System and method for threading electronic messages

• US 10,320,731 B2
• Filed: 02/04/2015
• Issued: 06/11/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Lu, Xiaobin, Chien, Elaine
• Primary Examiner(s): Fan, Shiow-Jy
• Application Number:
  US14/613,642
• Publication Number:
  US 20150249631A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,588 Days
• Field of Search: 707710, 707687, 707705
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/284 Relational databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/42 Mailbox-related aspects, e.g. synchronisation of mailboxes

Abstract

A system and method includes a network interface device to receive and retransmit electronic messages between a first user and a second user, an electronic data storage configured to store database entries related to electronic messages as received and retransmitted by the network interface device, at least some of the database entries including a latest message in thread flag identifying a latest electronic message in a thread of multiple electronic messages, and a processor. The processor may create a database entry corresponding to a first electronic message, the database entry including the latest message in thread flag indicating that the first electronic message is a latest electronic message of a thread, and change a status of a latest message in thread flag of a database entry corresponding to a second electronic message of the thread to indicate that the second electronic message is not a latest message in the thread.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a network interface device to receive and retransmit electronic messages between a first user and a second user;

an electronic data storage comprising a first database and a second database, each database configured to store database entries related to electronic messages as received and retransmitted by the network interface device, at least some of the database entries including a binary latest message in thread flag identifying a latest electronic message in a thread of multiple electronic messages as stored in a respective one of the first database and the second database, wherein the first database corresponds to electronic messages received from and retransmitted to the first user and the second database corresponds to electronic messages received from and retransmitted to the second user; and

a processor, coupled to the electronic data storage; and

a computer readable medium comprising instructions which, when implemented by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising;

create, in at least one of the first database and the second database, in response to receipt of a first electronic message by one of the first user and the second user, a database entry corresponding to the first electronic message as received or retransmitted to a respective one of the first user and the second user, the database entry including the latest message in thread flag indicating that the first electronic message is a latest electronic message of a thread corresponding to the first electronic message, the thread including electronic messages exchanged between the first user and the second user;

change a status of a latest message in thread flag of a database entry in the one of the first database and the second database corresponding to a second electronic message of the thread from indicating that the second electronic message is the latest message in the thread to indicating that the second electronic message is not a latest message in the thread; and

cause a user interface to display, to at least one of the first user or the second user;

the first electronic message as the latest message in the thread based on the entry corresponding to the first electronic message including the latest message in thread flag indicating that the first electronic message is a latest electronic message of the thread; and

the second electronic message as being received before the first message based on the entry corresponding to the second electronic message including the latest message in thread flag indicating that the second electronic message is not a latest electronic message of the thread.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the database entries further include a message identification field and a thread identification field, wherein each database entry corresponding to an electronic message of the thread includes a unique message identifier in its respective message identifier field and a common thread identifier in its respective thread identifier field.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the thread includes an initial electronic message, wherein the common thread identifier of the thread is based, at least in part, on a message identifier of the initial electronic message.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the common thread identifier is the same as the message identifier of the initial electronic message.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein the common thread identifier is common to electronic messages corresponding to the thread in both the first and second databases.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the each of the first and second databases include at least one database entry having a latest message in thread flag indicating that a corresponding electronic message is the latest message in the thread.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein at least some of the database entries include at least one of a timestamp field and a thread sequence field, wherein the computer readable medium further comprises instructions to resolve conflicting latest message in thread flag statuses based, at least in part, on at least one of the timestamp field and the thread sequence field of the respective database entries.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the database entries further include a message identification field and a thread identification field, wherein each database entry corresponding to an electronic message of the thread includes a unique message identifier in its respective message identifier field and a common thread identifier in its respective thread identifier field.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the thread includes an initial electronic message, wherein the common thread identifier of the thread is based, at least in part, on a message identifier of the initial electronic message.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the common thread identifier is the same as the message identifier of the initial electronic message.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the common thread identifier is common to electronic messages corresponding to the thread in both the first and second databases.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein each of the first and second databases include at least one database entry having a latest message in thread flag indicating that a corresponding electronic message is the latest message in the thread.

8. A method, comprising:

creating, with a processor, in response to receipt of a first electronic message by one of a first user and the second user, a database entry in at least one of a first database and a second database stored in an electronic data storage, the database entry corresponding to the first electronic message as received or retransmitted by a network interface device between a first user and a second user, the database entry including a binary latest message in thread flag indicating that the first electronic message is a latest electronic message of a thread corresponding to the first electronic message as stored in a respective one of the first database and the second database, wherein the first database corresponds to electronic messages received from and retransmitted to the first user and the second database corresponds to electronic messages received from and retransmitted to the second user, the thread including electronic messages exchanged between the first user and the second user;

changing, with the processor, in the one of the first database and the second database, a status of a latest message in thread flag of a database entry corresponding to a second electronic message of the thread from indicating that the second electronic message is the latest message in the thread to indicating that the second electronic message is not a latest message in the thread; and

causing, with the processor, a user interface to display to at least one of the first user and the second user;

the first electronic message as the latest message in the thread based on the entry corresponding to the first electronic message including the latest message in thread flag indicating that the first electronic message is a latest electronic message of the thread; and

the second electronic message as being received before the first message based on the entry corresponding to the second electronic message including the latest message in thread flag indicating that the second electronic message is not a latest electronic message of the thread.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein at least some of the database entries include at least one of a timestamp field and a thread sequence field, further comprising;

resolving, with the processor, conflicting latest message in thread flag statuses based, at least in part, on at least one of the timestamp field and the thread sequence field of the respective database entries.

15. A computer readable medium comprising instructions which, when implemented by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

create, in at least one of a first database and a second database, in response to receipt of a first electronic message by one of a first user and the second user, a database entry corresponding to the first electronic message as received or retransmitted to a respective one of a first user and a second user, the database entry including a latest message in thread flag indicating that the first electronic message is a latest electronic message of a thread corresponding to the first electronic message, wherein each database stores database entries related to electronic messages as received and retransmitted by a network interface device, at least some of the database entries including the latest message in thread flag identifying a latest electronic message in a thread of multiple electronic messages as stored in a respective one of the first database and the second database, wherein the first database corresponds to electronic messages received from and retransmitted to the first user and the second database corresponds to electronic messages received from and retransmitted to the second user, the thread including electronic messages exchanged between the first user and the second user;

change a status of a latest message in thread flag of a database entry in the one of the first database and the second database corresponding to a second electronic message of the thread from indicating that the second electronic message is the latest message in the thread to indicating that the second electronic message is not a latest message in the thread; and

cause a user interface to display to at least one of the first user and the second user;

the first electronic message as the latest message in the thread based on the entry corresponding to the first electronic message including the latest message in thread flag indicating that the first electronic message is a latest electronic message of the thread; and

the second electronic message as being received before the first message based on the entry corresponding to the second electronic message including the latest message in thread flag indicating that the second electronic message is not a latest electronic message of the thread.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the database entries further include a message identification field and a thread identification field, wherein each database entry corresponding to an electronic message of the thread includes a unique message identifier in its respective message identifier field and a common thread identifier in its respective thread identifier field.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein the thread includes an initial electronic message, wherein the common thread identifier of the thread is based, at least in part, on a message identifier of the initial electronic message.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the common thread identifier is the same as the message identifier of the initial electronic message.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein the common thread identifier is common to electronic messages corresponding to the thread in both the first and second databases.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the each of the first and second databases include at least one database entry having a latest message in thread flag indicating that a corresponding electronic message is the latest message in the thread.