Browsing electronic messages displayed as titles

• US 10,235,018 B2
• Filed: 10/03/2016
• Issued: 03/19/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Wang, Yanling, Wang, Hui
• Primary Examiner(s): Bhargava, Anil K
• Application Number:
  US15/284,016
• Publication Number:
  US 20170024089A1
• Time in Patent Office: 897 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/048 Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/60 Editing figures and text; Combining figures or text
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/42 Mailbox-related aspects, e.g. synchronisation of mailboxes

Abstract

Electronic messages are displayed as tiles. A tile may include a background related to the electronic message. For example, the background of a tile may be a preview of an attachment to the message. When the message includes an attachment (e.g. document, picture, link . . . ), an overlay is displayed over the background. The overlay includes information relating to the electronic message (i.e. subject, sender, time, message preview . . . ). When the message does not include an attachment then the tile may include all/portion of the content of the electronic message. For example, the tile may include the subject, sender, time stamp, and message content. A user may switch between different browsing experiences (e.g. conversation view, list view, strip view, . . . ). When a tile represents a conversation each sender within the conversation may be displayed on a tile along with a preview of the messages of the conversation (i.e. the most recent message).

Claims

1. A system for displaying electronic messages, comprising:

a display that is configured to receive touch input;

a processor;

and memory storing computer-executable instructions, which when executed by the processor, cause the system to;

access an electronic message;

determine a background for a tile that includes a preview of content obtained from the electronic message;

determine an overlay for the tile that includes information relating to the electronic message and is displayed on top of the background;

create the tile using the background and the overlay;

display the tile on a display along with other tiles that represent other electronic messages; and

update the display in response to a received interaction with at least one of the tiles.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the preview of the content obtained from the electronic message is an image of the electronic message.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein to determine a background for a tile that includes content obtained from the electronic message further comprises to determine number of messages in a conversation.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising computer-executable instructions, which when executed by the processor, cause the system to display electronic messages as a mail tile strip.

5. The system of claim 4, further comprising computer-executable instructions, which when executed by the processor, cause the system to display a second mail tile strip of electronic messages near a bottom of a display along with the mail tile strip.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising computer-executable instructions, which when executed by the processor, cause the system to display each of the tiles in columns and rows.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising computer-executable instructions, which when executed by the processor, cause the system to determine when a tile is selected and in response to the selection displaying a larger view of the selected tile.

8. The system of claim 1, further comprising computer-executable instructions, which when executed by the processor, cause the system to receive a touch based gesture to interact with the tiles comprising at least one of:

a select gesture, a swipe gesture, a pinch gesture and a stretch gesture.

9. A method for displaying electronic messages as tiles, comprising:

accessing an electronic message;

determining a background for a tile that includes a preview of content obtained from the electronic message;

determining an overlay for the tile that includes information relating to the electronic message and is displayed on top of the background;

creating the tile using the background and the overlay;

displaying the tile on a display along with other tiles that represent other electronic messages; and

updating the display in response to a received interaction with at least one of the tiles.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the preview of the content obtained from the electronic message is an image of the attachment to the electronic message.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein determining the background for the tile comprises determining a number of messages in a conversation.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising displaying electronic messages as a mail tile strip.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising displaying a second mail tile strip of electronic messages near a bottom of a display along with the mail tile strip.

14. The method of claim 9, further comprising displaying each of the tiles in columns and rows.

15. The method of claim 9, further comprising determining when a tile is selected and in response to the selection displaying a larger view of the selected tile.

16. The method of claim 9, further comprising receiving a touch based gesture to interact with the tiles comprising at least one of:

a select gesture, a swipe gesture, a pinch gesture and a stretch gesture.

17. A system for displaying electronic messages, comprising:

a display that is configured to receive touch input;

a processor and memory;

an operating environment executing using the processor;

a display; and

a message manager that is configured to perform actions comprising;

accessing an electronic message;

determining a background for a tile that includes content obtained from the electronic message, wherein the background for the tile includes a preview of an attachment to the electronic message;

determining an overlay for the tile that includes information relating to the electronic message and is displayed on top of the background;

creating the tile using the background and the overlay;

displaying the tile on a display along with other tiles that represent other electronic messages; and

updating the display in response to a received interaction with at least one of the tiles.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein determining the background for the tile comprises using an attachment of the electronic message to create an image for the background when the electronic message includes the attachment.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein determining the background for the tile comprises determining a number of messages in a conversation.

20. The system of claim 17, further comprising displaying electronic messages as one of:

a single mail tile strip;

two mail tile strips; and

displaying each of the tiles in columns and rows.