Group Objects Extend Messaging App Functionality
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing group messaging applications lack the ability to easily extend functionality for subgroups of contacts, making communication and interaction within these groups difficult and inflexible.
Innovation Solution
The introduction of group objects that provide additional functionality within a group messaging application, allowing users to activate and modify these objects to share contextual information, such as location, events, and media, and receive notifications, thereby enhancing group-centric communication.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If traditional group messaging is used, then basic communication is simple, but additional functionality for subgroups cannot be easily extended
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements group objects that can provide multiple different functionalities (location sharing, gaming, media sharing, events) within a single group messaging application framework. This allows the system to be versatile and adaptable to different group interaction needs without requiring separate applications for each function.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent divides the group messaging functionality into modular group objects, where each object represents a specific functional component (e.g., location sharing object, gaming object). This segmentation allows individual functionalities to be independently activated, modified, and extended without affecting the entire system.
2Adaptability or versatility
If group objects with additional functionality are added, then communication capabilities are enhanced, but user interface complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple communication functionalities into a unified group messaging interface where group objects are integrated alongside standard messaging. This combination allows users to access enhanced communication capabilities (location sharing, gaming, media sharing) through the familiar messaging interface rather than requiring separate applications or complex navigation.
3Adaptability or versatility
If shared state management is implemented across participants, then group interactivity is improved, but data synchronization complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements notification mechanisms that provide feedback to all participants when group object state changes occur. This feedback system automatically synchronizes information across all participants' devices, ensuring that everyone is aware of updates (e.g., location changes, game events, media shares) without requiring complex manual synchronization protocols.
Data Source
AI summary
Configurations providing one or more group objects for extending the functionality of a group messaging application. Some example group objects provide functionality for location-sharing, games, events, calendar, photos, videos, money sending, video calling, audio calling, or a map view of one or more participants in a conversation. Each group object can provide contextual content including semantically relevant information with respect to the participants of the conversation. For instance, each conversation participant can modify the included group object(s) in the context of the conversation. A notification can then be provided to the conversation participants. By viewing the conversation in the group messaging application, contextual information from an included group object for the participants in the conversation can be provided.