Conversation-Based E-Mail Messaging

• US 20100293242A1
• Filed: 07/29/2010
• Published: 11/18/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Bay-Wei W. Chang, Brian D. Rakowski, Jing Yee Lim, Paul T. Buchheit, Terry A. Winograd
• Original Assignee: Bay-Wei W. Chang, Brian D. Rakowski, Jing Yee Lim, Paul T. Buchheit, Terry A. Winograd
• Inventors: Rakowski, Brian D., Chang, Bay-Wei W., Lim, Jing Yee, Buchheit, Paul T., Winograd, Terry A.
• Application Number:
  US12/846,774
• Publication Number:
  US 20100293242A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24 Querying
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/248 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/216 Handling conversation history, e.g. grouping of messages in sessions or threads

Abstract

A method and system for searching messages is disclosed that includes searching a message repository to identify a plurality of conversations that each include at least one message that is relevant to a search query. Alternatively, conversations as a whole may be relevant to a search query rather than individual messages. Each of the plurality of the identified conversations includes one or more messages sharing a common set of characteristics that meet predefined criteria and a conversation identifier. A list of conversations is created representing at least a subset of the identified conversations and a conversation is selected from that list. In that selected conversation, first messages are differentiated from second messages which may differentiate portions of text or messages that are relevant to the search query from those that are not.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method performed at a server system having one or more processors and memory, the method comprising:

responding to a single search query from a respective user, including;

searching a message repository to identify a plurality of conversations associated with the respective user, wherein each of the plurality of conversations includes at least one message relevant to the search query, and each of the plurality of the identified conversations includes one or more messages sharing a common set of characteristics that meet predefined criteria;

sending a list of conversations representing at least a subset of the identified conversations, wherein at least one of the conversations in the list includes a plurality of messages; and

providing content of a selected conversation from the list of conversations including formatting information that visually differentiates between first messages of the selected conversation and second messages of the selected conversation, wherein the first messages are relevant to the search query and the second messages are not relevant to the search query.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the formatting information comprises formatted text.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the messages that are relevant to the search query are the messages that include text matching the search query.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the formatting information comprises highlighting the text matching the search query in the first messages.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the formatting information comprises formatting the first messages in an expanded format and formatting the second messages in a compacted format.

6. A computer-implemented method performed at a server system having one or more processors and memory, the method comprising:

responding to user selection, by a respective user, of a conversation from a list of conversations that are associated with the respective user and that are relevant to a search query from the respective user, including;

providing content of the selected conversation including formatting information that differentiates between one or more first messages in the selected conversation relevant to the search query from one or more second messages in the selected conversation not relevant to the search query,

wherein the selected conversation includes a plurality of messages, the plurality of messages sharing a common set of characteristics that meet predefined criteria.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the formatting information comprises formatted text.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the messages that are relevant to the search query are the messages that include text matching the search query.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the formatting information comprises highlighting the text matching the search query in the first messages.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein the formatting information comprises formatting the first messages in an expanded format and formatting the second messages in a compacted format.

11. A conversation-based message system, comprising:

a server comprising one or more processors and memory, the memory storing;

a message database that stores messages and associated information, including conversation information; and

one or more programs configured for execution by the one or more processors, the programs including instructions for;

matching at least one of a plurality of received messages to a conversation in a plurality of conversations, each of the plurality of conversations having one or more messages sharing a common set of characteristics that meet predefined criteria;

returning a list of conversations in response to a search query, wherein at least one of the conversations in the list includes a plurality of messages;

associating formatting information with at least one of the conversations in the list of conversations, wherein the formatting information visually differentiates between one or more first messages in the conversation relevant to the search query from one or more second messages in the conversation not relevant to the search query; and

transmitting the list of conversations and the formatting information.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the formatting information comprises formatted text.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the messages that are relevant to the search query are the messages that include text matching the search query.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the formatting information comprises highlighting the text matching the search query in the first messages.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the formatting information comprises formatting the first messages in an expanded format and formatting the second messages in a compacted format.

16. A computer-implemented method performed at a server system having one or more processors and memory, the method comprising:

receiving a search query from a client computer;

responding to the search query, including;

searching a message repository to identify a plurality of conversations associated with a respective user of the client computer, wherein each of the plurality of conversations includes at least one message relevant to the search query, each of the plurality of the identified conversations includes one or more messages sharing a common set of characteristics that meet predefined criteria, and at least one of the identified conversations includes a plurality of messages;

selecting at least a subset of the identified conversations;

for each conversation in the selected set of conversations;

creating a snippet of the conversation content; and

for each snippet having a respective portion that matches the search query, creating highlighting information for the respective portion of the snippet;

wherein the respective portion of each snippet that matches the search query is less than the entire snippet for at least one of the selected conversations; and

sending information representing the selected conversations, corresponding snippets, and corresponding highlighting information to the client computer.