal display)
technology, LPD (light emitting polymer display) technology, or LED
(light emitting diode) technology, although other display
technologies may be used in other embodiments. Touch screen 112 and
display controller 156 may detect contact and any movement or
breaking thereof using any of a plurality of touch sensing
technologies now known or later developed, including but not
limited to capacitive, resistive, infrared, and surface acoustic
wave technologies, as well as other proximity sensor arrays or
other elements for determining one or more points of contact with
touch screen 112. In an exemplary embodiment, projected mutual
capacitance sensing technology is used, such as that found in the
iPhone.RTM. and iPod Touch.RTM. from Apple Inc. of Cupertino,
Calif.
[0039] A touch-sensitive display in some embodiments of touch
screen 112 may be analogous to the multi-touch sensitive touchpads
described in the following: U.S. Pat. No. 6,323,846 (Westerman et
al.), U.S. Pat. No. 6,570,557 (Westerman et al.), and/or U.S. Pat.
No. 6,677,932 (Westerman), and/or U.S. Patent Publication
2002/0015024A1, each of which is hereby incorporated by reference
in its entirety. However, touch screen 112 displays visual output
from device 100, whereas touch sensitive touchpads do not provide
visual output.
[0040] A touch-sensitive display in some embodiments of touch
screen 112 may be as described in the following applications: (1)
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/381,313, "Multipoint Touch
Surface Controller," filed May 2, 2006; (2) U.S. patent application
Ser. No. 10/840,862, "Multipoint Touchscreen," filed May 6, 2004;
(3) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/903,964, "Gestures For
Touch Sensitive Input Devices," filed Jul. 30, 2004; (4) U.S.
patent application Ser. No. 11/048,264, "Gestures For Touch
Sensitive Input Devices," filed Jan. 31, 2005; (5) U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 11/038,590, "Mode-Based Graphical User
Interfaces For Touch Sensitive Input Devices," filed Jan. 18, 2005;
(6) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/228,758, "Virtual Input
Device Placement On A Touch Screen User Interface," filed Sep. 16,
2005; (7) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/228,700, "Operation
Of A Computer With A Touch Screen Interface," filed Sep. 16, 2005;
(8) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/228,737, "Activating
Virtual Keys Of A Touch-Screen Virtual Keyboard," filed Sep. 16,
2005; and (9) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/367,749,
"Multi-Functional Hand-Held Device," filed Mar. 3, 2006. All of
these applications are incorporated by reference herein in their
entirety.
[0041] Touch screen 112 may have a video resolution in excess of
100 dpi. In some embodiments, the touch screen has a video
resolution of approximately 160 dpi. The user may make contact with
touch screen 112 using any suitable object or appendage, such as a
stylus, a finger, and so forth. In some embodiments, the user
interface is designed to work primarily with finger-based contacts
and gestures, which can be less precise than stylus-based input due
to the larger area of contact of a finger on the touch screen. In
some embodiments, the device translates the rough finger-based
input into a precise pointer/cursor position or command for
performing the actions desired by the user.
[0042] In some embodiments, in addition to the touch screen, device
100 may include a touchpad (not shown) for activating or
deactivating particular functions. In some embodiments, the
touchpad is a touch-sensitive area of the device that, unlike the
touch screen, does not display visual output. The touchpad may be a
touch-sensitive surface that is separate from touch screen 112 or
an extension of the touch-sensitive surface formed by the touch
screen.
[0043] Device 100 also includes power system 162 for powering the
various components. Power system 162 may include a power management
system, one or more power sources (e.g., battery, alternating
current (AC)), a recharging system, a power failure detection
circuit, a power converter or inverter, a power status indicator
(e.g., a light-emitting diode (LED)) and any other components
associated with the generation, management and distribution of
power in portable devices.
[0044] Device 100 may also include one or more optical sensors 164.
FIGS. 1A and 1B show an optical sensor coupled to optical sensor
controller 158 in I/O subsystem 106. Optical sensor 164 may include
charge-coupled device (CCD) or complementary metal-oxide
semiconductor (CMOS) phototransistors. Optical sensor 164 receives
light from the environment, projected through one or more lens, and
converts the light to data representing an image. In conjunction
with imaging module 143 (also called a camera module), optical
sensor 164 may capture still images or video. In some embodiments,
an optical sensor is located on the back of device 100, opposite
touch screen display 112 on the front of the device, so that the
touch screen display may be used as a viewfinder for still and/or
video image acquisition. In some embodiments, an optical sensor is
located on the front of the device so that the user's image may be
obtained for videoconferencing while the user views the other video
conference participants on the touch screen display. In some
embodiments, the position of optical sensor 164 can be changed by
the user (e.g., by rotating the lens and the sensor in the device
housing) so that a single optical sensor 164 may be used along with
the touch screen display for both video conferencing and still
and/or video image acquisition.
[0045] Device 100 may also include one or more proximity sensors
166. FIGS. 1A and 1B show proximity sensor 166 coupled to
peripherals interface 118. Alternately, proximity sensor 166 may be
coupled to input controller 160 in I/O subsystem 106. Proximity
sensor 166 may perform as described in U.S. patent application Ser.
No. 11/241,839, "Proximity Detector In Handheld Device"; Ser. No.
11/240,788, "Proximity Detector In Handheld Device"; Ser. No.
11/620,702, "Using Ambient Light Sensor To Augment Proximity Sensor
Output"; Ser. No. 11/586,862, "Automated Response To And Sensing Of
User Activity In Portable Devices"; and Ser. No. 11/638,251,
"Methods And Systems For Automatic Configuration Of Peripherals,"
which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety. In
some embodiments, the proximity sensor turns off and disables touch
screen 112 when the multifunction device is placed near the user's
ear (e.g., when the user is making a phone call).
[0046] Device 100 optionally also includes one or more tactile
output generators 167. FIG. 1A shows a tactile output generator
coupled to haptic feedback controller 161 in I/O subsystem 106.
Tactile output generator 167 optionally includes one or more
electroacoustic devices such as speakers or other audio components
and/or electromechanical devices that convert energy into linear
motion such as a motor, solenoid, electroactive polymer,
piezoelectric actuator, electrostatic actuator, or other tactile
output generating component (e.g., a component that converts
electrical signals into tactile outputs on the device). Contact
intensity sensor 165 receives tactile feedback generation
instructions from haptic feedback module 133 and generates tactile
outputs on device 100 that are capable of being sensed by a user of
device 100. In some embodiments, at least one tactile output
generator is collocated with, or proximate to, a touch-sensitive
surface (e.g., touch-sensitive display system 112) and, optionally,
generates a tactile output by moving the touch-sensitive surface
vertically (e.g., in/out of a surface of device 100) or laterally
(e.g., back and forth in the same plane as a surface of device
100). In some embodiments, at least one tactile output generator
sensor is located on the back of device 100, opposite touch screen
display 112, which is located on the front of device 100.
[0047] Device 100 may also include one or more accelerometers 168.
FIGS. 1A and 1B show accelerometer 168 coupled to peripherals
interface 118. Alternately, accelerometer 168 may be coupled to an
input controller 160 in I/O subsystem 106. Accelerometer 168 may
perform as described in U.S. Patent Publication No. 20050190059,
"Acceleration-based Theft Detection System for Portable Electronic
Devices," and U.S. Patent Publication No. 20060017692, "Methods And
Apparatuses For Operating A Portable Device Based On An
Accelerometer," both of which are which are incorporated by
reference herein in their entirety. In some embodiments,
information is displayed on the touch screen display in a portrait
view or a landscape view based on an analysis of data received from
the one or more accelerometers. Device 100 optionally includes, in
addition to accelerometer(s) 168, a magnetometer (not shown) and a
GPS (or GLONASS or other global navigation system) receiver (not
shown) for obtaining information concerning the location and
orientation (e.g., portrait or landscape) of device 100.
[0048] In some embodiments, the software components stored in
memory 102 include operating system 126, communication module (or
set of instructions) 128, contact/motion module (or set of
instructions) 130, graphics module (or set of instructions) 132,
text input module (or set of instructions) 134, Global Positioning
System (GPS) module (or set of instructions) 135, and applications
(or sets of instructions) 136. Furthermore, in some embodiments
memory 102 stores device/global internal state 157, as shown in
FIGS. 1A, 1B and 3. Device/global internal state 157 includes one
or more of: active application state, indicating which
applications, if any, are currently active; display state,
indicating what applications, views or other information occupy
various regions of touch screen display 112; sensor state,
including information obtained from the device's various sensors
and input control devices 116; and location information concerning
the device's location and/or attitude.
[0049] Operating system 126 (e.g., Darwin, RTXC, LINUX, UNIX, OS X,
iOS, WINDOWS, or an embedded operating system such as VxWorks)
includes various software components and/or drivers for controlling
and managing general system tasks (e.g., memory management, storage
device control, power management, etc.) and facilitates
communication between various hardware and software components.
[0050] Communication module 128 facilitates communication with
other devices over one or more external ports 124 and also includes
various software components for handling data received by RF
circuitry 108 and/or external port 124. External port 124 (e.g.,
Universal Serial Bus (USB), FIREWIRE, etc.) is adapted for coupling
directly to other devices or indirectly over a network (e.g., the
Internet, wireless LAN, etc.). In some embodiments, the external
port is a multi-pin connector that is the same as, or similar to
and/or compatible with the 8-pin and/or 30-pin connectors used on
devices made by Apple Inc.
[0051] Contact/motion module 130 may detect contact with touch
screen 112 (in conjunction with display controller 156) and other
touch sensitive devices (e.g., a touchpad or physical click wheel).
Contact/motion module 130 includes various software components for
performing various operations related to detection of contact, such
as determining if contact has occurred (e.g., detecting a
finger-down event), determining if there is movement of the contact
and tracking the movement across the touch-sensitive surface (e.g.,
detecting one or more finger-dragging events), and determining if
the contact has ceased (e.g., detecting a finger-up event or a
break in contact). Contact/motion module 130 receives contact data
from the touch-sensitive surface. Determining movement of the point
of contact, which is represented by a series of contact data, may
include determining speed (magnitude), velocity (magnitude and
direction), and/or an acceleration (a change in magnitude and/or
direction) of the point of contact. These operations may be applied
to single contacts (e.g., one finger contacts) or to multiple
simultaneous contacts (e.g., "multitouch"/multiple finger
contacts). In some embodiments, contact/motion module 130 and
display controller 156 detects contact on a touchpad. In some
embodiments, contact/motion module 130 and controller 160 detects
contact on a click wheel.
[0052] Contact/motion module 130 may detect a gesture input by a
user. Different gestures on the touch-sensitive surface have
different contact patterns. Thus, a gesture may be detected by
detecting a particular contact pattern. For example, detecting a
finger tap gesture includes detecting a finger-down event followed
by detecting a finger-up (lift off) event at the same position (or
substantially the same position) as the finger-down event (e.g., at
the position of an icon). As another example, detecting a finger
swipe gesture on the touch-sensitive surface includes detecting a
finger-down event followed by detecting one or more finger-dragging
events, and subsequently followed by detecting a finger-up (lift
off) event.
[0053] Graphics module 132 includes various known software
components for rendering and displaying graphics on touch screen
112 or other display, including components for changing the
intensity of graphics that are displayed. As used herein, the term
"graphics" includes any object that can be displayed to a user,
including without limitation text, web-pages, icons (such as
user-interface objects including soft keys), digital images,
videos, animations and the like. In some embodiments, graphics
module 132 stores data representing graphics to be used. Each
graphic may be assigned a corresponding code. Graphics module 132
receives, from applications etc., one or more codes specifying
graphics to be displayed along with, if necessary, coordinate data
and other graphic property data, and then generates screen image
data to output to display controller 156.
[0054] Haptic feedback module 133 includes various software
components for generating instructions used by tactile output
generator(s) 167 to produce tactile outputs at one or more
locations on device 100 in response to user interactions with
device 100.
[0055] Text input module 134, which may be a component of graphics
module 132, provides soft keyboards for entering text in various
applications (e.g., contacts 137, e-mail 140, IM 141, browser 147,
and any other application that needs text input).
[0056] GPS module 135 determines the location of the device and
provides this information for use in various applications (e.g., to
telephone 138 for use in location-based dialing, to camera 143 as
picture/video metadata, and to applications that provide
location-based services such as weather widgets, local yellow page
widgets, and map/navigation widgets).
[0057] Applications 136 may include the following modules (or sets
of instructions), or a subset or superset thereof: [0058] Contacts
module 137 (sometimes called an address book or contact list);
[0059] Telephone module 138; [0060] Video conferencing module 139;
[0061] E-mail client module 140; [0062] Instant messaging (IM)
module 141; [0063] Workout support module 142; [0064] Camera module
143 for still and/or video images; [0065] Image management module
144; [0066] Video player module; [0067] Music player module; [0068]
Browser module 147; [0069] Calendar module 148; [0070] Widget
modules 149, which may include one or more of: weather widget
149-1, stocks widget 149-2, calculator widget 149-3, alarm clock
widget 149-4, dictionary widget 149-5, and other widgets obtained
by the user, as well as user-created widgets 149-6; [0071] Widget
creator module 150 for making user-created widgets 149-6; [0072]
Search module 151; [0073] Video and music player module 152, which
merges video player module and music player module; [0074] Notes
module 153; [0075] Map module 154; and/or [0076] Online video
module 155.
[0077] Examples of other applications 136 that may be stored in
memory 102 include other word processing applications, other image
editing applications, drawing applications, presentation
applications, JAVA-enabled applications, encryption, digital rights
management, voice recognition, and voice replication.
[0078] In conjunction with touch screen 112, display controller
156, contact/motion module 130, graphics module 132, and text input
module 134, contacts module 137 may be used to manage an address
book or contact list (e.g., stored in application internal state
192 of contacts module 137 in memory 102 or memory 370), including:
adding name(s) to the address book; deleting name(s) from the
address book; associating telephone number(s), e-mail address(es),
physical address(es) or other information with a name; associating
an image with a name; categorizing and sorting names; providing
telephone numbers or e-mail addresses to initiate and/or facilitate
communications by telephone 138, video conference module 139,
e-mail 140, or IM 141; and so forth.
[0079] In conjunction with RF circuitry 108, audio circuitry 110,
speaker 111, microphone 113, touch screen 112, display controller
156, contact/motion module 130, graphics module 132, and text input
module 134, telephone module 138 may be used to enter a sequence of
characters corresponding to a telephone number, access one or more
telephone numbers in address book 137, modify a telephone number
that has been entered, dial a respective telephone number, conduct
a conversation and disconnect or hang up when the conversation is
completed. As noted above, the wireless communication may use any
of a plurality of communications standards, protocols and
technologies.
[0080] In conjunction with RF circuitry 108, audio circuitry 110,
speaker 111, microphone 113, touch screen 112, display controller
156, optical sensor 164, optical sensor controller 158, contact
module 130, graphics module 132, text input module 134, contacts
module 137, and telephone module 138, video conference module 139
includes executable instructions to initiate, conduct, and
terminate a video conference between a user and one or more other
participants in accordance with user instructions.
[0081] In conjunction with RF circuitry 108, touch screen 112,
display controller 156, contact/motion module 130, graphics module
132, and text input module 134, e-mail client module 140 includes
executable instructions to create, send, receive, and manage e-mail
in response to user instructions. In conjunction with image
management module 144, e-mail client module 140 makes it very easy
to create and send e-mails with still or video images taken with
camera module 143.
[0082] In conjunction with RF circuitry 108, touch screen 112,
display controller 156, contact module 130, graphics module 132,
and text input module 134, the instant messaging module 141
includes executable instructions to enter a sequence of characters
corresponding to an instant message, to modify previously entered
characters, to transmit a respective instant message (for example,
using a Short Message Service (SMS) or Multimedia Message Service
(MMS) protocol for telephony-based instant messages or using XMPP,
SIMPLE, or IMPS for Internet-based instant messages), to receive
instant messages and to view received instant messages. In some
embodiments, transmitted and/or received instant messages may
include graphics, photos, audio files, video files and/or other
attachments as are supported in a MMS and/or an Enhanced Messaging
Service (EMS). As used herein, "instant messaging" refers to both
telephony-based messages (e.g., messages sent using SMS or MMS) and
Internet-based messages (e.g., messages sent using XMPP, SIMPLE, or
IMPS).
[0083] In conjunction with RF circuitry 108, touch screen 112,
display controller 156, contact module 130, graphics module 132,
text input module 134, GPS module 135, map module 154, and music
player module, workout support module 142 includes executable
instructions to create workouts (e.g., with time, distance, and/or
calorie burning goals); communicate with workout sensors (sports
devices); receive workout sensor data; calibrate sensors used to
monitor a workout; select and play music for a workout; and
display, store and transmit workout data.
[0084] In conjunction with touch screen 112, display controller
156, optical sensor(s) 164, optical sensor controller 158,
contact/motion module 130, graphics module 132, and image
management module 144, camera module 143 includes executable
instructions to capture still images or video (including a video
stream) and store them into memory 102, modify characteristics of a
still image or video, or delete a still image or video from memory
102.
[0085] In conjunction with touch screen 112, display controller
156, contact/motion module 130, graphics module 132, text input
module 134, and camera module 143, image management module 144
includes executable instructions to arrange, modify (e.g., edit),
or otherwise manipulate, label, delete, present (e.g., in a digital
slide show or album), and store still and/or video images.
[0086] In conjunction with touch screen 112, display controller
156, contact/motion module 130, graphics module 132, audio
circuitry 110, and speaker 111, video player module 145 includes
executable instructions to display, present or otherwise play back
videos (e.g., on touch screen 112 or on an external, connected
display via external port 124).
[0087] In conjunction with touch screen 112, display system
controller 156, contact module 130, graphics module 132, audio
circuitry 110, speaker 111, RF circuitry 108, and browser module
147, music player module 146 includes executable instructions that
allow the user to download and play back recorded music and other
sound files stored in one or more file formats, such as MP3 or AAC
files. In some embodiments, device 100 may include the
functionality of an MP3 player, such as an iPod (trademark of Apple
Inc.).
[0088] In conjunction with RF circuitry 108, touch screen 112,
display controller 156, contact/motion module 130, graphics module
132, and text input module 134, browser module 147 includes
executable instructions to browse the Internet in accordance with
user instructions, including searching, linking to, receiving, and
displaying web-pages or portions thereof, as well as attachments
and other files linked to web-pages.
[0089] In conjunction with RF circuitry 108, touch screen 112,
display controller 156, contact/motion module 130, graphics module
132, text input module 134, e-mail client module 140, and browser
module 147, calendar module 148 includes executable instructions to
create, display, modify, and store calendars and data associated
with calendars (e.g., calendar entries, to do lists, etc.) in
accordance with user instructions.
[0090] In conjunction with RF circuitry 108, touch screen 112,
display controller 156, contact/motion module 130, graphics module
132, text input module 134, and browser module 147, widget modules
149 are mini-applications that may be downloaded and used by a user
(e.g., weather widget 149-1, stocks widget 149-2, calculator widget
149-3, alarm clock widget 149-4, and dictionary widget 149-5) or
created by the user (e.g., user-created widget 149-6). In some
embodiments, a widget includes an HTML (Hypertext Markup Language)
file, a CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) file, and a JavaScript file.
In some embodiments, a widget includes an XML (Extensible Markup
Language) file and a JavaScript file (e.g., Yahoo! Widgets).
[0091] In conjunction with RF circuitry 108, touch screen 112,
display controller 156, contact/motion module 130, graphics module
132, text input module 134, and browser module 147, the widget
creator module 150 may be used by a user to create widgets (e.g.,
turning a user-specified portion of a web-page into a widget).
[0092] In conjunction with touch screen 112, display controller
156, contact/motion module 130, graphics module 132, and text input
module 134, search module 151 includes executable instructions to
search for text, music, sound, image, video, and/or other files in
memory 102 that match one or more search criteria (e.g., one or
more user-specified search terms) in accordance with user
instructions.
[0093] In conjunction with touch screen 112, display controller
156, contact/motion module 130, graphics module 132, audio
circuitry 110, speaker 111, RF circuitry 108, and browser module
147, video and music player module 152 includes executable
instructions that allow the user to download and play back recorded
music and other sound files stored in one or more file formats,
such as MP3 or AAC files, and executable instructions to display,
present, or otherwise play back videos (e.g., on touch screen 112
or on an external, connected display via external port 124). In
some embodiments, device 100 optionally includes the functionality
of an MP3 player, such as an iPod (trademark of Apple Inc.).
[0094] In conjunction with touch screen 112, display controller
156, contact/motion module 130, graphics module 132, and text input
module 134, notes module 153 includes executable instructions to
create and manage notes, to-do lists, and the like in accordance
with user instructions.
[0095] In conjunction with RF circuitry 108, touch screen 112,
display controller 156, contact/motion module 130, graphics module
132, text input module 134, GPS module 135, and browser module 147,
map module 154 may be used to receive, display, modify, and store
maps and data associated with maps (e.g., driving directions; data
on stores and other points of interest at or near a particular
location; and other location-based data) in accordance with user
instructions.
[0096] In conjunction with touch screen 112, display controller
156, contact/motion module 130, graphics module 132, audio
circuitry 110, speaker 111, RF circuitry 108, text input module
134, e-mail client module 140, and browser module 147, online video
module 155 includes instructions that allow the user to access,
browse, receive (e.g., by streaming and/or download), play back
(e.g., on the touch screen or on an external, connected display via
external port 124), send an e-mail with a link to a particular
online video, and otherwise manage online videos in one or more
file formats, such as H.264. In some embodiments, instant messaging
module 141, rather than e-mail client module 140, is used to send a
link to a particular online video. Additional description of the
online video application can be found in U.S. Provisional Patent
Application No. 60/936,562, "Portable Multifunction Device, Method,
and Graphical User Interface for Playing Online Videos," filed Jun.
20, 2007, and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/968,067,
"Portable Multifunction Device, Method, and Graphical User
Interface for Playing Online Videos," filed Dec. 31, 2007, the
contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their
entirety.
[0097] Each of the above identified modules and applications
corresponds to a set of executable instructions for performing one
or more functions described above and the methods described in this
application (e.g., the computer-implemented methods and other
information processing methods described herein). These modules
(e.g., sets of instructions) need not be implemented as separate
software programs, procedures or modules, and thus various subsets
of these modules may be combined or otherwise rearranged in various
embodiments. For example, video player module may be combined with
music player module into a single module (e.g., video and music
player module 152, FIG. 1B). In some embodiments, memory 102 may
store a subset of the modules and data structures identified above.
Furthermore, memory 102 may store additional modules and data
structures not described above.
[0098] In some embodiments, device 100 is a device where operation
of a predefined set of functions on the device is performed
exclusively through a touch screen and/or a touchpad. By using a
touch screen and/or a touchpad as the primary input control device
for operation of device 100, the number of physical input control
devices (such as push buttons, dials, and the like) on device 100
may be reduced.
[0099] The predefined set of functions that may be performed
exclusively through a touch screen and/or a touchpad include
navigation between user interfaces. In some embodiments, the
touchpad, when touched by the user, navigates device 100 to a main,
home, or root menu from any user interface that may be displayed on
device 100. In such embodiments, a "menu button" is implemented
using a touchpad. In some other embodiments, the menu button is a
physical push button or other physical input control device instead
of a touchpad.
[0100] FIG. 1B is a block diagram illustrating exemplary components
for event handling in accordance with some embodiments. In some
embodiments, memory 102 (in FIG. 1A) or 370 (FIG. 3) includes event
sorter 170 (e.g., in operating system 126) and a respective
application 136-1 (e.g., any of the aforementioned applications
137-151, 155, 380-390).
[0101] Event sorter 170 receives event information and determines
the application 136-1 and application view 191 of application 136-1
to which to deliver the event information. Event sorter 170
includes event monitor 171 and event dispatcher module 174. In some
embodiments, application 136-1 includes application internal state
192, which indicates the current application view(s) displayed on
touch sensitive display 112 when the application is active or
executing. In some embodiments, device/global internal state 157 is
used by event sorter 170 to determine which application(s) is(are)
currently active, and application internal state 192 is used by
event sorter 170 to determine application views 191 to which to
deliver event information.
[0102] In some embodiments, application internal state 192 includes
additional information, such as one or more of: resume information
to be used when application 136-1 resumes execution, user interface
state information that indicates information being displayed or
that is ready for display by application 136-1, a state queue for
enabling the user to go back to a prior state or view of
application 136-1, and a redo/undo queue of previous actions taken
by the user.
[0103] Event monitor 171 receives event information from
peripherals interface 118. Event information includes information
about a sub-event (e.g., a user touch on touch-sensitive display
112, as part of a multi-touch gesture). Peripherals interface 118
transmits information it receives from I/O subsystem 106 or a
sensor, such as proximity sensor 166, accelerometer(s) 168, and/or
microphone 113 (through audio circuitry 110). Information that
peripherals interface 118 receives from I/O subsystem 106 includes
information from touch-sensitive display 112 or a touch-sensitive
surface.
[0104] In some embodiments, event monitor 171 sends requests to the
peripherals interface 118 at predetermined intervals. In response,
peripherals interface 118 transmits event information. In other
embodiments, peripherals interface 118 transmits event information
only when there is a significant event (e.g., receiving an input
above a predetermined noise threshold and/or for more than a
predetermined duration). In some embodiments, event sorter 170 also
includes a hit view determination module 172 and/or an active event
recognizer determination module 173.
[0105] Hit view determination module 172 provides software
procedures for determining where a sub-event has taken place within
one or more views, when touch sensitive display 112 displays more
than one view. Views are made up of controls and other elements
that a user can see on the display.
[0106] Another aspect of the user interface associated with an
application is a set of views, sometimes herein called application
views or user interface windows, in which information is displayed
and touch-based gestures occur. The application views (of a
respective application) in which a touch is detected may correspond
to programmatic levels within a programmatic or view hierarchy of
the application. For example, the lowest level view in which a
touch is detected may be called the hit view, and the set of events
that are recognized as proper inputs may be determined based, at
least in part, on the hit view of the initial touch that begins a
touch-based gesture.
[0107] Hit view determination module 172 receives information
related to sub-events of a touch-based gesture. When an application
has multiple views organized in a hierarchy, hit view determination
module 172 identifies a hit view as the lowest view in the
hierarchy which should handle the sub-event. In most circumstances,
the hit view is the lowest level view in which an initiating
sub-event occurs (e.g., the first sub-event in the sequence of
sub-events that form an event or potential event). Once the hit
view is identified by the hit view determination module 172, the
hit view typically receives all sub-events related to the same
touch or input source for which it was identified as the hit
view.
[0108] Active event recognizer determination module 173 determines
which view or views within a view hierarchy should receive a
particular sequence of sub-events. In some embodiments, active
event recognizer determination module 173 determines that only the
hit view should receive a particular sequence of sub-events. In
other embodiments, active event recognizer determination module 173
determines that all views that include the physical location of a
sub-event are actively involved views, and therefore determines
that all actively involved views should receive a particular
sequence of sub-events. In other embodiments, even if touch
sub-events were entirely confined to the area associated with one
particular view, views higher in the hierarchy would still remain
as actively involved views.
[0109] Event dispatcher module 174 dispatches the event information
to an event recognizer (e.g., event recognizer 180). In embodiments
including active event recognizer determination module 173, event
dispatcher module 174 delivers the event information to an event
recognizer determined by active event recognizer determination
module 173. In some embodiments, event dispatcher module 174 stores
in an event queue the event information, which is retrieved by a
respective event receiver 182.
[0110] In some embodiments, operating system 126 includes event
sorter 170. Alternatively, application 136-1 includes event sorter
170. In yet other embodiments, event sorter 170 is a stand-alone
module, or a part of another module stored in memory 102, such as
contact/motion module 130.
[0111] In some embodiments, application 136-1 includes a plurality
of event handlers 190 and one or more application views 191, each
of which includes instructions for handling touch events that occur
within a respective view of the application's user interface. Each
application view 191 of the application 136-1 includes one or more
event recognizers 180. Typically, a respective application view 191
includes a plurality of event recognizers 180. In other
embodiments, one or more of event recognizers 180 are part of a
separate module, such as a user interface kit (not shown) or a
higher level object from which application 136-1 inherits methods
and other properties. In some embodiments, a respective event
handler 190 includes one or more of: data updater 176, object
updater 177, GUI updater 178, and/or event data 179 received from
event sorter 170. Event handler 190 may utilize or call data
updater 176, object updater 177, or GUI updater 178 to update the
application internal state 192. Alternatively, one or more of the
application views 191 include one or more respective event handlers
190. Also, in some embodiments, one or more of data updater 176,
object updater 177, and GUI updater 178 are included in a
respective application view 191.
[0112] A respective event recognizer 180 receives event information
(e.g., event data 179) from event sorter 170 and identifies an
event from the event information. Event recognizer 180 includes
event receiver 182 and event comparator 184. In some embodiments,
event recognizer 180 also includes at least a subset of: metadata
183, and event delivery instructions 188 (which may include
sub-event delivery instructions).
[0113] Event receiver 182 receives event information from event
sorter 170. The event information includes information about a
sub-event, for example, a touch or a touch movement. Depending on
the sub-event, the event information also includes additional
information, such as location of the sub-event. When the sub-event
concerns motion of a touch the event information may also include
speed and direction of the sub-event. In some embodiments, events
include rotation of the device from one orientation to another
(e.g., from a portrait orientation to a landscape orientation, or
vice versa), and the event information includes corresponding
information about the current orientation (also called device
attitude) of the device.
[0114] Event comparator 184 compares the event information to
predefined event or sub-event definitions and, based on the
comparison, determines an event or sub-event, or determines or
updates the state of an event or sub-event. In some embodiments,
event comparator 184 includes event definitions 186. Event
definitions 186 contain definitions of events (e.g., predefined
sequences of sub-events), for example, event 1 (187-1), event 2
(187-2), and others. In some embodiments, sub-events in an event
(187) include, for example, touch begin, touch end, touch movement,
touch cancellation, and multiple touching. In one example, the
definition for event 1 (187-1) is a double tap on a displayed
object. The double tap, for example, comprises a first touch (touch
begin) on the displayed object for a predetermined phase, a first
liftoff (touch end) for a predetermined phase, a second touch
(touch begin) on the displayed object for a predetermined phase,
and a second liftoff (touch end) for a predetermined phase. In
another example, the definition for event 2 (187-2) is a dragging
on a displayed object. The dragging, for example, comprises a touch
(or contact) on the displayed object for a predetermined phase, a
movement of the touch across touch-sensitive display 112, and
liftoff of the touch (touch end). In some embodiments, the event
also includes information for one or more associated event handlers
190.
[0115] In some embodiments, event definitions 187 include a
definition of an event for a respective user-interface object. In
some embodiments, event comparator 184 performs a hit test to
determine which user-interface object is associated with a
sub-event. For example, in an application view in which three
user-interface objects are displayed on touch-sensitive display
112, when a touch is detected on touch-sensitive display 112, event
comparator 184 performs a hit test to determine which of the three
user-interface objects is associated with the touch (sub-event). If
each displayed object is associated with a respective event handler
190, the event comparator uses the result of the hit test to
determine which event handler 190 should be activated. For example,
event comparator 184 selects an event handler associated with the
sub-event and the object triggering the hit test.
[0116] In some embodiments, the definition for a respective event
(187) also includes delayed actions that delay delivery of the
event information until after it has been determined whether the
sequence of sub-events does or does not correspond to the event
recognizer's event type.
[0117] When a respective event recognizer 180 determines that the
series of sub-events do not match any of the events in event
definitions 186, the respective event recognizer 180 enters an
event impossible, event failed, or event ended state, after which
it disregards subsequent sub-events of the touch-based gesture. In
this situation, other event recognizers, if any, that remain active
for the hit view continue to track and process sub-events of an
ongoing touch-based gesture.
[0118] In some embodiments, a respective event recognizer 180
includes metadata 183 with configurable properties, flags, and/or
lists that indicate how the event delivery system should perform
sub-event delivery to actively involved event recognizers. In some
embodiments, metadata 183 includes configurable properties, flags,
and/or lists that indicate how event recognizers may interact, or
are enabled to interact, with one another. In some embodiments,
metadata 183 includes configurable properties, flags, and/or lists
that indicate whether sub-events are delivered to varying levels in
the view or programmatic hierarchy.
[0119] In some embodiments, a respective event recognizer 180
activates event handler 190 associated with an event when one or
more particular sub-events of an event are recognized. In some
embodiments, a respective event recognizer 180 delivers event
information associated with the event to event handler 190.
Activating an event handler 190 is distinct from sending (and
deferred sending) sub-events to a respective hit view. In some
embodiments, event recognizer 180 throws a flag associated with the
recognized event, and event handler 190 associated with the flag
catches the flag and performs a predefined process.
[0120] In some embodiments, event delivery instructions 188 include
sub-event delivery instructions that deliver event information
about a sub-event without activating an event handler. Instead, the
sub-event delivery instructions deliver event information to event
handlers associated with the series of sub-events or to actively
involved views. Event handlers associated with the series of
sub-events or with actively involved views receive the event
information and perform a predetermined process.
[0121] In some embodiments, data updater 176 creates and updates
data used in application 136-1. For example, data updater 176
updates the telephone number used in contacts module 137, or stores
a video file used in video player module. In some embodiments,
object updater 177 creates and updates objects used in application
136-1. For example, object updater 177 creates a new user-interface
object or updates the position of a user-interface object. GUI
updater 178 updates the GUI. For example, GUI updater 178 prepares
display information and sends it to graphics module 132 for display
on a touch-sensitive display.
[0122] In some embodiments, event handler(s) 190 includes or has
access to data updater 176, object updater 177, and GUI updater
178. In some embodiments, data updater 176, object updater 177, and
GUI updater 178 are included in a single module of a respective
application 136-1 or application view 191. In other embodiments,
they are included in two or more software modules.
[0123] It shall be understood that the foregoing discussion
regarding event handling of user touches on touch-sensitive
displays also applies to other forms of user inputs to operate
multifunction devices 100 with input devices, not all of which are
initiated on touch screens. For example, mouse movement and mouse
button presses, optionally coordinated with single or multiple
keyboard presses or holds; contact movements such as taps, drags,
scrolls, etc. on touchpads; pen stylus inputs; movement of the
device; oral instructions; detected eye movements; biometric
inputs; and/or any combination thereof are optionally utilized as
inputs corresponding to sub-events which define an event to be
recognized.
[0124] FIG. 2 illustrates a portable multifunction device 100
having a touch screen 112 in accordance with some embodiments. The
touch screen may display one or more graphics within user interface
(UI) 200. In this embodiment, as well as others described below, a
user may select one or more of the graphics by making contact or
touching the graphics, for example, with one or more fingers 202
(not drawn to scale in the figure) or one or more styluses 203 (not
drawn to scale in the figure). In some embodiments, selection of
one or more graphics occurs when the user breaks contact with the
one or more graphics. In some embodiments, the contact may include
a gesture, such as one or more taps, one or more swipes (from left
to right, right to left, upward and/or downward) and/or a rolling
of a finger (from right to left, left to right, upward and/or
downward) that has made contact with device 100. In some
embodiments, inadvertent contact with a graphic may not select the
graphic. For example, a swipe gesture that sweeps over an
application icon may not select the corresponding application when
the gesture corresponding to selection is a tap.
[0125] Device 100 may also include one or more physical buttons,
such as "home" or menu button 204. As described previously, menu
button 204 may be used to navigate to any application 136 in a set
of applications that may be executed on device 100. Alternatively,
in some embodiments, the menu button is implemented as a soft key
in a GUI displayed on touch screen 112.
[0126] In one embodiment, device 100 includes touch screen 112,
menu button 204, push button 206 for powering the device on/off and
locking the device, volume adjustment button(s) 208, Subscriber
Identity Module (SIM) card slot 210, head set jack 212, and
docking/charging external port 124. Push button 206 may be used to
turn the power on/off on the device by depressing the button and
holding the button in the depressed state for a predefined time
interval; to lock the device by depressing the button and releasing
the button before the predefined time interval has elapsed; and/or
to unlock the device or initiate an unlock process. In an
alternative embodiment, device 100 also may accept verbal input for
activation or deactivation of some functions through microphone
113.
[0127] FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an exemplary multifunction
device with a display and a touch-sensitive surface in accordance
with some embodiments. Device 300 need not be portable. In some
embodiments, device 300 is a laptop computer, a desktop computer, a
tablet computer, a multimedia player device, a navigation device,
an educational device (such as a child's learning toy), a gaming
system, or a control device (e.g., a home or industrial
controller). Device 300 typically includes one or more processing
units (CPU's) 310, one or more network or other communications
interfaces 360, memory 370, and one or more communication buses 320
for interconnecting these components. Communication buses 320 may
include circuitry (sometimes called a chipset) that interconnects
and controls communications between system components. Device 300
includes input/output (I/O) interface 330 comprising display 340,
which is typically a touch screen display. I/O interface 330 also
may include a keyboard and/or mouse (or other pointing device) 350
and touchpad 355. Memory 370 includes high-speed random access
memory, such as DRAM, SRAM, DDR RAM or other random access solid
state memory devices; and may include non-volatile memory, such as
one or more magnetic disk storage devices, optical disk storage
devices, flash memory devices, or other non-volatile solid state
storage devices. Memory 370 may optionally include one or more
storage devices remotely located from CPU(s) 310. In some
embodiments, memory 370 stores programs, modules, and data
structures analogous to the programs, modules, and data structures
stored in memory 102 of portable multifunction device 100 (FIG. 1),
or a subset thereof. Furthermore, memory 370 may store additional
programs, modules, and data structures not present in memory 102 of
portable multifunction device 100. For example, memory 370 of
device 300 may store drawing module 380, presentation module 382,
word processing module 384, website creation module 386, disk
authoring module 388, and/or spreadsheet module 390, while memory
102 of portable multifunction device 100 (FIG. 1) may not store
these modules.
[0128] Each of the above identified elements in FIG. 3 may be
stored in one or more of the previously mentioned memory devices.
Each of the above identified modules corresponds to a set of
instructions for performing a function described above. The above
identified modules or programs (i.e., sets of instructions) need
not be implemented as separate software programs, procedures or
modules, and thus various subsets of these modules may be combined
or otherwise re-arranged in various embodiments. In some
embodiments, memory 370 may store a subset of the modules and data
structures identified above. Furthermore, memory 370 may store
additional modules and data structures not described above.
[0129] Attention is now directed towards embodiments of user
interfaces ("UI") that may be implemented on portable multifunction
device 100. FIG. 4A illustrates exemplary user interfaces for a
menu of applications on portable multifunction device 100 in
accordance with some embodiments. Similar user interfaces may be
implemented on device 300. In some embodiments, user interface 400
includes the following elements, or a subset or superset thereof:
[0130] Signal strength indicator(s) 402 for wireless
communication(s), such as cellular and Wi-Fi signals; [0131] Time
404; [0132] Bluetooth indicator 405; [0133] Battery status
indicator 406; [0134] Tray 408 with icons for frequently used
applications, such as: [0135] Icon 416 for telephone module 138,
labeled "Phone," which optionally includes an indicator 414 of the
number of missed calls or voicemail messages; [0136] Icon 418 for
e-mail client module 140, labeled "Mail," which optionally includes
an indicator 410 of the number of unread e-mails; [0137] Icon 420
for browser module 147, labeled "Browser;" and [0138] Icon 422 for
video and music player module 152, also referred to as iPod
(trademark of Apple Inc.) module 152, labeled "iPod;" and [0139]
Icons for other applications, such as: [0140] Icon 424 for IM
module 141, labeled "Messages;" [0141] Icon 426 for calendar module
148, labeled "Calendar;" [0142] Icon 428 for image management
module 144, labeled "Photos;" [0143] Icon 430 for camera module
143, labeled "Camera;" [0144] Icon 432 for online video module 155,
labeled "Online Video;" [0145] Icon 434 for stocks widget 149-2,
labeled "Stocks;" [0146] Icon 436 for map module 154, labeled
"Maps;" [0147] Icon 438 for weather widget 149-1, labeled
"Weather;" [0148] Icon 440 for alarm clock widget 149-4, labeled
"Clock;" [0149] Icon 442 for workout support module 142, labeled
"Workout Support;" [0150] Icon 444 for notes module 153, labeled
"Notes;" and [0151] Icon 446 for a settings application or module,
labeled "Settings," which provides access to settings for device
100 and its various applications 136.
[0152] FIG. 4B illustrates an exemplary user interface on a device
(e.g., device 300, FIG. 3) with a touch-sensitive surface 451
(e.g., a tablet or touchpad 355, FIG. 3) that is separate from the
display 450 (e.g., touch screen display 112). Although many of the
examples which follow will be given with reference to inputs on
touch screen display 112 (where the touch sensitive surface and the
display are combined), in some embodiments, the device detects
inputs on a touch-sensitive surface that is separate from the
display, as shown in FIG. 4B. In some embodiments the touch
sensitive surface (e.g., 451) has a primary axis (e.g., 452) that
corresponds to a primary axis (e.g., 453) on the display (e.g.,
450). In accordance with these embodiments, the device detects
contacts (e.g., 460 and 462) with the touch-sensitive surface 451
at locations that correspond to respective locations on the display
(e.g., 460 corresponds to 468 and 462 corresponds to 470). In this
way, user inputs (e.g., contacts 460 and 462, and movements
thereof) detected by the device on the touch-sensitive surface
(e.g., 451) are used by the device to manipulate the user interface
on the display (e.g., 450) of the multifunction device when the
touch-sensitive surface is separate from the display. It should be
understood that similar methods may be used for other user
interfaces described herein.
[0153] Additionally, while the following examples are given
primarily with reference to finger inputs (e.g., finger contacts,
finger tap gestures, finger swipe gestures), it should be
understood that, in some embodiments, one or more of the finger
inputs are replaced with input from another input device (e.g., a
mouse-based input or stylus input). For example, a swipe gesture
is, optionally, replaced with a mouse click (e.g., instead of a
contact) followed by movement of the cursor along the path of the
swipe (e.g., instead of movement of the contact). As another
example, a tap gesture is, optionally, replaced with a mouse click
while the cursor is located over the location of the tap gesture
(e.g., instead of detection of the contact followed by ceasing to
detect the contact). Similarly, when multiple user inputs are
simultaneously detected, it should be understood that multiple
computer mice are, optionally, used simultaneously, or a mouse and
finger contacts are, optionally, used simultaneously.
[0154] As used in the specification and claims, the term "open
application" refers to a software application with retained state
information (e.g., as part of device/global internal state 157
and/or application internal state 192). An open (e.g., executing)
application is any one of the following types of applications:
[0155] an active application, which is currently displayed on
display 112 (or a corresponding application view is currently
displayed on the display); [0156] a background application (or
background process), which is not currently displayed on display
112, but one or more application processes (e.g., instructions) for
the corresponding application are being processed by one or more
processors 120 (i.e., running); [0157] a suspended application,
which is not currently running, and the application is stored in a
volatile memory (e.g., DRAM, SRAM, DDR RAM, or other volatile
random access solid state memory device of memory 102); and [0158]
a hibernated application, which is not running, and the application
is stored in a non-volatile memory (e.g., one or more magnetic disk
storage devices, optical disk storage devices, flash memory
devices, or other non-volatile solid state storage devices of
memory 102).
[0159] As used herein, the term "closed application" refers to
software applications without retained state information (e.g.,
state information for closed applications is not stored in a memory
of the device). Accordingly, closing an application includes
stopping and/or removing application processes for the application
and removing state information for the application from the memory
of the device. Generally, opening a second application while in a
first application does not close the first application. When the
second application is displayed and the first application ceases to
be displayed, the first application becomes a background
application.
[0160] Attention is now directed towards embodiments of user
interfaces ("UI") and associated processes that may be implemented
on an electronic device with a display and a touch-sensitive
surface, such as devices 100 and/or 300, to improve a user's
experience in messaging applications. For brevity, the techniques
described herein may be referred to as "predictive answers" or
"canned answers". For purposes of this disclosure, a messaging
application is a software application that supports the sending and
receiving of messages between different users (e.g., participants).
Messaging applications are sometimes referred to as "chat programs"
or "chat rooms." A "message" refers to a piece of information that
is sent to/from participants in a conversation. A message may
contain one or more of the following types of information: text, an
image (including icons and other affordances, whether interactive
or not), a video, an audio clip, an emoji, and so forth. A "message
transcript" refers to a listing of messages between the
participant(s) of a message-based conversation.
Exemplary User Interfaces
[0161] FIGS. 5A-5C demonstrate exemplary user interfaces that
support predictive answers, used in some embodiments. FIG. 5A shows
electronic device 500. Electronic device 500 may be portable
multifunction device 100 in some embodiments. Electronic device 500
may be multifunction device 300 in some embodiments. In the
illustrated example, electronic device 500 is a cellular phone.
Cellular phone 500 may display a user interface screen provided by
a messaging software application. The user interface screen may
have message transcript 502 showing a conversation between the user
of device 500 and one or more participants, such as participant
506. Message transcript 502 may include message 504, received from
(a device used by) participant 506.
[0162] The content of message 504--"are you going to be around in
the next half hour to an hour?"--is a question. In linguistics
parlance, this sentence constitutes an interrogatory. Device 500 is
able to make this determination that message 504 contains an
interrogatory. (As discussed in more detail below, the
determination may be based on the verbiage "are you" appearing at
the beginning of the message and the question mark at the end of
the message.) On this basis, device 500 displays affordances 510,
512, and 514 horizontally across region 508. Affordances 510, 512,
and 514 represent answers that device 500 predicts to be helpful to
the user in responding to message 504. As shown, the suggested
predictive answers include "yes," "no," and "maybe."
[0163] The user of device 500 may select one of the displayed
affordances to send the corresponding predictive answer to
participant 506. In some embodiments, the selection may be made
through touch event(s) (e.g., a tap, a swipe, a flick, a hold,
etc.). In some embodiments, the selection may be made through mouse
event(s) (e.g., a hover, click, double-click, drag, etc.). In the
example illustrated by FIG. 5B, the user selects affordance 510
(representing "yes") by contacting (e.g., tapping) the
touch-sensitive display of device 500 at the location of affordance
510.
[0164] Turning to FIG. 5C, in response the selection of affordance
510, device 500 inserts the corresponding predictive answer ("yes")
into message transcript 502. As shown, the answer "yes" is inserted
into region 512. Device 500 may also send the predictive answer to
the participant(s) of the on-going conversation, without requiring
further user input. In this way, device 500 allows its user to
respond to participant 506 quickly and meaningfully, in that the
user was able to respond in a relevant manner without having to
type out the reply manually.
[0165] Region 512 may have different visual appearances in
different embodiments. In the illustrated embodiment, region 512
appears as a message bubble. The phrase "message bubble" is used
here consistent with its ordinary meaning in the art to refer to
graphic conventions representing a person's speech. Speech bubbles
are also sometimes referred to as speech balloons and dialogue
balloons. However, affordance 512 need not be limited to a speech
bubble; in some embodiments (not shown), region 512 may take on a
geometric shape, such as a rectangle having rounded corners or may
be presented as plain text without a geometric container. More
generally speaking, in some embodiments, region 512 may be a
contiguous display region that is distinct from the background of
message transcript 502.
[0166] Predictive answer functionalities provide multiple benefits.
The availability of predictive answers reduces the cognitive and
physical burden on a user who is conversing with other
participant(s) in a message conversation, thereby improving user
experience and efficiency. In addition to improving user
experience, predictive answers can also reduce processor and
battery power otherwise wasted on processing the multiple user
inputs that would be required to input a responsive message.
[0167] Nevertheless, sometimes, it is necessary for a user to type
out a more detailed response to an incoming message. Device 500
provides virtual keyboard 520 for this purpose. For example, in
response to message 504 (FIG. 5A), the user may wish to clarify
that she can stay for 45 minutes, which neither a half hour to a
full hour as prompted by message 504. While providing predictive
answers, device 500 can also accommodate the additional input
modalities of keyboard input. Turning back to FIG. 5A, device 500
may display both virtual keyboard 520 and predictive answers
simultaneously. Indeed, in the example of FIG. 5A, region 508 for
invoking predictive answers is displayed contiguous with virtual
keyboard 520. As a result, a user who is able to reach one input
modality (e.g., predictive answers)--while gripping device 500 in a
certain way--is also likely to be able to access the other input
modality (e.g., virtual keyboard 520) without having to reposition
the device. However, as will be understood by one of ordinary skill
in the art, the present invention is not limited to placement of
the predicted answers modality contiguous with the virtual keyboard
520, and the predicted answers modality can be located anywhere on
the screen.
[0168] To further provide a seamless user experience across
different input modalities, in some embodiments, as the user begins
to type using virtual keyboard 520, device 500 switches from
providing predictive answers to providing auto-correct
recommendations. This aspect is further described via FIG. 5D with
reference back to FIG. 5A: When a user begins typing by selecting
key 522 (i.e., "y"), device 500 may cease to display predictive
answers (e.g., affordances 510, 512, and 514). Instead, device 500
may display auto-correct affordances 524, 526, and 528. In some
embodiments, auto-correct affordances 524, 526, and 528 replace
predictive answers affordances 510, 512, and 514 (FIG. 5A) in
region 508. These auto-correct affordances may represent
recommendations based on the user's key presses. As shown, in
response to the input "y," device 500 offers "yes," "yep," and "ur"
as auto-correct recommendations. The user may select one of the
auto-correct affordances to send the corresponding recommendation
as a message to the participant(s) of the on-going message
conversation. In this way, device 500 permits a user to seamless
transition between multiple input modalities while retaining the
useful features of each modality.
[0169] FIGS. 5E-5G demonstrate additional exemplary user interfaces
supporting predictive answers in some embodiments. As shown in FIG.
5E, electronic device 500 may display message transcript 530.
Message transcript may include message 532 received from
participant 540. As discussed above, device 500 is able to
determine that message 532 contains an interrogatory, particularly
a question about the user's whereabouts in the next half hour to
hour. In accordance with this determination, device 500 displays
affordances 534, 536, and 538 containing the predictive answers
"can't chat now," "no," and "yes," respectively. In the illustrated
example, affordances 534, 536, and 538 are displayed horizontally
within message transcript 530.
[0170] FIG. 5F illustrates an embodiment in which device 500
displays predictive answer affordances in a vertical arrangement
within message transcript 548. As shown, predictive answer
affordances 542, 544, and 546 are displayed vertically. In
addition, as shown, a virtual keyboard (e.g., virtual keyboard 520)
is not displayed in order to increase space for the display of
message transcript 548. Device 500 may, however, display a virtual
keyboard when a touch event or mouse event on message input field
550 is received. In some embodiments, when the virtual keyboard is
invoked, device 500 continues to display affordances 542, 544, and
546 vertically. In some embodiments, if a user invokes the display
of a virtual keyboard, device 500 transitions to display
affordances 542, 544, and 546 horizontally across one or more rows.
Put another way, it is possible for device 500 to transition from
the user interface illustrated in FIG. 5F to a user interface
screen that is similar to user interface screen 530 (FIG. 5E), if
and when the user invokes a virtual keyboard.
[0171] Predictive answer affordances 534, 536, 538, 542, 544, and
546 shown in FIGS. 5E and 5F are available for user selection. When
a displayed predictive answer affordance is selected, its
corresponding message is inserted into the relevant message
transcript, and the message is sent to the participant(s) of the
ongoing messaging conversation. FIGS. 5G and 5H illustrate this
aspect. As shown in FIG. 5G, device 500 may display predictive
answer affordances 534, 536, and 538 in view of incoming message
532. A user may select affordance 534 representing the message
"can't chat now." Turning to FIG. 5H, in response to detecting the
user selection of affordance 534, device 500 may display the
selected predictive answer in message transcript 530. Specifically,
the message "can't chat now" is inserted into message bubble 552 in
message transcript 554.
[0172] Further, as discussed above, when predictive answer
affordances 534, 536, 538, 542, 544, and/or 546 are displayed, a
user may still type in a message using a virtual keyboard. FIG. 5I
describes this aspect. As shown FIG. 5I, when a user begins to type
on virtual keyboard 540, device 500 may cease to display predictive
answers. Optionally, the device may display auto-correct
recommendations. Comparing FIG. 5I with 5E, when a user selects key
522 (i.e., "y"), affordances 534, 536, and 538 are removed from the
display, while auto-correct affordances 524, 526, and 528 become
displayed. A user may select one of the auto-correct affordances to
insert a corresponding message into the on-going message
transcript.
[0173] The visual appearance of affordances used to represent
predictive answer in different embodiments may vary. Turning back
to FIGS. 5E and 5F, in the illustrated embodiments, affordances
534, 536, 538, 542, 544, and 546 are of a rectangular shape with
rounded edges. In some embodiments, the affordances may take on the
visual appearance of message bubbles. In some embodiments, the
affordances may take on the visual appearance of a geometric shape.
In some embodiments, the affordances may be contiguous regions that
are visually distinct from a background of the message transcript
of which it is a part. Also, in the illustrated examples of FIGS.
5E and 5F, affordances 534, 536, 538, 542, 544, and/or 546 have
dashed outlines. Dashed outlines may be used to emphasize
that--while the displayed affordances are available for user
selection--their contents have not yet been made part of the
message transcript. In other words, a dashed outline may indicate
that a predictive answer is available for selection but has not yet
been sent to other participants in the ongoing conversation.
[0174] The visual appearance of affordances used to represent
predictive answers--once the affordance is selected, may also
change. Turning again to FIGS. 5G and 5H, affordance 534
(representing the predictive answer of "can't chat now") has a
rectangular shape and dashed edges before user selection. Once
selected, the content of affordance 534 is displayed inside a
message bubble having a solid outline. One of ordinary skill in the
art should appreciate that other graphic conventions for displaying
message bubbles may be used. For example, instead of a message
bubble having a solid outline, device 500 may display a message
bubble filled in a color different from the background of message
transcript 554 (FIG. 5H), thereby avoiding the need for any outline
to visually distinguish the message bubble. As discussed above,
affordance 534 need not be limited to message bubbles, but may be
of other shapes, as well.
[0175] The foregoing examples describe different user interfaces
for providing one particular set of predictive answers in response
to an exemplary incoming message. The techniques described herein
are not limited to just one set of predictive responses. Attention
is now directed to other predictive answers can be provided. In
FIG. 5J, device 500 is displaying message 560 from participant 562.
As shown, message 560 asks question "beef or chicken"? As before,
device 500 may determine that message 560 contains an interrogatory
(based on at least the use of the question mark in the message). In
addition, in parsing message 560, device 500 may recognize the
interrogatory is one that contains alternative choices, based on
the appearance of the word "or" in the message. In this case,
device 500 may parse the words immediately before and after the
word "or". As applied to the illustrated example, device 500 may
parse the words "beef" and "chicken" because these words appear
immediately before and after "or" in message 560. Device 500 may
provide the parsed words as predictive answers. As shown in FIG.
5J, device 500 displays predictive answers affordances 564 and 566
corresponding to "beef" and "chicken," respectively. Optionally,
when an incoming question is (as is the case here) a question that
suggests alternative answers, a device 500 may display other
predictive answers, such as "neither," "both," and/or "don't care,"
as these answers often can be relevant to interrogatories having
alternative answers. In the illustrated example, affordance 568
corresponds to the answer of "don't care."
[0176] The foregoing examples describe predictive answers that are
provided only using text characters. The techniques described
herein are not limited to just suggesting text characters. Rather,
predictive answers can contain other types of suggested characters,
including, e.g., emoji's, affordances (e.g., icons), images, and
videos. Conceptually, predictive answers can be any type of
information as long as the information can be transmitted as a
message. For purposes of this disclosure, the term "one or more
characters" encompasses all of the above described types of
information (e.g., text, emoji's, affordances (e.g., icons),
images, videos).
[0177] Attention is now directed to these alternative types of
predictive answers, with reference to FIGS. 6A-6E. Turning first to
FIG. 6A, device 600 may display message transcript 602 having
incoming messages 604, 606, and 608. In view of the content of one
or more of incoming messages 604, 606, and 608, device 600 may
display predictive answer affordance 610 having a telephone
affordance (e.g., icon). If a user selects affordance 610, device
600 may initiate a phone call to participant 612. Device 600 may
decide to display affordance 610 in at least one of two ways. In
some embodiments, device 600 may recognize that the contents of
most-recently-received message 608 ("can we talk") as an invitation
from participant 612 for voice communication. In some embodiments,
device 600 may recognize that participant 612 has sent a large
number of messages in quick succession, and thus voice
communication may be an appropriate, proactive response. The large
number may be a predetermined threshold set within the software
that is running on device 600. In this way, device 600 permits a
user to respond to an incoming message by phoning the message's
sender.
[0178] Although FIG. 6A illustrates an example in which device 600
displays a voice call affordance as a predictive answer, it should
be understood that other methods of communication are possible. In
some embodiments, device 600 may recognize that the participants to
a messaging conversation are using electronic devices that support
video calls (e.g., FaceTime.RTM. provided by Apple Inc. of
Cupertino, Calif.). In this case, device 600 may display an
affordance for invoking a video call. In some embodiments, device
600 may additionally consider whether the participants are
messaging through specific infrastructures in determining
predictive answers. For example, device 600 may display an
affordance for invoking a cellular call when the participants are
not connected via a wide or local area network, but display an
affordance for invoking a Voice-over-IP call otherwise.
[0179] Turning to FIG. 6B, device 600 may display message
transcript 614 having incoming message 616. Message 616 contains an
inquiry from participant 620 as to John Doe's phone number. In view
of this content of message 616, device 600 may determine whether it
has access to John Doe's contact information. For example, device
600 may be able to produce an electronic business card for John Doe
based on contact information stored on or otherwise accessible
(e.g., through the Cloud) to device 600. If device 600 is able to
do so, it may display predictive answer affordance 618 for sending
John Doe's electronic business card (e.g., vCard) to participant
620. In addition, device 600 may display predictive answer
affordance 619 for sending John Doe's phone number to participant
620. If a user selects affordance 618, device 600 may insert a
representation of the vCard into message transcript 614 and send
the corresponding vCard information to participant 620. If a user
selects affordance 619, device 600 may insert the phone number
555-1212 into message transcript 614 and send the number to
participant 620. In this way, device 600 permits a user to respond
to an incoming message by providing electronic business card
information to the message's sender.
[0180] Turning to FIG. 6C, device 600 may display message
transcript 622 having incoming message 624. Message 624 may contain
an inquiry from participant 628 as to the location of the user of
device 600. In view of this content of message 624, device 600 may
determine whether it has access to locational information regarding
its own whereabouts. For example, device 600 may obtain GPS
coordinate information from on-board GPS module 136 (FIG. 1A). If
location information is available, device 600 may display
predictive answer affordance 626 for sending the user/device's
location to participant 628. If a user selects affordance 626,
device 600 may insert a representation of the user/device's
location (e.g., a map image) into message transcript 622 and send
the corresponding location information to the device used by
participant 628. In this way, device 600 permits a user to respond
to an incoming message by providing locational information to the
message's sender.
[0181] Turning to FIG. 6D, device 600 may display message
transcript 630 having incoming message 632. Message 632 may be a
message from particular participant-of-interest 640. In some
embodiments, participants-of-interest are designated by a user of
device 600 (e.g., user favorites). In some embodiments,
participants-of-interest are contacts most messaged by the user of
device 600. In view of message 632 being sent by
participant-of-interest 640, device 600 may display predictive
answers that are most likely to be relevant for participant 640. In
some embodiments, device 600 considers those answers
most-frequently sent to participant 640 as being relevant. In some
embodiments, device 600 considers those answers most-recently sent
to participant 640 as being relevant. In the illustrated
embodiments, device 600 includes emoji icons as possible predictive
answers (e.g., affordance 634). If a user selects one of the
displayed affordances 634, 636, or 638, device 600 may display the
corresponding answer in messages transcript 630 and send the
corresponding message to participant-of-interest 640. In some
embodiments, device 600 may rank the predictive answers and display
the highest ranked answer in a specific on-screen location (e.g.,
as the center affordance in a horizontal arrangement such as FIG.
5A, or as the top affordance in a vertical arrangement such as FIG.
5F). For example, device 600 may determine that the phrase "yes,
dear" is most frequently sent message to participant 640 and
therefore display the corresponding affordance 636 as the middle
affordance in region 639.
[0182] Turning to FIG. 6E, device 600 may display message
transcript 650 having incoming message 652. Message 652 may contain
an inquiry from participant 654 as to the time of John's birthday
party. In view of this content of message 652, device 600 may
determine whether it has access to a calendar entry referring to
John's birthday party. For example, device 600 may be able to
produce a calendar invitation titled "John's Birthday" based on
calendar information stored on or otherwise accessible (e.g.,
through the Cloud) to device 600. If device 600 is able to do so,
it may display predictive answer affordance 658 for sending a copy
of the calendar event to participant 654. In addition, device 600
may be able to parse the obtained calendar information to determine
that the start time of John's party is 730 pm. If device 600 is
able to do so, it may display predictive answer affordance 656 for
sending the start time as text to participant 654. If a user
selects affordance 656 or 658, the corresponding information ("730
pm" and a calendar event, respectively) may be sent to participant
654. Device 600 may also insert a representation of the sent
information into message transcript 650.
Exemplary Processes
[0183] FIG. 7 is a flow diagram illustrating process 700 for
providing predictive answers. Process 700 may be performed at an
electronic device with a display and a touch-sensitive surface,
like device 100 (FIG. 1) and device 300 (FIG. 3). At block 702, the
device displays a message transcript, the message transcript
including at least one message from at least a first user. At block
704, the device determines, based at least in-part on the at least
one message, a plurality of suggested one or more characters. These
suggested one or more characters may be drawn from the examples of
predictive answers discussed above with reference to FIGS. 5A-5J
and 6A-6D, for example. At block 706, the device displays, on its
touch-sensitive display, the plurality of suggested one or more
characters. The display may be drawn from the examples of user
interface layouts described above with reference to FIGS. 5A, 5E,
and 5F, for example. At block 708, the device detects an input on
the touch-sensitive display. At block 710, the device determines
whether the input represents user selection of one of the plurality
of suggested one or more characters. At block 710, the device, in
accordance with a determination that the input represents user
selection of one of the plurality of suggested one or more
characters, displays the selected one of the plurality of suggested
one or more characters in the message transcript.
[0184] FIG. 8 is a flow diagram illustrating process 800 for
providing predictive answers. Process 800 may be performed at an
electronic device with a display and a touch-sensitive surface,
like device 100 (FIG. 1) and device 300 (FIG. 3). At block 802, the
device displays, in a first region of the display, a message
transcript, the message transcript including at least one message
from at least a first user. At block 804, the device displays, in a
second region of the display, a virtual keyboard, the virtual
keyboard including a number of character keys. At block 806, the
device displays, in a third region of the display, a plurality of
suggested one or more characters, the plurality of suggested
characters determined based, at least in-part, on a content of the
at least one message received from the first user. In some
embodiments, the third region is displayed contiguous with one of
the first and second regions. In some embodiments, the third region
is displayed contiguous with the first and second regions. At block
808, optionally, the device detects input representing user
selection of a suggested one or more characters from the displayed
plurality of one or more characters. At block 810, optionally, in
response to in response to detecting the input, the device displays
the selected suggested one or more characters into the message
transcript in the first area.
[0185] FIG. 9 is a flow diagram illustrating process 900 for
providing predictive answers. Process 900 may be performed at an
electronic device with a display and a touch-sensitive surface,
like device 100 (FIG. 1) and device 300 (FIG. 3). At block 902, the
device displays a message transcript, the message transcript
including at least one message from at least a first user. At block
904, the device determines, based at least in-part on the at least
one message, a plurality of suggested one or more characters. At
block 906, the device displays a first suggested one or more
characters of the plurality of suggested one or more characters in
a first region on the touch-sensitive display. The region may be a
contiguous region visually distinguished from the background of the
message transcript. At block 908, optionally, the device detects
input representing a contact on a displayed text input area, and in
response to detecting the input, displays a virtual keyboard. The
displayed virtual keyboard may include a number of character keys.
At block 910, optionally, the device detects keyboard input
representing one or more contacts on the virtual keyboard, and in
response to detecting the keyboard input, the device ceases to the
display the first suggested one or more characters.
[0186] FIG. 10 is a flow diagram illustrating process 1000 for
providing predictive answers. Process 1000 may be performed at an
electronic device with a display and a touch-sensitive surface,
like device 100 (FIG. 1) and device 300 (FIG. 3). At block 1002,
the device displays a message transcript, the message transcript
including at least one message from at least a first user. At block
1004, the device determines, based at least in-part on the at least
one message, a plurality of suggested one or more characters. At
block 1006, the device displays a first affordance representing a
first suggested one or more characters of the plurality of
suggested one or more characters at the bottom of the message
transcript. At block 1008, optionally, the device detects input
representing user selection of the first affordance, and in
response to detecting the input, sends the first suggested response
to the first user. At block 1010, optionally, in response to
detecting the input, the device displays the first suggested one or
more characters in the message transcript.
[0187] It should be understood that the particular order in which
the operations in FIGS. 7-10 have been described is merely
exemplary and is not intended to indicate that the described order
is the only order in which the operations could be performed. One
of ordinary skill in the art would recognize various ways to
reorder the operations described herein. Additionally, it should be
noted that processes 700-1000 may additionally incorporate the
functionalities described about with respect to FIGS. 5A-5J to
produce new processes and user interfaces. For example, the
switching of displays of predictive answers and auto-correct
recommendations, described with respect to FIGS. 5A and 5D, for
example, may be incorporated into processes 700-1000 (FIGS. 7-10.)
Likewise, the sending of business card information and calendar
information described with respect to FIGS. 6A-6E are may also be
incorporated into processes 700-1000 (FIGS. 7-10.) Further, the
displaying of a telephone affordances can be implemented across
each of the user interfaces descried in FIGS. 5A, 5E, and 5F. For
brevity, these details are not repeated here.
[0188] One common aspect of the above-described techniques is that
a device needs to process an incoming message(s) to identify
predictive answers for the message. In some embodiments, this
processing entails two steps: first, the device parse an incoming
message and assigns a message class to the content of a message;
second, the device performs a lookup for corresponding predictive
answers based on the message class, and composes an appropriate set
of predictive answers based on the content of the incoming
message.
[0189] The first step of assigning a message to a message class may
be performed using a rule-based engine. In some embodiments, the
rule based engine may assign a message class based (at least
in-part) on the occurrence of one or more words in the message. As
discussed above, examples of such words include "are you" and "or."
In some embodiments, the rule based engine may assign a message
class based (at least in-part) on the occurrence of a punctuation
mark used in the message. As discussed above, examples of such
punctuations include the use of a question mark. In some
embodiments, the rule based engine may assign a message class based
(at least in-part) on the use of an honorific in the message.
Examples of such honorifics include the use of suffixes such as
"-san" in a message. More generally speaking, in some embodiments,
a rule based engine that identifies relevant language markers such
as auxiliaries and interrogative pronouns may be used to determine
message classes. In some embodiments, a rule based engine that
identifies syntactic constructs such as verb-predicate inversions
may be used. Table 1, below, lists exemplary classes of
messages.
TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Message Class Example [Comment]
GenericStatement The sky is blue. [requires no answer]
GenericQuestion Who?/What?/Where? [requires precise answer]
StatementOrQuestion I`m ready. [may require acknowledgement]
QueryPolar Will you come? QueryPolarDefinite Have you left yet?
QueryPolarRequest Can you drive? QueryAlternative Shall we walk or
drive? QueryEvaluation How was it? QueryReason Why?/How come?
QueryLocationSelf Where are you? QueryDistance How close?/How far?
QueryCountable How many cups? QueryUncountable How much sugar?
QueryTime When?/What time? QueryTimePast When did you arrive?
QueryTimeFuture When will you leave? QueryTimeOfDay What time
tomorrow? QueryDay What day? QueryMonth What month? QueryYear What
year? QueryDuration How long? StatementGreeting Hello.
StatementImperative Let's go. StatementAppreciation Thank you.
[0190] Once a message class has been identified, the device may
lookup possible predictive answers for the particular class. Table
2, below, lists exemplary mapping of predictive answers to message
classes.
TABLE-US-00002 TABLE 2 Message Class Response Set GenericStatement
Ok/Thanks GenericQuestion Not sure StatementOrQuestion Ok/Yes/No
QueryPolar Yes/No/I don't know QueryPolarDefinite Yes/No
QueryPolarRequest Sure thing/Sorry, no QueryAlternative Predicate
before or/Predicate after or QueryEvaluation Good/Bad/Ok
QueryReason Just because/I don't know QueryLocationSelf On my
way/In my car/At work/At home QueryDistance Close/Far
QueryCountable One/Two/A few/A lot QueryUncountable A little/A lot
QueryTime Early/Late QueryTimePast Yesterday/Earlier this week/A
while ago QueryTimeFuture Tomorrow/Later this week/In the near
future QueryTimeOfDay Morning/Afternoon/Evening QueryDay
Today/Tomorrow/Yesterday QueryMonth Thist month/Next month/Last
month QueryYear This year/Next year/Last year QueryDuration 15
mins/30 mins/An hour StatementGreeting Hi/Hello StatementImperative
Ok/Sorry, can't StatementAppreciation You're welcome/No
problem/Ok
[0191] In accordance with some embodiments, FIG. 11 shows a
functional block diagram of an electronic device 1100 configured in
accordance with the principles of the various described
embodiments. The functional blocks of the device are, optionally,
implemented by hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and
software to carry out the principles of the various described
embodiments. It is understood by persons of skill in the art that
the functional blocks described in FIG. 11 are, optionally,
combined or separated into sub-blocks to implement the principles
of the various described embodiments. Therefore, the description
herein optionally supports any possible combination or separation
or further definition of the functional blocks described
herein.
[0192] As shown in FIG. 11, an electronic device 1100 includes a
display unit 1102 configured to display various graphical object
including messages and predictive answers information; a
touch-sensitive surface unit 1104 configured to receive user input;
a RF unit 1106 configured to communicate with other electronic
devices; and a processing unit 1108 coupled to the afore-mentioned
units. In some embodiments, processing unit 1108 includes a message
parsing unit 1110 that reads an incoming message to identify, for
example, the class of an incoming message. Processing unit 1108 may
also include predictive answer determining 1112 configured to
provide predictive answers based on the results of the parsing
unit.
[0193] In accordance with some embodiments, FIG. 12 shows an
exemplary functional block diagram of an electronic device 1200
configured in accordance with the principles of the various
described embodiments. In accordance with some embodiments, the
functional blocks of electronic device 1200 are configured to
perform the techniques described above. The functional blocks of
the device 1200 are, optionally, implemented by hardware, software,
or a combination of hardware and software to carry out the
principles of the various described examples. It is understood by
persons of skill in the art that the functional blocks described in
FIG. 12 are, optionally, combined or separated into sub-blocks to
implement the principles of the various described examples.
Therefore, the description herein optionally supports any possible
combination or separation or further definition of the functional
blocks described herein.
[0194] As shown in FIG. 12, an electronic device 1200 includes a
touch-sensitive display unit 1202 configured to display a graphic
user interface and to receive contacts, and a processing unit 1204
coupled to the touch-sensitive display unit 1202. In some
embodiments, the processing unit 1204 includes display enabling
unit 1206, determining unit 1208, detecting unit 1210, sending unit
1212, display ceasing unit 1214, identifying unit 1216, obtaining
unit 1218, counting unit 1220, and ranking unit 1222.
[0195] The processing unit 1204 is configured to: enable display
(e.g., using display enabling unit 1206) of a message transcript,
the message transcript including at least one message from at least
a first user. The processing unit 1204 is further configured to
determine (e.g., using determining unit 1208), based at least
in-part on the at least one message, a plurality of suggested one
or more characters. The processing unit 1204 is further configured
to enable display (e.g., using display enabling unit 1206), on the
touch-sensitive display unit 1202, of the plurality of suggested
one or more characters. The processing unit 1204 is further
configured to detect (e.g., using detecting unit 1210) an input on
the touch-sensitive display unit. The processing unit 1204 is
further configured to determine (e.g., using determining unit 1208)
whether the input represents user selection of one of the plurality
of suggested one or more characters. The processing unit 1204 is
further configured to, in accordance with a determination that the
input represents user selection of one of the plurality of
suggested one or more characters, enable display (e.g., using
disable enabling unit 1206) of the selected one of the plurality of
suggested one or more characters in the message transcript.
[0196] In some embodiments, the processing unit 1204 is further
configured to: detect (e.g., using detecting unit 1210) a second
input on the touch-sensitive display unit, the second input
representing user selection of a confirmation affordance, and in
response to detecting the second input, send (e.g., using sending
unit 1212) the selected one or more characters to the first
user.
[0197] In some embodiments, enable display (e.g., using display
enabling unit 1206) of a virtual keyboard, the virtual keyboard
including a number of character keys; detect (e.g., using detecting
unit 1210) keyboard input representing one or more contacts on the
virtual keyboard; and, in response to detecting the keyboard input:
cease to display (e.g., using display ceasing unit 1214) the
plurality of suggested one or more characters; and enable display
(e.g., using display enabling unit 1206) of, in the third region,
auto-correct information based on the keyboard input.
[0198] In some embodiments, the processing unit 1204 is further
configured to: determine (e.g., using determining unit 1208) the
plurality of suggested one or more characters based on at least one
word used in the at least one message.
[0199] In some embodiments, the processing unit 1204 is further
configured to: identify (e.g., using identifying unit 1216) a use
of the word "or" in the at least one message; identify (e.g., using
identifying unit 1216) a preceding word that appears immediately
before the word "or"; and identify (e.g., using identifying unit
1216) a subsequent word that appears immediately after the word
"or", wherein: enabling display of the plurality of suggested one
or more characters comprises enabling display of at least the
preceding word and the subsequent word.
[0200] In some embodiments, the processing unit 1204 is further
configured to: determine (e.g., using determining unit 1208) the
plurality of suggested one or more characters based on a
punctuation mark used in the at least one message.
[0201] In some embodiments, the processing unit 1204 is further
configured to: determine (e.g., using determining unit 1208)
whether the at least one message contains an interrogatory
sentence; and, in accordance with a determination that the at least
one message contains an interrogatory sentence, enable display
(e.g., using display enabling unit 1206) of at least "yes" and "no"
as part of the plurality of suggested one or more characters.
[0202] In some embodiments, the processing unit 1204 is further
configured to: determine (e.g., using determining unit 1208) the
plurality of suggested one or more characters based on at least the
identity of the first user.
[0203] In some embodiments, the processing unit 1204 is further
configured to: identify (e.g., using identifying unit 1216) the
most-frequently-sent messages to the first user, wherein: enabling
display (e.g., using display enabling unit 1206) of the plurality
of suggested one or more characters comprises enabling display the
most-frequently-sent messages.
[0204] In some embodiments, the processing unit 1204 is further
configured to: identify (e.g., using identifying unit 1216) the
most-recently-sent messages to the first user, and wherein enabling
display of (e.g., using display enabling unit 1206) of the
plurality of suggested one or more characters comprises enabling
display of at least one of the most-recently-sent messages.
[0205] In some embodiments, the processing unit 1204 is further
configured to: determine (e.g., using determining unit 1208) the
plurality of suggested one or more characters based on at least a
location of the first user.
[0206] In some embodiments, the processing unit 1204 is further
configured to: determine (e.g., using determining unit 1208) a
location of the electronic device, and enable display (e.g., using
display enabling unit 1206) of an affordance for sending the
location as a message to the first user.
[0207] In some embodiments, the processing unit 1204 is further
configured to: determine (e.g., using determining unit 1208) the
plurality of suggested one or more characters based on at least one
calendar entry stored in the electronic device.
[0208] In some embodiments, the processing unit 1204 is further
configured to: obtain (e.g., using obtaining unit 1218) a calendar
entry based on the message received from the first user; and enable
display (e.g., using display enabling unit 1206) of an affordance
for sending at least a portion of the obtained calendar entry as a
message to the first user.
[0209] In some embodiments, the processing unit 1204 is further
configured to: determine (e.g., using determining unit 1208) the
plurality of suggested one or more characters based on at least an
honorific used in the at least one message.
[0210] In some embodiments, the processing unit 1204 is further
configured to: obtain (e.g., using obtaining unit 1218) a plurality
of contact names stored on the electronic device; detect (e.g.,
using detecting unit 1210) the use of a contact name of the
plurality of contact names in the at least one message; obtain
(e.g., using obtaining unit 1218) contact information corresponding
to the used contact name; and enable display (e.g., using display
enabling unit 1206) of an affordance for sending at least a portion
of the obtained contact information as a message to the second
user.
[0211] In some embodiments, the processing unit 1204 is further
configured to: enable display (e.g., using display enabling unit
1206) of an affordance for calling a phone number associated with
the obtained contact information.
[0212] In some embodiments, the processing unit 1204 is further
configured to: count (e.g., using counting unit 1220) the number of
messages received from the first user within a time interval; and,
in accordance with a determination that the number exceeds a
predetermined threshold, enable display (e.g., using display
enabling unit 1206) of an affordance for calling the first
user.
[0213] In some embodiments, the processing unit 1204 is further
configured to: count (e.g., using counting unit 1220) the number of
messages received from the first user within a time interval; and
in accordance with a determination that the number exceeds a
predetermined threshold, enable display (e.g., using display
enabling unit 1206) of an affordance for video conferencing the
first user.
[0214] In some embodiments, the processing unit 1204 is further
configured to: rank (e.g., using ranking unit 1222) the suggested
one or more characters; and enable display (e.g., using display
enabling unit 1206) of the top-ranked characters in the center most
position among the displayed suggested one or more characters.
[0215] In some embodiments, the plurality of suggested one or more
characters comprises a first word or phrase, a second word or
phrase, and a third word or phrase. In some embodiments, the
plurality of suggested one or more characters consists of a first
word or phrase, a second word or phrase, and a third word or
phrase. In some embodiments, the plurality of suggested one or more
characters comprises at least one emoji. In some embodiments, the
at least one message is the most-recently-received message from the
first user.
[0216] The operations described above with reference to FIG. 7 are,
optionally, implemented by components depicted in FIGS. 1A-1B or
FIG. 12. For example, displaying operation 702, determining
operation 704, and detecting operation 708 may be implemented by
event sorter 170, event recognizer 180, and event handler 190.
Event monitor 171 in event sorter 170 detects a contact on
touch-sensitive display 112, and event dispatcher module 174
delivers the event information to application 136-1. A respective
event recognizer 180 of application 136-1 compares the event
information to respective event definitions 186, and determines
whether a first contact at a first location on the touch-sensitive
surface corresponds to a predefined event or sub event, such as
activation of an affordance on a user interface. When a respective
predefined event or sub-event is detected, event recognizer 180
activates an event handler 190 associated with the detection of the
event or sub-event. Event handler 190 may utilize or call data
updater 176 or object updater 177 to update the application
internal state 192. In some embodiments, event handler 190 accesses
a respective GUI updater 178 to update what is displayed by the
application. Similarly, it would be clear to a person having
ordinary skill in the art how other processes can be implemented
based on the components depicted in FIGS. 1A-1B.
[0217] In accordance with some embodiments, FIG. 13 shows an
exemplary functional block diagram of an electronic device 1300
configured in accordance with the principles of the various
described embodiments. In accordance with some embodiments, the
functional blocks of electronic device 1300 are configured to
perform the techniques described above. The functional blocks of
the device 1300 are, optionally, implemented by hardware, software,
or a combination of hardware and software to carry out the
principles of the various described examples. It is understood by
persons of skill in the art that the functional blocks described in
FIG. 13 are, optionally, combined or separated into sub-blocks to
implement the principles of the various described examples.
Therefore, the description herein optionally supports any possible
combination or separation or further definition of the functional
blocks described herein.
[0218] As shown in FIG. 13, an electronic device 1300 includes a
touch-sensitive display unit 1302 configured to display objects and
to receive contacts and a processing unit 1304 coupled to the
touch-sensitive display unit 1302. In some embodiments, the
processing unit 1304 includes display enabling unit 1306,
determining unit 1308, detecting unit 1310, sending unit 1312,
display ceasing unit 1314, identifying unit 1316, obtaining unit
1318, counting unit 1320, and ranking unit 1322.
[0219] The processing unit 1304 is configured to: enable (e.g.,
using display enabling unit 1306) display of, in a first region of
the display, a message transcript, the message transcript including
at least one message from at least a first user; enable (e.g.,
using display enabling unit 1306) display of, in a second region of
the display, a virtual keyboard, the virtual keyboard including a
number of character keys; and enable (e.g., using display enabling
unit 1306) display of, in a third region of the display, a
plurality of suggested one or more characters, the plurality of
suggested characters determined based, at least in-part, on a
content of the at least one message received from the first
user.
[0220] In some embodiments, the processing unit 1304 is further
configured to: enable (e.g., using display enabling unit 1306)
display of the third region contiguous with at least one of the
first and second regions.
[0221] In some embodiments, the processing unit 1304 is further
configured to: enable (e.g., using display enabling unit 1306)
display of the third region contiguous with the first region and
the second region.
[0222] In some embodiments, the processing unit 1304 is further
configured to: detect (e.g., using detecting unit 1310) input
representing user selection of a suggested one or more characters
from the displayed plurality of one or more characters; and in
response to detecting the input, enable (e.g., using display
enabling unit 1306) display of the selected suggested one or more
characters into the message transcript in the first area.
[0223] In some embodiments, the processing unit 1304 is further
configured to: detect (e.g., using detecting unit 1310) second
input representing user selection of a confirmation affordance; and
in response to detecting the second input, send (e.g., using
sending unit 1312) the selected suggested one or more characters to
the first user.
[0224] In some embodiments, the processing unit 1304 is further
configured to: detect (e.g., using detecting unit 1310) keyboard
input representing one or more contacts on the virtual keyboard; in
response to detecting the keyboard input: cease to display (e.g.,
using display ceasing unit 1314) the plurality of suggested one or
more characters; and enable (e.g., using display enabling unit
1306) display of, in the third region, auto-correct information
based on the keyboard input.
[0225] In some embodiments, the processing unit 1304 is further
configured to: determine (e.g., using determining unit 1308) the
plurality of suggested one or more characters based on at least one
word used in the at least one message.
[0226] In some embodiments, the processing unit 1304 is further
configured to: identify (e.g., using identifying unit 1316) a use
of the word "or" in the at least one message; identify (e.g., using
identifying unit 1316) a preceding word that appears immediately
before the word "or"; and identify (e.g., using identifying unit
1316) a subsequent word that appears immediately after the word
"or", wherein: enabling display of the plurality of suggested one
or more characters comprises enabling display of at least the
preceding word and the subsequent word.
[0227] In some embodiments, the processing unit 1304 is further
configured to: determine (e.g., using determining unit 1308) the
plurality of suggested one or more characters based on a
punctuation mark used in the at least one message.
[0228] In some embodiments, the processing unit 1304 is further
configured to: determine (e.g., using determining unit 1308)
whether the at least one message contains an interrogatory
sentence; and in accordance with a determination that the at least
one message contains an interrogatory sentence, enable (e.g., using
display enabling unit 1306) display of at least "yes" and "no" as
part of the plurality of suggested one or more characters.
[0229] In some embodiments, the processing unit 1304 is further
configured to: determine (e.g., using determining unit 1308) the
plurality of suggested one or more characters based on at least the
identity of the first user.
[0230] In some embodiments, the processing unit 1304 is further
configured to: identify (e.g., using identifying unit 1316) the
most-frequently-sent messages to the first user, wherein:
displaying the plurality of suggested one or more characters
comprises displaying the most-frequently-sent messages.
[0231] In some embodiments, the processing unit 1304 is further
configured to: identify (e.g., using identifying unit 1316) the
most-recently-sent messages to the first user, and wherein:
displaying the plurality of suggested one or more characters
comprises displaying at least one of the most-recently-sent
messages.
[0232] In some embodiments, the processing unit 1304 is further
configured to: determine (e.g., using determining unit 1308) the
plurality of suggested one or more characters based on at least a
location of the first user.
[0233] In some embodiments, the processing unit 1304 is further
configured to: determine (e.g., using determining unit 1308) a
location of the electronic device, and enable (e.g., using display
enabling unit 1306) display of an affordance for sending the
location as a message to the first user.
[0234] In some embodiments, the processing unit 1304 is further
configured to: determine (e.g., using determining unit 1308) the
plurality of suggested one or more characters based on at least one
calendar entry stored in the electronic device.
[0235] In some embodiments, the processing unit 1304 is further
configured to: obtain (e.g., using determining unit 1318) a
calendar entry based on the message received from the first user;
and enable (e.g., using display enabling unit 1306) display of an
affordance for sending at least a portion of the obtained calendar
entry as a message to the first user.
[0236] In some embodiments, the processing unit 1304 is further
configured to: determine (e.g., using determining unit 1308) the
plurality of suggested one or more characters based on at least an
honorific used in the at least one message.
[0237] In some embodiments, the processing unit 1304 is further
configured to: obtain (e.g., using determining unit 1318) a
plurality of contact names stored on the electronic device; detect
(e.g., using detecting unit 1310) the use of a contact name of the
plurality of contact names in the at least one message; obtain
(e.g., using determining unit 1318) contact information
corresponding to the used contact name; and enable (e.g., using
display enabling unit 1306) display of an affordance for sending at
least a portion of the obtained contact information as a message to
the second user.
[0238] In some embodiments, the processing unit 1304 is further
configured to: enable (e.g., using display enabling unit 1306)
display of an affordance for calling a phone number associated with
the obtained contact information.
[0239] In some embodiments, the processing unit 1304 is further
configured to: count (e.g., using counting unit 1320) the number of
messages received from the first user within a time interval; and
in accordance with a determination that the number exceeds a
predetermined threshold, enable (e.g., using display enabling unit
1306) display of an affordance for calling the first user.
[0240] In some embodiments, the processing unit 1304 is further
configured to: count (e.g., using counting unit 1320) the number of
messages received from the first user within a time interval; and
in accordance with a determination that the number exceeds a
predetermined threshold, enable (e.g., using display enabling unit
1306) display of an affordance for video conferencing the first
user.
[0241] In some embodiments, the processing unit 1304 is further
configured to: rank (e.g., using ranking unit 1322) the suggested
one or more characters; and enable (e.g., using display enabling
unit 1306) display of the top-ranked characters in the center most
position among the displayed suggested one or more characters.
[0242] In some embodiments, the plurality of suggested one or more
characters comprises a first word or phrase, a second word or
phrase, and a third word or phrase. In some embodiments, the
plurality of suggested one or more characters consists of a first
word or phrase, a second word or phrase, and a third word or
phrase. In some embodiments, the plurality of suggested one or more
characters comprises at least one emoji. In some embodiments, the
at least one message is the most-recently-received message from the
first user.
[0243] The operations described above with reference to FIG. 8 are,
optionally, implemented by components depicted in FIGS. 1A-1B or
FIG. 13. For example, displaying operation 802 and detecting
operation 808 may be implemented by event sorter 170, event
recognizer 180, and event handler 190. Event monitor 171 in event
sorter 170 detects a contact on touch-sensitive display 112, and
event dispatcher module 174 delivers the event information to
application 136-1. A respective event recognizer 180 of application
136-1 compares the event information to respective event
definitions 186, and determines whether a first contact at a first
location on the touch-sensitive surface corresponds to a predefined
event or sub event, such as activation of an affordance on a user
interface. When a respective predefined event or sub-event is
detected, event recognizer 180 activates an event handler 190
associated with the detection of the event or sub-event. Event
handler 190 may utilize or call data updater 176 or object updater
177 to update the application internal state 192. In some
embodiments, event handler 190 accesses a respective GUI updater
178 to update what is displayed by the application. Similarly, it
would be clear to a person having ordinary skill in the art how
other processes can be implemented based on the components depicted
in FIGS. 1A-1B.
[0244] In accordance with some embodiments, FIG. 14 shows an
exemplary functional block diagram of an electronic device 1400
configured in accordance with the principles of the various
described embodiments. In accordance with some embodiments, the
functional blocks of electronic device 1400 are configured to
perform the techniques described above. The functional blocks of
the device 1400 are, optionally, implemented by hardware, software,
or a combination of hardware and software to carry out the
principles of the various described examples. It is understood by
persons of skill in the art that the functional blocks described in
FIG. 14 are, optionally, combined or separated into sub-blocks to
implement the principles of the various described examples.
Therefore, the description herein optionally supports any possible
combination or separation or further definition of the functional
blocks described herein.
[0245] As shown in FIG. 14, an electronic device 1400 includes a
touch-sensitive display unit 1402 configured to display objects and
to receive contacts and a processing unit 1404 coupled to the
touch-sensitive display unit 1402. In some embodiments, the
processing unit 1404 includes display enabling unit 1406,
determining unit 1408, detecting unit 1410, sending unit 1412,
display ceasing unit 1414, identifying unit 1416, obtaining unit
1418, counting unit 1420, ranking unit 1422, and display replacing
unit 1424.
[0246] The processing unit 1404 is configured to: enable display
(e.g., using display enabling unit 1406) of a message transcript,
the message transcript including at least one message from at least
a first user; determine (e.g., using determining unit 1408), based
at least in-part on the at least one message, a plurality of
suggested one or more characters; and enable display (e.g., using
display enabling unit 1406) of a first suggested one or more
characters of the plurality of suggested one or more characters in
a first region on the touch-sensitive display unit, wherein the
first region is a contiguous region visually distinguished from the
background of the message transcript.
[0247] In some embodiments, the processing unit 1404 is further
configured to: detect (e.g., using detecting unit 1410) input
representing user selection of the first suggested one or more
characters; and in response to detecting the input, send (e.g.,
using sending unit 1412) the suggested response to the first
user.
[0248] In some embodiments, the processing unit 1404 is further
configured to: enable display (e.g., using display enabling unit
1406) of a text input area; detect (e.g., using detecting unit
1410) input representing a contact on the text input area; and in
response to detecting the input, enable display (e.g., using
display enabling unit 1406) of a virtual keyboard, the virtual
keyboard including a number of character keys.
[0249] In some embodiments, the processing unit 1404 is further
configured to: detect (e.g., using detecting unit 1410) keyboard
input representing one or more contacts on the virtual keyboard;
and in response to detecting the keyboard input, cease to display
(e.g., using display ceasing unit 1414) the first suggested one or
more characters.
[0250] In some embodiments, the processing unit 1404 is further
configured to: enable display (e.g., using display enabling unit
1406) of auto-correct information based on the keyboard input.
[0251] In some embodiments, the processing unit 1404 is further
configured to: in response to detecting the input, cease to display
the (e.g., using display ceasing unit 1414) first suggested one or
more characters.
[0252] In some embodiments, the first region has a dashed
outline.
[0253] In some embodiments, the processing unit 1404 is further
configured to: detect (e.g., using detecting unit 1410) input
representing user selection of the first suggested one or more
characters; and in response to detecting the input, replace (e.g.,
using display replacing unit 1424) the dashed outline of the first
region with a solid outline.
[0254] In some embodiments, the processing unit 1404 is further
configured to: enable display (e.g., using display enabling unit
1406) of a second suggested one or more characters of the plurality
of suggested one or more characters in a second region on the
touch-sensitive display unit, wherein the second region is a
contiguous region visually distinguished from the background of the
message transcript and from the first region; detect (e.g., using
detecting unit 1410) input representing user selection of the first
suggested one or more characters; and, in response to detecting the
input, cease to display (e.g., using display ceasing unit 1414) the
second region and the second suggested one or more characters.
[0255] In some embodiments, the first region is a message
bubble.
[0256] In some embodiments, the processing unit 1404 is further
configured to: determine (e.g., using determining unit 1408) the
plurality of suggested one or more characters based on at least one
word used in the at least one message.
[0257] In some embodiments, the processing unit 1404 is further
configured to: identify (e.g., using identifying unit 1416) a use
of the word "or" in the at least one message; identify (e.g., using
identifying unit 1416) a preceding word that appears immediately
before the word "or"; and identify (e.g., using identifying unit
1416) a subsequent word that appears immediately after the word
"or", wherein: enabling display of the plurality of suggested one
or more characters comprises enabling display of at least the
preceding word and the subsequent word.
[0258] In some embodiments, the processing unit 1404 is further
configured to: determine (e.g., using determining unit 1408) the
plurality of suggested one or more characters based on a
punctuation mark used in the at least one message.
[0259] In some embodiments, the processing unit 1404 is further
configured to: determine (e.g., using determining unit 1408)
whether the at least one message contains an interrogatory
sentence; and in accordance with a determination that the at least
one message contains an interrogatory sentence, enable display
(e.g., using display enabling unit 1406) of at least "yes" and "no"
as part of the plurality of suggested one or more characters.
[0260] In some embodiments, the processing unit 1404 is further
configured to: determine (e.g., using determining unit 1408) the
plurality of suggested one or more characters based on at least the
identity of the first user.
[0261] In some embodiments, the processing unit 1404 is further
configured to: identify (e.g., using identifying unit 1416) the
most-frequently-sent messages to the first user, wherein: enabling
display of the plurality of suggested one or more characters
comprises enabling display of the most-frequently-sent
messages.
[0262] In some embodiments, the processing unit 1404 is further
configured to: identify (e.g., using identifying unit 1416) the
most-recently-sent messages to the first user, and wherein:
enabling display of the plurality of suggested one or more
characters comprises enabling display of at least one of the
most-recently-sent messages.
[0263] In some embodiments, the processing unit 1404 is further
configured to: determine (e.g., using determining unit 1408) the
plurality of suggested one or more characters based on at least a
location of the first user.
[0264] In some embodiments, the processing unit 1404 is further
configured to: determine (e.g., using determining unit 1408) a
location of the electronic device, and enable display (e.g., using
display enabling unit 1406) of an affordance for sending the
location as a message to the first user.
[0265] In some embodiments, the processing unit 1404 is further
configured to: determine (e.g., using determining unit 1408) the
plurality of suggested one or more characters based on at least one
calendar entry stored in the electronic device.
[0266] In some embodiments, the processing unit 1404 is further
configured to: obtain (e.g., using obtaining unit 1418) a calendar
entry based on the message received from the first user; and enable
display (e.g., using display enabling unit 1406) of an affordance
for sending at least a portion of the obtained calendar entry as a
message to the first user.
[0267] In some embodiments, the processing unit 1404 is further
configured to: determine (e.g., using determining unit 1408) the
plurality of suggested one or more characters based on at least an
honorific used in the at least one message.
[0268] In some embodiments, the processing unit 1404 is further
configured to: obtain (e.g., using obtaining unit 1418) a plurality
of contact names stored on the electronic device; detect (e.g.,
using detecting unit 1410) the use of a contact name of the
plurality of contact names in the at least one message; obtain
(e.g., using obtaining unit 1418) contact information corresponding
to the used contact name; and enable display (e.g., using display
enabling unit 1406) of an affordance for sending at least a portion
of the obtained contact information as a message to the second
user.
[0269] In some embodiments, the processing unit 1404 is further
configured to: enable display (e.g., using display enabling unit
1406) of an affordance for calling a phone number associated with
the obtained contact information.
[0270] In some embodiments, the processing unit 1404 is further
configured to: count (e.g., using counting unit 1420) the number of
messages received from the first user within a time interval; and,
in accordance with a determination that the number exceeds a
predetermined threshold, enable display (e.g., using display
enabling unit 1406) of an affordance for calling the first
user.
[0271] In some embodiments, the processing unit 1404 is further
configured to: count (e.g., using counting unit 1420) the number of
messages received from the first user within a time interval; and,
in accordance with a determination that the number exceeds a
predetermined threshold, enable display (e.g., using display
enabling unit 1406) of an affordance for video conferencing the
first user.
[0272] In some embodiments, the processing unit 1404 is further
configured to: rank (e.g., using ranking unit 1422) the suggested
one or more characters; and enable display (e.g., using display
enabling unit 1406) of the top-ranked characters in the center most
position among the displayed suggested one or more characters.
[0273] In some embodiments, the plurality of suggested one or more
characters comprises a first word or phrase, a second word or
phrase, and a third word or phrase. In some embodiments, the
plurality of suggested one or more characters consists of a first
word or phrase, a second word or phrase, and a third word or
phrase. In some embodiments, the plurality of suggested one or more
characters comprises at least one emoji. In some embodiments, the
at least one message is the most-recently-received message from the
first user.
[0274] The operations described above with reference to FIG. 9 are,
optionally, implemented by components depicted in FIGS. 1A-1B or
FIG. 14. For example, displaying operation 902, determining
operation 904, and detecting operation 908 may be implemented by
event sorter 170, event recognizer 180, and event handler 190.
Event monitor 171 in event sorter 170 detects a contact on
touch-sensitive display 112, and event dispatcher module 174
delivers the event information to application 136-1. A respective
event recognizer 180 of application 136-1 compares the event
information to respective event definitions 186, and determines
whether a first contact at a first location on the touch-sensitive
surface corresponds to a predefined event or sub event, such as
activation of an affordance on a user interface. When a respective
predefined event or sub-event is detected, event recognizer 180
activates an event handler 190 associated with the detection of the
event or sub-event. Event handler 190 may utilize or call data
updater 176 or object updater 177 to update the application
internal state 192. In some embodiments, event handler 190 accesses
a respective GUI updater 178 to update what is displayed by the
application. Similarly, it would be clear to a person having
ordinary skill in the art how other processes can be implemented
based on the components depicted in FIGS. 1A-1B.
[0275] In accordance with some embodiments, FIG. 15 shows an
exemplary functional block diagram of an electronic device 1500
configured in accordance with the principles of the various
described embodiments. In accordance with some embodiments, the
functional blocks of electronic device 1500 are configured to
perform the techniques described above. The functional blocks of
the device 1500 are, optionally, implemented by hardware, software,
or a combination of hardware and software to carry out the
principles of the various described examples. It is understood by
persons of skill in the art that the functional blocks described in
FIG. 15 are, optionally, combined or separated into sub-blocks to
implement the principles of the various described examples.
Therefore, the description herein optionally supports any possible
combination or separation or further definition of the functional
blocks described herein.
[0276] As shown in FIG. 15, an electronic device 1500 includes a
touch-sensitive display unit 1502 configured to display a graphic
user interface and to receive contacts, and a processing unit 1504
coupled to the touch-sensitive display unit 1502. In some
embodiments, the processing unit 1504 includes a display enabling
unit 1506, determining unit 1508, detecting unit 1510, sending unit
1512, display ceasing unit 1514, identifying unit 1516, obtaining
unit 1518, counting unit 1520, and ranking unit 1522.
[0277] The processing unit 1504 is configured to: enable (e.g.,
using display enabling unit 1506) display of a message transcript,
the message transcript including at least one message from at least
a first user; determine (e.g., using determining unit 1508), based
at least in-part on the at least one message, a plurality of
suggested one or more characters; and enable display (e.g., using
display enabling unit 1506) of a first affordance representing a
first suggested one or more characters of the plurality of
suggested one or more characters at the bottom of the message
transcript.
[0278] In some embodiments, the processing unit 1504 is further
configured to: detect (e.g., using detecting unit 1510) input
representing user selection of the first affordance; and, in
response to detecting the input, send (e.g., using sending unit
1512) the first suggested response to the first user.
[0279] In some embodiments, the processing unit 1504 is further
configured to: in response to detecting the input, enable display
(e.g., using display enabling unit 1506) of the first suggested one
or more characters in the message transcript.
[0280] In some embodiments, the processing unit 1504 is further
configured to: in response to detecting the input, enable display
(e.g., using display enabling unit 1506) of the first suggested one
or more characters in a first region of the message transcript,
wherein the first region is a contiguous region visually
distinguished from the background of the message transcript.
[0281] In some embodiments, the processing unit 1504 is further
configured to: in response to detecting the input, cease to display
(e.g., using display ceasing unit 1514) the first suggested one or
more characters.
[0282] In some embodiments, the processing unit 1504 is further
configured to: enable display (e.g., using display enabling unit
1506) of a second affordance representing a second suggested one or
more characters of the plurality of suggested one or more
characters; detect (e.g., using detecting unit 1510) input
representing user selection of the first affordance; and, in
response to detecting the input, cease to display (e.g., using
display ceasing unit 1514) the second affordance.
[0283] In some embodiments, the first region is a message
bubble.
[0284] In some embodiments, the processing unit 1504 is further
configured to: determine (e.g., using determining unit 1508) the
plurality of suggested one or more characters based on at least one
word used in the at least one message.
[0285] In some embodiments, the processing unit 1504 is further
configured to: identify (e.g., using identifying unit 1516) a use
of the word "or" in the at least one message; identify (e.g., using
identifying unit 1516) a preceding word that appears immediately
before the word "or"; and identify (e.g., using identifying unit
1516) a subsequent word that appears immediately after the word
"or", wherein: enabling display of the plurality of suggested one
or more characters comprises enabling display of at least the
preceding word and the subsequent word.
[0286] In some embodiments, the processing unit 1504 is further
configured to: determine (e.g., using determining unit 1508) the
plurality of suggested one or more characters based on a
punctuation mark used in the at least one message.
[0287] In some embodiments, the processing unit 1504 is further
configured to: determine (e.g., using determining unit 1508)
whether the at least one message contains an interrogatory
sentence; and, in accordance with a determination that the at least
one message contains an interrogatory sentence, enable display
(e.g., using display enabling unit 1506) of at least "yes" and "no"
as part of the plurality of suggested one or more characters.
[0288] In some embodiments, the processing unit 1504 is further
configured to: determine (e.g., using determining unit 1508) the
plurality of suggested one or more characters based on at least the
identity of the first user.
[0289] In some embodiments, the processing unit 1504 is further
configured to: identify (e.g., using identifying unit 1516) the
most-frequently-sent messages to the first user, wherein: enabling
display of the plurality of suggested one or more characters
comprises enabling display of the most-frequently-sent
messages.
[0290] In some embodiments, the processing unit 1504 is further
configured to: identify (e.g., using identifying unit 1516) the
most-recently-sent messages to the first user, and wherein:
enabling display of the plurality of suggested one or more
characters comprises enabling display of at least one of the
most-recently-sent messages.
[0291] In some embodiments, the processing unit 1504 is further
configured to: determine (e.g., using determining unit 1508) the
plurality of suggested one or more characters based on at least a
location of the first user.
[0292] In some embodiments, the processing unit 1504 is further
configured to: determine (e.g., using determining unit 1508) a
location of the electronic device, and enable display (e.g., using
display enabling unit 1506) of an affordance for sending the
location as a message to the first user.
[0293] In some embodiments, the processing unit 1504 is further
configured to: determine (e.g., using determining unit 1508) the
plurality of suggested one or more characters based on at least one
calendar entry stored in the electronic device.
[0294] In some embodiments, the processing unit 1504 is further
configured to: obtain (e.g., using obtaining unit 1518) a calendar
entry based on the message received from the first user; and enable
display (e.g., using display enabling unit 1506) of an affordance
for sending at least a portion of the obtained calendar entry as a
message to the first user.
[0295] In some embodiments, the processing unit 1504 is further
configured to: determine (e.g., using determining unit 1508) the
plurality of suggested one or more characters based on at least an
honorific used in the at least one message.
[0296] In some embodiments, the processing unit 1504 is further
configured to: obtain (e.g., using obtaining unit 1518) a plurality
of contact names stored on the electronic device; detect (e.g.,
using detecting unit 1510) the use of a contact name of the
plurality of contact names in the at least one message; obtain
(e.g., using obtaining unit 1518) contact information corresponding
to the used contact name; and enable display (e.g., using display
enabling unit 1506) of an affordance for sending at least a portion
of the obtained contact information as a message to the second
user.
[0297] In some embodiments, the processing unit 1504 is further
configured to: enable display (e.g., using display enabling unit
1506) of an affordance for calling a phone number associated with
the obtained contact information.
[0298] In some embodiments, the processing unit 1504 is further
configured to: count (e.g., using counting unit 1520) the number of
messages received from the first user within a time interval; and
in accordance with a determination that the number exceeds a
predetermined threshold, enable display (e.g., using display
enabling unit 1506) of an affordance for calling the first
user.
[0299] In some embodiments, the processing unit 1504 is further
configured to: count (e.g., using counting unit 1520) the number of
messages received from the first user within a time interval; and,
in accordance with a determination that the number exceeds a
predetermined threshold, enable display (e.g., using display
enabling unit 1506) of an affordance for video conferencing the
first user.
[0300] In some embodiments, the processing unit 1504 is further
configured to: rank (e.g., using ranking unit 1522) the suggested
one or more characters; and enable display (e.g., using display
enabling unit 1506) of the top-ranked characters in the center most
position among the displayed suggested one or more characters.
[0301] In some embodiments, the plurality of suggested one or more
characters comprises a first word or phrase, a second word or
phrase, and a third word or phrase. In some embodiments, the
plurality of suggested one or more characters consists of a first
word or phrase, a second word or phrase, and a third word or
phrase. In some embodiments, the plurality of suggested one or more
characters comprises at least one emoji. In some embodiments, the
at least one message is the most-recently-received message from the
first user.
[0302] The operations described above with reference to FIG. 10
are, optionally, implemented by components depicted in FIGS. 1A-1B
or FIG. 15. For example, displaying operation 1002, determining
operation 1004, and detecting operation 1008 may be implemented by
event sorter 170, event recognizer 180, and event handler 190.
Event monitor 171 in event sorter 170 detects a contact on
touch-sensitive display 112, and event dispatcher module 174
delivers the event information to application 136-1. A respective
event recognizer 180 of application 136-1 compares the event
information to respective event definitions 186, and determines
whether a first contact at a first location on the touch-sensitive
surface corresponds to a predefined event or sub event, such as
activation of an affordance on a user interface. When a respective
predefined event or sub-event is detected, event recognizer 180
activates an event handler 190 associated with the detection of the
event or sub-event. Event handler 190 may utilize or call data
updater 176 or object updater 177 to update the application
internal state 192. In some embodiments, event handler 190 accesses
a respective GUI updater 178 to update what is displayed by the
application. Similarly, it would be clear to a person having
ordinary skill in the art how other processes can be implemented
based on the components depicted in FIGS. 1A-1B.
[0303] The foregoing description, for purpose of explanation, has
been described with reference to specific embodiments. However, the
illustrative discussions above are not intended to be exhaustive or
to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed. Many
modifications and variations are possible in view of the above
teachings. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to
best explain the principles of the invention and its practical
applications, to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best
utilize the invention and various embodiments with various
modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated.
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