Patent ID: 8131848

Claim:
A method of controlling an electronic communication device, the method comprising: receiving, using the electronic communication device, an electronic communication; providing, using the electronic communication device, an alert in response to receiving the electronic communication; while providing the alert, detecting recipient activity indicative of whether a recipient perceived the electronic communication; based on the detected recipient activity, determining whether the recipient perceived and intentionally ignored the electronic communication; handling, using at least one processing device, at least one aspect of the electronic communication in a first manner based determining that the recipient perceived and intentionally ignored the electronic communication; and handling, using at least one processing device, the at least one aspect of the electronic communication in a second manner based on determining that the electronic communication was not perceived and intentionally ignored by the recipient, wherein the second manner of handling the at least one aspect of the electronic communication is different than the first manner of handling the at least one aspect of the electronic communication, wherein the first manner of handling the at least one aspect of the electronic communication comprises: placing the electronic communication in a first list of communications displayed by the electronic communication device in a manner that distinguishes the electronic communication from missed communications included in the first list of communications displayed by the electronic communication device, withholding the electronic communication from a second list of missed communications displayed by the electronic communication device, and maintaining an alert interface that provides alerts for missed communications without a change that reflects receipt of the electronic communication; and wherein the second manner of handling the at least one aspect of the electronic communication comprises: placing the electronic communication in the first list of communications displayed by the electronic communication device in a way that identifies the electronic communication as having been missed, placing the electronic communication in the second list of missed communications displayed by the electronic communication device, and updating the alert interface that provides alerts for missed communications to reflect receipt of the electronic communication.