Display of messages

• US 7,107,544 B1
• Filed: 12/02/1999
• Issued: 09/12/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: LinkedIn Corporation (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Luke, James Steven
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Cao (Kevin)
• Application Number:
  US09/453,127
• Time in Patent Office: 2,476 Days
• Field of Search: 345/732, 345/744, 345/765, 345/790, 345/804, 345/808, 715/752, 715/804, 715/805, 715/807, 715/811, 715/765
• US Class Current: 715/752
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/226 Delivery according to priorities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/42 Mailbox-related aspects, e.g. synchronisation of mailboxes

Abstract

A message viewer for generating a prioritized view of a plurality of messages stored in an email mailbox is disclosed. The viewer includes a script for defining one or more concepts against which a message can be prioritized, the or each concept comprising one or more conditions against which a message can be tested. A display script operates on each message, to generate a fit to a selected one or more of the concepts, the fit corresponding to whether or not the message fulfils the conditions. Once complete, the display script creates a display representative of the respective fits of the messages to the one or more selected concepts.

Claims

1. A method for generating a prioritized view of a plurality of messages, comprising the steps of:

defining one or more concepts against which a message can be prioritized, the or each concept comprising one or more conditions against which a message can be tested;

for each message, generating a fit to a selected one or more said concepts, said corresponding to whether or not said message fulfils said conditions; and

creating a display representative of the respective fits of said messages to said one or more selected concepts, wherein each concept comprises one or more scenarios, the or each scenario comprising one or more of said conditions, and wherein said fit generating step comprises testing each message against the or each condition in the or each scenario for a user selected concept to generate a for the or each scenario.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said display creating step comprises displaying respective cells associated with messages in one or more rows or columns.

3. A method as claimed in claim 2 wherein said concept defining step comprises associating a concept with a display parameter comprising one of a colour or size.

4. A method as claimed in claim 3 wherein said display creating step is responsive to a user selecting a prioritized view according to a concept associated with a colour, to display said cells in an intensity of said colour proportional to the fit of their associated message to said concept.

5. A method as claimed in claim 3 wherein said display creating step is responsive to a user selecting a prioritized view according to a concept associated with size, to display said cells with a length proportional to the fit of their associated message to said concept.

6. A method as claimed in claim 3 wherein said display creating step is responsive to a user selecting a prioritized view according to a first concept associated with a colour and a second concept associated with size, to display said cells in an intensity of said colour proportional to the fit of their associated message to said first concept and with a length proportional to the fit of their associated message to said second concept.

7. A method as claimed in claim 3 wherein said display creating step is responsive to a user selecting a prioritized view according to first and second concepts, each associated with a respective colour, to display said cells in a colour according to the best fit of their associated message to one of said first and second concepts.

8. A method as claimed in claim 7, wherein said display creating step is responsive to a user selecting a prioritized view according to a third concept associated with size, to display said cells with a length proportional to the fit of their associated message to said third concept.

9. A method as claimed in claim 2 comprising the step of:

grouping messages into a plurality of groups, and wherein said display creating step comprises displaying respective cells associated with messages in a row or column extending from their associated groups.

10. A method as claimed in claim 9 wherein said grouping step comprises grouping said messages in discussion threads.

11. A method as claimed in claim 9 wherein said grouping step comprises grouping said messages according to their subject matter.

12. A method as claimed in claim 9 wherein said messages are grouped by said user into a plurality of folders.

13. A method as claimed in claim 9 wherein messages groups containing less than a predetermined number of messages are merged into a “

No Category”

group.

14. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said messages are email messages.

17. A computer program product comprising computer program code stored on a computer readable storage medium for, when executed on a computing device, generating a prioritized view of a plurality of messages, the program code comprising means for performing the steps of claim 1.

15. A method as claimed 1 wherein said fit for said concept is the highest of said fits for the or each scenario.

16. A method as claimed 1 wherein said fit for said concept is the aggregate of said fits for the or each scenario.

18. A message viewer for generating a prioritized view of a plurality of messages, comprising:

means for defining one or more concepts against which a message can be prioritized, the or each concept comprising one or more conditions against which a message can be tested;

means, operable on each message, for generating a fit to a selected one or more of said concepts, said fit corresponding to whether or not said message fulfils said conditions; and

means for creating a display representative of the respective fits of said messages to said one or more selected concepts, wherein each concept comprises one or more scenarios, the or each scenario comprising one or more of said conditions, and wherein said fit generating step comprises testing each message against the or each condition in the or each scenario for a user selected concept to generate a for the or each scenario. The closest prior art of Griesau and Abecassis discloses a conventional.