Text Messaging Featured Article

With the rise of new messaging and social networking services, text messaging is undergoing a paradigm shift.

There are emerging technologies that have managed to change the basic user experience of creating a text message. For instance, sensor technologies are increasingly being used in mobile devices to enable them to detect information such as the movement of the user, which can translate to the development of messaging services based on users’ locations and other activity states, such as walking, driving, or running.

Location-based messaging is gaining popularity and is likely to play a big role in the future of messaging.

mPanion, a Seattle-based mobile software development company, has a vision to enhance the text messaging experience on mobile devices. The company recently was granted a patent, titled “Rich Presence Status based on Location, Activity, Availability and Transit Status of a User,” by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

“Our patented technology offers new and efficient ways to input messages into the device, and can be integrated with existing messaging and social services," said Neeraj Chawla, founder and chief executive officer of mPanion.

mPanion’s patent uses location and motion-based information to categorize relevant text messages for a user based on tags like geographical location, activity, availability, and transit status of the user, which are all determined based on input parameters received from the user’s mobile device.

These kinds of qualifiers can also address privacy concerns with a system using group-based privacy settings, as well as offer a system for prioritizing automated, system-generated updates and manual, user-generated updates. Another key aspect covered is combining the automated and manual status updates to display the most relevant status updates of the user.

“We are focusing our efforts on building partnerships with the industry players, device manufacturers, carriers, and automotive companies to bring our technology to mainstream users, and we remain committed to creating and protecting our IP,” said Umesh Amin, a member of the Board of Directors of mPanion.

mPanion has received three issued patents from the USPTO to date, and has five additional patents pending in the United States.