WO2015085885A1

WO2015085885A1 - Method and device for prompting messages

Info

Publication number: WO2015085885A1
Application number: PCT/CN2014/092949
Authority: WO
Inventors: Wen ZHA
Original assignee: Tencent Technology (Shenzhen) Company Limited
Priority date: 2013-12-11
Filing date: 2014-12-03
Publication date: 2015-06-18
Also published as: CN104717341A

Abstract

A method for prompting messages is disclosed. The method is performed at a terminal device having one or more processors and memory for storing programs to be executed by the one or more processors. The method includes defining at least one message prompting mode for each contact from a group of contacts. At least one message prompting mode associated with the group of contacts is different than a message prompting mode associated with contacts excluded from the group of contacts. The method also includes receiving a message from a contact, and retrieving an identifier of the contact from the message. The method further includes activating, based on the identifier of the contact and when the contact is included in the group of contacts, the at least one message prompting mode defined for the contact.

Description

METHOD AND DEVICE FOR PROMPTING MESSAGES

PRIORITY CLAIM AND RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application Serial No. 201310675914.3, entitled “METHOD AND DEVICE FOR PROMPTING MESSAGES” , filed December 11, 2013, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE APPLICATION

The present application generally relates to the field of electronic technologies, and more particularly to a method and device for prompting messages.

BACKGROUND

Nowadays, prompting messages on terminal devices (e.g., mobile phones) has become an important part of communication activities for users. Every day, a great number of messages are prompted at a user’s terminal device. Some known terminal devices enable a user to set a personalized message prompting mode for incoming communication messages (e.g., incoming calls, voice messages, text messages, alerts, etc. ) . Such known terminal devices, however, typically do not adopt various message prompting modes for different incoming communication messages (e.g., communication messages from different contacts, communication messages of different types) . As a result, a user is not able to obtain information of each incoming communication message (e.g., sender of the communication message, type of the communication message, priority of the communication message, etc. ) based on the message prompting mode.

Therefore, a need exists for a method and device that can enable various message prompting modes for different incoming communication messages.

SUMMARY

The above deficiencies associated with the known terminal devices may be addressed by the techniques described herein.

In some embodiments, a method for prompting messages is disclosed. The method is performed at a terminal device having one or more processors and memory for storing programs to be executed by the one or more processors. The method includes defining at least one message prompting mode for each contact from a group of contacts. At least one message prompting mode defined for the group of contacts is different than a message prompting mode associated with contacts excluded from the group of contacts.

In some instances, the message prompting modes defined for the group of contacts include at least one of an audio snippet, a vibration, a ringtone and a predefined screen display. In some instances, the message prompting mode associated with the contacts excluded from the group of contacts is a default message prompting mode associated with the terminal device. In some instances, the method includes defining a common message prompting mode for multiple contacts from the group of contacts, where each contact from the multiple contacts has a common characteristic.

In some instances, the method includes defining a message prompting mode for a contact from the group of contacts and defining a different message prompting mode for another contact from the group of contacts. In some instances, the method includes defining a message prompting mode for a type of incoming communication messages associated with a contact from the group of contacts, and defining a different message prompting mode for another type of incoming communication messages associated with the contact.

The method also includes receiving a message from a contact, and retrieving an identifier of the contact from the message. In some instances, the received message includes at least one of an incoming call, a voice message, a text message, an image message, a video message, a message associated with a file, an email, an incoming communication message of an instant messaging tool, and a message associated with a social network website. The method further includes activating, based on the identifier of the contact and when the contact is included in the group of contacts, the at least one message prompting mode defined for the contact.

In some embodiments, a terminal device includes one or more processors and memory storing one or more programs for execution by the one or more processors. The one or more programs include instructions that cause the terminal device to perform the method for prompting messages as described above. In some embodiments, a non-transitory computer readable storage medium stores one or more programs including instructions for execution by one or more processors. The instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the processors to perform the method for prompting messages at a terminal device as described above.

Various advantages of the present application are apparent in light of the descriptions below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The aforementioned implementation of the application as well as additional implementations will be more clearly understood as a result of the following detailed description of the various aspects of the application when taken in conjunction with the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a flow chart illustrating a method performed at a terminal device for prompting messages in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating modules of a terminal device in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating components of a terminal device in accordance with some embodiments.

Like reference numerals refer to corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference will now be made in detail to embodiments, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. In the following detailed description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the subject matter presented herein. But it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that the subject matter may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known methods, procedures, components, and circuits have not been described in detail so as not to unnecessarily obscure aspects of the embodiments.

In order to make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the present application comprehensible, embodiments of the present application are further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a flow chart illustrating a method 100 performed at a terminal device for prompting messages in accordance with some embodiments. The terminal device performing the method 100 can be any type of electronic device used for communicating with other devices (e.g., other terminal devices, server devices, etc. ) . Such a terminal device can be configured to communicate with one or more other devices via one or more networks (e.g., a cellular network, the Internet) . In operation, the terminal device can be configured to receive incoming communication messages from other devices (e.g., other terminal devices, server devices, etc. ) . A user operating the terminal device can be any person that has the authority and/or capability to change configuration settings of the terminal device. For example, a user of the terminal device can be an owner of the terminal device. For another example, a user of the terminal device can be a parent of an underage owner of the terminal device such that the user can set configurations of the terminal device for her child.

In some embodiments, the terminal device performing the method 100 can be, for example, a cellular phone, a smart phone, a mobile Internet device (MID) , a personal digital assistant (PDA) , a tablet computer, an e-reader, a laptop computer, a handheld computer, a wearable device, a desktop computer, a vehicle terminal, and/or any other electronic device that can be used for communication. In some embodiments, such a terminal device can be referred to as, for example, a client device, a user device, a mobile device, a portable device, a terminal, and/or the like. Details of a terminal device are shown and described below with respect to FIGS. 2-3.

In some embodiments, the terminal device performing the method 100 can include one or more processors and memory. In such embodiments, the method 100 is (at least partially) governed by instructions or code of an application that are stored in a non-transitory computer readable storage medium of the terminal device and executed by the one or more processors of the terminal device. The application is associated with prompting messages in response to receiving incoming communication messages at the terminal device. Such an application can be stored in a memory of the terminal device and executed at a processor of the terminal device. As shown in FIG. 1, the method 100 includes the following steps.

At S101, the user operates the terminal device to add each contact from a group of contacts into a list. As described in subsequent steps, the user can personalize message prompting mode (s) for each contact from the group of contacts. Specifically, the user can operate the terminal device to define one or more personalized message prompting modes for each contact from the group of contacts. Adding each contact from the group of contacts into the list (as described in S101) is a method for differentiating contacts included in the group of contacts from other contacts.

In some embodiments, the user adds each contact from the group of contacts into the list such that the operation of defining personalized message prompting modes can be limited to contacts included in the list. In such embodiments, the user can go through the list to define personalized message prompting modes for each contact included in the list, and refrain from operating on any contact excluded from the list. In other embodiments, the user can perform subsequent operations (i.e., operations described with respect to S102-S104) without using a list. That is, use of a list (as described in S101) can be optional. In some embodiments, the user can operate the terminal device to differentiate contacts included in the group of contacts from other contacts, and to perform the subsequent operations of S102-S104, using any other data structure (e.g., a table, an array, a set, a queue, etc. ) and/or any other suitable method.

The user can select contacts for personalizing message prompting modes in any method and/or based on any standard. In some embodiments, the user can select contacts with high priority (e.g., a boss, a close friend, a spouse, a child) for personalizing message prompting modes. In some embodiments, the user can select contacts of a certain group (e.g., family members, colleagues, teammates) for personalizing message prompting modes. In some embodiments, the user can arbitrarily select contacts for personalizing message prompting modes with or without any particular rule and/or standard.

In some embodiments, such a group of contacts is a pure subset of all contacts stored within the terminal device. That is, at least one contact is not included in the group of contacts. In such embodiments, the message prompting mode for the contact (s) excluded from the group of contacts (e.g., contacts not added into the list) is not personalized, thus remaining as, for example, a default message prompting mode associated with the terminal device. Such a default message prompting mode can be, for example, a ringtone, a vibration, etc., defined for a contact of the terminal device by default.

In some embodiments, contacts associated with the terminal device (whose message prompting modes can be personalized) can be contacts associated with and/or defined in various programs, applications, functions, services of the terminal device. The contacts can be contacts defined in and/or associated with various contact sources such as, for example, a phone book, an email application, an instant messaging tool or online chatting tool (e.g., WeChat, WhatsApp, Line) , a video conference application (e.g., Skype) , a social network website (e.g., Twitter, Facebook) , and/or the like. Each contact source can be associated with a different type of communication messages received by the terminal device. For example, a phone book is associated with incoming calls； an email application is associated with receiving emails； an instant messaging tool or online chatting tool is associated with receiving instant messages； a video conference application is associated with receiving video conference requests and responses； a social network website is associated with alert messages； and/or the like.

In some embodiments, a contact can be defined in and/or associated with multiple contact sources (e.g., a phone book, an email application, an instant messaging tool, an online chatting tool, a video conference application, and a social network website) in various forms. In such embodiments, each contact can be associated with a unique identifier, such that a contact defined in and/or associated with different types of communication messages received in connection with the multiple contact sources can be uniquely identified, and thus uniformly recognized and identified across the different types of communication messages in connection with the multiple contact sources. Such a unique identifier of a contact can be, for example, a number (e.g., 123) , a name of the contact (e.g., a last name “Hanks” , a first name “Tom” , a full name “Tom Hanks” , an initial-abbreviation of a name “tjh” for Tom Jeffrey Hanks, etc. ) , a nickname of the contact (e.g., “readbeard” ) , a text string (e.g., tomhanks123) , a phone number, an email account, an online ID, and/or the like.

For example, a contact is included in a phone book (with the contact’s name and a phone number) , an email contact list (with the contact’s name and an email account) , a contact list of an instant messaging tool, an online chatting tool or a video conference application (with the contact’s name and other personal information) , and a friend list of a social network website (with the contact’s name and other personal information) , in a suitable form in each of the above respective contact sources. The contact is associated with a unique identifier (e.g., a number, a phone number, an email account, a name, a nickname, a text string, an online ID, etc. ) across the various types of communication messages associated with the multiple contact sources. Thus, the contact can be uniformly recognized and identified (based on the unique identifier) and linked across the various types of communication messages associated with the multiple contact sources.

In some embodiments, the user of the terminal device can manually recognize and identify a contact that appears in multiple contact sources in various forms (e.g., in different types of communication messages) . In some other embodiments, the terminal device can automatically recognize and identify a contact that appears in multiple contact sources in various forms (e.g., in different types of communication messages) based on information of the contact that is included in each communication message (e.g., an incoming call, an email, an instant message, an alert message, a chatting/video conference request, etc. ) .

Additionally, in some embodiments, the terminal device can be configured to store information of a contact associated with multiple contact sources (e.g., various forms in which the contact appears in the different types of communication messages associated with the multiple contact sources) in, for example, a database of the terminal device (e.g., stored in a memory of the terminal device) . In such embodiments, in response to receiving an incoming communication message of a particular type that is associated with any of the multiple contact sources, the terminal device can recognize and identify, based on information contained in the incoming communication message, the sender of the communication message as a contact stored in the database.

At S102, the user operates the terminal device to define at least one message prompting mode for each contact from the group of contacts. In some embodiments, as described above with respect to S101, the user refrains from operating on contacts that are excluded from the group of contacts. Thus, each contact excluded from the group of contacts has a common, default message prompting mode, which can be the same across the contacts excluded from the group of contacts. In such embodiments, the message prompting mode (s) defined for the group of contacts can be different than the default message prompting mode.

In some embodiments, contacts excluded from the group of contacts can have more than one default message prompting mode. Specifically, each program, application, function and service of the terminal device can have its specific message prompting mode, which can be different from the message prompting mode (s) of other program, application, function and service of the terminal device. For example, the terminal device activates a ringtone when an incoming call associated with a phone service is received at the terminal device； the terminal device activates a vibration when an incoming email is received by an email application of the terminal device； and the terminal device presents a predefined screen display when a message of an instant messaging tool is received at the terminal device.

In some embodiments, the message prompting modes (s) defined for the group of contacts can include any type of message prompting mode such as, for example, an audio snippet, a vibration, a ringtone, a predefined screen display, and/or the like. In some embodiments, the user can operate the terminal device to define a message prompting mode for a contact from the group of contacts, and define a different message prompting mode for another contact from the group of contacts, where both of the message prompting modes are different than the default message prompting mode. In some embodiments, each message prompting mode defined for a contact from the group of contacts can be different from each default message prompting mode associated with the contacts excluded from the group of contacts. Similarly stated, the message prompting mode (s) defined for the group of contacts can be mutually exclusive from the default message prompting mode (s) associated with the contacts excluded from the group of contacts.

In some embodiments, the user can operate the terminal device to define a message prompting mode for a certain type of incoming communication messages associated with a contact from the group of contacts, and define a different message prompting mode for another type of incoming communication messages associated with the same contact. The various type of incoming communication message can include, for example, an incoming call, a voice message, a text message, an image message, a video message, a message associated with a file, an incoming email, an incoming communication message of an instant messaging tool, a message associated with a social network website, and/or the like.

In some embodiments, the user can operate the terminal device to define a message prompting mode for a subset of contacts from the group of contacts. In such embodiments, the user can perform a bundle-operation to select contacts of the subset of contacts and then designate the message prompting mode to the selected contacts, without performing an individual-operation on each contact from the subset of contacts. That is, by performing the bundle-operation on the subset of contacts as a whole, the user avoids selecting each individual contact, designating the message prompting mode to each selected individual contact, and then repeating such an individual-operation for each contact from the subset of contacts.

In operation, for example, the user can operate the terminal device to add the subset of contacts from the group of contacts into the list without adding each contact from the subset of contacts into the list separately. Furthermore, the user can operate the terminal device to designate a message prompting mode to the subset of contacts in the list without designating the message prompting mode to each contact from the subset of contacts in the list separately.

In some embodiments, the user can operate the terminal device to define message prompting mode (s) for contacts from the group of contacts in association with various types of communication messages and/or corresponding contact sources (i.e., different programs, applications, functions, services of the terminal device) in any method and/or based on any standard. In other words, the user can operate the terminal devices to define message prompting mode (s) for the group of contacts based on any suitable combination of different contacts and various types of communication messages. In some instances, the user can operate the terminal device to define a message prompting mode for one or more contacts with respect to one or multiple types of communication messages. In some other instances, the user can operate the terminal device to define various message prompting modes for an individual contact with respect to different types of communication messages. In yet some other instances, the user can operate the terminal device to define a message prompting mode for every contact from the group of contacts with respect to a specific type of communication messages.

For example, the user operates the terminal device to define message prompting modes for all her contacts stored in the terminal device in association with all types of communication messages as follows.

First, the user defines an audio snippet as a personalized message prompting mode for all types of communication messages received from a special contact (e.g., with highest priority) such as the user’s spouse. The user can choose or make the audio snippet in any suitable way as she desires. For instance, the audio snippet can be specifically made to pronounce the special contact’s name. Furthermore, the user can have the special contact himself record his name in making the audio snippet. As a result, the terminal device plays the audio snippet (e.g., pronouncing the special contact’s name) in response to receiving an incoming communication message of any type (e.g., a phone call, a text message, an email, an instant message, a chat request, etc. ) from the special contact.

Second, the user defines a vibration mode (e.g., a high frequency vibration) as a message prompting mode for all incoming emails received from her work-related contacts (e.g., colleagues, boss, company employees, any email account using a firm’s domain, etc. ) . Such a vibration mode can be different (e.g., have a higher frequency) than a default vibration mode of the terminal device such that the user can differentiate work-related incoming emails from other incoming emails.

Third, the user defines a personalized ringtone as a message prompting mode for incoming calls from her family members as a group. The user can choose to include the special contact (e.g., her spouse) in or exclude the special contact out from the group. The ringtone can be included in a predefined sound file provided in the terminal device, or a sound file downloaded from the Internet or received from another device (e.g., another terminal device) . The user can also make the ringtone in any suitable way as she desires. The ringtone can be different than a default ringtone of the terminal device such that the user can differentiate incoming calls from her family members from those from other contacts.

Fourth, the user defines a screen display as a message prompting mode for all types of incoming instant messages associated with various instant messaging tools or online chatting tools (e.g., WeChat, WhatsApp, Line, etc. ) . As a result, when an incoming instant message is received at the terminal device, the terminal device prompts a screen display showing information of the incoming instant message such as, for instance, a name of a sender of the message, a headshot picture of the sender of the message, first line of content of the message, time of receiving the message, and/or the like. Thus, the user can retrieve the information of the incoming instant message by viewing the screen display without performing further operation on the terminal device (e.g., unlock the terminal device, activate the corresponding instant message tool, etc. ) . Based on the information retrieved from the prompted screen display, the user can decide to activate the corresponding instant message tool to view details of the instant message or (temporarily) ignore the instant message.

Last, the user leaves incoming communication messages of other types associated with other contacts to default message prompting mode (s) provided by the terminal device. As described above, more than one default message prompting modes can be used to prompt messages in response to incoming communication messages at a terminal device. For instances, a default ringtone is used as a default message prompting mode for all incoming calls except for those from the user’s family members and the special contact. Meanwhile, a default vibration mode is used as a default message prompting mode for all other incoming communication messages except for emails from work-related contacts, communication messages from the special contact and all incoming instant messages /online chatting messages.

At S 103, the terminal device receives a message from a contact. The terminal device then retrieves an identifier of the contact from the message. As described above, such a message is a communication message associated with a program, application, service or function of the terminal device such as, for example, a call service, an email application, an instant messaging tool, an online chatting tool, a video conference application, a social network website, etc. In some embodiments, such a message received at the terminal device can be a communication message associated with any type of communication between the terminal device and another device (e.g., a server device, another terminal device) , and such a message can be in any suitable form (e.g., an audio message, a text message, an image message, a video message, etc. ) .

In some embodiments, the identifier of the contact retrieved from the message can be in different forms for various types of communication messages. For example, the terminal device retrieves, from an incoming call, a caller ID as the identifier of a caller. For another example, the terminal device retrieves, from an incoming email, an email account of a sender as the identifier of the sender. For yet another example, the terminal device retrieves, from an instant message, an online chatting message, a video chatting request, or an alert message associated with a social network website, a user ID or an online nickname as the identifier of a contact associated with the corresponding program, application or website.

At S104, the terminal device activates, based on the identifier of the contact, a message prompting mode associated with the contact. Specifically, the terminal device identifies the contact based on the identifier of the contact retrieved from the incoming communication message. As described above, the terminal device can store information of each contact, including various types of identifiers (e.g., caller ID, email address, user ID, nickname, etc. ) of that contact, in a database. The terminal device can then locate the contact in the database based on any of the various types of identifiers. Additionally, in some embodiments, each contact is associated with an identifier that uniquely represents that contact. Such a unique identifier can be used to link the different types of identifiers of a contact to the message prompting mode (s) defined for that contact.

In some embodiments, as described above, multiple message prompting modes can be defined for a contact in correspondence to various types of incoming messages. In such embodiments, information of each message prompting mode defined for a contact is stored in the database, such that the corresponding message prompting mode can be determined for a contact based on an identifier of the contact retrieved from a specific type of incoming communication message. Subsequently, the terminal device activates the corresponding message prompting mode (e.g., a ringtone, a vibration, a screen display, an audio snippet, etc. ) to alert the user of the incoming communication message.

For example, when the terminal device receives an incoming call from a contact, a personalized ringtone defined for incoming calls from that contact can be determined in the database based on a caller ID of the contact that is retrieved from the incoming call. The terminal device then plays the personalized ringtone to notify the user of the incoming call. On the other hand, when the terminal device receives an instant message from the same contact, a personalized screen display (e.g., including the sender’s name and the first line of content of the instant message) defined for instant messages from that contact can be determined in the database based on a user ID of the contact that is retrieved from the instant message. The terminal device then presents the personalized screen display (e.g., on a screen or monitor of the terminal device) to alert the user of the incoming instant message. Moreover, when the terminal device receives an email from the same contact, a personalized vibration defined for incoming emails from that contact can be determined in the database based on an email account of the contact that is retrieved from the received email. The terminal device then activates the personalized vibration to notify the user of the received email.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating modules of a terminal device 200 in accordance with some embodiments. The terminal device 200 can be structurally and functionally similar to the terminal devices described above with respect to FIG. 1. Particularly, the terminal device 200 can be configured to receive incoming communication messages from other devices (e.g., other terminal devices, server devices, etc. ) . Furthermore, a user of the terminal device 200 can operate the terminal device 200 to define message prompting mode (s) for contacts stored in the terminal device 200 in connection with various types of communication messages received at the terminal device 200. As shown in FIG. 2, the terminal device 200 includes an establishing module 201, a defining module 202, a processing module 203 and a message prompting module 204. In some embodiments, the terminal device 200 can include more or less modules than those shown in FIG. 2. For example, the terminal device 200 can include a communication module (not shown in FIG. 2) , which is configured to receive communication messages from and/or transmit responding messages to other devices.

In some embodiments, each module included in the terminal device 200 can be a hardware-based module (e.g., a digital signal processor (DSP) , an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) , a field programmable gate array (FPGA) , etc. ) , a software-based module (e.g., a module of computer code executed at a processor, a set of processor-readable instructions executed at a processor, etc. ) , or a combination of hardware and software modules. Instructions or code of each module can be stored in a memory of the terminal device 200 (not shown in FIG. 2) and executed at a processor (e.g., a CPU) of the terminal device 200 (not shown in FIG. 2) . Overall, the establishing module 201, the defining module 202, the processing module 203 and the message prompting module 204 can be configured to collectively perform at least a portion of the method 100 shown and described above with respect to FIG. 1.

Specifically, the establishing module 201 is configured to, among other functions, establish a list of contacts such that further personalizing operations can be performed on those contacts included in the list. In other words, the establishing module 201 is configured to, under control of the user, perform operations of S101 in the method 100. Specifically, the establishing module 201 is configured to add contacts from a group of contacts into the list. The group of contacts can be selected by the user for receiving personalized message prompting mode (s) . As described above, in some embodiments, the user can operate the terminal device to add a subset of contacts from the group of contacts into the list without adding each contact from the subset of contacts into the list separately. Alternatively, the user can add each contact from the group of contacts into the list separately. In some embodiments, establishing such a list is optional. That is, subsequent operations can be performed at the terminal device 200 without establishing the list for the group of contacts.

The defining module 202 is configured to, among other functions, define at least one message prompting mode for each contact from the group of contacts (e.g., included in the list) . In other words, the defining module 202 is configured to, under control of the user, perform operations of S102 in the method 100. Specifically, as described above, the defining module 202 can be configured to define message prompting mode (s) for the group of contacts based on any suitable combination of different contacts and various types of communication messages. For example, the defining module 202 can be configured to define a personalized message prompting mode (e.g., an audio snippet) for various types of communication messages (e.g., phone calls, emails, instant messages, etc. ) received from a particular contact. For another example, the defining module 202 can be configured to define a common message prompting mode for a particular type of communication messages received from a subset of contacts (e.g., family members, colleagues) .

In some embodiments, the defining module 202 can be configured to define message prompting mode (s) for incoming communication messages based on any other suitable factors such as timing, pattern, repetition, and/or the like. For example, the defining module 202 can be configured to define vibrations as message prompting modes for incoming calls such that the terminal device activates a stronger vibration each time on an incoming call when one or more calls from the same caller have been previously missed. Thus, if the same caller keeps calling, the terminal device will make stronger and stronger vibrations when the user does not take the call. For another example, the defining module 202 can be configured to define a ringtone as a message prompting mode for incoming emails such that the ringtone is played only in response to emails received during day time (e.g., between 7 AM and 11 PM) , and the terminal device keeps silent in response to emails received during evenings (e.g., between 11 PM and 7 AM) .

The processing module 203 is configured to, among other functions, process and retrieve information from incoming communication messages. In other words, the processing module 203 is configured to perform operations of S103 in the method 100. Specifically, as described above, the processing module 203 is configured to retrieve, from an incoming communication message, an identifier of a contact that is the sender of the incoming communication message. In some embodiments, the processing module 203 can be configured to retrieve different various identifiers (e.g., caller ID, email account, user ID, etc. ) from different types of communication messages. In some embodiments, the processing module 203 can be configured to determine a unique identifier of a contact based on various identifiers of the contact by, for example, using a database or the list described above.

The message prompting module 204 is configured to, among other functions, determine and activate, based on the identifier of the contact retrieved by the processing module 203, a message prompting module associated with the contact. In other words, the message prompting module 204 is configured to perform operations of S104 in the method 100. Specifically, the message prompting module 204 can be configured to determine, based on the identifier of the contact and/or the type of incoming communication message, a corresponding message prompting mode for the incoming communication message in association with the contact. Additionally, if the processing module 203 determines that an incoming communication message in association with a contact is not associated with any personalized message prompting mode (e.g., not included in the list established for the group of contacts by the establishing module 201) , the message prompting module 204 can determine a corresponding default message prompting mode for that incoming communication message accordingly. Subsequently, the message prompting module 204 is configured to activate the determined message prompting mode (e.g., a personalized message prompting mode or a default message prompting mode) .

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating components of a terminal device 30 in accordance with some embodiments. The terminal device 30 can be structurally and functionally similar to the terminal devices shown and/or described above with respect to FIGS. 1-2. For example, the terminal device 30 can be a cellular phone, a smart phone, a MID, a PDA, a tablet computer, an e-reader, a laptop computer, a handheld computer, a wearable device, a desktop computer, a vehicle terminal, etc. The terminal device 30 can be configured to perform at least a portion of the method 100 shown and described above with respect to FIG. 1.

As shown in FIG. 3, the terminal device 30 includes a radio frequency (RF) circuit 310, a memory 320 comprising of one or more computer-readable storage media, an input module 330, a display module 340, a sensor 350, an audio circuit 360, a Wi-Fi (Wireless Fidelity) module 370, a processor 380 including one or more processing cores, a power supply 390, and/or other components (not shown in FIG. 3) . One skilled in the art understands that the structure of the terminal device 30 shown in FIG. 3 does not constitute a limitation for the terminal device 30, and may include more or less components than those illustrated in FIG. 3. Furthermore, the components of the terminal device 30 (shown or not shown in FIG. 3) can be combined and/or arranged in different ways other than that shown in FIG. 3.

The RF circuit 310 is configured to send and receive data, and in particular, to send uplink data to and/or receive downlink data from a base station (e.g., a server device) . The RF circuit 310 is configured to send the received data to the processor 380 for further processing. The RF circuit 310 can include, for example, at least one of an antenna, amplifier, tuner, oscillator, subscriber identity module (SIM) card, transceiver, coupler, low noise amplifier (LNA) , duplexer, etc. The RF circuit 310 is configured to wirelessly communicate with other network or devices (e.g., server devices) using any suitable wireless communication protocol such as, for example, GSM, GPRS, CDMA, WCDMA, LTE, etc.

The memory 320 is configured to store software programs and/or modules. The processor 380 can execute various applications and data processing functions included in the software programs and/or modules stored in the memory 320. The memory 320 includes, for example, a program storage area and a data storage area. The program storage area is configured to store, for example, an operating system and application programs. The data storage area is configured to store data received and/or generated during the use of the terminal device 30 (e.g., identifiers of contacts, received communication messages, etc. ) . The memory 320 can include one or more high-speed RAM, non-volatile memory such as a disk storage device and a flash memory device, a non-volatile random access memory (NVRAM) , and/or other volatile solid state memory devices. In some embodiments, the memory 320 also includes a memory controller configured to provide the processor 380 and the input module 330 with access to the memory 320.

The input module 330 is configured to receive input data and signals (e.g., incoming communication messages) and also generate signals caused by operations and manipulations of input devices such as, for example, a user’s finger, a touch pen, a keyboard, a mouse, etc. Specifically, the input module 330 includes a touch-sensitive surface 331 (also known as touch screen or touchpad) and at least one other input device 332. The touch-sensitive surface 331 is configured to collect touch operations on or near the touch-sensitive surface 331 that are performed by a user of the terminal device 30, such as operations performed by the user using a finger, stylus, touch pen, or any other suitable object or attachment on or near the touch-sensitive surface 331. In some embodiments, the touch-sensitive surface 331 can optionally include a touch detection apparatus and a touch controller (not shown in FIG. 3) . The touch detection apparatus can detect the direction of the touch operation and signals generated by the touch operation, and then transmit the signals to the touch controller. The touch controller can receive the signals from the touch detection apparatus, convert the signals into contact coordinate data, and then send the contact coordinate data to the processor 380. The touch controller can also receive and execute commands received from the processor 380. The touch-sensitive surface 331 can be implemented using various types of technologies such as, for example, resistive touch screen, capacitive touch screen, infrared ray touch screen, surface acoustic wave (SAW) touch screen, etc. The other input devices 332 can include, for example, a physical keyboard, a function key (such as a volume control key, a switch key, etc. ) , a trackball, a mouse, a joystick, etc.

The display module 340 is configured to display information entered by the user, information provided to the user, various graphical user interfaces (GUIs) of the terminal device 30, and/or the like. The GUIs can include, for example, graph, text, icon, video, and/or any combination of them. The display module 340 includes a display panel 341, which can be, for example, a liquid crystal display (LCD) , a light-emitting diode (LED) display, an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display, etc. Furthermore, the touch-sensitive surface 331 can cover the display panel 341. After a touch operation on or near the touch-sensitive surface 331 is detected, the touch-sensitive surface 331 transmits information of the touch operation to the processor 380, where the type and/or other information of the touch operation is determined. The processor 380 sends visual information to the display panel 341 based on the determined type of the touch operation. The visual information is then displayed on the display panel 341. Although shown in FIG. 3 as two separate components for the input and output functions respectively, in other embodiments, the touch-sensitive surface 331 and the display panel 341 can be integrated into one component for realization of the input and output functions.

The terminal device 30 includes at least one sensor 350 such as, for example, a light sensor, a motion sensor, and/or other types of sensors. A light sensor can be, for example, an ambient light sensor or a proximity sensor. The ambient light sensor is configured to adjust the brightness of the display panel 341 according to the light intensity received at the ambient light sensor. The proximity sensor is configured to turn off the display panel 341 and/or backlight when the terminal device 30 moves near the user’s ear. A motion sensor can be, for example, an acceleration transducer that can measure acceleration at each direction (e.g., 3-axis directions) , measure the magnitude and direction of gravity when stationary, be used in applications for recognition of the posture of the terminal device 30 (e.g., horizontal and vertical screen switching, games, magnetometer posture calibration) , be used in applications related to vibration recognition (e.g., pedometer, percussion) , and/or the like. Additionally, although not shown in FIG. 3, the terminal device 30 can also include other sensory devices such as, for example, a gyroscope, a barometer, a hygrometer, a thermometer, an infrared sensor, and/or the like.

The audio circuit 360, the speaker 361 and the microphone 362 collectively provide an audio interface between the user and the terminal device 30. The audio circuit 360 transmits an electric signal converted from audio data to the speaker 361, where the electric signal is converted and output as an acoustical signal by the speaker 361. The microphone 362 converts a collected acoustical signal into an electric signal, which is then sent to and converted to audio data by the audio circuit 360. The audio data is sent to the processor 380 for further processing, and then sent to another terminal device through the RF circuit 310 or stored in the memory 320 for further processing. The audio circuit 360 can also include an earplug jack to enable communication between a peripheral headset and the terminal device 30.

The Wi-Fi module 370 is configured to enable Wi-Fi communication between the terminal device 30 and other devices or network. Thus, the Wi-Fi module 370 provides the user with a wireless access to broadband Internet. As a result, the user can use the Wi-Fi connection to, for example, send and receive E-mails, browse web pages, access streaming media, and so on. Although shown in FIG. 3 as including the Wi-Fi module 370, in some other embodiments, a terminal device can operate without such a Wi-Fi module or the Wi-Fi functionality.

The processor 380 functions as a control center of the terminal device 30. The processor 380 is configured to operatively connect each component of the terminal device 30 using various interfaces and circuits. The processor 380 is configured to execute the various functions of the terminal device 30 and to perform data processing by operating and/or executing the software programs and/or modules stored in the memory 320 and using the data stored in the memory 320. In some embodiments, the processor 380 can include one or more processing cores. In some embodiments, an application processor and a modem processor can be integrated at the processor 380. The application processor is configured to monitor and control the operating system, user interfaces, application programs, and so on. The modem processor is configured to control wireless communication.

The power supply 390 is used to provide power for the various components of the terminal device 30. The power supply 390 can be, for example, a battery. The power supply 390 can be operatively coupled to the processor 380 via a power management system that controls charging, discharging, power consumption, and/or other functions related to power management. In some embodiments, the power supply 390 can include one or more DC and/or AC power source, recharging system, power failure detection circuit, power converter or inverter, power supply status indicator, and/or the like.

Although not shown in FIG. 3, in some embodiments, the terminal device 30 can include, for example, a camera, a Bluetooth module, and/or other suitable components. The terminal device 30 can be configured to perform a procedure for prompting messages in response to receiving incoming communication messages (e.g., the method 100) as described above with respect to FIG. 1. Specifically, instructions or code of the programs and/or modules stored in the memory 320, when executed at the processor 380, can perform at least a portion of the operations of the method 100 as described above with respect to FIG. 1.

While particular embodiments are described above, it will be understood it is not intended to limit the invention to these particular embodiments. On the contrary, the invention includes alternatives, modifications and equivalents that are within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. Numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the subject matter presented herein. But it will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that the subject matter may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known methods, procedures, components, and circuits have not been described in detail so as not to unnecessarily obscure aspects of the embodiments.

Although the terms first, second, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another. For example, first ranking criteria could be termed second ranking criteria, and, similarly, second ranking criteria could be termed first ranking criteria, without departing from the scope of the present invention. First ranking criteria and second ranking criteria are both ranking criteria, but they are not the same ranking criteria.

The terminology used in the description of the invention herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used in the description of the invention and the appended claims, the singular forms “a, ” “an, ” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will also be understood that the term "and/or" as used herein refers to and encompasses any and all possible combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. It will be further understood that the terms "includes, " "including, " "comprises, " and/or "comprising, "when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.

As used herein, the term “if” may be construed to mean “when” or “upon” or “in response to determining” or “in accordance with a determination” or “in response to detecting, ” that a stated condition precedent is true, depending on the context. Similarly, the phrase “if it is determined [that a stated condition precedent is true] ” or “if [a stated condition precedent is true] ” or “when [a stated condition precedent is true] ” may be construed to mean “upon determining” or “in response to determining” or “in accordance with a determination” or “upon detecting” or “in response to detecting” that the stated condition precedent is true, depending on the context.

Although some of the various drawings illustrate a number of logical stages in a particular order, stages that are not order dependent may be reordered and other stages may be combined or broken out. While some reordering or other groupings are specifically mentioned, others will be obvious to those of ordinary skill in the art and so do not present an exhaustive list of alternatives. Moreover, it should be recognized that the stages could be implemented in hardware, firmware, software or any combination thereof.

The foregoing description, for purpose of explanation, has been described with reference to specific implementations. However, the illustrative discussions above are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed. Many modifications and variations are possible in view of the above teachings. The implementations were chosen and described in order to best explain principles of the invention and its practical applications, to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention and various implementations with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. Implementations include alternatives, modifications and equivalents that are within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. Numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the subject matter presented herein. But it will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that the subject matter may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known methods, procedures, components, and circuits have not been described in detail so as not to unnecessarily obscure aspects of the implementations.

Claims

A method of prompting messages, comprising:

at a terminal device having one or more processors and memory for storing programs to be executed by the one or more processors:

defining at least one message prompting mode for each contact from a group of contacts, at least one message prompting mode associated with the group of contacts being different than a message prompting mode associated with contacts excluded from the group of contacts；

receiving a message from a contact；

retrieving an identifier of the contact from the message； and

activating, based on the identifier of the contact and when the contact is included in the group of contacts, the at least one message prompting mode defined for the contact.
The method of claim 1, wherein the message prompting mode associated with the contacts excluded from the group of contacts is a default message prompting mode associated with the terminal device.
The method of claim 1, wherein the defining includes defining a first message prompting mode for a contact from the group of contacts, and defining a second message prompting mode for another contact from the group of contacts, the second message prompting mode being different than the first message prompting mode, both the first message prompting mode and the second message prompting mode being different from the message prompting mode associated with the contacts excluded from the group of contacts.
The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one message prompting mode associated with the group of contacts includes at least one of an audio snippet, a vibration, a ringtone and a predefined screen display.
The method of claim 1, wherein the defining includes defining a message prompting mode for a plurality of contacts from the group of contacts without defining the message prompting mode for each contact from the plurality of contacts separately.
The method of claim 1, wherein each message prompting mode defined for the group of contacts is different from each message prompting mode associated with the contacts excluded from the group of contacts.
The method of claim 1, wherein the defining includes adding each contact from the group of contacts into a list.
The method of claim 7, wherein the adding includes adding a plurality of contacts from the group of contacts into the list without adding each contact from the plurality of contacts into the list separately.
The method of claim 1, wherein the message prompting mode defined for a respective contact included in the group of contacts includes an audio snippet of the contact’s name, and activating the message prompting mode includes broadcasting the audio snippet.
The method of claim 1, wherein the defining a message prompting mode for each contact from the group of contacts includes defining a common message prompting mode for a plurality of contacts from the group of contacts, each contact from the plurality of contacts having a common characteristic.
The method of claim 1, wherein the message includes at least one of an incoming call, a voice message, a text message, a video message, a message associated with a file, an email, an incoming communication message of an instant messaging tool, and a message associated with a social network website.
The method of claim 1, wherein the defining includes defining a first message prompting mode for a first type of incoming communication messages associated with a contact from the group of contacts and defining a second message prompting mode for a second type of incoming communication messages associated with the contact, the second message prompting mode being different than the first message prompting mode.
A terminal device, comprising:

one or more processors； and

memory storing one or more programs to be executed by the one or more processors, the one or more programs comprising instructions for:

defining at least one message prompting mode for each contact from a group of contacts, at least one message prompting mode associated with the group of contacts being different than a message prompting mode associated with contacts excluded from the group of contacts；

receiving a message from a contact；

retrieving an identifier of the contact from the message； and

activating, based on the identifier of the contact and when the contact is included in the group of contacts, the at least one message prompting mode defined for the contact.
The terminal device of claim 13, wherein the at least one message prompting mode associated with the group of contacts includes at least one of an audio snippet, a vibration, a ringtone and a predefined screen display.
The terminal device of claim 13, wherein the message includes at least one of an incoming call, a voice message, a text message, a video message, a message associated with a file, an email, an incoming communication message of an instant messaging tool, and a message associated with a social network website.
The terminal device of claim 13, wherein the defining includes defining a first message prompting mode for a first type of incoming communication messages associated with a contact from the group of contacts and defining a second message prompting mode for a second type of incoming communication messages associated with the contact, the second message prompting mode being different than the first message prompting mode.
A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing one or more programs, the one or more programs comprising instructions, which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the processors to perform operations comprising:

at a terminal device:

defining at least one message prompting mode for each contact from a group of contacts, at least one message prompting mode associated with the group of contacts being different than a message prompting mode associated with contacts excluded from the group of contacts；

receiving a message from a contact；

retrieving an identifier of the contact from the message； and

activating, based on the identifier of the contact and when the contact is included in the group of contacts, the at least one message prompting mode defined for the contact.
The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the at least one message prompting mode associated with the group of contacts includes at least one of an audio snippet, a vibration, a ringtone and a predefined screen display.
The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the message includes at least one of an incoming call, a voice message, a text message, a video message, a message associated with a file, an email, an incoming communication message of an instant messaging tool, and a message associated with a social network website.
The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the defining includes defining a first message prompting mode for a first type of incoming communication messages associated with a contact from the group of contacts and defining a second message prompting mode for a second type of incoming communication messages associated with the contact, the second message prompting mode being different than the first message prompting mode.