Quick navigation of message conversation history

• US 9,432,314 B2
• Filed: 09/11/2014
• Issued: 08/30/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/15/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Thomas, Shawn, Nelson, Jason, Forster, Rowan
• Primary Examiner(s): SAX, STEVEN PAUL
• Application Number:
  US14/483,943
• Publication Number:
  US 20160050165A1
• Time in Patent Office: 719 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/048 Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04855 Interaction with scrollbars
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1813 for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms instant messaging H04L51/04; protocols for multimedia communication H04L65/1101; arrangements for multi-party communication H04L65/403; telephonic conference arrangements H04M3/56; television conference systems H04N7/15
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/216 Handling conversation history, e.g. grouping of messages in sessions or threads

Abstract

A messaging application running on a computing device utilizes a navigation model that exposes user interfaces (UIs) which implement a messaging conversation history in a minimized form so that a user can quickly jump to a desired conversation displayed on a chat card without having to toggle back and forth between a conventional messaging list view and chat card views. The minimized conversation history can be implemented using a scrollable carousel of images that is persistently displayed on the UI. The images represent messaging participants (i.e., contacts) that are arranged in an ordered display according to conversation history. The particular contact that is associated with the currently displayed chat card is highlighted in the carousel using color and/or other graphic treatments. As messaging activities occur and new messages come in and are sent out, the carousel is dynamically updated to show the contacts in the appropriate sorted historical order.

Claims

1. A method for enabling navigation of messaging conversation histories that are available on a mobile device that supports a user interface (UI) responsive to gestures of a mobile device user, comprising:

populating a carousel with contacts, each contact having an associated messaging conversation, the contacts being sorted in the carousel according to their messaging conversation histories;

presenting the carousel on a user interface (UI) supported on the mobile device, the presented carousel showing one or more contacts on the UI, the presented carousel being scrollable so that additional contacts are shown on the UI when the carousel is scrolled, the presented carousel being persistently displayed as different messaging conversations are presented on the UI;

presenting on the UI a messaging conversation associated with a selected contact on the carousel using a chat card;

enabling a user to scroll among chat cards, a scrolling order of the chat cards corresponding to the sort order of the contacts in the carousel, and further enabling the user to remove a contact from the carousel;

providing a control for the user to switch the UI to a list view of contacts and enabling the user to switch from the list view to a minimized view that includes the carousel;

updating the carousel contact sort order responsively to the removed contact and to messaging activities including receipt of inbound messages and generation of outbound messages; and

presenting the updated carousel on the UI.

2. The method of claim 1 further including receiving an input from a user for selecting a contact on the carousel.

3. The method of claim 2 further including highlighting a selected contact on the carousel, the highlighting using one or more of color, graphic object, icon, glyph, or animation.

4. The method of claim 1 further including enabling a user to scroll among contacts shown on the carousel.

5. The method of claim 1 further including displaying a new message indicator for a contact in the carousel.

6. The method of claim 1 in which the messaging conversation histories use timestamps associated with incoming messages and outgoing messages and the contacts are sorted on the carousel using the timestamps.

7. A mobile device, comprising:

one or more processors;

a display that supports a user interface (UI) configured to enable a user of the mobile device to interact with the UI using gestures; and

a memory storing computer-readable instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the mobile device to;

present a chat card on the UI using a horizontally scrollable display of chat cards, each chat card showing a messaging conversation between a mobile device user and one or more contacts,

present a horizontally scrollable carousel of contacts, the contacts being sorted in the carousel according to their messaging conversation histories,

show a highlight to indicate a contact in the carousel that is associated with a currently displayed chat card on the UI,

enable a user to scroll among chat cards, a scrolling order of the chat cards corresponding to the sort order of the contacts in the carousel;

enable the user to remove a contact from the carousel, and update the sort order responsively to the removal;

provide a control for the user to switch the UI to a list view of contacts and enable the user to switch from the list view to a minimized view that includes the carousel;

responsively to user scrolling of the chat cards, update the highlighted contact in the carousel to indicate a contact associated with the currently displayed chat card on the UI,

receive an input representing a user selection of a contact from the carousel,

change the highlight to indicate the user selected contact, and

present a corresponding chat card to the user selected contact on the UI.

8. The mobile device of claim 7 in which the display includes a touchscreen and user inputs comprise touch-based gestures.

9. The mobile device of claim 8 further including causing the mobile device to dynamically re-sort the carousel as new incoming messages are received or new outgoing messages are created and presenting the re-sorted carousel on the UI.

10. The mobile device of claim 9 further including causing the mobile device to receive a user input for switching the UI between the minimized view and a list view, the list view showing the contacts in sorted order in a vertically scrollable arrangement.

11. The mobile device of claim 10 in which the switching comprises one of toggling or zooming.

12. The mobile device of claim 11 further including causing the mobile device to expose controls to the user to control population of the carousel with contacts including contacts being added to the carousel and deleted from the carousel, the controls including controls for setting preferences.

13. One or more computer-readable memories storing instructions which, when executed by one or more processors disposed in a mobile device, cause the mobile device to:

expose a user interface (UI) that is responsive to gestures of a user of the mobile device;

upon launch of a messaging application, display a chat card showing a messaging conversation that includes a most recent message on the UI;

display a carousel of contacts with the chat card, the carousel showing contacts in a sorted order according to message history;

indicate a contact in the carousel that is associated with the displayed chat card;

enable the user to select a contact in the carousel;

enable the user to remove a contact from the carousel, and update the sort order responsively to the removal;

provide a control for the user to switch the UI to a list view of contacts and enable the user to switch from the list view to a minimized view that includes the carousel; and

swap chat cards so as to display a chat card that matches the user-selected contact from the carousel.

14. The one or more computer-readable memories of claim 13 further including causing the mobile device to configure the carousel and displayed chat card to be scrollable by the user, the scrolling of the carousel revealing additional contacts and the scrolling of the chat card revealing additional chat cards.

15. The one or more computer-readable memories of claim 14 further including causing the mobile device to persist a contact on the carousel that is associated with a displayed chat card during carousel scrolling.

16. The one or more computer-readable memories of claim 13 further including causing the mobile device to show an indication of unread messages for one or more contacts on the carousel.