MANAGEMENT AND DISPLAY OF GROUPED MESSAGES ON A COMMUNICATION DEVICE

• US 20140222933A1
• Filed: 04/04/2014
• Published: 08/07/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/22/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: STOVICEK, Thomas Jan, ARNOLD, Scott, PARRETT, John Bennett, SUTEDJA, Darsono, DEGORTER, Ryan Andrew John, JUDGE, Francis Patrick
• Granted Patent: US 10,511,559 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/216 Handling conversation history, e.g. grouping of messages in sessions or threads
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/42 Mailbox-related aspects, e.g. synchronisation of mailboxes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/48 Message addressing, e.g. address format or anonymous messages, aliases
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/7243 with interactive means for internal management of messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/66 user interface aspects for indicating selection options for a communication line

Abstract

A system and method for managing a plurality of messages stored at a mobile communication device, groups messages based on a common subject line or another quasi-unique identifier, and displays message group entries representing distinct message groups in a user interface. The message group entries may be displayed in association with an icon representing multiple message states associated with individual messages comprised within that message group. The multiple message states may include all messages being read, all messages being unread, a most recently received message being unread while others are read, and a most recently received message being read while order messages are unread.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a communication device, a plurality of messages for at least one user account associated with the communication device;

displaying, on a display screen of the communication device, a message listing comprising a plurality of message thread entries corresponding to a plurality of message threads, the plurality of message threads including the received plurality of messages; and

displaying, on the display screen, for each of the plurality of message thread entries, an icon distinguishing a state of the message thread corresponding to the message thread entry, wherein a state of at least one of the plurality of message threads comprises either;

a most recent message in the message thread being marked read while at least one earlier message in the message thread is marked unread, or

the most recent message in the message thread being marked unread while at least one earlier message in the message thread is marked read.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the state of at least one of the plurality of message threads comprises the most recent message in the message thread being marked read while at least one earlier message in the message thread is marked unread, and the state of at least a further one of the plurality of message threads comprises the most recent message in the message thread being marked unread while at least one earlier message in the message thread is marked read.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the state of a second message thread of the plurality of message threads comprises at least one draft message being stored in association with the second message thread, the method further comprising displaying, for the message thread entry corresponding to the second message thread, an icon distinguishing the state of the second message thread from the state of other message threads corresponding to message thread entries.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the message listing includes at least one message entry corresponding to a single message, the method further comprising displaying, for the at least one message entry corresponding to the single message, an icon distinguishing a state of the single message.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the icon distinguishing the state of the message thread is a composite graphic comprising the icon distinguishing the state of the single message.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the icon distinguishing the state of the message thread comprises a stack of icons associated with entries in the message thread representing single messages.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of message thread entries comprises a textual indicator of at least one sender or recipient in the corresponding message thread.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of messages comprises email messages.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of messages comprises either SMS messages or instant messages.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising, after receiving the plurality of messages and before displaying the message listing:

a conversations manager module executing to determine a message thread identifier for each message of the plurality of messages, the message thread identifier being derived from at least an identifier for the at least one user account and a message subject value for the message.

11. A communication device configured to send and receive messages, the communication device comprising:

a display screen; and

a processor configured to, for a plurality of messages for at least one user account associated with the communication device;

display, on the display screen, a message listing comprising a plurality of message thread entries corresponding to a plurality of message threads, the plurality of message threads including the received plurality of messages; and

display, on the display screen, for each of the plurality of message thread entries, an icon distinguishing a state of the message thread corresponding to the message thread entry, wherein a state of at least one of the plurality of message threads comprises either;

a most recent message in the message thread being marked read while at least one earlier message in the message thread is marked unread, or

the most recent message in the message thread being marked unread while at least one earlier message in the message thread is marked read.

12. The communication device of claim 11, wherein the state of at least one of the plurality of message threads comprises the most recent message in the message thread being marked read while at least one earlier message in the message thread is marked unread, and the state of at least a further one of the plurality of message threads comprises the most recent message in the message thread being marked unread while at least one earlier message in the message thread is marked read.

13. The communication device of claim 11, wherein the state of a second message thread of the plurality of message threads comprises at least one draft message being stored in association with the second message thread, the processor being further configured to display on the display screen, for the message thread entry corresponding to the second message thread, an icon distinguishing the state of the second message thread from the state of other message threads corresponding to message thread entries.

14. The communication device of claim 11, wherein the message listing includes at least one message entry corresponding to a single message, the processor being further configured to display, for the at least one message entry corresponding to the single message, an icon distinguishing a state of the single message.

15. The communication device of claim 14, wherein the icon distinguishing the state of the message thread is a composite graphic comprising the icon distinguishing the state of the single message.

16. The communication device of claim 11, wherein the icon distinguishing the state of the message thread comprises a stack of icons associated with entries in the message thread representing single messages.

17. The communication device of claim 11, wherein each of the plurality of message thread entries comprises a textual indicator of at least one sender or recipient in the corresponding message thread.

18. The communication device of claim 11, wherein the plurality of messages comprises at least one of email messages, SMS messages, and instant messages.

19. The communication device of claim 11, wherein the processor is further configured to execute a conversations manager module to determine a message thread identifier for each message of the plurality of messages, the message thread identifier being derived from at least an identifier for the at least one user account and a message subject value for the message.

20. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code which, when executed by a processor of a computing device, causes the computing device to implement the method of:

receiving, over a communication subsystem, a plurality of messages for at least one user account associated with the computing device;

displaying, on a display screen of the computing device, a message listing comprising a plurality of message thread entries corresponding to a plurality of message threads, the plurality of message threads including the received plurality of messages; and

displaying, on the display screen, for each of the plurality of message thread entries, an icon distinguishing a state of the message thread corresponding to the message thread entry, wherein a state of at least one of the plurality of message threads comprises either;

a most recent message in the message thread being marked read while at least one earlier message in the message thread is marked unread, or

the most recent message in the message thread being marked unread while at least one earlier message in the message thread is marked read.