Email conversation management system

• US 9,794,207 B2
• Filed: 10/16/2013
• Issued: 10/17/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Buchheit, Paul, Singh, Sanjeev
• Primary Examiner(s): Weber, Joy
• Application Number:
  US14/055,572
• Publication Number:
  US 20140047353A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,462 Days
• Field of Search: 715752
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/245 Query processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/42 Mailbox-related aspects, e.g. synchronisation of mailboxes

Abstract

System and methods of searching conversations are provided. At a computing device having one or more processors and memory storing programs executed by the one or more processors, and responsive to a search query a conversation having two or more messages is identified. Further, there is formatted for display to a user (A) information representing the identified conversation, and (B) a sorted sender list displayed as a single-line item, associated with the identified conversation. The sorted sender list includes (i) a first sender identifier identifying a first sender of a first message in the two or more messages, and (ii) a second sender identifier identifying a second sender of a second message in the two or more messages. The first sender list identifier and the second identifier are sorted.

Claims

1. A method of searching conversations, comprising:

at a computing device having one or more processors and memory storing programs executed by the one or more processors;

responsive to a search query;

identifying a conversation comprising a plurality of messages;

identifying a plurality of distinct senders, wherein each of the distinct senders has authored one or more of the plurality of messages in the identified conversation; and

formatting information representing the identified conversation for presentation in a single row of a conversation list, wherein the single row includes a sender list comprising sender identifiers of the distinct senders and the sender identifiers in the sender list are ordered according to their respective messages'"'"' arrival times at the computing device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the conversation includes identifying a first message relevant to the search query.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein, at least one of the distinct senders is represented by an icon or unique character string distinct from corresponding names of the senders.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the identified conversation has a first message sent by a first sender and a second message sent by a second sender, the method further comprising:

responsive to a user selection of the identified conversation in the conversation list, formatting information representing the first message and the second message for presentation in a first sub-form and a second sub-form of a message list, respectively, wherein the first message is the most recent message and the first sub-form is displayed in an expanded mode, while the second sub-form is displayed in a compacted mode.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the identified conversation has a first message sent by a first sender and a second message sent by a second sender, the method further comprising:

responsive to a user selection of the identified conversation in the conversation list, formatting information representing the first message and the second message for presentation in a first sub-form and a second sub-form of a message list, respectively, wherein the first message is relevant to the search query and the first sub-form is displayed in an expanded mode.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the sender list further comprises a message count indicator that specifies a count of the plurality of messages.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising highlighting a first sender in the sender list when one or more messages authored by the first sender in the identified conversation have not been presented to a user.

8. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium, storing one or more programs for execution by one or more processors at a server system, the one or more programs comprising instructions for:

responsive to a search query;

identifying a conversation comprising a plurality of messages;

identifying a plurality of distinct senders, wherein each of the distinct senders has authored one or more of the plurality of messages in the identified conversation; and

formatting information representing the identified conversation for presentation in a single row of a conversation list, wherein the single row includes a sender list comprising sender identifiers of the distinct senders and the sender identifiers in the sender list are ordered according to their respective messages'"'"' arrival times at the computing device.

9. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein identifying the conversation includes identifying a first message relevant to the search query.

10. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein, at least one of the distinct senders is represented by an icon or unique character string distinct from corresponding names of the senders.

11. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the identified conversation has a first message sent by a first sender and a second message sent by a second sender, the one or more programs further comprising instructions for:

responsive to a user selection of the identified conversation in the conversation list, formatting information representing the first message and the second message for presentation in a first sub-form and a second sub-form of a message list, respectively, wherein the first message is the most recent message and the first sub-form is displayed in an expanded mode, while the second sub-form is displayed in a compacted mode.

12. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the identified conversation has a first message sent by a first sender and a second message sent by a second sender, the one or more programs further comprising instructions for:

responsive to a user selection of the identified conversation in the conversation list, formatting information representing the first message and the second message for presentation in a first sub-form and a second sub-form of a message list, respectively, wherein the first message is relevant to the search query and the first sub-form is displayed in an expanded mode.

13. A conversation system, comprising

one or more processors;

memory; and

one or more programs, wherein the one or more programs are stored in the memory and are configured to be executed by the one or more processors, the one or more programs comprising instructions for;

responsive to a search query;

identifying a conversation comprising a plurality of messages;

identifying a plurality of distinct senders, wherein each of the distinct senders has authored one or more of the plurality of messages in the identified conversation; and

formatting information representing the identified conversation for presentation in a single row of a conversation list, wherein the single row includes a sender list comprising sender identifiers of the distinct senders and the sender identifiers in the sender list are ordered according to their respective messages'"'"' arrival times at the computing device.

14. The conversation system of claim 13, wherein identifying the conversation includes identifying a first message relevant to the search query.

15. The conversation system of claim 13, wherein, at least one of the distinct senders is represented by an icon or unique character string distinct from corresponding names of the senders.

16. The conversation system of claim 13, wherein the identified conversation has a first message sent by a first sender and a second message sent by a second sender, the one or more programs further comprising instructions for:

responsive to a user selection of the identified conversation in the conversation list, formatting information representing the first message and the second message for presentation in a first sub-form and a second sub-form of a message list, respectively, wherein the first message is the most recent message and the first sub-form is displayed in an expanded mode, while the second sub-form is displayed in a compacted mode.

17. The conversation system of claim 13, wherein the identified conversation has a first message sent by a first sender and a second message sent by a second sender, the one or more programs further comprising instructions for:

responsive to a user selection of the identified conversation in the conversation list, formatting information representing the first message and the second message for presentation in a first sub-form and a second sub-form of a message list, respectively, wherein the first message is relevant to the search query and the first sub-form is displayed in an expanded mode.