Integrating collaborative messaging into an electronic mail program

• US 7,222,156 B2
• Filed: 01/25/2001
• Issued: 05/22/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/25/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Gupta, Anoop, Czerwinski, Mary P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cardone; Jason
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHOUDHURY, AZIZUL Q
• Application Number:
  US09/772,320
• Publication Number:
  US 20020099777A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,308 Days
• Field of Search: 709/201, 709/202, 709/203
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/169 Annotation, e.g. comment data or footnotes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/06 Message adaptation to terminal or network requirements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/234 for tracking messages

Abstract

Collaborative electronic mail messages are fully integrated into traditional electronic mail on the client end. The collaborative electronic mail allows users to have online discussions without the clutter of numerous related individual electronic mails in the inbox, while at the same time reducing any deviation from the electronic mail user interface as seen by the end users.

Claims

1. An email application for integrating communications of both collaborative and non-collaborative email messages, wherein a collaborative email message is an email message communicated among a plurality of recipients that dynamically incorporates information provided by the recipients into the message content, comprising:

an email inbox display for identifying incoming email messages, wherein the email inbox display provides an indication for distinguishing collaborative email messages from non-collaborative email messages; and

a message display, comprising a message content area for displaying an email message selected to be opened from the email inbox display, wherein, when the selected email message is a collaborative email message, the message display further comprises an interface enabling a recipient to modify the message content of the collaborative message, the modified message then being sent to all recipients of the collaborative email message;

wherein the email inbox display provides an indication whenever contents of a collaborative email message have been modified by another recipient since the collaborative email was last opened.

2. The email application of claim 1, wherein the indication for distinguishing collaborative email messages from non-collaborative email messages is text.

3. The email application of claim 1, wherein the indication for distinguishing collaborative email messages from non-collaborative email messages is an icon.

4. The email application of claim 1, further comprising a searcher by which a user can search for messages that are collaborative email messages.

5. The email application of claim 1, wherein the email inbox user display identifies unread incoming messages in boldface type and read messages in non-boldface type, and wherein a collaborative email message listed in the inbox is changed from non-boldface type to boldface type when changes have been made to the collaborative email message since the message was last opened.

6. The email application of claim 5, wherein, in the message display, comments that have been added to the collaborative email message since the recipient last viewed the message are identified differently from those comments that already had been viewed.

7. The email application of claim 1, wherein in the message display, identification is provided of which recipients have added requested information to the collaborative email message.

8. The email application of claim 1, wherein the email inbox indicates whenever contents of a collaborative email message have been modified by another recipient since the collaborative email was last opened by marking the email as unread.

9. The email application of claim 1, wherein the email inbox indicates whenever contents of a collaborative email message have been modified by another recipient since the collaborative email was last opened by moving the identified collaborative email to the top of the inbox.

11. The email application client of claim 1, wherein the indication for distinguishing collaborative email messages from non-collaborative email messages is text.

12. The email application client of claim 1, wherein the indication for distinguishing collaborative email messages from non-collaborative email messages is an icon.

13. The email application client of claim 1, further comprising a searcher by which a user can search for only messages that are collaborative email messages.

14. The email application client of claim 1, wherein the email inbox display identifies unread incoming messages in boldface type and read messages in non-boldface type, and wherein a collaborative email message listed in the inbox is changed from non-boldface type to boldface type when changes have been made to the collaborative email message since the message was last opened.

15. The email application client of claim 5, wherein, in the message display, comments that have been added to the collaborative email message since the recipient last viewed the message are identified differently from those comments that already had been viewed.

16. The email application client of claim 1, wherein in the message display, identification is provided of which recipients have added requested information to the collaborative email message.

17. The email application of claim 1, wherein the email inbox indicates whenever contents of a collaborative email message have been modified by another recipient since the collaborative email was last opened by marking the email as unread.

18. The email application of claim 1, wherein the email inbox indicates wheneveir contents of a collaborative email message have been modified by another recipient since the collaborative email was last opened by moving the identified collaborative email to the top of the inbox.

10. A method for integrating communications of collaborative and non-collaborative email messages using an email application client, wherein a collaborative email message is an email message communicated among a plurality of recipients that dynamically incorporates information provided by the recipients into the message content, comprising:

identifying in an email inbox display incoming email messages and providing an indicator for distinguishing collaborative email messages from non-collaborative email messages;

displaying in a message display an email message selected to be opened from the email inbo display, wherein, when the selected email message is a collaborative email message, prompting a recipient to modify the message content of the collaborative message in a message body within the display window at least one section for recipients of the collaborative email message to provide requested collaborative information, the modified message then being sent to all recipients of the collaborative email message; and

providiing an indicator in the email inbox display whenever contents of a collaborative email message have been modified by another recipient since the collaborative email was last opened.

19. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing a method for communicating both collaborative and non-collaborative email messages using an email application client, wherein a collaborative email message is an email message communicated among a plurality of recipients that dynamically incorporates into a message body information provided by the recipients, comprising:

identifying in an email inbox user display incoming email messages stored in an email server associated with the email application client, and providing an indicator for distinguishing collaborative email messages from non-collaborative email messages;

displaying in a message display window an email message selected from the email inbox user display, further displaying a command toolbar of selectable email user commands and a message body display area within the window;

wherein, when the selected email message is a collaborative email message retrieved from the email server,

displaying in the message body display area at least one section for recipients of the collaborative email message to provide requested collaborative information, incorporating the collaborative information into the collaborative email by modifying the contents of the collaborative email message stored in the email server, and sending the modified message to other email servers associated with each other collaborative email message recipient.