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US 11,122,094 B2Granted
Software application manager for messaging applications
AssigneeSnap Inc.
InventorsDylan Shane Eirinberg, Aaron Daniel Son, William Wu
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Among other things, embodiments of the present disclosure improve the functionality of electronic messaging systems by enabling users in an electronic chat conversation to run applications together. In some embodiments, when one user in a chat launches an application, an icon or other visual representation of the application appears in a portion of the chat window (e.g., in a “chat dock”) for other users in the chat to access.
Claims17
A system comprising:
- a processor;
- and
- memory coupled to the processor and storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the system to perform operations comprising:
- receiving, from a first client computing device of a first user engaged in a group conversation with a respective client computing device of one or more other respective users, an electronic communication containing a request to launch a software application into the group conversation;
- in response to the request to launch the software application, creating a software application session for the software application and associating the software application session with each respective client computing device of each respective user in the group conversation;
- transmitting a respective electronic communication containing information regarding the software application session to each respective client computing device of each respective user in the group conversation;
- causing display of an icon representing the software application within a docking window on a respective display screen of each respective client computing device of the one or more other respective users;
- determining that the first user is engaged in the software application session;
- causing, in response to the determining, display of the icon to visually change within the docking window,
- wherein the docking window is configured to be displayed when at least one software application is open with respect to the group conversation, and to otherwise be hidden from display;
- receiving from a second client computing device of a second user engaged in the group conversation, an electronic communication containing a request to launch the software application;
- transmitting an electronic communication containing information regarding the software application to the second client computing device that contains executable code for the second client computing device to execute locally to run the software application;
- receiving from a third client computing device of a third user engaged in the group conversation, an electronic communication containing a request to observe the software application;
- transmitting an electronic communication containing representations of actions taken within the software application, by one or more of the first user and the second user, to the third client computing device;
- and
- causing display of an interface element on the first client computing device, the interface element indicating that the second user is engaged in the software application session and that the third user is observing the software application session.
13 more elements
A computer-implemented method comprising:
- receiving, by a computer system, from a first client computing device of a first user engaged in a group conversation with a respective client computing device of one or more other respective users, an electronic communication containing a request to launch a software application into the group conversation;
- in response to the request to launch the software application, creating, by the computer system a software application session for the software application and associating the software application session with each respective client computing device of each respective user in the group conversation;
- transmitting, by the computer system, a respective electronic communication containing information regarding the software application session to each respective client computing device of each respective user in the group conversation;
- causing, by the computer system, display of an icon representing the software application within a docking window on a respective display screen of each respective client computing device of the one or more other respective users;
- determining, by the computer system, that the first user is engaged in the software application session;
- causing, by the computer system and in response to the determining, display of the icon to visually change within the docking window,
- wherein the docking window is configured to be displayed when at least one display software application is open with respect to the group conversation, and to otherwise be hidden from display;
- receiving from a second client computing device of a second user engaged in the group conversation, an electronic communication containing a request to launch the software application;
- transmitting an electronic communication containing information regarding the software application to the second client computing device that contains executable code for the second client computing device to execute locally to run the software application;
- receiving from a third client computing device of a third user engaged in the group conversation, an electronic communication containing a request to observe the software application;
- transmitting an electronic communication containing representations of actions taken within the software application, by one or more of the first user and the second user, to the third client computing device;
- and
- causing display of an interface element on the first client computing device, the interface element indicating that the second user is engaged in the software application session and that the third user is observing the software application session.
10 more elements
A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by a computer system, cause the computer system to perform operations comprising:
- receiving, from a first client computing device of a first user engaged in a group conversation with a respective client computing device of one or more other respective users, an electronic communication containing a request to launch a software application into the group conversation;
- in response to the request to launch the software application, creating a software application session for the software application and associating the software application session with each respective client computing device of each respective user in the group conversation;
- transmitting a respective electronic communication containing information regarding the software application session to each respective client computing device of each respective user in the group conversation;
- causing display of an icon representing the software application within a docking window on a respective display screen of each respective client computing device of the one or more other respective users;
- determining that the first user is engaged in the software application session;
- causing, in response to the determining, display of the icon to visually change within the docking window,
- wherein the docking window is configured to be displayed when at least one display software application is open with respect to the group conversation, and to otherwise be hidden from display;
- receiving from a second client computing device of a second user engaged in the group conversation, an electronic communication containing a request to launch the software application;
- transmitting an electronic communication containing information regarding the software application to the second client computing device that contains executable code for the second client computing device to execute locally to run the software application;
- receiving from a third client computing device of a third user engaged in the group conversation, an electronic communication containing a request to observe the software application;
- transmitting an electronic communication containing representations of actions taken within the software application, by one or more of the first user and the second user, to the third client computing device;
- and
- causing display of an interface element on the first client computing device, the interface element indicating that the second user is engaged in the software application session and that the third user is observing the software application session.
10 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.