Multi-mode communication apparatus and interface for contacting a user
AssigneeDanger, Inc.
InventorKelly D. Berger
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A system and method for providing multi-mode communication options on a data processing device. A method according to one embodiment of the invention includes: receiving an incoming electronic message having an identifiable sender address; querying data storage to determine if the sender address is a known sender address; if the sender address is a known sender address, then automatically retrieving alternate contact information associated with the sender address; and automatically generating an interface containing the alternate contact information, the interface accessible by the user of the data processing device.
Claims34
A method implemented on a data processing device comprising:
- receiving an incoming electronic message from a message sender, the electronic message having an identifiable sender address;
- querying data storage to determine if the sender address is a known sender address;
- if the sender address is a known sender address, then automatically retrieving alternate contact options associated with the sender address;
- automatically generating an interface containing the alternate contact options, the alternate contact options prioritized based on a presumption of the location of the sender of the electronic message and selectable by the user of the data processing device via a mouse or other cursor control device;
- and
- upon detecting a selection of a particular contact option by the user, causing the data processing device to contact the sender using the selected contact option.
A method implemented on a data processing device having voice telephony capabilities comprising:
- receiving an incoming telephone call and caller identification (“ID”) information associated with the telephone call;
- querying data storage using the caller ID information to determine if any additional contact options exist for contacting the caller;
- if the additional contact options exist, then automatically retrieving the additional contact options, or a subset thereof;
- automatically generating an interface containing the additional contact options, the additional contact options within the interface prioritized based on a presumption of the location of the caller and selectable by the user of the data processing device via a mouse or other cursor control device;
- and
- upon detecting a selection of a particular contact option by the user, causing the data processing device to contact the sender using the selected contact option.
A method executed on a data processing device comprising:
- displaying a list of received electronic messages on a display of the data processing device;
- upon selection of a specified one of the electronic messages by a user, gathering additional contact options associated with the sender of the specified one of the electronic messages;
- automatically generating an interface from which the user may select one of the additional contact options to contact the sender via a mouse or other cursor control device, the additional contact options prioritized based on a presumption of the location of the sender of the specified one of the electronic messages;
- and
- upon detecting a selection of a particular contact option by the user, causing the data processing device to contact the sender using the selected contact option.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.