MANAGING CONVERSATIONS

• US 20150106741A1
• Filed: 10/15/2013
• Published: 04/16/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/2013
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Friend, Ned Bearer, Baer, Matthias, Smith, Nicholas, Engrav, Peter Loren, Lacey, Trevor Neil, Borysenko, Michael
• Application Number:
  US14/054,625
• Publication Number:
  US 20150106741A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/752
• 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: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• 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

Abstract

Technologies are generally described for providing a system to facilitate efficient management and prioritization of conversations, such as emails, in a communication application. Conversations may be prioritized according to user preferences, and an inbox may be rearranged to display important conversations in a user defined order. Conversations may also be associated together so that they may appear together and flow together in the inbox. Additionally, the system may enable a user to delay display of a conversation until a later time based on various criteria such as location, time, and client device. A user may also move important emails to the top of an inbox for prominent display. The system may perform the actions automatically based on observed user behavior. Furthermore, the system may enable touch interactions for interacting with and managing the conversations, and quick controls may be provided for executing commands to perform actions associated with the conversations.

Claims

1. A method to be executed at least in part in a computing device for managing conversations in a communication application, the method comprising:

detecting a plurality of messages received through the communication application;

detecting a selection of a message from the plurality of messages displayed in a chronological order;

detecting activation of a renew action associated with the selected message; and

displaying the selected message as a renewed message at a top of the chronological order.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying a list of selectable actions to be performed on a displayed message, the selectable actions including one or more of;

the renew action, a done action, a snooze action, and a stack action.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying a new timestamp on the renewed message.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

marking the renewed message with a visualization indicator.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting the activation of the renew action associated with the selected message further comprises:

detecting selection of a renew option displayed on a toolbar provided on a user interface of the communication application.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein detecting selection of the renew option displayed on the toolbar further comprises one or more of:

detecting a touch interaction on the renew option while the message is selected; and

detecting a drag and drop of the selected message over the renew option on the toolbar.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

automatically renewing a message based on an identified pattern of user behavior including one or more of;

detection of a draft reply, detection of reading of the message, detection of an expected reply message not being received.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting selection of two or more messages displayed on a user interface of the communication application; and

detecting selection of a stack action displayed on a toolbar provided on the user interface of the communication application.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

grouping the two or more selected messages together as associated conversations; and

displaying a stack indicator adjacent to the grouped messages.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting selection of one or more messages on a user interface of the communication application;

detecting activation of a done action displayed on one of;

a popup pane and a toolbar; and

one of hiding and minimizing the one or more selected messages on the user interface.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising

detecting the selection of the message and activation of one or more of:

the renew action, a done action, a snooze action, and a stack action on a user interface of the communication application through one or more of;

a touch input, a gesture input, a keyboard input, a mouse input, a pen input, a voice command, and an eye-tracking input.

12. A computing device for managing conversations, the computing device comprising:

a memory;

a display; and

a processor coupled to the memory and the display, the processor configured to provide a user interface associated with a communication application, wherein the communication application is configured to;

detect a plurality of messages received through the communication application;

detect a selection of a message from the plurality of messages displayed on the user interface of the communication application;

detect activation of a snooze action associated with the selected message;

display a list of snooze options associated with the selected message;

one of hide and minimize the selected message; and

display the selected message again based on a selected snooze option from the list of snooze options.

13. The computing device of claim 12, wherein the communication application is further configured to upon detection of the selection of the message, display a list of selectable actions, the selectable actions including one or more of:

a renew action, a done action, a stack action, and the snooze action.

14. The computing device of claim 12, wherein the list of snooze options includes one or more of:

a date option, a time option, a repeat option, a user based option, a location based option, a device based option, and a reply based option.

15. The computing device of claim 12, wherein the communication application is further configured to:

determine an estimated time for a user to read through a message based on at least one of;

a word count, an expected reply, and a number of attachments; and

display the estimated time associated with the message.

16. The computing device of claim 12, wherein the communication application is further configured to enable user interaction through one or more of:

a touch input, a gesture input, a keyboard input, a mouse input, a pen input, a voice command, and an eye-tracking input.

17. The computing device of claim 12, wherein the communication application is further configured to display a toolbar including one or more quick actions for interacting with the communication application, the one or more quick actions including at least one of:

a renew action, the snooze action, a create new message action, a search action, a scheduler action, an instant messaging initiation action, and a stack action.

18. A computer-readable memory device with instructions stored thereon for managing conversations in a communication application, the instructions comprising:

detecting a plurality of messages received through a communication application;

detecting a selection of a message from the plurality of messages displayed on a user interface of the communication application;

displaying a toolbar including one or more quick actions for interacting with the communication application, the one or more quick actions including at least one of;

a renew action, the snooze action, a create new message action, a search action, a scheduler action, an instant messaging initiation action, and a stack action;

in response to detecting activation of a renew action from the toolbar while the message is selected, displaying the selected message as a renewed message at a top of a chronological order;

in response to detecting activation of a snooze action associated with the selected message,

one of hiding and minimizing the selected message, and

displaying the selected message again based on a selected snooze option; and

in response to detecting activation of a stack action,

grouping the two or more selected messages together as associated conversations, and

displaying a stack indicator adjacent to the grouped messages.

19. The computer-readable memory device of claim 18, wherein the instructions further comprise:

in response to the activation of the snooze action, displaying a list of snooze options associated with the selected message; and

displaying the selected message again based on the selected snooze option from the list of snooze options, wherein the list of snooze options includes one or more of;

a date option, a time option, a repeat option, a user based option, a location based option, a device based option, a calendar based option, and a reply based option.

20. The computer-readable memory device of claim 19, wherein the instructions further comprise:

enabling a user to customize the one or more quick actions on the displayed toolbar.