Email system providing enhanced conversation and category search features and related methods

• US 8,407,181 B2
• Filed: 05/26/2010
• Issued: 03/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/26/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Liu, Ming, Fogel, Christopher, Xu, Yu
• Primary Examiner(s): DANG, THANH HA T
• Application Number:
  US12/787,838
• Publication Number:
  US 20110295889A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,035 Days
• Field of Search: 707/610, 707/621, 707/770
• US Class Current: 707/610
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/216 Handling conversation history, e.g. grouping of messages in sessions or threads

Abstract

An email system may include an email server(s) configured to store email messages in a plurality of mailboxes, where the email messages are organized into different conversations and the conversations are organized into different categories. A plurality of mobile wireless communications devices may each be configured to store email messages from respective mailboxes also organized into the different conversations and the different categories. Each of the mobile wireless communications devices may also associate respective conversation IDs with the different conversations, and associate respective category IDs with the different categories. An email synchronization server(s) may be configured to synchronize email messages between the mobile wireless communications devices and respective mailboxes, translate an email search request in the form of a conversation ID(s) and a category ID(s) from a given mobile wireless communications device, and cooperate with email server(s) to retrieve email messages based upon the translated email search request.

Claims

1. An electronic mail (email) system comprising:

at least one email server configured to store email messages in a plurality of mailboxes, the email messages being organized into different conversations and different categories;

a plurality of mobile wireless communications devices each configured to store email messages from respective mailboxes also organized into the different conversations and the different categories, each of the mobile wireless communications devices also associating respective conversation identifications (IDs) with the different conversations and associating respective category identifications (IDs) with the different categories; and

at least one email synchronization server configured to

synchronize email messages between the mobile wireless communications devices and respective mailboxes,

translate an email search request in a form of at least one of a conversation ID and a category ID from a given mobile wireless communications device, and

cooperate with the at least one email server to retrieve email messages based upon the translated email search request.

2. The email system of claim 1 wherein the at least one email synchronization server is configured to translate the category ID to a category name.

3. The email system of claim 1 wherein the at least one email synchronization server is further configured to cooperate with the at least one email server to return search results for a single conversation.

4. The email system of claim 1 wherein the at least one category ID comprises a plurality of category IDs;

and wherein the at least one email synchronization server is further configured to cooperate with the at least one email server to search across corresponding categories based upon the plurality of category IDs.

5. The email system of claim 1 wherein the at least one email synchronization server is further configured to communicate search results to respective mobile wireless communications devices;

and wherein the mobile wireless communications devices are configured to group the search results into pages.

6. The email system of claim 1 wherein the email messages are organized into conversations based upon a subject field.

7. The email system of claim 1 wherein the email messages are organized into conversations based upon at least one of a sender and recipient.

8. The email system of claim 1 wherein at least some of the mobile wireless communications devices comprise cellular devices.

9. An electronic mail (email) synchronization server for use with at least one email server configured to store email messages in a plurality of mailboxes, with the email messages being organized into different conversations and different categories, and a plurality of mobile wireless communications devices each configured to store email messages from respective mailboxes also organized into the different conversations and the different categories, and each of the mobile wireless communications devices also associating respective conversation identifications (IDs) with the different conversations and associating respective category identifications (IDs) with the different categories, the email synchronization server comprising:

a mobile device interface module and an email server interface module coupled together and configured to synchronize email messages between the mobile wireless communications devices and respective mailboxes,

translate an email search request in a form of at least one of a conversation ID and a category ID from a given mobile wireless communications device, and

cooperate with the at least one email server to retrieve email messages based upon the translated email search request.

10. The email synchronization server of claim 9 wherein the mobile device interface module and email server interface module are configured to translate the category ID to a category name.

11. The email synchronization server of claim 9 wherein said mobile device interface module and email server interface module are further configured to cooperate with the at least one email server to return search results for a single conversation.

12. The email synchronization server of claim 9 wherein the at least one category ID comprises a plurality of category IDs;

and wherein the mobile device interface module and email server interface module are further configured to cooperate with the at least one email server to search across corresponding categories based upon the plurality of category IDs.

13. The email synchronization server of claim 9 wherein said mobile device interface module and email server interface module are further configured to communicate search results to respective mobile wireless communications devices;

and wherein the mobile wireless communications devices are configured to group the search results into pages.

14. An electronic mail (email) method comprising:

storing email messages in a plurality of mailboxes on least one email server, the email messages being organized into different conversations and the conversations being organized into different categories;

storing email messages from respective mailboxes on a plurality of mobile wireless communications devices also organized into the different conversations and the different categories, and associating respective conversation identifications (IDs) with the different conversations and associating respective category identifications (IDs) with the different categories at the mobile wireless communications devices; and

using at least one email synchronization server to synchronize email messages between the mobile wireless communications devices and respective mailboxes,

translate an email search request in a form of at least one of a conversation ID and a category ID from a given mobile wireless communications device, and

cooperate with the at least one email server to retrieve email messages based upon the translated email search request.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein using comprises using the at least one email synchronization server to translate the category ID to a category name.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein using comprises using the at least one email synchronization server to cooperate with the at least one email server to return search results for a single conversation.

17. The method of claim 14 wherein the at least one category ID comprises a plurality of category IDs;

and wherein using comprises using the at least one email synchronization server to cooperate with the at least one email server to search across corresponding categories based upon the plurality of category IDs.

18. The method of claim 14 wherein using comprises using the at least one email synchronization server to communicate search results to respective mobile wireless communications devices;

and further comprising grouping the search results into pages at the mobile wireless communications devices.

19. The method of claim 14 wherein the email messages are organized into conversations based upon a subject field.

20. The method of claim 14 wherein the email messages are organized into conversations based upon a sender field.