Unified Messaging System Aggregating Multi-Protocol Communications
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Solution Overview
Problem
Users face challenges in managing and viewing multiple communication methods with contacts in a unified manner, as existing systems lack a comprehensive and integrated platform to aggregate interactions across various communication protocols and platforms.
Innovation Solution
A social networking system that synchronizes all interactions between a user and their contacts across different communication media, presenting a unified 'conversations view' that aggregates messages from various sources, including emails, instant messages, voice calls, and social media, into a single temporally-arranged thread, using both client-side and server-side rendering to ensure data availability and efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If users manage multiple communication methods separately, then each communication platform can be optimized independently, but users face complexity in managing and viewing communications across different platforms
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple communication platforms (SMS, MMS, email, instant messaging, VoIP, video chat, social networking) into a single unified conversation view. The system aggregates communications from different protocols and presents them in one integrated interface, eliminating the need for users to switch between multiple applications and reducing management complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The unified messaging system performs multiple communication functions through a single platform. It handles various communication types (text messages, multimedia, voice calls, video chats) and integrates with multiple communication protocols, allowing one system to serve universal communication needs across different platforms.
2Adaptability or versatility
If a unified conversation view aggregates all communications, then user experience is simplified, but the system complexity increases to integrate multiple communication protocols
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a messaging application as an intermediary layer between users and multiple communication protocols. This mediator handles the complexity of integrating different communication methods (SMS, MMS, email, IM, VoIP, video chat, social networking) while presenting a simplified unified interface to users. The intermediary manages protocol conversion and data aggregation transparently.
Solution Approach 2:
The system segments the complex integration task by handling each communication protocol separately through dedicated interfaces or adapters, then aggregating them in a unified conversation view. This modular approach allows the system to maintain adaptability across multiple protocols while managing integration complexity through structured organization.
3Loss of information
If all communications are presented in a single thread, then users can view all interactions in one place, but the volume of data to be processed and displayed increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines communication data from multiple sources and protocols into a single aggregated conversation thread. By merging SMS, MMS, email, instant messaging, and other communications into one unified view, the system ensures complete communication history is preserved and accessible in one location, reducing information loss.
Data Source
AI summary
In particular embodiments, a mobile computing device receives an incoming communication from a source. The mobile computing device queries a social-networking system operable to aggregate communications between the source and a user associated with the mobile computing device. The mobile computing device receives from the social-networking system one or more aggregated communications between the source and the user and at least a portion of a profile associated with the source in the social-networking system. The mobile computing device displays the aggregated communications and the portion of the profile in a screen of the mobile computing device.