Method and apparatus for dynamic session placeholder for message collection user interface

• US 20060286968A1
• Filed: 06/17/2005
• Published: 12/21/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/17/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Klassen, Gerhard D., Wisebourt, Shaul
• Granted Patent: US 7,430,409 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/412.100
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• 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: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/216 Handling conversation history, e.g. grouping of messages in sessions or threads
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72436 for text messaging, e.g. short messaging services [SMS] or e-mails

Abstract

A method and apparatus for representing a conversation of related messages is provided. In a message collection user interface for displaying messages sent and received by a communications device, a dynamic session placeholder is used for a respective conversation of related messages. The message collection user interface is displayed including any dynamic session placeholders in the list of messages. As messages from the conversation are occasioned, the dynamic session placeholder is updated. When the message collection is displayed, it is displayed in accordance with the updated session placeholder.

Claims

1. A method of representing a conversation of related messages in a message collection user interface comprising:

defining a dynamic session placeholder for a respective conversation of related messages; and

displaying said message collection user interface including the dynamic session placeholder in a list of messages.

2. The method of claim 1 comprising updating the dynamic session placeholder in response to an activity of the respective conversation of related messages.

3. The method of claim 2 comprising updating a time stamp of the dynamic session placeholders in accordance with a last message time of the related messages.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein said displaying displays the dynamic session placeholder in response to said updating thereby to change the order of said placeholder in said message collection.

5. The method of claim 1 including removing dynamic session placeholder in response to an interruption of a respective conversation of related messages;

and wherein said displaying is responsive to said removing.

6. The method of claim 5 including archiving a conversation of related messages in response to said interruption.

7. The method of claim 1 comprising at least one of receiving and sending a message unrelated to the conversation and displaying the message collection in response to said message unrelated and the dynamic session placeholder.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein said dynamic session placeholder comprises data representative of the conversation and an association with the related messages.

9. The method of claim 1 comprising, in response to the selection of the dynamic session placeholder, invoking an application associated with a message type of the related messages thereby to maintain the conversation.

19. A machine readable medium comprising program code means executable on a computer processor for implementing the method of claim 1.

10. An communications apparatus for communication messages, said apparatus comprising:

a communications subsystem for sending and receiving messages;

a storage device for storing instructions and data; and

a processor coupled to said storage device and said communications subsystem, said storage device storing instructions and data to configure the processor to;

associate related messages as a conversation of related messages;

define a dynamic session placeholder for a respective conversation of related messages; and

display a message collection of messages sent and received by said communications subsystem including the dynamic session placeholder for representing said conversation of related messages.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the instructions and data configure the processor to update the dynamic session placeholder in response to an activity of the respective conversation of related messages.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the instructions and data configure the processor to update a time stamp of the dynamic session placeholders in accordance with a last message time of the related messages.

13. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the instructions and data configure the processor to display the dynamic session placeholder in response to an update thereby to change the order of said placeholder in said message collection.

14. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the instructions and data configure the processor to remove the dynamic session placeholder in response to an interruption of a respective conversation of related messages and wherein said instructions and data configure the processor to display the message collection in responsive to a removal.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein the instructions and data configure the processor to archive a conversation of related messages in response to said interruption.

16. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the instructions and data configure the processor to, in response to at least one of receiving and sending a message unrelated to the conversation, display the message collection in response to said message unrelated to the conversation including any dynamic session placeholder.

17. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the instructions and data configure the processor to define said dynamic session placeholder comprising data representative of the conversation and an association with the related messages.

18. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the instructions and data configure the processor to, in response to the selection of the dynamic session placeholder in the list of messages, invoke an application associated with a message type of the related messages thereby to maintain the conversation.

20. The machine readable medium of claim 20 including program code means for updating the dynamic session placeholder in response to an activity of the respective conversation of related messages.