# US 12,770,113 B2 · Display duration assignment for ephemeral messages > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,770,113 B2 - Document ID: US12770113B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 19/576,720 - Filed: 2026-03-24 - Published: 2026-08-06 - Granted: 2026-10-20 - Earliest claimed: 2014-10-02 - Assignees: Snap Inc. - Applicants: Snap Inc. - Inventors: Nicholas Allen; Donald Giovannini; Chiayi Lin; Robert Murphy; Evan Spiegel - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12770113B2 ## CPC - H04L 51/42: Mailbox-related aspects, e.g. synchronisation of mailboxes - G06F 3/0482: Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus - G06F 3/04847: Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials - G06F 3/04883: for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text - G06F 3/04886: by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus - G06F 16/162: {Delete operations (erasing in storage systems G06F3/0652)} - G06F 16/215: Improving data quality; Data cleansing, e.g. de-duplication, removing invalid entries or correcting typographical errors - G06F 16/2365: {Ensuring data consistency and integrity} - G06F 21/62: Protecting access to data via a platform, e.g. using keys or access control rules - G06F 40/169: Annotation, e.g. comment data or footnotes - G06Q 10/40: Business processes related to social networking or social networking services - H04L 51/10: Multimedia information - H04L 51/52: for supporting social networking services - H04L 67/568: Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) - G06Q: INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR ## Abstract A server has a processor and a memory storing instructions executed by the processor to maintain an ephemeral gallery of ephemeral messages. An ephemeral message is posted to the ephemeral gallery. The ephemeral message has an associated message duration parameter and a gallery participation parameter. An ephemeral message is removed from the ephemeral gallery in response to the identification of an expired gallery participation parameter. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A server, comprising: at least one processor; and a memory storing instructions executed by the at least one processor to: receive a plurality of messages from a user device, wherein each of the plurality of messages comprises at least one media content item; post the plurality of messages as ephemeral messages to an ephemeral gallery, wherein the ephemeral gallery comprises a plurality of ephemeral messages posted for viewing by one or more recipients; receive, from the user device, one or more additional destination selections for corresponding ones of the plurality of messages; post the plurality of messages for which the one or more additional destination selections are received to at least one additional destination other than the ephemeral gallery, in each case as distinct instances from the ephemeral messages posted to the ephemeral gallery; maintain, for each of the ephemeral messages posted to the ephemeral gallery, a gallery participation parameter that indicates a time value for continued availability of the corresponding ephemeral message in the ephemeral gallery; responsive to receiving an ephemeral gallery view request from one of the one or more recipients, sequentially display the plurality of ephemeral messages on a recipient device corresponding to the ephemeral gallery view request; and remove, from the ephemeral gallery, any of the ephemeral messages for which respective gallery participation parameters have expired, wherein removed ones of the ephemeral messages are thereafter unavailable for recipient viewing as part of the ephemeral gallery, wherein the distinct instances of the plurality of messages posted to the at least one additional destination continue to be available after corresponding ones of the ephemeral messages are removed from the ephemeral gallery. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The server of claim 1, wherein the memory storing instructions executed by the at least one processor further includes instructions to create the ephemeral gallery at least partly in response to receiving at least one of the plurality of messages. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The server of claim 1, wherein the memory storing instructions executed by the at least one processor further includes instructions to receive, from the user device, a destination selection for each of the plurality of messages, the destination selection corresponding to the ephemeral gallery. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The server of claim 1, wherein the memory storing instructions executed by the at least one processor further includes instructions to maintain, for each of the ephemeral messages posted to the ephemeral gallery, an associated message duration parameter that indicates a display duration for the corresponding ephemeral message during viewing of the ephemeral gallery. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The server of claim 4, wherein the instructions to sequentially display the ephemeral messages on the recipient device corresponding to the ephemeral gallery view request comprise instructions for: starting a message timer when display of one of the ephemeral messages is commenced, determining that the message timer expires when the message timer equals the corresponding display duration, and responsive to expiry of the message timer, displaying a next one of the ephemeral messages in the ephemeral gallery. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The server of claim 1, wherein the memory storing instructions executed by the at least one processor further includes instructions to eliminate the ephemeral gallery upon expiry of a gallery availability parameter, the ephemeral gallery being unavailable subsequent to elimination thereof. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The server of claim 1, wherein the memory storing instructions executed by the at least one processor further includes instructions to post indicia of ephemeral gallery activity. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The server of claim 7, wherein the indicia of ephemeral gallery activity includes indicia of a number of ephemeral gallery views. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The server of claim 1, wherein the memory storing instructions executed by the at least one processor further includes instructions to generate augmented messages by augmenting the at least one media content item of one or more of the plurality of messages with one or more of hand-drawn message content, a photograph filter, and a typed message. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The server of claim 9, wherein the memory storing instructions executed by the at least one processor further includes instructions to provide a drawing tool via the user device, the drawing tool being configured to enable user provision of hand-drawn message content in association with the respective at least one media content item. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The server of claim 1, wherein the memory storing instructions executed by the at least one processor further includes instructions to maintain a gallery timer that counts down a predefined time value with respect to the ephemeral gallery, the gallery timer being separate from the gallery participation parameters. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The server of claim 11, wherein the memory storing instructions executed by the at least one processor further includes instructions to remove the ephemeral gallery upon expiration of the gallery timer and/or expiration of all gallery participation parameters. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The server of claim 12, wherein the memory storing instructions executed by the at least one processor further includes instructions to preserve at least one media content item in the ephemeral gallery in response to receiving user input indicative of media content item preservation. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The server of claim 1, wherein the memory storing instructions executed by the at least one processor to post the plurality of messages for which the one or more additional destination selections are received to at least one additional destination comprises instructions to post one or more of the plurality of messages as ephemeral messages to an additional ephemeral gallery. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The server of claim 14, wherein the memory storing instructions executed by the at least one processor further includes instructions to maintain, for each of the plurality of messages posted as ephemeral messages to the additional ephemeral gallery, a second gallery participation parameter that indicates a second time value for continued availability of the corresponding ephemeral message in the additional ephemeral gallery. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The server of claim 15, wherein the memory storing instructions executed by the at least one processor further includes instructions to remove, from the additional ephemeral gallery, any of the corresponding ephemeral messages for which respective second gallery participation parameters have expired, wherein removed ones of the ephemeral messages are thereafter unavailable for recipient viewing as part of the additional ephemeral gallery. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The server of claim 16, wherein the memory storing instructions executed by the at least one processor further includes instructions to maintain a second gallery timer that counts down a second predefined time value with respect to the additional ephemeral gallery, the second gallery timer being separate from the second gallery participation parameters. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The server of claim 17, wherein the memory storing instructions executed by the at least one processor further includes instructions to remove the additional ephemeral gallery upon expiration of the second gallery timer and/or expiration of all second gallery participation parameters. ### Claim 19 (depends on 1) The server of claim 1, wherein the memory storing instructions executed by the at least one processor to post the plurality of messages for which the one or more additional destination selections are received to at least one additional destination comprises instructions to send one or more of the plurality of messages to at least one individual recipient device. ### Claim 20 A computer-implemented method, comprising: receiving a plurality of messages from a user device, wherein each of the plurality of messages comprises at least one media content item; posting the plurality of messages as ephemeral messages to an ephemeral gallery, wherein the ephemeral gallery comprises a plurality of ephemeral messages posted for viewing by one or more recipients; receiving, from the user device, one or more additional destination selections for corresponding ones of the plurality of messages; posting the plurality of messages for which the one or more additional destination selections are received to at least one additional destination other than the ephemeral gallery, in each case as distinct instances from the ephemeral messages posted to the ephemeral gallery; maintaining, for each of the ephemeral messages posted to the ephemeral gallery, a gallery participation parameter that indicates a time value for continued availability of the corresponding ephemeral message in the ephemeral gallery; responsive to receiving an ephemeral gallery view request from one of the one or more recipients, sequentially displaying the plurality of ephemeral messages on a recipient device corresponding to the ephemeral gallery view request; and removing, from the ephemeral gallery, any of the ephemeral messages for which respective gallery participation parameters have expired, wherein removed ones of the ephemeral messages are thereafter unavailable for recipient viewing as part of the ephemeral gallery, wherein the distinct instances of the plurality of messages posted to the at least one additional destination continue to be available after corresponding ones of the ephemeral messages are removed from the ephemeral gallery. ### Claim 21 (depends on 20) The computer-implemented method of claim 20, further comprising: creating the ephemeral gallery at least partly in response to receiving at least one of the plurality of messages. ### Claim 22 (depends on 20) The computer-implemented method of claim 20, further comprising: receiving, from the user device, a destination selection for each of the plurality of messages, the destination selection corresponding to the ephemeral gallery. ### Claim 23 (depends on 20) The computer-implemented method of claim 20, further comprising: maintaining, for each of the ephemeral messages posted to the ephemeral gallery, an associated message duration parameter that indicates a display duration for the corresponding ephemeral message during viewing of the ephemeral gallery. ### Claim 24 (depends on 23) The computer-implemented method of claim 23, wherein sequentially displaying the ephemeral messages on the recipient device corresponding to the ephemeral gallery view request comprises: starting a message timer when display of one of the ephemeral messages is commenced, determining that the message timer expires when the message timer equals the corresponding display duration, and responsive to expiry of the message timer, displaying a next one of the ephemeral messages in the ephemeral gallery. ### Claim 25 (depends on 20) The computer-implemented method of claim 20, further comprising: eliminating the ephemeral gallery upon expiry of a gallery availability parameter, the ephemeral gallery being unavailable subsequent to elimination thereof. ### Claim 26 (depends on 20) The computer-implemented method of claim 20, further comprising: posting indicia of ephemeral gallery activity, wherein the indicia of ephemeral gallery activity includes indicia of a number of ephemeral gallery views. ### Claim 27 (depends on 20) The computer-implemented method of claim 20, further comprising: generating augmented messages by augmenting the at least one media content item of one or more of the plurality of messages with one or more of hand-drawn message content, a photograph filter, and a typed message. ### Claim 28 (depends on 20) The computer-implemented method of claim 20, further comprising: maintaining a gallery timer that counts down a predefined time value with respect to the ephemeral gallery, the gallery timer being separate from the gallery participation parameters; and removing the ephemeral gallery upon expiration of the gallery timer and/or expiration of all gallery participation parameters. ### Claim 29 (depends on 28) The computer-implemented method of claim 28, further comprising: preserving at least one media content item in the ephemeral gallery in response to receiving user input indicative of media content item preservation. ### Claim 30 A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, the computer-readable storage medium including instructions that when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform operations comprising: receiving a plurality of messages from a user device, wherein each of the plurality of messages comprises at least one media content item; posting the plurality of messages as ephemeral messages to an ephemeral gallery, wherein the ephemeral gallery comprises a plurality of ephemeral messages posted for viewing by one or more recipients; receiving, from the user device, one or more additional destination selections for corresponding ones of the plurality of messages; posting the plurality of messages for which the one or more additional destination selections are received to at least one additional destination other than the ephemeral gallery, in each case as distinct instances from the ephemeral messages posted to the ephemeral gallery; maintaining, for each of the ephemeral messages posted to the ephemeral gallery, a gallery participation parameter that indicates a time value for continued availability of the corresponding ephemeral message in the ephemeral gallery; responsive to receiving an ephemeral gallery view request from one of the one or more recipients, sequentially displaying the plurality of ephemeral messages on a recipient device corresponding to the ephemeral gallery view request; and removing, from the ephemeral gallery, any of the ephemeral messages for which respective gallery participation parameters have expired, wherein removed ones of the ephemeral messages are thereafter unavailable for recipient viewing as part of the ephemeral gallery, wherein the distinct instances of the plurality of messages posted to the at least one additional destination continue to be available after corresponding ones of the ephemeral messages are removed from the ephemeral gallery.