Email user interface

• US 9,880,704 B2
• Filed: 02/13/2014
• Issued: 01/30/2018
• 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 Lee, Decker, Stephen, Lemay, Stephen O.
• Primary Examiner(s): Augustine, Nicholas
• Application Number:
  US14/179,967
• Publication Number:
  US 20140164949A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,447 Days
• 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, determine that the email user interface is in full screen mode and that the selected email message is at least partially outside of a visible area of the 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 sliding up from the bottom of the screen. In an example, a user interface includes a collapsible panel of mailboxes and folders, and a separate and independent favorites bar including a plurality of the mailboxes and folders. One of the mailboxes and folders in the favorites bar may be a hierarchical folder that includes a subfolder that is accessible via a drop down menu from the hierarchical folder in the favorites bar.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

at an electronic device with a display and one or more input devices;

displaying, on the display, an email user interface that includes a respective email message;

while displaying the email user interface that includes the respective email message, receiving, via the one or more input devices, a reply command for composing a reply to the respective email message;

in response to receiving the reply command, displaying a composition window for composing the reply to the respective email message, including;

when the reply command was received while the email user interface was in full screen mode, displaying the composition window partially covering the email user interface and visually obscuring a respective portion of the email user interface that is not covered by the composition window, wherein visually obscuring the respective portion of the email user interface indicates that the respective portion of the email user interface that is not covered by the composition window is not selectable until the composition window is closed, wherein displaying the composition window partially covering the email user interface includes displaying a sequence of images to create the illusion of the composition window sliding up from the bottom of the screen over the email user interface; and

when the reply command was received while the email user interface was not in full screen mode, displaying the composition window concurrently with the email user interface without visually obscuring the respective portion of the email user interface.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein visually obscuring the respective portion of the email user interface includes dimming elements of the email user interface behind the composition window.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein, in response to receiving the reply command while the email user interface was not in full screen mode, the composition window extends beyond the email user interface and, in response to receiving the reply command while the email user interface was in full screen mode, the composition window does not extend beyond the email user interface.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

prior to receiving the reply command, detecting a respective input at a location in the email user interface that corresponds to the respective message; and

in response to detecting the respective input at the location in the email user interface that corresponds to the respective message, in accordance with a determination that the input was maintained for at least a threshold amount of time, displaying a set of controls for the message including a reply control for replying to the respective message, wherein the set of controls were not displayed prior detecting the respective input,

wherein the reply command includes activation of the reply control.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

in response to detecting the respective input at the location in the email user interface that corresponds to the respective message, in accordance with a determination that the input was not maintained for at least the threshold amount of time, forgoing display of the set of controls for the message.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

prior to receiving the reply command, detecting movement of the input off of the location in the email user interface that corresponds to the respective message; and

ceasing to display the set of controls.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the respective portion of the email user interface includes one or more selectable controls in the email user interface.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the respective portion of the email user interface includes the respective message.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, via the one or more input devices, a send command for sending the reply to the respective email message; and

in response to receiving the send command, reversing visually obscuring the respective portion of the email user interface.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, via the one or more input devices, a send command for sending the reply to the respective email message; and

in response to receiving the send command, ceasing display of the composition window, wherein ceasing display of the composition window includes displaying a sequence of images to create the illusion of the composition window sliding off the bottom of the screen.

15. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

receiving, via the one or more input devices, a send command for sending the reply to the respective email message; and

in response to receiving the send command, ceasing display of the composition window, wherein ceasing display of the composition window includes displaying a sequence of images to create the illusion of the composition window sliding off the bottom of the screen, and undimming the email user interface.

3. An electronic device comprising:

a display;

one or more input devices;

one or more processors;

non-transitory 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;

displaying, on the display, an email user interface that includes a respective email message;

while displaying the email user interface that includes the respective email message, receiving a reply command for composing a reply to the respective email message;

in response to receiving the reply command, displaying a composition window for composing the reply to respective email message, including;

when the reply command was received while the email user interface was in full screen mode, displaying the composition window partially covering the email user interface and visually obscuring a respective portion of the email user interface that is not covered by the composition window, wherein visually obscuring the respective portion of the email user interface that is not covered by the composition window indicates that the respective portion of the email user interface that is not covered by the composition window is not selectable until the composition window is closed, wherein displaying the composition window partially covering the email user interface includes displaying a sequence of images to create the illusion of the composition window sliding up from the bottom of the screen over the email user interface; and

when the reply command was received while the email user interface was not in full screen mode, displaying the composition window concurrently with the email user interface without visually obscuring the respective portion of the email user interface.

4. The electronic device of claim 3, wherein visually obscuring the respective portion of the email user interface in the first manner includes dimming elements of the email user interface behind the composition window.

16. The electronic device of claim 3, the one or more programs further including instructions for:

receiving, via the one or more input devices, a send command for sending the reply to the respective email message; and

in response to receiving the send command, reversing visually obscuring the respective portion of the email user interface.

17. The electronic device of claim 3, the one or more programs further including instructions for:

receiving, via the one or more input devices, a send command for sending the reply to the respective email message; and

in response to receiving the send command, ceasing display of the composition window, wherein ceasing display of the composition window includes displaying a sequence of images to create the illusion of the composition window sliding off the bottom of the screen.

5. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing one or more programs comprising instructions that, when executed by an electronic device with a display and one or more input devices, cause the electronic device to perform a method comprising:

displaying, on the display, an email user interface that includes a respective email message;

while displaying the email user interface that includes the respective email message, receiving, via the one or more input devices, a reply command for composing a reply to the respective email message;

in response to receiving the reply command, displaying a composition window for composing the reply to the respective email message, including;

when the reply command was receiving while the email user interface was in full screen mode, displaying the composition window partially covering the email user interface and visually obscuring a respective portion of the mail user interface that is not covered by the composition window, wherein visually obscuring the respective portion of the email user interface indicates that the respective portion of the email user interface that is not covered by the composition window is not selectable until the composition window is closed, wherein displaying the composition window partially covering the email user interface includes displaying a sequence of images to create the illusion of the composition window sliding up from the bottom of the screen over the email user interface; and

when the reply command was received while the email user interface was not in full screen mode, displaying the composition window concurrently with the email user interface without visually obscuring the respective portion of the email user interface.

6. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 5, wherein visually obscuring the respective portion of the email user interface includes dimming elements of the email user interface behind the composition window.

18. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 5, the method further comprising:

receiving, via the one or more input devices, a send command for sending the reply to the respective email message; and

in response to receiving the send command, reversing visually obscuring the respective portion of the email user interface.

19. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 5, the method further comprising:

receiving, via the one or more input devices, a send command for sending the reply to the respective email message; and

in response to receiving the send command, ceasing display of the composition window, wherein ceasing display of the composition window includes displaying a sequence of images to create the illusion of the composition window sliding off the bottom of the screen.