Primary and secondary recipient indicators for conversations

• US 8,621,022 B2
• Filed: 09/14/2012
• Issued: 12/31/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Buchheit, Paul T., Chang, Bay-Wei W., Lim, Jing Yee, Rakowski, Brian D., Singh, Sanjeev
• Primary Examiner(s): Swearingen, Jeffrey R
• Assistant Examiner(s): ELFERVIG, TAYLOR A
• Application Number:
  US13/619,610
• Publication Number:
  US 20130013718A1
• Time in Patent Office: 473 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206, 709/207
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/046 Interoperability with other network applications or services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/216 Handling conversation history, e.g. grouping of messages in sessions or threads
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/226 Delivery according to priorities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/56 Unified messaging, e.g. interactions between e-mail, instant messaging or converged IP messaging [CPM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/403 Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15

Abstract

A server having one or more processors and memory receives a plurality of messages organized as conversations associated with a user. The server receives, from a client, a request for a list of conversations associated with the user and sends, to the client, display information for displaying a list of conversations comprising a set of rows, each conversation in the list of conversations being represented as a single row. The list of conversations includes a first row representing a first conversation and a second row representing a second conversation. The first row includes a first recipient indicator that indicates that the user is a primary recipient of a message in the first conversation. The second row includes a second recipient indicator, different from the first recipient indicator, that indicates that the user is a secondary recipient of a message in the second conversation.

Claims

1. A method, performed at a server system having one or more processors and memory storing programs executed by the one or more processors, the method comprising:

receiving a plurality of messages associated with a user, each message having a unique message identifier, wherein each of the plurality of messages is associated with a respective conversation, each conversation having a respective conversation identifier and comprising a set of one or more related messages;

receiving, from a client, a request for a list of conversations associated with the user; and

sending, to the client, display information for displaying a list of conversations comprising a set of rows, each conversation in the list of conversations being represented as a single row in the set of rows and including a sender list including representations of senders of messages associated with a corresponding conversation wherein;

the list of conversations includes a first row representing a first conversation and a second row representing a second conversation;

the first row includes a first recipient indicator that indicates that the user is a primary recipient of a message in the first conversation; and

the second row includes a second recipient indicator, different from the first recipient indicator, that indicates that the user is a secondary recipient of a message in the second conversation;

wherein a single field in each of the individual rows in the list of conversations is provided for presentation of both the first recipient indicator and the second recipient indicator; and

wherein the first recipient indicator is a first symbol that is not used to identify the primary recipient and the second recipient indicator is a second symbol that is not used to identify the secondary recipient.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the user is a primary recipient of a respective message in a respective conversation when the user is listed in a TO field of the respective message.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the user is a secondary recipient of a respective message in a respective conversation when the user is listed in a CC or BCC field of the respective message.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the list of conversations includes a third row that represents a third conversation;

the user is not explicitly listed as a recipient of any message in the third conversation; and

the third row does not include a primary recipient indicator or a secondary recipient indicator.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the first conversation includes a plurality of messages and a plurality of recipients of messages of the first conversation;

the plurality of recipients include a respective recipient of a message in the first conversation;

the respective recipient is not a recipient of a most recent message in the first conversation;

the first row includes representations of the plurality of recipients, including a respective representation of the respective recipient; and

the respective representation of the respective recipient is visually distinguished, in the first row, from one or more representations of recipients of the most recent message in the first conversation.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the respective representation of the respective recipient is displayed using a different font than a font used for the one or more representations of recipients of the most recent message in the first conversation.

7. A server system, comprising:

one or more processors;

memory; and

one or more programs, wherein the one or more programs are stored in the memory and configured to be executed by the one or more processors, the one or more programs including instructions for;

receiving a plurality of messages associated with a user, each message having a unique message identifier, wherein each of the plurality of messages is associated with a respective conversation, each conversation having a respective conversation identifier and comprising a set of one or more related messages;

receiving, from a client, a request for a list of conversations associated with the user; and

sending, to the client, display information for displaying a list of conversations comprising a set of rows, each conversation in the list of conversations being represented as a single row in the set of rows and including a sender list including representations of senders of messages associated with a corresponding conversation wherein;

the list of conversations includes a first row representing a first conversation and a second row representing a second conversation;

the first row includes a first recipient indicator that indicates that the user is a primary recipient of a message in the first conversation; and

the second row includes a second recipient indicator, different from the first recipient indicator, that indicates that the user is a secondary recipient of a message in the second conversation;

wherein a single field in each of the individual rows in the list of conversations is provided for presentation of both the first recipient indicator and the second recipient indicator; and

wherein the first recipient indicator is a first symbol that is not used to identify the primary recipient and the second recipient indicator is a second symbol that is not used to identify the secondary recipient.

8. The server system of claim 7, wherein the user is a primary recipient of a respective message in a respective conversation when the user is listed in a TO field of the respective message.

9. The server system of claim 7, wherein the user is a secondary recipient of a respective message in a respective conversation when the user is listed in a CC or BCC field of the respective message.

10. The server system of claim 7, wherein:

the list of conversations includes a third row that represents a third conversation;

the user is not explicitly listed as a recipient of any message in the third conversation; and

the third row does not include a primary recipient indicator or a secondary recipient indicator.

11. The server system of claim 7, wherein:

the first conversation includes a plurality of messages and a plurality of recipients of messages of the first conversation;

the plurality of recipients include a respective recipient of a message in the first conversation;

the respective recipient is not a recipient of a most recent message in the first conversation;

the first row includes representations of the plurality of recipients, including a respective representation of the respective recipient; and

the respective representation of the respective recipient is visually distinguished, in the first row, from one or more representations of recipients of the most recent message in the first conversation.

12. The server system of claim 11, wherein the respective representation of the respective recipient is displayed using a different font than a font used for the one or more representations of recipients of the most recent message in the first conversation.

13. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing one or more programs, the one or more programs comprising instructions, which when executed by a computer system with one or more processors, cause the computer system to:

receive a plurality of messages associated with a user, each message having a unique message identifier, wherein each of the plurality of messages is associated with a respective conversation, each conversation having a respective conversation identifier and comprising a set of one or more related messages;

receive, from a client, a request for a list of conversations associated with the user; and

send, to the client, display information for displaying a list of conversations comprising a set of rows, each conversation in the list of conversations being represented as a single row in the set of rows and including a sender list including representations of senders of messages associated with a corresponding conversation wherein;

the list of conversations includes a first row representing a first conversation and a second row representing a second conversation;

the first row includes a first recipient indicator that indicates that the user is a primary recipient of a message in the first conversation; and

the second row includes a second recipient indicator, different from the first recipient indicator, that indicates that the user is a secondary recipient of a message in the second conversation;

wherein a single field in each of the individual rows in the list of conversations is provided for presentation of both the first recipient indicator and the second recipient indicator; and

wherein the first recipient indicator is a first symbol that is not used to identify the primary recipient and the second recipient indicator is a second symbol that is not used to identify the secondary recipient.

14. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the user is a primary recipient of a respective message in a respective conversation when the user is listed in a TO field of the respective message.

15. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the user is a secondary recipient of a respective message in a respective conversation when the user is listed in a CC or BCC field of the respective message.

16. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein:

the list of conversations includes a third row that represents a third conversation;

the user is not explicitly listed as a recipient of any message in the third conversation; and

the third row does not include a primary recipient indicator or a secondary recipient indicator.

17. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the first recipient indicator and the second recipient indicator are special symbols displayed in the first row and the second row, respectively.

18. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the first recipient indicator includes highlighting at least a portion of the first row.

19. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein:

the first conversation includes a plurality of messages and a plurality of recipients of messages of the first conversation;

the plurality of recipients include a respective recipient of a message in the first conversation;

the respective recipient is not a recipient of a most recent message in the first conversation;

the first row includes representations of the plurality of recipients, including a respective representation of the respective recipient; and

the respective representation of the respective recipient is visually distinguished, in the first row, from one or more representations of recipients of the most recent message in the first conversation.

20. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein the respective representation of the respective recipient is displayed using a different font than a font used for the one or more representations of recipients of the most recent message in the first conversation.