Dynamic and local management of hierarchical discussion thread data

• US 8,869,041 B2
• Filed: 11/11/2011
• Issued: 10/21/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/11/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: University of Phoenix Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Apollo Education Group, Inc.
• Inventors: Lee, Jongwoo, Upendran, Manish, Berkebile, Locke D., Brightman, Jason
• Primary Examiner(s): Riegler, Patrick
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chung, Mong-Shune
• Application Number:
  US13/294,819
• Publication Number:
  US 20130125062A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,075 Days
• Field of Search: 715/854, 715/752, 715/744, 715/745
• US Class Current: 715/745
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/048 Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• 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 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]

Abstract

Techniques are described for display and navigation of hierarchical messages, which displays include contextual data for the messages. Context information for a current message includes reply messages, parent messages, and metadata representations. Message representations are also associated with visual depth indicators that are independent of the text of the messages. Users may navigate displays of hierarchical message data using different navigational inputs. For example, more information may be requested for messages, without selecting a new message for viewing as a focal message, using swipes across portions of the display dedicated to displaying the messages. A limited number of messages for a requested list of messages is initially retrieved and displayed, and a mechanism for viewing more messages from the list is provided. Historical usage of the mechanism is recorded and the number of messages to be displayed for the list of messages is adjusted based on the historical usage data.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving, from a particular user, a first request to display messages from a first set of messages;

in response to receiving the first request, downloading a first number of messages, from the first set of messages, to a cache;

wherein the first number of messages is less than all messages in the first set of messages;

wherein the first number of messages is based, at least in part, on a first default number;

providing a first mechanism, capable of being activated by the particular user, by which the particular user may download, to the cache, additional messages from the first set of messages;

maintaining a first history that tracks how frequently the first mechanism has been activated by the particular user to download additional messages to the cache;

and based on how frequently the first mechanism has been activated by the particular user to download additional messages to the cache, as indicated by the first history, automatically increasing the first default number of messages to download in response to subsequent requests to display messages from the first set of messages;

wherein the method is performed by one or more computing devices.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the first default number is stored at a profile for the particular user;

the first set of messages belong to a first message group; and

the first default number is specific to the first message group.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein:

a second default number, stored at the profile for the particular user, is specific to a second set of messages that belong to a second message group that is different than the first message group; and

the method further comprises, based on how frequently the first mechanism has been activated by the particular user to download additional messages from the first message group to the cache, as indicated by the first history, increasing the second default number.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein:

the step of downloading the first number of messages to the cache is performed while the first default number stored at the profile for the particular user is the first number;

increasing the first default number comprises changing the first default number, stored at the profile for the particular user, from the first number to a second number;

the second number is greater than the first number;

the method further comprises;

after receiving the first request, receiving, from the particular user, a second request to display messages from the first message group; and

in response to receiving the second request to display messages from the first message group, downloading the second number of messages, from the first message group, to the cache;

wherein the second number of messages is less than all messages in the first set of messages.

5. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

receiving, from the particular user, a certain request to display messages from a second set of messages that belong to a second message group;

in response to receiving the certain request to display messages from the second set of messages;

downloading a second number of messages, from the second message group, to the cache;

wherein the second number of messages is less than all messages in the second set of messages;

wherein the second number is based, at least in part, on a second default number stored at the profile for the particular user;

wherein the first history tracks how frequently the first mechanism has been activated by the particular user to download additional messages from the first message group to the cache;

providing a second mechanism, capable of being activated by the particular user, by which the particular user may download, to the cache, additional messages from the second message group;

maintaining a second history, separate from the first history, that tracks how frequently the second mechanism has been activated by the particular user to download additional messages from the second message group to the cache; and

in response to detecting that historical usage of the second mechanism satisfies certain criteria, increasing the second default number of messages to download in response to requests to display messages from the second message group.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the certain criteria comprises exceeding a particular number of activations of the second mechanism.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein:

messages of the first set of messages are associated with respective timestamps;

messages from the first set of messages are displayed in an ordered list based on reverse chronological order of the associated timestamps.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein a timestamp for a particular message represents a time that the particular message was last modified.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising causing display, of messages downloaded to the cache, within a graphical user interface on a computing device.

19. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

after automatically increasing the first default number, receiving, from the particular user, a second request to display messages from the first set of messages;

in response to receiving the second request, downloading a second number of messages, from the first set of messages, to the cache;

wherein the second number of messages is less than all messages in the first set of messages;

wherein the second number is based, at least in part, on the automatically increased first default number.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable medium that stores sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause:

receiving, from a particular user, a first request to display messages from a first set of messages;

in response to receiving the first request, downloading a first number of messages, from the first set of messages, to a cache;

wherein the first number of messages is less than all messages in the first set of messages;

wherein the first number of messages is based, at least in part, on a first default number;

providing a first mechanism, capable of being activated by the particular user, by which the particular user may download, to the cache, additional messages from the first set of messages;

maintaining a first history that tracks how frequently the first mechanism has been activated by the particular user to download additional messages to the cache;

and based on how frequently the first mechanism has been activated by the particular user to download additional messages to the cache, as indicated by the first history, automatically increasing the first default number of messages to download in response to subsequent requests to display messages from the first set of messages.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein:

the first default number is stored at a profile for the particular user;

the first set of messages belong to a first message group; and

the first default number is specific to the first message group.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein:

a second default number, stored at the profile for the particular user, is specific to a second set of messages that belong to a second message group that is different than the first message group; and

the sequences of instructions further comprise instructions for, based on how frequently the first mechanism has been activated by the particular user to download additional messages from the first message group to the cache, as indicated by the first history, increasing the second default number.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein:

downloading first number of messages to the cache is performed while the first default number stored at the profile for the particular user is the first number;

increasing the first default number comprises changing the first default number, stored at the profile for the particular user, from the first number to a second number;

the second number is greater than the first number;

the sequences of instructions further comprise instructions for;

after receiving the first request, receiving, from the particular user, a second request to display messages from the first message group; and

in response to receiving the second request to display messages from the first message group, downloading the second number of messages, from the first message group, to the cache;

wherein the second number of messages is less than all messages in the first set of messages.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11, further comprising instructions for:

receiving, from the particular user, a certain request to display messages from a second set of messages that belong to a second message group;

in response to receiving the certain request to display messages from the second set of messages;

downloading a second number of messages, from the second message group, to the cache;

wherein the second number of messages is less than all messages in the second set of messages;

wherein the second number is based, at least in part, on a second default number stored at the profile for the particular user;

wherein the first history tracks how frequently the first mechanism has been activated by the particular user to download additional messages from the first message group to the cache;

providing a second mechanism, capable of being activated by the particular user, by which the particular user may download, to the cache, additional messages from the second message group;

maintaining a second history, separate from the first history, that tracks how frequently the second mechanism has been activated by the particular user to download additional messages from the second message group to the cache; and

in response to detecting that historical usage of the second mechanism satisfies certain criteria, increasing the second default number of messages to download in response to requests to display messages from the second message group.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the certain criteria comprises exceeding a particular number of activations of the second mechanism.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein:

messages of the first set of messages are associated with respective timestamps;

messages from the first set of messages are displayed in an ordered list based on reverse chronological order of the associated timestamps.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein a timestamp for a particular message represents a time that the particular message was last modified.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10 further comprising instructions for causing display, of messages downloaded to the cache, within a graphical user interface on a computing device.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10, further comprising instructions for:

after automatically increasing the first default number, receiving, from the particular user, a second request to display messages from the first set of messages;

in response to receiving the second request, downloading a second number of messages, from the first set of messages, to the cache;

wherein the second number of messages is less than all messages in the first set of messages;

wherein the second number is based, at least in part, on the automatically increased first default number.