COMMUNICATIONS GROUPED AS CONVERSATIONS

• US 20100082759A1
• Filed: 09/30/2008
• Published: 04/01/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Leconiuc, Alexandru, Atwood, John Allen, Limont, David P., Nalliah, Selvaraj, Seetharaman, Shivakumar, Zafar, Salman, Flint, Joseph T.
• Granted Patent: US 8,725,813 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1827 Network arrangements for conference optimisation or adaptation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication

Abstract

Described are embodiments for displaying groups of communications, such as messages, as a conversation. Conversations are groups of communications that can be traced back as related to an original communication. The embodiments allow a user to select a conversation mode for displaying communications, e.g., messages, as conversations. In response to the user'"'"'s selection, embodiments provide for displaying a graphical element associated with a conversation. The graphical element can be selected to display the messages associated with the conversation. Additionally, embodiments provide for selecting a conversation and applying actions to the conversation, resulting in the application of the action to the messages that are associated with the conversation.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method of displaying communications grouped into conversations, the method comprising:

displaying on a client device a graphical element associated with a conversation, wherein the conversation comprises a plurality of communications;

receiving a selection of the graphical element;

in response to receiving the selection, displaying on the client device a plurality of graphical elements, each graphical element associated with one of the plurality of communications.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the communications are electronic mail messages.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the graphical element comprises an icon, the icon indicating that at least one of the plurality of electronic mail messages includes an attachment.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the graphical element comprises an icon, the icon indicating a level of importance of at least one of the plurality of communications.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of graphical elements are displayed in a chronological order based on a date and time of associated communications.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of graphical elements are displayed in a tree hierarchy, the tree hierarchy displaying a communication, and a reply communication indented and below the communication.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein the graphical element comprises text indicating a subject of the conversation.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the graphical element comprises an icon indicating whether the plurality of electronic mail messages includes an unread electronic mail message.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the graphical element comprises an indication of the number of unread electronic mail messages in the plurality of electronic mail messages.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the graphical element comprises an indication of a level of importance of at least one of the plurality of communications.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the graphical element comprises an indication of when a latest communication of the plurality of communications was received or sent.

12. A mobile device configured to access e-mail messages, the device comprising:

a display;

a processor;

a computer storage medium storing computer executable instructions that when executed by the processor perform a method comprising;

receiving a selection indicating a conversation display mode, wherein the conversation display mode organizes e-mail messages into groups based on conversations;

accessing a plurality of e-mail messages, wherein each of the plurality of e-mail messages includes a conversation identifier associating each of the plurality of e-mail messages with conversations;

using the conversation identifiers, identifying a conversation associated with at least one of the plurality of e-mail messages;

displaying on the display a graphical element that is associated with the conversation;

receiving a selection of the graphical element;

in response to receiving the selection of the graphical element, displaying on the display a plurality of graphical elements, each graphical element associated with one of a plurality of related e-mail messages, wherein the plurality of related messages are associated with the conversation.

13. The mobile device of claim 12, wherein the accessing a plurality of e-mail messages comprises:

requesting the plurality of e-mail messages from an e-mail account on a server; and

receiving the plurality of e-mail messages from the server.

14. The mobile device of claim 13, wherein the plurality of e-mail messages are limited to e-mail messages sent from, or received at, the e-mail account within a predetermined period of time.

15. The mobile device of claim 12, further comprising after the identifying the conversation associated with at least one of the plurality of e-mail messages:

requesting related e-mail messages associated with the conversation from the e-mail account on the server; and

receiving a related e-mail message associated with the conversation from the server, wherein the related e-mail message is one of the plurality of related e-mail messages.

16. The mobile device of claim 15, wherein the displaying the plurality of graphical elements comprises displaying the plurality of graphical elements in a chronological order.

17. The mobile device of claim 12, wherein the displaying the plurality of graphical elements comprises displaying the plurality of graphical elements in a tree hierarchy, the tree hierarchy displaying a message and a reply message indented and below the message.

18. A computer storage medium storing computer executable instructions that when executed by a computer processor perform a method comprising:

receiving a message for sending to a recipient;

including a conversation identifier in the message;

sending the message to the recipient;

receiving a reply message that responds to the message, the reply message including the conversation identifier from the message;

receiving a request for messages related to the conversation, wherein the request includes the conversation identifier;

identifying the message and the reply message using the conversation identifier; and

in response to the request, sending information from the message and the reply message.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

identifying an additional message using subject matter included in the request; and

sending the additional message.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the conversation identifier is a Globally Unique Identifier (GUID).