REMINDER SERVICE FOR EMAIL SELECTED FOR FOLLOW-UP ACTIONS

• US 20150195233A1
• Filed: 01/08/2014
• Published: 07/09/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/08/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Ramanathan, Rajesh, Chugh, Jasdeep Singh
• Granted Patent: US 10,425,366 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/18 Commands or executable codes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/42 Mailbox-related aspects, e.g. synchronisation of mailboxes

Abstract

A reminder service is disclosed herein receives action information indicative of an email selected for follow-up action in an email application. The reminder service identifies an additional application through which to surface a reminder about the follow-up action and communicates reminder information to the additional application with which to render the reminder.

Claims

1. A method of operating a reminder service to facilitate email triage, the method comprising:

receiving action information indicative of an email selected for follow-up action in an email application;

identifying an additional application through which to surface a reminder about the follow-up action; and

communicating reminder information to the additional application with which to render the reminder.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein identifying the additional application comprises selecting the additional application from a plurality of applications based at least in part on with which of the plurality of applications the follow-up action is associated.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the plurality of applications comprises a real-time communication application, a contacts application, a calendar application, a productivity application, and an additional email application, wherein the follow-up action comprises reading the email later, replying to the email later, placing a call related to the email later, or scheduling a meeting related to the email later.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the follow-up action comprises one of a plurality of actions selectable via a triage menu in the email application, wherein the method further comprises associating the plurality of applications with the plurality of follow-up actions such that the follow-up action is associated with the additional email application and at least one other application of the plurality applications.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the additional application comprises a contacts application and wherein the method further comprises rendering the reminder in a user interface to the contacts application.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the user interface to the contacts application comprises a plurality of contacts and wherein rendering the reminder in the user interface to the contacts application comprises rendering the reminder in visual association with at least one of the contacts that is associated with the email.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the additional application comprises a productivity application and wherein the method further comprises rendering the reminder in a user interface to the productivity application.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the user interface to the productivity application comprises a most recently used menu and wherein rendering the reminder in the user interface to the productivity application comprises rendering the reminder in visual association with a document represented in the most recently used menu that is associated with the email.

9. One or more computer readable storage media having program instructions stored thereon for implementing a reminder service that facilitates email triage, wherein the program instructions, when executed by a computing system, direct the computing system to at least:

receive triage information indicative of at least an email selected through an initial user interface to an email service for follow-up action;

identify a service of a plurality of services through which to surface a reminder about the follow-up action based at least in part on which of the plurality of services with which the follow-up action is associated; and

communicate reminder information with which to render the reminder at least in part in a user interface to an additional service and a subsequent user interface to the email service.

10. The one or more computer readable storage media of claim 9 wherein to receive the triage information, the program instructions direct the computing system to receive the triage information from a mobile email application that renders the initial user interface, and wherein to communicate the reminder information, the program instructions direct the computing system to transfer the reminder information for delivery to another email application that renders the subsequent user interface.

11. The one or more computer readable storage media of claim 9 wherein to communicate the reminder information, the computing system transfers the reminder information for delivery to a service application associated with the service that renders the reminder in the user interface to the service.

12. The one or more computer readable storage media of claim 11 wherein the service application comprises at least one of a real-time communication application, a contacts application, a calendar application, a productivity application, and an email application, wherein the plurality of services comprises a real-time communication service, a contacts service, a calendar service, a productivity service, and the email service, and wherein the plurality of follow-up actions comprises reading the email later, replying to the email later, placing a call related to the email later, and scheduling a meeting related to the email.

13. The one or more computer readable storage media of claim 9 wherein the follow-up action comprises one of a plurality of actions selectable via a triage menu in the initial user interface to the email service, wherein the plurality of services includes the email service and wherein the program instructions further direct the computing system to associate the plurality of services with the plurality of follow-up actions such that the follow-up action is associated with the email service and at least one other service of the plurality services.

14. The one or more computer readable storage media of claim 13 wherein identifying at least the service from the plurality of services comprises identifying at least the additional service from the plurality of services based at least in part on with which of the plurality of services the follow-up action is associated.

15. The one or more computer readable storage media of claim 14 wherein the program instructions further direct the computing system to communicate the reminder information with which to render the reminder at least in part in an additional user interface to the additional service.

16. The one or more computer readable storage media of claim 15 wherein the service comprises the email service and wherein the additional service comprises the one other service.

17. An apparatus comprising:

one or more computer readable storage media having program instructions stored thereon that, when executed by a processing system, direct the processing system to at least;

render a first user interface to an email service wherein the first user interface includes a triage menu through which to select a follow-up action for an email; and

render a second user interface to an additional service, wherein the second user interface includes a reminder about the follow-up action for the email.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 further comprising the processing system configured to execute the program instructions and a display system configured to display the first user interface and the second user interface, wherein the program instructions comprise an email application and an additional application, wherein the display system comprises a touch screen having dimensions consistent with at least one of a tablet form factor and a smart phone form factor.

19. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein the processing system executes the email application to render the first user interface and executes the additional application to render the second user interface, and wherein the additional application comprises one of a real-time communication application, a contacts application, a calendar application, a productivity application, a gaming application, and an additional email application and wherein the additional service comprises one of a real-time communication service, a contacts service, a calendar service, a productivity service, and the email service.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein:

the triage menu comprises a plurality of follow-up actions from which to select the follow-up action;

the second user interface comprises a view of a plurality of emails and a plurality of filters corresponding to the follow-up actions, wherein each of the plurality of filters comprises a filter component corresponding to a different one of the follow-up actions that, when selected, directs the processing system to filter the plurality of emails based on to which of the plurality of follow-up actions each of the plurality of emails corresponds; and

the plurality of follow-up actions comprises reading the email later, replying to the email later, placing a call related to the email later, and scheduling a meeting related to the email.