# US 10,484,317 B2 · Techniques for generating messages to entities referenced in a messaging thread

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- Number: US 10,484,317 B2
- Document ID: US10484317B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 15/434,887
- Filed: 2017-02-16
- Published: 2018-08-16
- Granted: 2019-11-19
- Earliest claimed: 2017-02-16
- Assignees: Facebook, Inc.
- Applicants: Facebook, Inc.
- Inventors: Vinodh Jayaram; Jeremy Olivier Barre; Andrew Cairns Moxon
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10484317B2

## CPC

- H04L 51/08: Annexed information, e.g. attachments
- H04L 51/216: Handling conversation history, e.g. grouping of messages in sessions or threads
- H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M)

## Abstract

Techniques for generating messages to entities referenced in a messaging thread are described. In one embodiment, a method may receive a partial entity-reference invocation in a message thread; suggest one or more entity-reference invocations based on the partial entity-reference invocation; receive a user selection of one of the suggested entity-reference invocations; generate a message to the entity referenced in the selected entity-reference invocation; and send the message to the entity via a messaging system. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A computer-implemented method, comprising:
receiving a partial entity-reference invocation in a message thread display on a client device in response to detecting an entity-reference invocation symbol in a text-entry field;
suggesting, based on the partial entity reference invocation, one or more entity-reference invocations referencing entities not participating in the messaging interaction;
receiving a user selection of one of the one or more suggested entity-reference invocations;
generating a message to the entity referenced in the selected entity-reference invocation; and
sending the message to a messaging system.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, the one or more suggested entity-reference invocations referencing two or more of a user entity, a messaging bot entity, an article entity, a media entity, a calendar event entity, and a place entity.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising:
receiving the partial entity-reference invocation in response to detecting one of an entity name and a partial entity name in a text-entry field.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, the message thread display for a group message thread, the one or more suggested entity-reference invocations referencing one or more user entities, wherein in the one or more user entities are ranked according to one or more of relationship information, group-message-thread participation recency, messaging frequency, and referencing frequency.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, the entity-reference invocation associated with an invoking user account, the one or more suggested entity-reference invocations ranked according to predicative learning, the predicative learning based on an entity-reference history for the invoking user account.

### Claim 6

An apparatus, comprising:
a processor circuit on a device;
a user interface component operative on the processor circuit to:
receive a partial entity-reference invocation in a message thread display on a client device in response to detecting an entity-reference invocation symbol in a text-entry field;
suggest, based on the partial entity-reference invocation, one or more entity-reference invocations referencing entities not participating in the messaging interaction; and
receive a user selection of one of the one or more suggested entity-reference invocations; and
a client messaging component operative on the processor circuit to:
generate a message to the entity referenced in the selected entity-reference invocation; and
send the message to a messaging system.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The apparatus of claim 6, the one or more suggested entity-reference invocations referencing two or more of a user entity, a messaging bot entity, an article entity, a media entity, a calendar event entity, and a place entity.

### Claim 8 (depends on 6)

The apparatus of claim 6, further comprising:
the user interface component operative to receive the partial entity-reference invocation in response to detecting one of an entity name and a partial entity name in a text-entry field.

### Claim 9 (depends on 6)

The apparatus of claim 6, the message thread display for a group message thread, the one or more suggested entity-reference invocations referencing one or more user entities, wherein in the one or more user entities are ranked according to one or more of relationship information, group-message-thread participation recency, messaging frequency, and referencing frequency.

### Claim 10 (depends on 6)

The apparatus of claim 6, the entity-reference invocation associated with an invoking user account, the one or more suggested entity-reference invocations ranked according to predicative learning, the predicative learning based on an entity-reference history for the invoking user account.

### Claim 11

At least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed, cause a system to:
receive a partial entity-reference invocation in a message thread display on a client device in response to detecting an entity-reference invocation symbol in a text-entry field;
suggest, based on the partial entity reference invocation, one or more entity-reference invocations referencing entities not participating in the messaging interaction;
receive a user selection of one of the one or more suggested entity-reference invocations;
generate a message to the entity referenced in the selected entity-reference invocation; and
send the message to a messaging system.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, the one or more suggested entity-reference invocations referencing two or more of a user entity, a messaging bot entity, an article entity, a media entity, a calendar event entity, and a place entity.

### Claim 13 (depends on 11)

The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, comprising further instructions that, when executed, cause a system to:
receive the partial entity-reference invocation in response to detecting one of an entity name in the text-entry field and a partial entity name in the text-entry field.

### Claim 14 (depends on 11)

The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, the message thread display for a group message thread, the one or more suggested entity-reference invocations referencing one or more user entities, wherein in the one or more user entities are ranked according to one or more of relationship information, group-message-thread participation recency, messaging frequency, and referencing frequency.

### Claim 15 (depends on 11)

The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, the entity-reference invocation associated with an invoking user account, the one or more suggested entity-reference invocations ranked according to predicative learning, the predicative learning based on an entity-reference history for the invoking user account.