MULTIPLE DISPLAY REGIONS IN A UNIFIED MESSAGE INBOX

• US 20090144655A1
• Filed: 07/07/2008
• Published: 06/04/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/03/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Research In Motion Limited (Blackberry Limited)
• Inventors: May, Darrell, Hardy, Michael Thomas
• Granted Patent: US 8,539,361 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/803
• 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

Various embodiments are provided herein of a method of displaying an inbox window of a message application. The method includes partitioning a display of the inbox window into a first message display region and a second message display region, displaying located messages that satisfy user-defined designation criteria in the first message display region; and displaying remaining messages of the inbox window in the second message display region. The method can be performed by a communications device and can also be stored as program code on a computer readable medium.

Claims

1. A method of displaying an inbox window of a message application, wherein the method comprises:

partitioning a display of the inbox window into a first message display region and a second message display region;

displaying located messages that satisfy user-defined designation criteria in the first message display region; and

displaying remaining messages of the inbox window in the second message display region.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises displaying messages manually designated as important messages by the user in the first message display region.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the method further comprises allowing the user to designate at least one of an e-mail message, a Peer-to-Peer message, a Short Message Service (SMS) message, a phone message, a Multimedia Message Service (MMS) message, an instant messaging message, a task event and a calendar event as the important message.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the method further comprises displaying the first message display region while allowing the user to scroll through messages in the second message display region.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises providing at least one additional message display region for displaying messages satisfying at least one additional set of user-defined designation criteria.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the method further comprises hiding the at least one additional message display region and allowing the user to select one of the at least one additional message display regions for display.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises removing a given important message from the first message display region when a time period associated with the given important message has expired.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the method further comprises allowing the user to set the time period with the given important message during which the given important message will be displayed in the first message display region and after which the given important message will be removed from the first message display region.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises automatically applying the user-defined designation criteria to incoming messages.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises allowing the user to configure a set of designation criteria to search one or more folders of messages that is located remotely from a device on which the inbox window is being displayed.

11. A communications device comprising:

a microprocessor configured to control the operation of the communications device;

a communication subsystem connected to the microprocessor;

a message application executable by the microprocessor, the message application being configured to allow a user to receive messages; and

a display;

wherein, the microprocessor is configured to show an inbox window on the display, the inbox window comprising a first message display region that displays located messages that satisfy user-defined designation criteria, and a second message display region that displays remaining messages of the inbox.

12. The communications device of claim 11, wherein the microprocessor is further configured to display messages manually designated as important messages by the user in the first message display region.

13. The communications device of claim 12, wherein the microprocessor is further configured to allow the user to designate at least one of an e-mail message, a Peer-to-Peer message, a Short Message Service (SMS) message, a phone message, a Multimedia Message Service (MMS) message, an instant messaging message, a task event and a calendar event as the important message.

14. The communications device of claim 12, wherein the microprocessor is further configured to display the first message display region while allowing the user to scroll through messages in the second message display region.

15. The communications device of claim 11, wherein the microprocessor is further configured to generate at least one additional message display region for displaying messages satisfying at least one additional set of user-defined designation criteria.

16. The communications device of claim 15, wherein the microprocessor is further configured to hide the at least one additional message display region and allow the user to select one of the at least one additional message display regions to show on the display.

17. The communications device of claim 11, wherein the microprocessor is further configured to remove a given important message from the first message display region when a time period associated with the given important message has expired.

18. The communications device of claim 17, wherein the microprocessor is further configured to allow the user to set the time period with the given important message during which the given important message will be displayed in the first message display region and after which the given important message will be removed from the first message display region.

19. The communications device of claim 11, wherein the microprocessor is further configured to automatically apply the user-defined designation criteria to incoming messages.

20. The communications device of claim 11, wherein the microprocessor is further configured to allow the user to configure a set of designation criteria to search one or more folders of messages that is located remotely with respect to the communications device.

21. A computer program product comprising a computer readable medium embodying program code means executable by a processor of the communications device for displaying an inbox window of a message application, wherein, the method comprises:

partitioning a display of the inbox window into a first message display region and a second message display region;

displaying located messages that satisfy user-defined designation criteria in the first message display region; and

displaying remaining messages of the inbox window in the second message display region.