Method and apparatus for providing a view of an electronic mail message

• US 6,789,107 B1
• Filed: 05/03/2000
• Issued: 09/07/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/03/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Day, Paul Reuben, Bates, Cary Lee, Santosuosso, John Matthew
• Primary Examiner(s): Meky, Moustafa M.
• Application Number:
  US09/564,007
• Time in Patent Office: 1,588 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206, 709/201, 709/219, 709/204, 709/200, 709/217, 709/218, 709/225, 709/227, 709/238, 709/203
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]

Abstract

A method, an article of manufacture and apparatus for providing a historical view or map window of an electronic mail (e-mail) message having a chain of component sections or messages therein. Specifically, the method displays a historical view with a list of identifiers. Each identifier in the view is associated with a particular component section or message in the e-mail message. As such, a recipient of the e-mail message can access a particular component message by clicking or activating its associated identifier. The recipient can also flag or determine the important component messages or sections that are highlighted on the display. Additionally, the recipient can select which component messages to include or mark as important in a subsequent reply or forward message.

Claims

1. A method, implemented by a computer, for providing a view of an electronic mail message, comprising:

opening the electronic mail message sent from a first user and received by a second user and comprising a plurality of sections each comprising a component message sent from a user and associated component message identifying information which at least identifies the user responsible for sending the component message, wherein the plurality of sections comprises at least;

(i) a first component message from the first user and associated component message identifying information and (ii) a second component message from at least one other user and associated component message identifying information;

displaying the opened electronic mail message;

identifying the plurality of sections in the opened electronic mail message; and

displaying a historical view having a plurality of identifiers, where each identifier in the plurality of identifiers is provided for each section in the identified plurality of sections.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the identifying step comprises:

analyzing address fields within the component message Identifying information of the plurality of sections of the electronic mail message.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the identifying step comprises:

determining a number of from;

fields in the component message identifying information of the plurality of sections of the opened electronic mail message.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein each identifier in the plurality of identifiers allows a recipient of the electronic mail message to access one section in the plurality of sections in the electronic mail message.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein each identifier in the plurality of identifiers comprises user identification and subject information.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of identifiers are displayed in time-ordered manner.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein each section in the plurality of sections is included in a forward or reply message if the identifier associated with each section in the plurality of sections is selected.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of marking one or more identifiers associated with each section in the plurality of sections as being important where each marked section in the plurality of sections is highlighted in a forward or reply message.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the historical view is displayed at top of the electronic mail message.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the historical view is displayed in a separate window from the electronic mail message.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving at least one control message associated with the opened electronic mail message, where each control message is associated with one section in the plurality of sections; and

highlighting at least one identifier in the plurality of identifiers for the each section in the plurality of sections associated with each control message.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the at least one control message is inserted in a header of the electronic mail message.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein the at least one control message and the electronic mail message are separate messages.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising navigating to a corresponding section in response to a user selection of a respective identifier of the plurality of identifiers.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein each identifier in the plurality of identifiers comprises at least a portion of the component message identifying information of the plurality of sections.

16. A method, implemented by a computer, for displaying an electronic mail message comprising:

opening the electronic mail message sent from a first user and received by a second user and comprising a plurality of sections each comprising a component message sent from a user and associated component message identifying information which at least identifies the user responsible for sending the component message;

displaying the opened electronic mail message;

determining the plurality of sections in the opened electronic mail message;

displaying a historical view having a plurality of identifiers, where each identifier in the plurality of identifiers is provided for each section in the determined plurality of sections; and

activating at least one identifier in the plurality of identifiers to view one of the determined plurality of sections associated with the activated at least one identifier.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising:

receiving at least one control message with the opened electronic mail message, where each control message is associated with one section in the plurality of sections; and

highlighting at least one identifier in the plurality of identifiers for the plurality of sections associated with each control message.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the at least one identifier in the plurality of identifiers in the activating step is the same as the at least one identifier in the plurality of identifiers in the highlighting step.

19. A method, implemented by a computer, for creating electronic mail messages comprising:

opening a first map view associated with a first electronic mail message comprising a plurality of sections each comprising a component message and associated identification information identifying at least a sender, a recipient and a subject of the associated component message, wherein the first map view provides an abstracted view of the first electronic mail message with respect to the plurality of sections in which at least a portion of the associated identification information of each section is shown without the associated component message;

selecting portions of the first map view that are to be contained in a second electronic mail message; and

creating the second electronic mail message comprising a second map view containing the selected portions of the first map view.

20. A method, implemented by a computer, for creating an electronic mail message comprising:

receiving a first electronic mail message comprising;

a plurality of sections each comprising a component message and associated identification information identifying at least a sender, a recipient and a subject of the associated component message;

a first historical section excluding the component messages and defined by at least a portion of the associated identification information for each component message;

creating a second electronic mail message comprising the plurality of sections of the first electronic mail message and a new component message and associated identification information; and

creating a second historical section for the second electronic mail message, the second historical section comprising the first historical section and the associated identification information of the new component message.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein the associated identification information of the first and second historical sections comprise at least one of sender identification, recipient identification and subject information.

22. The method of claim 20 further comprising selecting one or more portions of the associated identification information of the first historical section to be contained in the second historical section.

23. The method of claim 20 further comprising creating a control message that is associated with said second electronic mail message.

24. The method of claim 20 wherein said second electronic mail message is a forward or reply electronic mail message.

25. A terminal for providing a historical view of an electronic mail message having a plurality of sections comprising:

a memory for storing an electronic mail message and a mapping routine;

a processing unit, coupled to the memory, for retrieving the electronic mail message from the memory and opening the retrieved electronic mail message upon a command from an input device, and which, when configured with the mapping routine, determines the plurality of sections in the electronic mail message, and provides an identifier for each section in the plurality of sections; and

a display device, coupled to the processing unit, for displaying the historical view comprising the identifiers for each section, the identifiers each comprising a user identification and a subject.

26. A computer readable medium storing a software program that, when executed by a computer, causes the computer to perform a method comprising:

opening an electronic mail message sent from a first user and received by a second user and comprising a plurality of sections each comprising a component message sent from a user and associated component message identifying information which at least identifies the user responsible for sending the component message, wherein the plurality of sections comprises at least;

(i) a first component message from the first user and associated component message identifying information and (ii) a second component message from at least one other user and associated component message identifying information;

displaying the opened electronic mail message;

determining the plurality of sections in the opened electronic mail message; and

displaying a historical view of the electronic mail message, the historical view having a plurality of identifiers, each identifier in the plurality of identifiers is provided for each section in the plurality of sections.

27. The computer readable medium of claim 26 wherein the method further comprises:

receiving at least one control message associated with the opened electronic mail message, where each control message is associated with one section in the plurality of sections; and

highlighting at least one identifier in the plurality of identifiers for the each section in the plurality of sections associated with each control message.

28. The computer readable medium of claim 26 wherein each identifier in the plurality of identifiers comprises at least a portion of the component message identifying information of the plurality of sections.