Communication device and method for coherent updating of collated message listings

• US 8,375,400 B2
• Filed: 02/11/2011
• Issued: 02/12/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/11/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Sutedja, Darsono, Parrett, John Bennett, Doudkin, Katerina
• Primary Examiner(s): Truong, Lechi
• Application Number:
  US13/025,822
• Publication Number:
  US 20120210334A1
• Time in Patent Office: 732 Days
• Field of Search: 719/313
• US Class Current: 719/313
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5038 considering the execution order of a plurality of tasks, e.g. taking priority or time dependency constraints into consideration scheduling strategies G06F9/4881 and subgroups
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/54 Interprogram communication
• 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

Abstract

A device, system and method are provided for presenting message threads in a device display where messages may have a persistent or intermediate status. A list of message threads is displayed, collated according to a given message thread attribute, is displayed. When a new message is detected belonging to one of the message threads, if the message has a persistent status it is added to the message thread and the collating message thread attribute for that thread is updated. If the message has an intermediate status, it may be added to the message thread but the collating message thread attribute for that message is deferred until the intermediate status is changed to a persistent status. The collated list of message threads is then updated. By deferring updates to the collating message thread attribute when a message has an intermediate status, disruption to the order of the collated list is mitigated.

Claims

1. A communication device, comprising:

a processor; and

memory storing executable instructions which, upon execution by said processor, cause said communication device to;

display a list of message threads collated according to a collating message thread attribute;

detect a new message;

when the detected new message comprises a persistent status,

determine membership of the detected new message in one of said message threads;

add said detected new message to said message thread; and

update the collating message thread attribute of said message thread based on said membership; and

update the displayed list of message threads;

when the detected new message comprises an intermediate status,

defer updating the collating message thread attribute of any of said message threads based on membership of the detected new message in said message thread, the deferring comprising defining said detected new message for display in the list of message threads as a separate list entry;

after the intermediate status transitions to the persistent status,

detect a change in status in said detected new message;

determine membership of said changed message in said one of said message threads and add said changed message to said message thread;

update the collating message thread attribute of said message thread based on said membership; and

delete said separate list entry; and

update the displayed list of message threads.

2. The communication device of claim 1, wherein the persistent status is a sent status.

3. The communication device of claim 2, wherein the intermediate status is a transmitting status.

4. The communication device of claim 1, wherein detecting the new message comprises detecting the new message in a filtered message collection defined by a filter criterion comprising a specified status.

5. The communication device of claim 4, wherein the persistent status is a sent status, the intermediate status is a transmitting status, and the specified status is a status other than the sent status or transmitting status.

6. The communication device of claim 4, wherein said executable instructions further cause said communication device to initially group messages in said filtered message collection into a plurality of message threads.

7. The communication device of claim 1, wherein when the detected new message comprises the intermediate status, updating said collating message thread attribute based on said membership is deferred until said intermediate status transitions to the persistent status.

8. The communication device of claim 1, wherein the collating message thread attribute is a message thread timestamp, said message thread timestamp being determined from a latest timestamp associated with a message belonging to the message thread.

9. A method, comprising:

displaying a list of message threads collated according to a collating message thread attribute;

detecting a new message;

when the detected new message comprises a persistent status,

determining membership of the detected new message in one of said message threads;

adding said detected new message to said message thread; and

updating the collating message thread attribute of said message thread based on said membership; and

updating the displayed list of message threads;

when the detected new message comprises an intermediate status,

deferring updating the collating message thread attribute of any of said message threads based on membership of the detected new message in said message thread, the deferring comprising defining said detected new message for display in the list of message threads as a separate list entry;

after the intermediate status transitions to the persistent status,

detecting a change in status in said detected new message;

determining membership of said changed message in said one of said message threads and adding said changed message to said message thread;

updating the collating message thread attribute of said message thread based on said membership; and

deleting said separate list entry; and

updating the displayed list of message threads.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the persistent status is a sent status.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the intermediate status is a transmitting status.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein detecting the new message comprises detecting the new message in a filtered message collection defined by a filter criterion comprising a specified status.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the persistent status is a sent status, the intermediate status is a transmitting status, and the specified status is a status other than the sent status or transmitting status.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising initially grouping messages in said filtered message collection into a plurality of message threads.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein when the detected new message comprises the intermediate status, updating said collating message thread attribute based on said membership is deferred until said intermediate status transitions to the persistent status.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein the collating message thread attribute is a message thread timestamp, said message thread timestamp being determined from a latest timestamp associated with a message belonging to the message thread.