Customizable controls provided by a messaging application for performing selected actions

• US 9,563,877 B2
• Filed: 03/11/2008
• Issued: 02/07/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/11/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Grutzmacher, Richard P, Braun, Owen C, MacBeth, Melissa Rodden Morrell, Gregg, Ryan Edward, Satterfield, Jesse Clay, Coates, Andrew Mark, Yada, Kumiko, Affronti, Michael Anthony
• Primary Examiner(s): Gaffin, Jeffrey A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Heffington, John M
• Application Number:
  US12/046,432
• Publication Number:
  US 20090235196A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,255 Days
• Field of Search: 715/751, 715/765, 715/752, 715/837
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/33 Intelligent editors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/34 Graphical or visual programming
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06311 Scheduling, planning or task assignment for a person or group
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/18 Commands or executable codes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/0097 Storage of instructions or parameters, e.g. customised instructions or different parameters for different user IDs

Abstract

Technologies are described herein for providing users of a messaging application with controls that perform one or more selected actions with a message. Any number of default custom action controls may be displayed in a gallery. The selection of a custom action control performs various actions to an active message. New custom action controls may be created and existing controls modified to provide any number of desired actions. Dialogs provide user-friendly interfaces that allow a user to assign the desired functionality to a custom action control. The custom action controls may be organized into groups and shared between messaging applications and computers.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by an e-mail application, a request to create a new custom action control;

in response to the request to create the new custom action control, providing, by the e-mail application, a graphical user interface (“

GUI”

) dialog template comprising a plurality of action options corresponding to actions to be taken with respect to a designated active message upon selection of the new custom action control;

receiving, by the e-mail application, a selection of at least two action options to be taken with respect to the designated active message, the at least two action options indicated in the GUI dialog template;

associating, by the e-mail application, the new custom action control with the at least two action options selected from the GUI dialog template such that a subsequent selection of the new custom action control initiates actions corresponding to the at least two action options;

selecting, by the e-mail application, an email message as the designated active message;

providing, by the e-mail application, on a GUI the new custom action control comprising an icon corresponding to the at least two action options to be performed with respect to the designated active message;

receiving, by the e-mail application, a single user input comprising a selection of the new custom action control;

in response to receiving the selection of the new custom action control, performing, by the e-mail application, the at least two action options with respect to the designated active message; and

providing, by the e-mail application, the new custom action control to a network server configured to provide the new custom action control to one or more other instances of the e-mail application.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the new custom action control comprises providing the new custom action control in a gallery on the GUI adjacent to a message window comprising the designated active message.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the GUI dialog template further comprises a text entry field for receiving text to be displayed when a mouse hovers over the new custom action control and an icon control for selecting an icon from a plurality of icons to be associated with the new custom action control.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the gallery comprises a quantity of custom action controls fewer than a total number of available custom action controls and wherein the gallery further comprises an expand control that when selected, is operative to expand the gallery to display all of the available custom action controls.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the gallery is configured to group custom action controls into categories when expanded.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the e-mail application, a right-click selection of the new custom action control; and

in response to receiving the right-click selection of the new custom action control, providing, by the e-mail application, a menu comprising a plurality of commands corresponding to the new custom action control, the plurality of commands comprising a command to apply the new custom action control to the designated active message and a command to modify the new custom action control.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

importing, by a second instance of the e-mail application, the new custom control based on providing the new custom action control to the network server; and

using the new custom control in the second instance of the e-mail application.

7. One of an optical disk, a magnetic storage device or a solid state storage device having computer executable instructions stored thereon which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to:

receive, by an e-mail application, a request to customize a custom action control for performing actions on a subsequently selected email message;

in response to the request to customize the custom action control, provide, by the e-mail application, a dialog template for display on a graphical user interface comprising a plurality of selectable actions corresponding to actions to be taken upon the subsequently selected email message upon selection of the custom action control;

receive, by the e-mail application, a selection of at least two actions to be taken with respect to the subsequently selected email message, the at least two actions indicated in the dialog template;

associate, by the e-mail application, the custom action control with the at least two actions selected such that a subsequent selection of the custom action control initiates the at least two actions on the subsequently selected email message;

provide, by the e-mail application, the custom action control comprising an icon for display on the graphical user interface in a gallery adjacent to a message window comprising an active message;

receive, by the e-mail application, a selection of the custom action control;

in response to receiving the selection of the custom action control, perform, by the e-mail application, the at least two actions associated with the custom action control; and

provide, by the e-mail application, the custom action control to a network server configured to provide the custom action control to one or more other instances of the e-mail application.

8. The optical disk, magnetic storage device or solid state storage device of claim 7, wherein the request to customize the custom action control comprises a type of custom action control, and wherein the dialog template is configured according to the type of custom action control requested.

9. The optical disk, magnetic storage device or solid state storage device of claim 7, wherein the dialog template further comprises a text entry field for receiving text to be displayed when a mouse hovers over the custom action control and a shortcut key field for receiving a keyboard shortcut key identification corresponding to a combination of keyboard keys to be assigned to the custom action control.

10. The optical disk, magnetic storage device or solid state storage device of claim 7, wherein the request to customize the custom action control comprises a request to create a new custom action control.

11. The optical disk, magnetic storage device or solid state storage device of claim 7, wherein the request to customize the custom action control comprises a request to edit an existing custom action control.

12. The optical disk, magnetic storage device or solid state storage device of claim 7, further comprising computer executable instructions stored thereon which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to:

determine, by the e-mail application, that the request to customize the custom action control comprises a request to transmit an email message to a recipient having a title;

retrieve, by the e-mail application, an address corresponding to the title of the recipient from a global address book; and

pre-populate, by the e-mail application, a field of the dialog template corresponding to the address with the address retrieved from the global address book.

16. The optical disk, magnetic storage device or solid state storage device of claim 7, wherein the computer executable instructions when executed by a second computer, cause the second computer to

import, by a second instance of the e-mail application, the custom control based on providing the custom action control to the network server;

and

use the custom control in the second instance of the e-mail application executing on the second computer.

13. A system comprising:

a memory that stores computer executable instructions thereon; and

a computer processor that executes the stored computer executable instructions in the memory causing the computer processor to,

display, by an e-mail application, a gallery on a graphical user interface (“

GUI”

) comprising a plurality of custom action controls each comprising an icon adjacent to a message window comprising an active message, the active message comprising a selected email message, each custom action control defining a plurality of actions previously indicated to be taken with respect to the active message,

provide, by the e-mail application, a manage custom actions control with the gallery,

receive, by the e-mail application, a selection of the manage custom actions control,

in response to receiving the selection of the manage custom actions control, provide, by the e-mail application, a manage custom actions dialog template comprising a preview of each of the plurality of custom action controls and a plurality of selectable controls for modifying at least one of the plurality of custom action controls within the gallery,

receive, by the e-mail application, a control selection corresponding to a desired modification of at least one of the plurality of custom action controls within the gallery,

in response to receiving the control selection, modify, by the e-mail application, the at least one of the plurality of custom action controls according to the control selection, and

provide, by the e-mail application, the custom action control to a network server configured to provide the custom action control to one or more other instances of the e-mail application.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein a selectable control for modifying at least one of the plurality of custom action controls within the gallery comprises a sharing control operative to provide one or more of the plurality of custom action controls to the network server.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein the stored computer executable instructions further cause a second computer processor to:

import, by a second instance of the e-mail application, the custom control based on providing the new custom action control to the network server; and

use the custom control in the second instance of the e-mail application executing on the second computer.