Electronic message searching

• US 10,509,790 B2
• Filed: 09/21/2015
• Issued: 12/17/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Jon, Tiffany S., Yang, Lawrence Y., Coffman, Patrick L., Lemay, Stephen O.
• Primary Examiner(s): Fan, Shiow-Jy
• Application Number:
  US14/860,624
• Publication Number:
  US 20160357752A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,548 Days
• Field of Search: 707725
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24578 using ranking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/248 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/338 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/42 Mailbox-related aspects, e.g. synchronisation of mailboxes
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72436 for text messaging, e.g. short messaging services [SMS] or e-mails
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/22 including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector

Abstract

The present disclosure generally relates to electronic message searching. An electronic device receives a request that includes a search term. The device can initiate a search based on the search term to produce a plurality of search results of a plurality of time periods that do not overlap. The device determine whether there are more than a predetermined number of search results for a given time period. If the predetermined number of results is exceeded, the device can display a search result group. If the predetermined number of results is not exceeded, the device can include the search results, corresponding to the given time period, in search results of a different time period. The device can also provide various affordances for narrowing or expanding the scope of the electronic message search.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing one or more programs, the one or more programs comprising instructions which, when executed by an electronic device with a display, cause the device to:

receive a request that includes a search term;

initiate a search based on the search term to produce a plurality of search results of a plurality of time periods, wherein time periods of the plurality of time periods do not overlap; and

for each respective time period of at least two time periods of the plurality of time periods;

determine whether there are more than a predetermined number of search results for the respective time period;

in accordance with a determination that there are more than the predetermined number of search results for the respective time period, display, on the display, a respective search result group that includes at least some of the search results for the respective time period, wherein displaying the respective search result group includes displaying the at least some of the search results for the respective time period and not displaying a search result for a time period that is outside of the respective time period; and

in accordance with a determination that there are not more than the predetermined number of search results for the respective time period, display, on the display, a search result group that is different from the respective search result group and that includes the search results of the respective time period, wherein displaying the search result group that is different from the respective search result group includes displaying the search results of the respective time period and the search result for the time period that is outside of the respective time period.

2. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the search result group corresponds to a different time period than the respective time period, and wherein the different time period is a coalesced time period.

3. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the search result group corresponds to a different time period than the respective time period, and wherein the different time period is an earlier time period.

4. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the search result group corresponds to a different time period than the respective time period, and wherein the different time period is adjacent to the respective time period.

5. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the plurality of time periods includes:

current day;

previous day; and

since last week, not including the current day and the previous day.

6. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the plurality of time periods includes:

current day;

previous day;

since last week, not including the current day and the previous day; and

current month, not including the current day, the previous day, and since last week.

7. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein each displayed search result of the at least some of the search results is an affordance, and wherein the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium further comprises instructions, which when executed by the one or more processors of the electronic device, cause the device to:

receive an input corresponding to an activation of a displayed search result of the at least some of the search results; and

in response to receiving the input corresponding to the activation of the displayed search result of the at least some of the search results, display, on the display, an email corresponding to the displayed search result.

8. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium further comprises instructions, which when executed by the one or more processors of the electronic device, cause the device to:

prior to initiating the search, determine that the search term matches one or more persons;

in response to determining that the search term matches one or more persons, display, on the display, one or more affordances corresponding to the one or more persons;

receive an input corresponding to an activation of a first affordance of the one or more affordances; and

in response to receiving the input corresponding to the activation of the first affordance of the one or more affordances, initiate the search.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium further comprises instructions, which when executed by the one or more processors of the electronic device, cause the device to:

in response to receiving the input corresponding to the activation of the first affordance of the one or more affordances, display, on the display, a second affordance indicating a search based on a person associated with the first affordance;

receive an input corresponding to an activation of the second affordance; and

in response to receiving the input corresponding to the activation of the second affordance, display, on the display, a first search narrowing affordance and a second search narrowing affordance.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium further comprises instructions, which when executed by the one or more processors of the electronic device, cause the device to:

receive an input corresponding to an activation of the first search narrowing affordance; and

in response to receiving the input corresponding to the activation of the first search narrowing affordance, update displayed search results to only include search results associated with emails that include the person as a sender.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium further comprises instructions, which when executed by the one or more processors of the electronic device, cause the device to:

prior to initiating the search, determine that the search term matches a subject or body of one or more emails; and

in response to determining that the search term matches one or more of the subject or body of one or more emails, display, on the display, one or more affordances corresponding to the one or more emails.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium further comprises instructions, which when executed by the one or more processors of the electronic device, cause the device to:

prior to initiating the search, determine that the search term matches one or more attachments of one or more emails; and

in response to determining that the search term matches one or more attachments of the one or more emails, display, on the display, one or more affordances corresponding to the one or more attachments.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium further comprises instructions, which when executed by the one or more processors of the electronic device, cause the device to:

display, on the display, a first account selection affordance;

receive an input corresponding to activation of the first account selection affordance; and

in response to receiving the input corresponding to activation of the first account selection affordance, expand the search results to include search results based on a plurality of email accounts.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein:

displaying the respective search result group includes displaying a first heading that identifies the respective time period, wherein the respective time period is not a coalesced time period, and

displaying the search result group that is different from the respective search result group includes displaying a second heading that identifies a coalesced time period that includes the respective time period.

15. An electronic device, comprising:

a display;

one or more processors;

memory; and

one or more programs, wherein the one or more programs are stored in the memory and configured to be executed by the one or more processors, the one or more programs including instructions for;

receiving a request that includes a search term;

initiating a search based on the search term to produce a plurality of search results of a plurality of time periods, wherein time periods of the plurality of time periods do not overlap; and

for each respective time period of at least two time periods of the plurality of time periods;

determining whether there are more than a predetermined number of search results for the respective time period;

in accordance with a determination that there are more than the predetermined number of search results for the respective time period, displaying, on the display, a respective search result group that includes at least some of the search results for the respective time period, wherein displaying the respective search result group includes displaying the at least some of the search results for the respective time period and not displaying a search result for a time period that is outside of the respective time period; and

in accordance with a determination that there are not more than the predetermined number of search results for the respective time period, displaying, on the display, a search result group that is different from the respective search result group and that includes the search results of the respective time period, wherein displaying the search result group that is different from the respective search result group includes displaying the search results of the respective time period and the search result for the time period that is outside of the respective time period.

16. The electronic device of claim 15, wherein the search result group corresponds to a different time period than the respective time period, and wherein the different time period is a coalesced time period.

17. The electronic device of claim 15, wherein the search result group corresponds to a different time period than the respective time period, and wherein the different time period is an earlier time period.

18. The electronic device of claim 15, wherein the search result group corresponds to a different time period than the respective time period, and wherein the different time period is adjacent to the respective time period.

19. The electronic device of claim 15, wherein the plurality of time periods includes:

current day;

previous day; and

since last week, not including the current day and the previous day.

20. The electronic device of claim 15, wherein the plurality of time periods includes:

current day;

previous day;

since last week, not including the current day and the previous day; and

current month, not including the current day, the previous day, and since last week.

21. The electronic device of claim 15, wherein each displayed search result of the at least some of the search results is an affordance, and the one or more programs further includes instructions for:

receiving an input corresponding to an activation of a displayed search result of the at least some of the search results; and

in response to receiving the input corresponding to the activation of the displayed search result of the at least some of the search results, displaying, on the display, an email corresponding to the displayed search result.

22. The electronic device of claim 15, the one or more programs further including instructions for:

prior to initiating the search, determining that the search term matches one or more persons;

in response to determining that the search term matches one or more persons, displaying, on the display, one or more affordances corresponding to the one or more persons;

receiving an input corresponding to an activation of a first affordance of the one or more affordances; and

in response to receiving the input corresponding to the activation of the first affordance of the one or more affordances, initiating the search.

23. The electronic device of claim 22, the one or more programs further including instructions for:

in response to receiving the input corresponding to the activation of the first affordance of the one or more affordances, displaying, on the display, a second affordance indicating a search based on a person associated with the first affordance;

receiving an input corresponding to an activation of the second affordance; and

in response to receiving the input corresponding to the activation of the second affordance, displaying, on the display, a first search narrowing affordance and a second search narrowing affordance.

24. The electronic device of claim 23, the one or more programs further including instructions for:

receiving an input corresponding to an activation of the first search narrowing affordance; and

in response to receiving the input corresponding to the activation of the first search narrowing affordance, updating displayed search results to only include search results associated with emails that include the person as a sender.

25. The electronic device of claim 15, the one or more programs further including instructions for:

prior to initiating the search, determining that the search term matches a subject or body of one or more emails; and

in response to determining that the search term matches one or more of the subject or body of one or more emails, displaying, on the display, one or more affordances corresponding to the one or more emails.

26. The electronic device of claim 15, the one or more programs further including instructions for:

prior to initiating the search, determining that the search term matches one or more attachments of one or more emails; and

in response to determining that the search term matches one or more attachments of the one or more emails, displaying, on the display, one or more affordances corresponding to the one or more attachments.

27. The electronic device of claim 15, the one or more programs further including instructions for:

displaying, on the display, a first account selection affordance;

receiving an input corresponding to activation of the first account selection affordance; and

in response to receiving the input corresponding to activation of the first account selection affordance, expanding the search results to include search results based on a plurality of email accounts.

28. The electronic device of claim 15, wherein:

displaying the respective search result group includes displaying a first heading that identifies the respective time period, wherein the respective time period is not a coalesced time period, and

displaying the search result group that is different from the respective search result group includes displaying a second heading that identifies a coalesced time period that includes the respective time period.

29. A method, comprising:

at an electronic device with a display;

receiving a request that includes a search term;

initiating a search based on the search term to produce a plurality of search results of a plurality of time periods, wherein time periods of the plurality of time periods do not overlap; and

for each respective time period of at least two time periods of the plurality of time periods;

determining whether there are more than a predetermined number of search results for the respective time period;

in accordance with a determination that there are more than the predetermined number of search results for the respective time period, displaying, on the display, a respective search result group that includes at least some of the search results for the respective time period, wherein displaying the respective search result group includes displaying the at least some of the search results for the respective time period and not displaying a search result for a time period that is outside of the respective time period; and

in accordance with a determination that there are not more than the predetermined number of search results for the respective time period, displaying, on the display, a search result group that is different from the respective search result group and that includes the search results of the respective time period, wherein displaying the search result group that is different from the respective search result group includes displaying the search results of the respective time period and the search result for the time period that is outside of the respective time period.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the search result group corresponds to a different time period than the respective time period, and wherein the different time period is a coalesced time period.

31. The method of claim 29, wherein the search result group corresponds to a different time period than the respective time period, and wherein the different time period is an earlier time period.

32. The method of claim 29, wherein the search result group corresponds to a different time period than the respective time period, and wherein the different time period is adjacent to the respective time period.

33. The method of claim 29, wherein the plurality of time periods includes:

current day;

previous day; and

since last week, not including the current day and the previous day.

34. The method of claim 29, wherein the plurality of time periods includes:

current day;

previous day;

since last week, not including the current day and the previous day; and

current month, not including the current day, the previous day, and since last week.

35. The method of claim 29, wherein each displayed search result of the at least some of the search results is an affordance, and the method further comprises:

receiving an input corresponding to an activation of a displayed search result of the at least some of the search results; and

in response to receiving the input corresponding to the activation of the displayed search result of the at least some of the search results, displaying, on the display, an email corresponding to the displayed search result.

36. The method of claim 29, further comprising:

prior to initiating the search, determining that the search term matches one or more persons;

in response to determining that the search term matches one or more persons, displaying, on the display, one or more affordances corresponding to the one or more persons;

receiving an input corresponding to an activation of a first affordance of the one or more affordances; and

in response to receiving the input corresponding to the activation of the first affordance of the one or more affordances, initiating the search.

37. The method of claim 36, further comprising:

in response to receiving the input corresponding to the activation of the first affordance of the one or more affordances, displaying, on the display, a second affordance indicating a search based on a person associated with the first affordance;

receiving an input corresponding to an activation of the second affordance; and

in response to receiving the input corresponding to the activation of the second affordance, displaying, on the display, a first search narrowing affordance and a second search narrowing affordance.

38. The method of claim 37, further comprising:

receiving an input corresponding to an activation of the first search narrowing affordance; and

in response to receiving the input corresponding to the activation of the first search narrowing affordance, updating displayed search results to only include search results associated with emails that include the person as a sender.

39. The method of claim 29, further comprising:

prior to initiating the search, determining that the search term matches a subject or body of one or more emails; and

in response to determining that the search term matches one or more of the subject or body of one or more emails, displaying, on the display, one or more affordances corresponding to the one or more emails.

40. The method of claim 29, further comprising:

prior to initiating the search, determining that the search term matches one or more attachments of one or more emails; and

in response to determining that the search term matches one or more attachments of the one or more emails, displaying, on the display, one or more affordances corresponding to the one or more attachments.

41. The method of claim 29, further comprising:

displaying, on the display, a first account selection affordance;

receiving an input corresponding to activation of the first account selection affordance; and

in response to receiving the input corresponding to activation of the first account selection affordance, expanding the search results to include search results based on a plurality of email accounts.

42. The method of claim 29, wherein:

displaying the respective search result group includes displaying a first heading that identifies the respective time period, wherein the respective time period is not a coalesced time period, and

displaying the search result group that is different from the respective search result group includes displaying a second heading that identifies a coalesced time period that includes the respective time period.