Interactive icons with embedded functionality used in text messages

Abstract

A method and system for providing emojis, or interactive icons, that have embedded functionality and can be used in text messages or other web based communication. The method and system of interactive icons with embedded functionality can convert a word into an exact logo. The converted logo can have embedded functionality, such as hyperlinks, phone number, using GPS to find locations closest to a user, or opening of a company's app. The interactive icons with embedded functionality may be selected from a keyboard, or from a predictive texting function. They can then be shared or viewed, or selected to provide the embedded information without leaving the messaging application.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A system for communicating interactive icons with embedded functionality, the system comprising:
 one or more servers coupled to a communication network;   a database coupled to the one or more servers for storing a plurality of interactive icons with embedded functionality;   one or more user devices coupled to the one or more servers;   a messaging application resided in the one or more user devices;   the messaging application including a virtual keyboard having one or more interactive icons with embedded functionality; and   wherein the messaging application, without leaving the messaging application, creates, sends, receives, or activates one or more interactive icons with embedded functionality in a text message.   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more interactive icons with embedded functionality include an image. 
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more interactive icons with embedded functionality are categorized in the virtual keyboard. 
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the messaging application, without leaving the messaging application, creates the one or more interactive icons with embedded functionality by inserting the one or more interactive icons with embedded functionality in-line with the text message. 
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the messaging application, without leaving the messaging application, creates the one or more interactive icons with embedded functionality by creating the text message as a new message. 
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more interactive icons with embedded functionality are activated by a user without leaving the messaging application. 
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more interactive icons with embedded functionality include one or more hyperlinks. 
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more interactive icons with embedded functionality include one or more application program interfaces. 
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the database is dynamically updated. 
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 1 , further receives a user request for or submission of one or more new interactive icons with embedded functionality. 
     
     
         11 . A non-transitory program storage device readable by a machine, the non-transitory storage device comprising instructions executable by at least one processor of the machine to perform a method for communicating text messages having one or more interactive icons with embedded functionality, the method comprising the steps of:
 creating one or more interactive icons with embedded functionality in a server coupled to a communication network;   downloading the one or more interactive icons with embedded functionality from the server to one or more user devices coupled to the communication network;   creating, by a messaging application in a first user device of the one or more user devices, a text message including one or more of the one or more interactive icons with embedded functionality;   sending, by the messaging application in the first user device of the one or more user devices, the text message including the one or more interactive icons with embedded functionality;   receiving, by a messaging application in a second user device of the one or more user devices, the text message including the one or more interactive icons with embedded functionality; and   activating, by the messaging application in the second user device of the one or more user devices, the one or more interactive icons with embedded functionality without leaving the messaging application in the second user device.   
     
     
         12 . The non-transitory program storage device of  claim 11 , wherein the one or more interactive icons with embedded functionality include an image. 
     
     
         13 . The non-transitory program storage device of  claim 11 , wherein the messaging application includes a virtual keyboard having one or more interactive icons with embedded functionality. 
     
     
         14 . The non-transitory program storage device of  claim 11 , wherein the one or more interactive icons with embedded functionality are categorized in the virtual keyboard. 
     
     
         15 . The non-transitory program storage device of  claim 11 , wherein the messaging application in the first user device, without leaving the messaging application, creates the one or more interactive icons with embedded functionality by inserting the one or more interactive icons with embedded functionality in-line with the text message. 
     
     
         16 . The non-transitory program storage device of  claim 11 , wherein the messaging application in the first user device, without leaving the messaging application, creates the one or more interactive icons with embedded functionality by creating the text message as a new message. 
     
     
         17 . The non-transitory program storage device of  claim 11 , wherein the one or more interactive icons with embedded functionality include one or more hyperlinks. 
     
     
         18 . The non-transitory program storage device of  claim 11 , wherein the one or more interactive icons with embedded functionality include one or more application program interfaces. 
     
     
         19 . The non-transitory program storage device of  claim 11 , the server includes a database for storing a plurality of interactive icons with embedded functionality. 
     
     
         20 . The non-transitory program storage device of  claim 19 , wherein the database is dynamically updated.