Portable Multifunction Device, Method, and Graphical User Interface for an Email Client

• US 20090228807A1
• Filed: 09/30/2008
• Published: 09/10/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/04/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Lemay, Stephen O.
• Granted Patent: US 9,483,755 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/752
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/10 with dynamo-electric generation of carriers; with mechanical filters or demodulators
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/10 Multimedia information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/42 Mailbox-related aspects, e.g. synchronisation of mailboxes

Abstract

A computer-implemented method is disclosed for use with a portable electronic device having a display. The method enables switching between electronic inboxes that can be accessed from the electronic device. In some configurations, the method includes, while the device is displaying emails in a first inbox, detecting user selection of a first icon. The method further includes, in response to user selection of the first icon, displaying a set of inbox selection icons; and, in response to user selection of one of the inbox selection icons, displaying emails in a second inbox corresponding to the inbox selection icon selected by the user.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

on a portable electronic device having a display, switching between electronic inboxes that can be accessed from the electronic device, including;

while displaying first contents of a first inbox, displaying a first icon;

in response to user selection of the first icon, displaying a set of inbox selection icons;

in response to user selection of one of the inbox selection icons, displaying second contents of a second inbox corresponding to the inbox selection icon selected by the user.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein displaying the inbox selection icons comprises partially displaying the first inbox as a peel-away page and displaying the inbox selection icons in display space not occupied by the partially displayed first inbox.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the peel-away page is represented as one or more of:

a curled-up page or a folded page.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising, in response to user selection of the partially displayed first inbox, displaying first contents of the first inbox.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the inbox selection icons includes an inbox identifier for a respective electronic inbox.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein each of the inbox selection icons further includes an inbox counter indicating a total number of new items in the respective electronic inbox.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first icon includes status information related to the inboxes corresponding to the inbox selection icons.

8. The method of claim 7, where the status information is conveyed using display attributes of the first icon.

9. The method of claim 7, including updating the status information by changing color of at least a portion of the first icon to indicate presence of new items in at least one of the inboxes corresponding to the inbox selection icons.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying status information related to the inboxes corresponding to the inbox selection icons.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the status information is conveyed using a badge associated with the icon.

12. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

on a portable electronic device having a display, displaying contents of a plurality of electronic inboxes that can be accessed from the electronic device, including;

while displaying first contents of a first inbox, displaying a first icon; and

in response to user selection of the first icon, displaying unified contents of the plurality of electronic inboxes.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

determining the plurality of electronic inboxes automatically by identifying accounts used by the user on the electronic device.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

while displaying the unified contents of the plurality of electronic inboxes, displaying a second icon;

in response to user selection of the second icon, displaying a list of the plurality of electronic inboxes; and

in response to user selection of an item in the list of the plurality of electronic inboxes, displaying contents of a second inbox corresponding to the selected item.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the electronic inboxes comprise email inboxes.

16. For use in an electronic device with a display and a user input device, a method comprising:

providing a list of SMTP servers that can be employed by a user of the electronic device to send email;

when an attempt to send an email message via a first one of the SMTP servers is unsuccessful, repeatedly attempting to send the email message via second ones of the SMTP servers until the email is successfully sent.

17. For use in an electronic device with a display and a user input device, a method comprising:

receiving a plurality of emails at the electronic device;

identifying at least a first email that is part of an email thread having a plurality of thread members;

displaying a plurality of email descriptors corresponding to at least a subset of the emails, including the first email;

displaying a first thread descriptor in conjunction with the email descriptor that corresponds to the first email, wherein the first thread descriptor indicates a number of the thread members associated with the first thread;

in response to user selection of the email descriptor corresponding to the first email, displaying a second set of email descriptors for the email thread that includes the first email.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein identifying the first email that is part of an email thread comprises:

determining degree of similarity of at least a subject and a sender identity associated with the thread members; and

based on the degree of similarity and one or more heuristics relating to determining thread membership, determining that the first email is part of the first thread.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the heuristics are applied computationally by the electronic device.

20. For use in an electronic device with a display and a user input device, a method comprising:

receiving a plurality of emails at the electronic device;

identifying at least a first email that includes one or more associated image files;

displaying a representation of the one or more associated image files in context of the first email;

in response to user selection of the representation, displaying a set of image file options including an option to display a slideshow of the attached photos;

in response to user selection of the option to display a slideshow of the attached photos, displaying the slideshow of the attached photos.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein, if there are other non-image file attachments to the first email, select only the image-file attachments for display in the slideshow.

22. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

on a portable electronic device having a touch screen display,

displaying an email message having a plurality of photo attachments;

detecting a user gesture on or near the touch screen display, and

in response to detecting the gesture, displaying a plurality of options for managing the plurality of photo attachments, including an option to save the plurality of photo attachments and an option to display a slideshow of the plurality of photo attachments.

23. The method of claim 22, including:

detecting user selection of the option to display a slideshow;

in response to detecting the user selection of the option to display a slideshow, displaying a slideshow of the plurality of photo attachments;

detecting user selection of the option to save the plurality of photo attachments; and

in response to detecting the user selection of the option to save the plurality of photo attachments, saving the plurality of photo attachments.

24. The method of claim 23, the slideshow comprising display of a sequence of photos corresponding to the plurality of photo attachments, the method including displaying a file name for each respective photo in the slideshow when the respective photo is displayed.

25. The method of claim 24, the slideshow comprising display of a sequence of photos corresponding to the plurality of photo attachments, the method including:

detecting a finger swipe gesture during display of the slideshow; and

in response to detecting the finger swipe gesture, advancing the slideshow to a next photo in the sequence of photos.

26. The method of claim 22, wherein the detected user gesture is a finger touch on a displayed icon corresponding to one of the photo attachments.

27. The method of claim 22, wherein the detected user gesture is a finger touch on a displayed image corresponding to one of the photo attachments.

28. A portable multifunction device, comprising:

a touch screen display;

one or more processors;

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 switching between electronic inboxes that can be accessed from the electronic device, including, while displaying first contents of a first inbox, displaying a first icon;

instructions for displaying a set of inbox selection icons in response to user selection of the first icon; and

instructions for displaying second contents of a second inbox corresponding to the inbox selection icon selected by the user in response to user selection of one of the inbox selection icons.

29. A computer readable storage medium having stored therein instructions, which when executed by a portable multifunction device with a touch screen display, cause the device to:

while displaying first contents of a first inbox, displaying a first icon;

in response to user selection of the first icon, displaying a set of inbox selection icons; and

in response to user selection of one of the inbox selection icons, displaying second contents of a second inbox corresponding to the inbox selection icon selected by the user.

30. A portable multifunction device with a touch screen display, comprising:

means for displaying first contents of a first inbox while displaying a first icon,

means for switching between electronic inboxes that can be accessed from the electronic device, including, in response to user selection of the first icon, displaying a set of inbox selection icons;

means for displaying a set of inbox selection icons in response to user selection of the first icon;

means for displaying second contents of a second inbox corresponding to the inbox selection icon selected by the user in response to user selection of one of the inbox selection icons.

31. For use in an electronic device with a display and a user input device, a method comprising:

displaying a first user interface in which a user can compose an email, wherein the first user interface includes a collapsed field corresponding to CC, BCC and From address information;

in response to user selection of the collapsed field, displaying first individual CC, BCC and From fields; and

enabling a user to enter address values in at least one of the first CC, BCC and From fields.

32. The method of claim 31, further comprising:

following completion of user entry of address values in at least one of the first CC, BCC and From fields, displaying a recollapsed field in place of the collapsed field, wherein the recollapsed field includes;

at least one second individual field displaying respective values of any of the CC, BCC and From fields entered by the user; and

,

if there are at least two of the CC, BCC or From fields in which the user did not enter a respective value, a second collapsed field corresponding to such at least two of the CC, BCC or From fields.

33. The method of claim 31, further comprising:

enabling the user to enter an address value in the From field that is different from a default From address value associated with the user.

34. The method of claim 31, wherein enabling the user to enter address values comprises displaying a virtual keyboard that overlays a portion of the first interface.

35. For use in an electronic device with a display and a user input device, a method comprising:

providing a list of SMTP servers that can be employed by the electronic device to send email;

when the device fails to successfully transmit a first email via one of the listed SMTP servers, attempting to transmit the first email via another of the listed SMTP servers.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein one of the SMTP servers is characterized as a default server and other SMTP servers on the list of SMTP servers are characterized as alternate servers, wherein a first attempt by the electronic device to send the email is via the default SMTP server.