Linking sounds and emoticons
A method and apparatus for linking sounds and emoticons to allow a recipient of a message containing an emoticon to hear audio associated with the emoticon. In one aspect of the invention, a first user or sender establishes a link or association between the emoticon being sent and a sound file to be associated with that particular emoticon. The emoticon is then transmitted from the sender to the recipient along with the link or association such that the recipient can hear the audio when the emoticon is displayed.
1. A method of using a communication network, in which a sender can send a message to a recipient, the network including a server for facilitating communication between the sender and the recipient, the method comprising the steps of:
receiving an emoticon associated with a sound file at the server;
linking the emoticon with the sound file according to a user preferences stored on the server, the user preferences indicating that the sound file is chosen to be linked with the emoticon by the sender, the user preferences periodically updated by the sender, the updating occurring by obtaining different sound files from the server and replacing one or more of a set of default sound files, linked with one or more emoticons, stored in the user preferences;
sending the emoticon from the server to the recipient; and
determining if the recipient needs the sound file, the sound file forwarded to the recipient from the server when the recipient needs the sound file, the sound file received by the server from the sender when the server does not have the sound file and the recipient needs the sound file,
wherein the sound file is played at the recipient when the emoticon is displayed.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the associating is performed by the sender.
3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the step of associating comprises making a dynamic association for a message.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the associating is performed by the server.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the sound file is sent to the recipient with the emoticon.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the associating comprises creating a pointer to the sound file and attaching the pointer to a message containing the emoticon.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the sound file is forwarded even if the recipient has the sound file.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the associating is accomplished by sending a message with a MIME-encoded attachment.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of forwarding the sound file to the recipient comprises forwarding a message and a link to the sound file.
10. A system for sending electronic communications, the system comprising:
a server for facilitating communications between a sending device sending a message and a receiving device in communication with the sending device, the server connected to an electronic communications network, the server configured to
receive the message including an emoticon from the sending device addressed to the receiving device,
determine an association between the emoticon and a sound file,
link the emoticon with the sound file according to a user preferences stored on the server, the user preferences indicating that the sound file is chosen to be linked with the emoticon by the sender, the user preferences periodically updated by the sender, the updating occurring by obtaining different sound files from the server and replacing one or more of a set of default sound files, linked with one or more emoticons, stored in the user preferences,
send the emoticon to the receiving device,
determine if the receiving device has the sound file stored on a memory of the receiving device, and if not to
forward the sound file to the receiving device from the server when the receiving device needs the sound file, the sound file received at the server from the sending device when the server does not have the sound file on a server memory and the receiving device needs the sound file.
11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the association between the emoticon and the sound file is created by the sending device.
12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the association is created by making a dynamic association for the message.
13. The system of claim 10 , wherein the association is created by the server.
14. The system of claim 10 , wherein the sound file is sent to the receiving device with the emoticon.
15. The system of claim 10 , wherein the association includes a pointer to the sound file attached to the message containing the emoticon.
16. The system of claim 10 , wherein the sound file is forwarded even if the receiving device has the sound file.
17. The system of claim 10 , wherein the association is accomplished by the sending device by sending the message with a MIME-encoded attachment to the server.
18. The system of claim 10 , wherein the sound file is forwarded to the recipient as a message and a link to the sound file.