EMAIL USER INTERFACE

• US 20120185781A1
• Filed: 06/21/2011
• Published: 07/19/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/14/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Ording, Bas, Langoulant, Brendan, Coffman, Patrick L., Guzman, Angela, Shteremberg, Daniel, Decker, Stephen, Lemay, Stephen O.
• Granted Patent: US 8,689,116 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/752
• 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 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0486 Drag-and-drop
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/00 User-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, transmitted according to store-and-forward or real-time protocols, e.g. e-mail

Abstract

Exemplary methods, apparatuses, and systems receive a reply or forward command for a selected email message in an email user interface and display a composition window in response to the command, wherein the displaying includes a sequence of images to create the illusion of the composition window popping out of the selected email message, the sequence of images including an initial image that is a copy of the selected email message, a final image of the composition window including an editable body, and at least one image between the initial image and the final image that has characteristics of both the initial and final images.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of presenting an email user interface comprising:

receiving a reply or forward command for a selected email message;

displaying a composition window in response to the command, wherein the displaying includes a sequence of images to create the illusion of the composition window popping out of the selected email message, the sequence of images including an initial image that is a copy of the selected email message, a final image of the composition window including an editable body, and at least one image between the initial image and the final image that has characteristics of both the initial and final images.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein elements of the selected email message appear in the initial image but not in the final image.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the elements of the selected email message that appear in the initial image but not in the final image fade-out as the sequence of images progresses from the initial image to the final image.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein elements of the composition window appear in the final image but not in the initial image.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, wherein the elements of the composition window that appear in the final image but not in the initial image fade-in as the sequence of images progresses from the initial image to the final image.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the sequence of images increase in size from the initial image to the final image.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the sequence of images appear sequentially along an arced path originating from the selected email message.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the email user interface is in full screen mode and elements of the email user interface behind the composition window are dimmed and not selectable until the composition window is closed.

9. An apparatus to present an email user interface, the apparatus comprising:

a processing device, wherein the processing device executes instructions that cause the processing device to

receive a reply or forward command for a selected email message;

display a composition window in response to the command, wherein the displaying includes a sequence of images to create the illusion of the composition window popping out of the selected email message, the sequence of images including an initial image that is a copy of the selected email message, a final image of the composition window including an editable body, and at least one image between the initial image and the final image that has characteristics of both the initial and final images.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein elements of the selected email message appear in the initial image but not in the final image.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the elements of the selected email message that appear in the initial image but not in the final image fade-out as the sequence of images progresses from the initial image to the final image.

12. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein elements of the composition window appear in the final image but not in the initial image.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the elements of the composition window that appear in the final image but not in the initial image fade-in as the sequence of images progresses from the initial image to the final image.

14. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the sequence of images increase in size from the initial image to the final image.

15. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the sequence of images appear sequentially along an arced path originating from the selected email message.

16. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the email user interface is in full screen mode and elements of the email user interface behind the composition window are dimmed and not selectable until the composition window is closed.

17. A machine-readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed, cause a processing device to perform a method comprising:

receiving a reply or forward command for a selected email message;

displaying a composition window in response to the command, wherein the displaying includes a sequence of images to create the illusion of the composition window popping out of the selected email message, the sequence of images including an initial image that is a copy of the selected email message, a final image of the composition window including an editable body, and at least one image between the initial image and the final image that has characteristics of both the initial and final images.

18. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein elements of the selected email message appear in the initial image but not in the final image.

19. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the elements of the selected email message that appear in the initial image but not in the final image fade-out as the sequence of images progresses from the initial image to the final image.

20. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein elements of the composition window appear in the final image but not in the initial image.

21. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 20, wherein the elements of the composition window that appear in the final image but not in the initial image fade-in as the sequence of images progresses from the initial image to the final image.

22. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the sequence of images increase in size from the initial image to the final image.

23. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the sequence of images appear sequentially along an arced path originating from the selected email message.

24. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the email user interface is in full screen mode and elements of the email user interface behind the composition window are dimmed and not selectable until the composition window is closed.

25. A computer-implemented method comprising:

displaying an email user interface including a collapsible panel of mailboxes and folders and a favorites bar including a plurality of the mailboxes and folders, wherein the favorites bar is displayed separately from and independently of whether or not the collapsible panel is collapsed or not and wherein one of the plurality of mailboxes and folders in the favorites bar is a hierarchical folder that includes a subfolder that is accessible via a drop down menu from the hierarchical folder in the favorites bar.

26. The computer-implemented method of 25, wherein an email message displayed in a preview pane or in a message pane can be dragged into a mailbox or folder on the favorites bar.

27. The computer-implemented method of 26, wherein dragging the email message into a mailbox or folder on the favorites bar, if the mailbox or folder is the subfolder that is accessible via the favorites bar, includes, in response to the user to drag the email message to the hierarchical folder and hovering the email message over the hierarchical folder, automatically expanding the drop down menu to allow the user to drag and drop the email message into the subfolder.

28. The computer-implemented method of 25, wherein a mailbox or folder is added to the favorites bar by dragging the mailbox or folder from the collapsible panel of mailboxes and dropped on the favorites bar.

29. An apparatus comprising:

a processing device, wherein the processing device executes instructions that cause the processing device to

display an email user interface including a collapsible panel of mailboxes and folders and a favorites bar including a plurality of the mailboxes and folders, wherein the favorites bar is displayed separately from and independently of whether or not the collapsible panel is collapsed or not and wherein one of the plurality of mailboxes and folders in the favorites bar is a hierarchical folder that includes a subfolder that is accessible via a drop down menu from the hierarchical folder in the favorites bar.

30. The apparatus method of 29, wherein an email message displayed in a preview pane or in a message pane can be dragged into a mailbox or folder on the favorites bar.

31. The apparatus of 30, wherein dragging the email message into a mailbox or folder on the favorites bar, if the mailbox or folder is the subfolder that is accessible via the favorites bar, includes, in response to the user to drag the email message to the hierarchical folder and hovering the email message over the hierarchical folder, automatically expanding the drop down menu to allow the user to drag and drop the email message into the subfolder.

32. The apparatus method of 29, wherein a mailbox or folder is added to the favorites bar by dragging the mailbox or folder from the collapsible panel of mailboxes and dropped on the favorites bar.

33. A machine-readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed, cause a processing device to perform a method comprising:

displaying an email user interface including a collapsible panel of mailboxes and folders and a favorites bar including a plurality of the mailboxes and folders, wherein the favorites bar is displayed separately from and independently of whether or not the collapsible panel is collapsed or not and wherein one of the plurality of mailboxes and folders in the favorites bar is a hierarchical folder that includes a subfolder that is accessible via a drop down menu from the hierarchical folder in the favorites bar.

34. The machine-readable storage medium of 33, wherein an email message displayed in a preview pane or in a message pane can be dragged into a mailbox or folder on the favorites bar.

35. The machine-readable storage medium of 34, wherein dragging the email message into a mailbox or folder on the favorites bar, if the mailbox or folder is the subfolder that is accessible via the favorites bar, includes, in response to the user to drag the email message to the hierarchical folder and hovering the email message over the hierarchical folder, automatically expanding the drop down menu to allow the user to drag and drop the email message into the subfolder.

36. The machine-readable storage medium of 33, wherein a mailbox or folder is added to the favorites bar by dragging the mailbox or folder from the collapsible panel of mailboxes and dropped on the favorites bar.

37. A computer-implemented method of presenting an email user interface comprising:

receiving a reply or forward command for a selected email message;

determining that the email user interface is in full screen mode and that the selected email message is at least partially outside of a visible area of the email user interface; and

displaying a composition window in response to receiving the command while in full screen mode, wherein the displaying includes a sequence of images to create the illusion of the composition window sliding up from the bottom of the screen.

38. The computer-implemented method of claim 37, wherein elements of the email user interface behind the composition window are dimmed and not selectable until the composition window is closed.

39. An apparatus to present an email user interface comprising:

a processing device, wherein the processing device executes instructions that cause the processing device to

receive a reply or forward command for a selected email message;

determine that the email user interface is in full screen mode and that the selected email message is at least partially outside of a visible area of the email user interface; and

display a composition window in response to receiving the command while in full screen mode, wherein the displaying includes a sequence of images to create the illusion of the composition window sliding up from the bottom of the screen.

40. The apparatus of claim 39, wherein elements of the email user interface behind the composition window are dimmed and not selectable until the composition window is closed.

41. A machine-readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed, cause a processing device to perform a method of presenting an email user interface comprising:

receiving a reply or forward command for a selected email message;

determining that the email user interface is in full screen mode and that the selected email message is at least partially outside of a visible area of the email user interface; and

displaying a composition window in response to receiving the command while in full screen mode, wherein the displaying includes a sequence of images to create the illusion of the composition window sliding up from the bottom of the screen.

42. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 41, wherein elements of the email user interface behind the composition window are dimmed and not selectable until the composition window is closed.