Methods for generating message notifications

Abstract

A method is disclosed for displaying, on a display of a smart watch, a notification regarding a received message is disclosed. The method includes accessing, by a computer, the received message; identifying, by the computer and based on the received message, a topic indicator related to the received message; identifying, by the computer and based on the received message, a sender indicator of the received message; and outputting, on the display of the smart watch, the notification regarding the received message. The notification consists of the topic indicator and the sender indicator. The notification overlays content of the display of the smart watch. The notification is a single bounded area.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for displaying, on a display of a smart watch, a notification regarding a received message, comprising:
 accessing, by a computer, the received message;   identifying, by the computer and based on the received message, a topic indicator related to the received message;   identifying, by the computer and based on the received message, a sender indicator of the received message; and   outputting, on the display of the smart watch, the notification regarding the received message,
 wherein the notification consists of the topic indicator and the sender indicator, 
 wherein the notification overlays content of the display of the smart watch, and 
 wherein the notification being a single bounded area. 
   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the sender indicator is a graphical sender indicator and the topic indicator is a graphical topic indicator. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the graphical sender indicator is a single-color icon. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the sender indicator is a textual sender indicator and the topic indicator is a textual topic indicator. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the sender indicator is a graphical sender indicator and the topic indicator is a textual topic indicator. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the notification does not include text related to the received message. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the sender indicator is chosen by a recipient of the received message. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the sender indicator is a photograph of a sender of the received message. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the sender indicator is chosen by a sender of the received message. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the received message is an email message. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the received message is a social media message. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein identifying the topic indicator related to the received message comprises:
 identifying the topic indicator using semantic analysis of the received message.   
     
     
         13 . An apparatus for displaying, on a display of a smart watch, a notification regarding a received message, comprising:
 a processor; and   a memory comprising program instructions used by the processor, wherein the program instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:
 access the received message; 
 identify, based on the received message, a topic indicator related to the received message; 
 identify, based on the received message, a sender indicator of the received message; and 
 output, on the display of the smart watch, the notification regarding the received message,
 wherein the notification consists of the topic indicator and the sender indicator, 
 wherein the notification overlays content of the display of the smart watch, and 
 wherein the notification being a single bounded area. 
 
   
     
     
         14 . The apparatus of  claim 13 , wherein the sender indicator is a graphical sender indicator and the topic indicator is a graphical topic indicator. 
     
     
         15 . The apparatus of  claim 14 , wherein the graphical sender indicator is a single-color icon. 
     
     
         16 . The apparatus of  claim 13 , wherein the sender indicator is a textual sender indicator and the topic indicator is a textual topic indicator. 
     
     
         17 . The apparatus of  claim 13 , wherein the sender indicator is a graphical sender indicator and the topic indicator is a textual topic indicator. 
     
     
         18 . The apparatus of  claim 13 , wherein the sender indicator is a photograph of a sender of the received message. 
     
     
         19 . A method for displaying a notification regarding a received message on a display of a portable device, comprising:
 accessing, by a computer, the received message;   identifying, at the computer and based on the received message, a single word related to the received message; and   outputting, on the display of the portable device, the notification regarding the received message,
 wherein the notification consists of the single word related to the received message, 
 wherein the notification overlays content of the display of the portal device, and 
 wherein the notification being a single bounded area. 
   
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19 , further comprising:
 outputting, subsequent to outputting the notification, text related to the received message;   accepting as input, during a display time period, a first user input signal;   removing, from display, the text related to the received message in response to passage of the display time period if the first user input signal is not received during the display time period; and   removing, from the display of the portable device, the text related to the received message in response to receiving a second user input signal, if the first user input signal is received during the display time period.