Providing attachment control to manage attachments in conversation

• US 10,379,702 B2
• Filed: 03/27/2015
• Issued: 08/13/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Masterson, Joey, Fern, Kenneth, Limont, David Paul, Steplyk, Hayley
• Primary Examiner(s): Parker, Jeanette J
• Application Number:
  US14/672,032
• Publication Number:
  US 20160283051A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,600 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/08 Annexed information, e.g. attachments

Abstract

An attachment control to manage attachments in a conversation is provided. An application such as a communication application displays a conversation of grouped messages in response to a detection of a selection of a message summary associated with one of the grouped messages. An attachment control is generated to manage identified attachments in the grouped messages. The attachment control is displayed in proximity to the conversation. An attachment drop down menu that includes a listing of the attachments is displayed in response to an activation of the attachment control.

Claims

1. A computing device to provide an attachment control to manage attachments in a conversation, the computing device comprising:

a memory;

a processor coupled to the memory, the processor executing a messaging application in conjunction with instructions stored in the memory, wherein the messaging application is configured to;

display, on a summary pane message summaries for a group of messages that are part of the conversation, wherein two or more messages within the group of messages include one or more attachments;

in response to detecting a selection of a message within the group of message through a selection of a corresponding message summary within the message summaries, identify one or more attachments included in the selected message;

display an attachment control to manage the attachments included in messages within the group of messages;

in response to the selection of the message within the group of messages and an activation of the attachment control through a user selection of the attachment control, display an attachment drop down menu, wherein

the attachment drop down menu includes a listing of the attachments included in the two or more messages within the group of messages,

a first attachment in the displayed listing of attachments is included in the selected message, and

a last attachment in the displayed listing of the attachments is included in another message of the two or more messages.

2. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the messaging application is further configured to:

display a number of the attachments of the group of messages on the attachment control.

3. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the messaging application is further configured to:

display the attachment control adjacent to the conversation.

4. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the messaging application is further configured to:

detect a selection of one of the attachments in the attachment drop down menu; and

display a control menu that includes actions to be performed on the selected attachment.

5. The computing device of claim 4, wherein the messaging application is further configured to:

detect a selection of an action to save the selected attachment to a remote storage from the control menu; and

save the selected attachment to the remote storage.

6. The computing device of claim 4, wherein the messaging application is further configured to:

detect a selection of a download action from the control menu; and

save the selected attachment to a local storage.

7. The computing device of claim 4, wherein the messaging application is further configured to:

detect a selection of an action to edit a copy of the selected attachment from the control menu; and

display the selected attachment in an edit user interface to allow a user to edit the selected attachment.

8. The computing device of claim 4, wherein the messaging application is further configured to:

detect a selection of an action to go to one of the group of messages of the selected attachment from the control menu; and

scroll the conversation to one of the group of messages associated with the selected attachment.

9. The computing device of claim 4, wherein the messaging application is further configured to:

detect a selection of a forward action from the control menu; and

generate a message that includes the selected attachment.

10. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the messaging application is further configured to:

provide one or more ordering controls on the attachment drop down menu to order the attachments based on attributes associated with the attachments that include one or more of;

an attachment type, a received timestamp, an importance flag, a sender, a view frequency, and an edit frequency.

20. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the messaging application is further configured to:

in response to selection of a second message within the group of messages, display the attachment drop down menu wherein the first attachment in the displayed listing of attachments is included in the second message.

11. A method executed on a computing device to provide an attachment control to manage attachments in a conversation, the method comprising:

displaying, on a summary pane, message summaries for a group of messages that are part of the conversation, wherein two or more messages within the group of messages include one or more attachments;

in response to detecting a selection of a message within the group of messages through a selection of a corresponding message summary within the message summaries, identifying one or more attachments included in the selected message;

displaying an attachment control to manage the attachments included in messages within the group of messages;

in response to the selection of the message within the group of messages and an activation of the attachment control through user selection of the attachment control, displaying an attachment drop down menu, wherein

the attachment drop down menu includes a listing of the attachments included in the two or more messages within the group of messages,

a first attachment in the displayed listing of attachments is included in the selected message, and

a last attachment in the displayed listing of attachments is included in another of the two or more messages.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

detecting a selection of an action to download all the attachments on the attachment drop down menu; and

saving the attachments to a local storage.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

detecting a selection of an action to save the attachments to a remote storage on the attachment drop down menu; and

saving the attachments to the remote storage.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

detecting a selection of one of the attachments in the attachment drop down menu, wherein the selection is detected as one of;

a tap and hold input, a click and hold input, a double tap input, and a double click input.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

displaying a content of the selected attachment on a document presentation user interface, wherein the document presentation user interface is presented adjacent to a communication application user interface that displays the conversation.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

providing a document management menu on the document presentation user interface, wherein the document management menu includes management actions to allow a user to edit the content of the selected attachment.

17. A hardware computer-readable memory device with instructions stored thereon to provide an attachment control to manage attachments in a conversation, the instructions comprising:

displaying, on a summary pane, message summaries for a group of messages that are part of the conversation, wherein two or more messages within the group of messages include one or more attachments;

in response to detecting a selection of a message within the group of messages through a selection of a corresponding message summary within the message summaries, identifying attachments included in the selected message;

displaying an attachment control to manage the attachments included in messages within the group of messages;

in response to the selection of the message within the group of messages and an activation of the attachment control through a user selection of the attachment control, displaying an attachment drop down menu, wherein

the attachment drop down menu includes a listing of the attachments included in the two or more messages within the group of messages,

a first attachment in the displayed listing of attachments is included in the selected message, and

a last attachment in the displayed listing of the attachments is included in another message of the two or more messages.

18. The hardware computer-readable memory device of claim 17, wherein the instructions further comprise:

detecting a selection of one of the attachments in the attachment drop down menu;

displaying a control menu that includes actions to be performed on the selected attachment;

detecting a selection of an action to edit a copy of the selected attachment from the control menu; and

displaying the selected attachment in an edit user interface to allow a user to edit the selected attachment.

19. The hardware computer-readable memory device of claim 17, wherein the instructions further comprise:

detecting a selection of one of the attachments in the attachment drop down menu,

wherein the selection is detected as one of;

a tap and hold input, a click and hold input, a double tap input, and a double click input;

displaying a content of the selected attachment on a document presentation user interface, wherein the document presentation user interface is presented adjacent to a communication application user interface that displays the conversation; and

providing a document management menu on the document presentation user interface, wherein the document management menu includes management actions to allow a user to edit the content of the selected attachment.