US 11,973,730 B2
External messaging function for an interaction system
Nathan Kenneth Boyd, Los Angeles, CA (US); David Phillip Taitz, Los Angeles, CA (US); Jeremy Baker Voss, Los Angeles, CA (US); and Xingnan Xia, Los Angeles, CA (US)
Assigned to Snap Inc., Santa Monica, CA (US)
Filed by Snap Inc., Santa Monica, CA (US)
Filed on Apr. 7, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/132,267.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/348,412, filed on Jun. 2, 2022.
Prior Publication US 2023/0396569 A1, Dec. 7, 2023
Int. Cl. G06F 15/16 (2006.01); H04L 51/046 (2022.01); G06F 3/04842 (2022.01)
CPC H04L 51/046 (2013.01) [G06F 3/04842 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method comprising:
maintaining first electronic contact data for a plurality of users of an interaction system, each user having a platform account;
receiving, from a first user device of a sender, a selection of a content item, the content item being adapted for presentation by an interaction application provided by the interaction system, and the sender having a first platform account within the interaction system;
accessing second electronic contact data associated with an external application of the sender, the second electronic contact data including a recipient identifier of a recipient;
determining that the recipient identifier is not linked to a platform account forming part of the first electronic contact data;
in response to determining that the recipient identifier is not linked to a platform account forming part of the first electronic contact data, causing presentation of the recipient identifier together with a user-selectable off-platform messaging selector;
in response to selection, by the first user device, of the user-selectable off-platform messaging selector, causing transmission of an off-platform communication in an electronic format supported by a second user device associated with the recipient identifier;
detecting establishment of a second platform account within the interaction system, the second platform account being linked to the recipient identifier; and
in response to the detecting of establishment of the second platform account:
enabling the recipient to access the content item on the second user device via the interaction application; and
establishing a relationship between the first platform account and the second platform account within the interaction system.