Email user interface

• US 8,689,116 B2
• Filed: 06/21/2011
• Issued: 04/01/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/14/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Guzman, Angela, Ording, Bas, Langoulant, Brendan, Shteremberg, Daniel, Coffman, Patrick L., Decker, Stephen, Lemay, Stephen O.
• Primary Examiner(s): Augustine, Nicholas
• Application Number:
  US13/165,681
• Publication Number:
  US 20120185781A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,015 Days
• Field of Search: 715/752, 715/753, 715/796, 715/799, 715/803
• US Class Current: 715/752
• 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 3/0486 Drag-and-drop
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/00 User-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, transmitted according to store-and-forward or real-time protocols, e.g. e-mail

Abstract

Exemplary methods, apparatuses, and systems receive a reply or forward command for a selected email message in an email user interface and display a composition window in response to the command, wherein the displaying includes a sequence of images to create the illusion of the composition window popping out of the selected email message, the sequence of images including an initial image that is a copy of the selected email message, a final image of the composition window including an editable body, and at least one image between the initial image and the final image that has characteristics of both the initial and final images.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of presenting an email user interface comprising:

receiving a reply or forward command for a selected email message; and

displaying a composition window in response to the command, wherein the displaying includes a sequence of at least three images to create the illusion of the composition window popping out of the selected email message;

wherein the sequence of at least three images includes;

an initial image that is a copy of the selected email message, a final image of the composition window including an editable body, and at least one image between the initial image and the final image that has characteristics of both the initial and final images;

wherein elements of the selected email message appear in the initial image but not in the final image, elements of the composition window appear in the final image but not in the initial image, and elements of the email user interface behind the composition window are dimmed and not selectable.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the elements of the selected email message that appear in the initial image but not in the final image fade-out as the sequence of images progresses from the initial image to the final image.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the elements of the composition window that appear in the final image but not in the initial image fade-in as the sequence of images progresses from the initial image to the final image.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the sequence of the at least three images increase in size from the initial image to the final image.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the sequence of the at least three images appear sequentially along an arced path originating from the selected email message.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the email user interface is in full screen mode until the composition window is closed.

7. An apparatus to present an email user interface, the apparatus comprising:

a processing device, wherein the processing device executes instructions that cause the processing device to

receive a reply or forward command for a selected email message;

display a composition window in response to the command, wherein the displaying includes a sequence of at least three images to create the illusion of the composition window popping out of the selected email message;

wherein the sequence of at least three images includes;

an initial image that is a copy of the selected email message, a final image of the composition window including an editable body, and at least one image between the initial image and the final image that has characteristics of both the initial and final images;

wherein elements of the selected email message appear in the initial image but not in the final image, elements of the composition window appear in the final image but not in the initial image, and elements of the email user interface behind the composition window are dimmed and not selectable.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the elements of the selected email message that appear in the initial image but not in the final image fade-out as the sequence of images progresses from the initial image to the final image.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the elements of the composition window that appear in the final image but not in the initial image fade-in as the sequence of images progresses from the initial image to the final image.

10. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the sequence of the at least three images increase in size from the initial image to the final image.

11. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the sequence of the at least three images appear sequentially along an arced path originating from the selected email message.

12. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the email user interface is in full screen mode until the composition window is closed.

13. A machine-readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed, cause a processing device to perform a method comprising:

receiving a reply or forward command for a selected email message;

displaying a composition window in response to the command, wherein the displaying includes a sequence of at least three images to create the illusion of the composition window popping out of the selected email message;

wherein the sequence of at least three images includes;

an initial image that is a copy of the selected email message, a final image of the composition window including an editable body, and at least one image between the initial image and the final image that has characteristics of both the initial and final images;

wherein elements of the selected email message appear in the initial image but not in the final image, elements of the composition window appear in the final image but not in the initial image, and elements of the email user interface behind the composition window are dimmed and not selectable.

14. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the elements of the selected email message that appear in the initial image but not in the final image fade-out as the sequence of images progresses from the initial image to the final image.

15. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the elements of the composition window that appear in the final image but not in the initial image fade-in as the sequence of images progresses from the initial image to the final image.

16. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the sequence of the at least three images increase in size from the initial image to the final image.

17. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the sequence of the at least three images appear sequentially along an arced path originating from the selected email message.

18. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the email user interface is in full screen mode until the composition window is closed.