Messages augmented with structured entities

Abstract

Messages containing structured entities may be sent between devices in a way that leverages the existing Short Message Service (SMS) protocol. On the message sender's device, the sender may author a message indicating specific entities such as people, places, dates, or times. When the message is to be sent, an SMS representation of the message is sent to the recipient, and a full representation of the message, including the included entities, is sent to a server. If the SMS message is received at a device that is equipped with software that can retrieve and render the rich representation, then the device queries the server to determine whether there is a rich message that corresponds to the SMS message. If such a message exists, then the message is communicated to the recipient's device and is rendered in place of the SMS message.

1 . A device-readable medium that stores executable instructions to send content, the executable instructions, when executed by a first device, causing the first device to perform acts comprising:
 displaying an interface that comprises a box into which text is typed;   receiving said text;   composing a first message that comprises a first representation of said text;   composing a second message based on said text;   receiving an indication of a second device of a recipient of said content;   sending said first message to said second device using a text communication protocol; and   sending said second message to a server with a digest of said first message, said second message being associated by said server with said digest and a timestamp.   
     
     
         2 . The device-readable medium of  claim 1 , said acts further comprising:
 recognizing an entity in said text; and   providing a drop-down menu to allow choosing of said entity.   
     
     
         3 . The device-readable medium of  claim 1 , said acts further comprising:
 recognizing a date or time entity in said text; and   providing an interface that allows a user of said first device to select a date or time.   
     
     
         4 . The device-readable medium of  claim 1 , said acts further comprising:
 recognizing an entity in said text, said text being entered by a user of said first device;   using said user's position in a social graph to determine which options to offer said user to resolve said entity.   
     
     
         5 . The device-readable medium of  claim 1 , said text communication protocol being Short Message Service (SMS), said indication of said second device being a phone number associated with said second device. 
     
     
         6 . The device-readable medium of  claim 5 , said second message being sent to said server using a protocol other than SMS, said second message being associated, at said server, with said digest of an SMS representation of said first message. 
     
     
         7 . A method of displaying information, the method comprising:
 using a processor to perform acts comprising:
 receiving a first message that is sent using a text communication protocol; 
 sending indicia of said first message to a server, a determination being made by said server, based on said indicia, that said server has a second message that corresponds to said first message; 
 receiving said second message from said server, said second message comprising text and an entity, said first message comprising said text and a text representation of said entity; and 
 displaying said text and said entity to a user without displaying said first message. 
   
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , said text communication protocol being a Short Message Service (SMS) protocol. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 7 , said indicia comprising a digest of said first message. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , said indicia comprising a first phone number of a sender of said first message, a second phone number of a recipient of said first message, and a time at which said first message was received. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , said determination being made based on a finding that said time at which said first message was received is within a range of a timestamp that said server associated with said second message at a time at which said second message was received by said server from said sender. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 7 , said entity comprising a date and time, said displaying comprising displaying said date and said time separate from said text. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 7 , said entity comprising a person, said displaying comprising displaying contact information for said person separate from said text. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 7 , said entity comprising a place, said displaying comprising displaying a place page of said place, or a map of a location of said place, separate from said text. 
     
     
         15 . A device for receiving and displaying information, the device comprising:
 a memory;   a processor;   a display; and   a component that is stored in said memory, that executes on said processor, that receives a first message that is sent using a text communication protocol, that sends indicia of said first message to a server, a determination being made by said server, based on said indicia, that said server has a second message that corresponds to said first message, said component receiving said second message from said server, said second message comprising text and an entity, said first message comprising said text and a text representation of said entity, said component displaying, on said display, said text and said entity to a user without displaying said first message.   
     
     
         16 . The device of  claim 15 , said text communication protocol being a Short Message Service (SMS) protocol. 
     
     
         17 . The device of  claim 15 , said indicia comprising a digest of said first message, a first phone number of a sender of said first message, a second phone number of a recipient of said first message, and a time at which said first message was received, said determination being made based on a finding that said time at which said first message was received is within a range of a timestamp that said server associated with said second message at a time at which said second message was received by said server from said sender. 
     
     
         18 . The device of  claim 15 , said entity comprising a date and time, said displaying comprising displaying said date and said time separate from said text. 
     
     
         19 . The device of  claim 15 , said entity comprising a person, said displaying comprising displaying contact information for said person separate from said text. 
     
     
         20 . The device of  claim 15 , said entity comprising a place, said displaying comprising displaying a place page of said place, or a map of a location of said place, separate from said text.