(19) United States
`(12) Patent Application Publication (10) Pub. No.: US 2006/0161849 A1
`Miller et al.
`(43) Pub. Date:
`Jul. 20, 2006
`
`US 2006O161849A1
`
`(54) SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR MANAGING
`DISPLAY OF A MULTIPLE MESSAGE
`ELECTRONIC MAIL THREAD
`
`(76) Inventors: Jeffrey Randolph Miller, Natick, MA
`(US); Harsha Ramalingham,
`Hopkinton, MA (US)
`
`Correspondence Address:
`DLLON & YUDELL LLP
`8911 N. CAPITAL OF TEXAS HWY.,
`SUTE 2110
`AUSTIN, TX 78759 (US)
`
`(21) Appl. No.:
`
`11/037,773
`
`(22) Filed:
`
`Jan. 18, 2005
`
`Publication Classification
`
`(51) Int. Cl.
`(2006.01)
`G06F 3/00
`(2006.01)
`G06F 7/00
`(2006.01)
`G06F 9/00
`(52) U.S. Cl. .............................................................. 71.5/744
`(57)
`ABSTRACT
`A system, method and computer program product for man
`aging display of a multiple message e-mail thread. In
`accordance with the method of the invention, an e-mail
`message is accessed by an e-mail thread display module.
`The e-mail message includes multiple sections each having
`an associated section header including one or more header
`attributes. A user display preference based on one or more of
`the header attributes is received and the e-mail message is
`displayed on a display device in accordance with the
`received user display preference.
`
`START
`
`192
`
`194
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`ACCESS E-MAIL
`MESSAGE
`
`
`
`196
`
`
`
`MESSAGE
`DISPLAY MODIFICATION
`REOUEST?
`
`PROCESS HEADERATRIBUTES
`PERDISPLAY OPTION
`SELECTIONS
`
`DISPLAY MESSAGE AS
`SEOUENCED/SORTED/FILTERED
`BY HEADER AT TRIBUTE
`CRITERA
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`1 98
`
`DEFAULT DISPLAY
`
`
`
`Facebook's Exhibit No. 1006 - Page 1
`
`

`

`Patent Application Publication
`
`Jul. 20, 2006 Sheet 1 of 10
`
`US 2006/0161849 A1
`
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`Facebook's Exhibit No. 1006 - Page 2
`
`

`

`Patent Application Publication
`
`Jul. 20, 2006 Sheet 2 of 10
`
`US 2006/0161849 A1
`
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`as a
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`Facebook's Exhibit No. 1006 - Page 3
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`

`

`Patent Application Publication Jul. 20, 2006 Sheet 3 of 10
`
`US 2006/0161849 A1
`
`
`
`E-mail File
`
`68
`
`60
`
`o
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`up s
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`Message Content
`Current Message-67
`
`Message N
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`Message 1
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`Her Attributes
`
`Fig. 3A
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`Facebook's Exhibit No. 1006 - Page 4
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`

`

`Patent Application Publication Jul. 20, 2006 Sheet 4 of 10
`
`US 2006/0161849 A1
`
`
`
`Message Display Window
`
`70
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`7
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`71
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`72
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`Message N Content
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`75
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`74 a
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`74 n
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`Message 1 Content
`
`Fig. 3B
`
`Facebook's Exhibit No. 1006 - Page 5
`
`

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`Patent Application Publication Jul. 20, 2006 Sheet 5 of 10
`
`US 2006/0161849 A1
`
`60
`
`E-mail Message File
`
`
`
`82
`Email Message
`---
`E-mail Message
`HeaderAttributes
`St. - Message sequence.;
`O
`Mgt GUI
`--------- 63ra Thread-Collected
`Header Attributes
`N. Display Filter.
`
`------------
`
`
`
`f
`Message Sequence
`
`
`
`
`
`Markup Language File
`
`
`
`
`
`E-mail Message Display GUI
`
`92
`
`Fig. 4
`
`Facebook's Exhibit No. 1006 - Page 6
`
`

`

`Patent Application Publication Jul. 20, 2006 Sheet 6 of 10
`
`US 2006/0161849 A1
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`1 98
`
`DEFAULT DISPLAY
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
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`
`
`START
`
`192
`
`194
`
`ACCESS E-MAIL
`MESSAGE
`
`
`
`196
`
`
`
`MESSAGE
`DISPLAY MODIFICATION
`REOUEST?
`
`PROCESS HEADERATRIBUTES
`PER DISPLAY OPTION
`SELECTIONS
`
`DISPLAYMESSAGE AS
`SEOUENCED/SORTED/FILTERED
`BY HEADER AT TRIBUTE
`CRITERA
`
`Fig. 5
`
`Facebook's Exhibit No. 1006 - Page 7
`
`

`

`Patent Application Publication Jul. 20, 2006 Sheet 7 of 10
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`US 2006/0161849 A1
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`
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`152
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`is
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`Sender N
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`Fig. 6A
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`Facebook's Exhibit No. 1006 - Page 8
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`

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`Patent Application Publication Jul. 20, 2006 Sheet 8 of 10
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`US 2006/0161849 A1
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`172
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`Whole Thread
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`174
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`176
`
`178
`
`gming romo
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`Last RCVC
`
`Fig. 6B
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`
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`182
`
`Filter by Sender
`
`Filter by Recipient
`
`Sort by Sender
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`Sort by Recipient
`
`84
`
`86
`
`1
`
`1
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`188
`189
`
`Fig. 6C
`
`Facebook's Exhibit No. 1006 - Page 9
`
`

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`Patent Application Publication Jul. 20, 2006 Sheet 9 of 10
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`US 2006/0161849 A1
`
`START
`
`102
`
`104
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`RECEIVE E-MAIL MESSAGE
`
`AUTOMATIC
`ADDRESSING FUNCTION
`THREAD 2
`
`NO
`
`YES
`
`108
`
`READ MESSAGE
`HEADERATTRIBUTES
`
`1 10
`READ THREAD-COLLECTED
`HEADERATTRIBUTES
`
`
`
`COMPARE
`
`112
`
`114
`
`SET DISPLAY AT TRIBUTES
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
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`
`
`DISPLAY
`
`1 16
`
`118
`
`Fig. 7A
`
`Facebook's Exhibit No. 1006 - Page 10
`
`

`

`Patent Application Publication Jul. 20, 2006 Sheet 10 of 10
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`US 2006/0161849 A1
`
`START
`
`
`
`122
`
`124
`
`E-MAIL CLEN
`ADDRESSEEABSENT
`FROM THREAD-COLLECTED
`HEADER ATRIBUS
`
`NO
`
`128
`
`
`
`
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`ADDRESSEE ABSENT
`FROM MOST RECENT
`THREAD SEOUENCE
`2
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`DISPLAY INFORWARD
`CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER
`
`
`
`
`
`
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`13 O
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`DISPLAY AS PER DISPLAY
`MGT OPTIONS
`
`DISPLAY SEOUENCE IN
`FORWARD CHRONOLOGICAL
`ORDER STARTING FROM FIRST
`MESSAGE NOT RECEIVED
`
`
`
`Fig. 7B
`
`Facebook's Exhibit No. 1006 - Page 11
`
`

`

`US 2006/0161849 A1
`
`Jul. 20, 2006
`
`SYSTEMAND METHOD FOR MANAGING
`DISPLAY OF A MULTIPLE MESSAGE
`ELECTRONIC MAIL THREAD
`
`BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
`0001) 1. Technical Field
`0002 The present invention relates generally to the field
`of electronic mail, and in particular to techniques for arrang
`ing the display of electronic mail message that contains
`multiple appended messages. More particularly, the present
`invention relates to a method and system for adapting the
`display of a multiple message electronic mail thread in
`accordance with user-specified or autonomic header
`attribute processing techniques.
`0003 2. Description of the Related Art
`0004 Electronic mail, commonly referred to as e-mail, is
`a ubiquitous computer application that according to some
`estimates constitutes more than 50% of the average person's
`computer usage. Any mechanism with which e-mail usage
`can be made more efficient is therefore a welcome improve
`ment, potentially having a dramatic cumulative impact on
`workplace and general end-user efficiency.
`0005. Many improvements in e-mail technology relate to
`providing the e-mail user with e-mail addressing and for
`mulation tools to increase the efficiency of e-mail drafting
`and delivery. This is particularly true in the case of the
`e-mail thread, which is essentially an e-mail “conversation”
`occurring among two or more e-mail client stations. For
`example, when an e-mail message is received by a recipient
`networked computer, well-known e-mail client tools enable
`the recipient to strategically utilize portions of the content of
`the received message to respond in some manner. Typical of
`such options are a “reply to sender option, a “reply to all
`option, a "forward option, etc. One advantageous feature of
`such e-mail functions is shared by the “reply' options which
`provide the message recipient with a convenient reply
`graphical user interface (GUI) in which some or all of the
`e-mail address content included in the received message is
`conveniently pre-loaded into the “send to address field,
`thus relieving the recipient/replier from having to manually
`enter the address information. A more significant advanta
`geous feature shared by the “forward” option as well as the
`“reply options is that the message content of the original
`sender's message can automatically or optionally be
`included and appended onto the reply message drafted by
`the message recipient to be sent to one or more Subsequent
`recipients.
`0006. This technique of incrementally building an e-mail
`thread comprising an appended list of messages that each,
`except for one “original.” are drafted somewhere along the
`message stream is well-known to most e-mail users. The
`many advantages of such cumulative appending of messages
`in any number of e-mail discourse scenarios is self-evident.
`0007 While such mechanisms provide an e-mail recipi
`ent with efficient e-mail response formulation and address
`ing, a significant problem remains relating to the inflexibility
`by which prior art e-mail clients display a multiple message
`e-mail thread. For example, and referring to FIG. 1, there is
`illustrated a multiple message e-mail thread display 10 as is
`known in the prior art. As shown in FIG. 1, the displayed
`thread 10 includes four messages 3, 5, 7, and 9, vertically
`
`arranged on the computer display screen (not depicted) in
`reverse chronological order (i.e. most recent on top). That is
`to say, the displayed vertical message order corresponding to
`the direction of conventional human reading order (i.e.,
`top-to-bottom) is opposite to the chronological direction of
`the messages which begins at the bottom of the display with
`the initial originating thread message 9 and proceeds upward
`until it terminates with the most recent received reply
`message 3. This last-in-first-displayed message ordering
`enjoys the benefit of message review efficiency in that a
`recipient following or participating in the thread exchange
`will typically want the latest message posted at the top of the
`display.
`0008 While providing the convenience of displaying the
`last update, the foregoing conventional thread message
`ordering such as shown in FIG. 1 poses a significant
`problem relating to the ability of a given recipient, particu
`larly a recipient newly added to the addressee list, to analyze
`and/or review a portion or all of the message list in order to
`understand or review the context of the message list dis
`course. Given the importance of chronology to human
`cognitive function, the most efficient way to understand the
`context of a sequential message list Such as that shown in
`FIG. 1, is for the newly included thread recipient to scroll
`down to the beginning of the originating message 9 to the
`message beginning as depicted at the 'start step 1 read
`through the end of the message to the end step 2. The reader
`must then reverse directions to step 3, Scrolling back up past
`message 9 to the top of message 7 and possible have to scroll
`downwardly as the end of message 7 is reached at step 4.
`The process continues similarly for message 5, Scrolling up
`to step 5 and moving down to step 6, before the most
`recently received message 3 is similarly traversed at steps 7
`and 8.
`0009. By requiring the reader to switch directions while
`traversing between messages, the foregoing procedure for
`reading a multiple message e-mail thread in chronological
`order, is inefficient in terms of time and energy expended
`manipulating the display, and more importantly, in terms of
`the reader maintaining his/her concentration. The extra time
`necessary for navigation and the loss of context by the reader
`during navigation, are both negatives for displaying the
`entire contents of an e-mail thread in this fashion. Inflexible
`chronological ordering of the displayed e-mail thread is an
`example of the significant problems and inefficiencies result
`ing from the lack of a user-controlled or autonomic e-mail
`thread display manager in the prior art.
`0010 From the foregoing, it can be appreciated that a
`need exists for an improved e-mail display system and
`method that provides a more flexible and user-friendly
`display of a multiple message e-mail thread. The present
`invention addresses this and other needs unresolved by the
`prior art.
`
`SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
`0011. A system, method and computer program product
`for managing display of a multiple message e-mail thread is
`disclosed herein. In accordance with the method of the
`invention, an e-mail message is accessed by an e-mail thread
`display module. The e-mail message includes multiple sec
`tions each having an associated section header including one
`or more header attributes. A user display preference based on
`
`Facebook's Exhibit No. 1006 - Page 12
`
`

`

`US 2006/0161849 A1
`
`Jul. 20, 2006
`
`one or more of the header attributes is received, and the
`e-mail message is displayed on a display device in accor
`dance with the received user display preference.
`0012. The above as well as additional objects, features,
`and advantages of the present invention will become appar
`ent in the following detailed written description.
`
`BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
`0013 The novel features believed characteristic of the
`invention are set forth in the appended claims. The invention
`itself however, as well as a preferred mode of use, further
`objects and advantages thereof, will best be understood by
`reference to the following detailed description of an illus
`trative embodiment when read in conjunction with the
`accompanying drawings, wherein:
`0014 FIG. 1 illustrates a conventional multiple message
`e-mail thread display;
`0.015
`FIG. 2 is a simplified block diagram representation
`of a data processing system adapted for receiving, process
`ing and displaying an e-mail thread in accordance with a
`preferred embodiment of the present invention;
`0016 FIG. 3A is a simplified block diagram representa
`tion depicting an e-mail message file containing a multiple
`message thread;
`0017 FIG. 3B is a simplified block diagram representa
`tion illustrating the displayed content of a multiple message
`e-mail thread;
`0018 FIG. 4 is a simplified block diagram representation
`depicting an e-mail thread processing module in accordance
`with the present invention;
`0.019
`FIG. 5 is a flow diagram depicting steps performed
`during e-mail message processing in accordance with a
`preferred embodiment of the present invention;
`0020 FIG. 6A illustrates an e-mail thread display man
`agement graphical user interface as may be employed by an
`e-mail client in accordance with the present invention;
`0021
`FIG. 6B depicts graphical user interface for man
`aging a displayed e-mail thread sequence in accordance with
`the present invention;
`0022 FIG. 6C illustrates a graphical user interface for
`filtering the messages displayed in an e-mail thread by
`addressee attributes in accordance with an alternate embodi
`ment of the present invention;
`0023 FIG. 7A is a flow diagram depicting steps per
`formed during e-mail message processing in accordance
`with an alternate embodiment of the present invention; and
`0024 FIG. 7B is a flow diagram illustrating steps per
`formed during e-mail display management in accordance
`with an alternate embodiment of the present invention.
`
`DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATIVE
`EMBODIMENT(S)
`0.025 The present invention is generally directed to a
`method, system and computer program product for manag
`ing the display of an e-mail message comprising a thread of
`one or more sections each having a section header having
`header attributes. More specifically, the present invention is
`
`directed to method and system for displaying an e-mail
`message that enables the list of sections (referred to herein
`as an e-mail thread or thread) contained in the e-mail, or a
`selected portion thereof, to be sequentially displayed or
`filtered/grouped in accordance with user selected header
`attribute information. The invention provides a mechanism
`for managing the format and content of an e-mail display for
`various purposes, including facilitating the reading of a
`thread comprising many messages, thereby improving the
`efficiency with which a user may navigate and read an e-mail
`thread. In an e-mail client that by default displays an e-mail
`thread in reverse chronological order (see FIG. 1), the
`present invention enables a re-sequencing of the thread
`display to forward chronological order, enabling convenient
`and logical navigation of the document from the original
`message to the newest in a top-to-bottom direction that is
`consistent with most human language reading. Alternate
`embodiments of the invention utilize various header
`attribute data applied as Sorting and/or masking criteria. As
`explained in further detail with reference to the figures, the
`present invention may be practiced as a message processing
`method and/or a data processing system adapted to imple
`ment the same, as well as a specialized e-mail message
`handling GUI to achieve the foregoing objectives.
`0026. The invention may also be practiced in distributed
`computing environments where tasks are performed by
`remote processing devices that are linked through a com
`munications network. In a distributed computing environ
`ment, program modules may be located in both local and
`remote memory storage devices. Execution of the program
`modules may occur locally in a stand-alone manner or
`remotely in a client/server manner. Examples of Such dis
`tributed computing environments include local area net
`works of an office, enterprise-wide computer networks, and
`the Internet. In a distributed computing environment, pro
`gram modules may be located in both local and remote
`memory storage devices.
`0027. With reference now to the figures, wherein like
`reference numerals refer to like and corresponding parts
`throughout, and in particular with reference to FIG. 2, there
`is depicted a data processing system adapted for implement
`ing the present invention. For discussion purposes, the data
`processing system is described as a personal computer. Such
`as a desktop or portable computer. However, as used herein,
`the terms “data processing system.'computer,” and the like,
`are intended to mean essentially any type of computing
`device or machine that is capable of running a software
`product, including Such devices as communication devices
`(e.g., pagers, telephones, electronic books, electronic maga
`Zines and newspapers, etc.) and personal and home con
`Sumer devices (e.g., handheld computers, Web-enabled tele
`visions, home automation systems, multimedia viewing
`systems, etc.).
`0028. While the invention will be described in the general
`context of an application program that runs on an operating
`system in conjunction with a personal computer, those
`skilled in the art will recognize that the invention may also
`be implemented in combination with other program mod
`ules. Generally, program modules include routines, pro
`grams, components, data structures, etc. that perform par
`ticular tasks or implement particular abstract data types.
`Moreover, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the
`invention may be practiced with other computer system
`
`Facebook's Exhibit No. 1006 - Page 13
`
`

`

`US 2006/0161849 A1
`
`Jul. 20, 2006
`
`configurations, including hand-held devices, multiprocessor
`systems, microprocessor-based or programmable consumer
`electronics, minicomputers, mainframe computers, and the
`like.
`0029. The exemplary data processing system illustrated
`in FIG. 2 generally comprises a personal computer 15,
`having a processing unit 4, a system memory 50, and a
`system bus 5 that couples system memory 50 to processing
`unit 4. The system memory 50 includes read only memory
`(ROM) 6 and random access memory (RAM) 8. Personal
`computer 15 further includes a hard disk drive 20, a mag
`netic disk drive 44, e.g., to read from or write to a removable
`disk 31, and an optical disk drive 46, e.g., for reading a
`CD-ROM disk 33 or to read from or write to other optical
`media. Hard disk drive 20, magnetic disk drive 44, and
`optical disk drive 46 are connected to system bus 5 by a hard
`disk drive interface 22, a magnetic disk drive interface 32,
`and an optical drive interface 34, respectively. The drives
`and their associated computer-readable media provide non
`volatile storage for personal computer 15. Although the
`description of computer-readable media above refers to a
`hard disk, a removable magnetic disk, and a CD-ROM disk,
`it should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that other
`types of media which are readable by a computer, Such as
`magnetic cassettes, flash memory cards, digital video disks,
`Bernoulli cartridges, and the like, may also be used in the
`exemplary computer operating environment.
`0030) A number of program modules may be stored in the
`drives and system memory 50, including an operating sys
`tem 14, application program modules 16. Such as
`Microsoft's OFFICE suite of program modules, and pro
`gram data 18.
`0031. A user may enter commands and information into
`personal computer 15 through a keyboard 46 and pointing
`device, such as a mouse 48. Other input devices (not shown)
`may include a microphone, joystick, game pad, satellite
`dish, Scanner, or the like. These and other input devices are
`often connected to processing unit 4 through a serial port
`interface 39 that is coupled to the system bus, but may be
`connected by other interfaces, such as a game port or a
`universal serial bus. A monitor 24 or other type of display
`device is also connected to system bus 5 via an interface,
`such as a video adapter 36.
`0032 Personal computer 15 may operate in a networked
`environment using logical connections to one or more
`remote computers, such as a remote computer 49. The
`remote computer 49 may be a server, a router, a peer device
`or other common network node, and typically includes many
`or all of the elements described relative to personal com
`puter 15. The logical network connections depicted in FIG.
`2 include a local area network (LAN) 51 and a wide area
`network (WAN) 53. Such networking environments are
`commonplace in offices, enterprise-wide computer net
`works, Intranets and the Internet.
`0033. When used in a LAN networking environment,
`personal computer 15 is connected to LAN 51 through a
`network interface 42. When used in a WAN networking
`environment, personal computer 15 typically includes a
`modem 44 or other means for establishing communications
`over WAN 53, such as the Internet. The modem 44, which
`may be internal or external, is connected to system bus 5 via
`serial port interface 39. In a networked environment, pro
`
`gram modules depicted relative to personal computer 15, or
`portions thereof, may be stored in one or more remote (i.e.,
`network distributed) memory storage devices. It will be
`appreciated that the network connections shown are exem
`plary and other means of establishing a communications link
`between the computers may be used.
`0034. In accordance with the depicted embodiment,
`application programs 16 further includes an e-mail client
`application 15, such a may be included in a web browser
`application. E-mail client 15 includes program modules and
`instructions enabling an e-mail client addressee (i.e., an
`e-mail user having an e-mail address) to send, receive and
`organize e-mail messages over LAN 51 and/or WAN 53.
`Also included in application programs 16 is a thread display
`module 17 that manages the display of e-mail threads as
`explained in further detail below.
`0035. The present invention utilizes e-mail header infor
`mation to manage message sequencing (i.e. ordering), fil
`tering and other display characteristics. As utilized herein,
`the terms header, header attribute, and the like, refer to
`e-mail message control information preferably relating to
`message transport logistics Such as e-mail address, deliver/
`receipt times, etc., typically found in Internet e-mail mes
`sage headers. Other attributes may include priority data (e.g.
`urgency level), whether copying is permitted, return receipt,
`etc. As is well known in the art, such e-mail header infor
`mation is contained and readily identifiable in a received
`e-mail message.
`0036) Referring to FIG. 3A, there is depicted a simplified
`block diagram representing an e-mail message file 60 con
`taining a multiple message e-mail thread Such as may be
`received by an e-mail client addressee. E-mail message file
`60 generally comprises a section header 62 containing
`header attributes 68 and 69 which are associated with a
`message section 64. Header attributes 68 and 69 comprise
`e-mail message delivery logistics data typically including
`sender and recipient network and personal address data as
`well as time/date stamps indicating when the object message
`is delivered and received. The depicted header attributes 68
`comprise a set of recipient attributes including a To attribute,
`indicating the recipient e-mail client address, and copy
`attributes Bc and Cc, which indicate other e-mail client
`addresses to which the object e-mail message file 60 is
`delivered. Included among header attributes 69 are sender
`attributes which include a From attribute indicating the
`e-mail client address from which message 60 was generated
`and delivered, and a Date attribute indicating the time and
`date on which the message was delivered to the network.
`0037 Associated with section header 62 is a message
`section 64 containing the current message Subsection 67
`included with e-mail file 60. Message section 64 further
`includes a thread 65 of one or more appended e-mail
`message sections 65a-65m. Each of sections 65a-65n are
`included as part of the message section 64 in accordance
`with well-known automatic e-mail addressing functions
`Such as the Reply to and Forward to addressing functions,
`whereby the e-mail client may automatically, or in response
`to user selection, include legacy e-mail messages (i.e.,
`e-mail messages belonging to one or more previously gen
`erated and delivered e-mail message files) with the current
`message. Each of legacy message sections 65a-65n further
`more includes its own associated section header 63a-63n
`
`Facebook's Exhibit No. 1006 - Page 14
`
`

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`US 2006/0161849 A1
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`Jul. 20, 2006
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`containing corresponding header attribute data. For inter
`application compatibility, the legacy header attributes within
`section headers 63a-63n generally corresponds categorically
`with the header attribute categories included within header
`attributes 68 and 69.
`0038 After being received in the recipient’s e-mail
`"mailbox,” the message and header content of e-mail mes
`sage file 60 may be displayed as shown in FIG. 3B, which
`depicts a simplified representation of the displayed content
`of an e-mail message. The display comprises a window
`content section 70 and a scroll bar 72 by which a user may
`vertically traverse the message contents. The objects within
`window 70 generally include a displayed object represen
`tation 71 of one or more of the header attributes 62 followed
`by a displayed object representation 75 of the current
`message 67. Below object 75, typically in reverse chrono
`logical order (i.e., displayed from top to bottom in order of
`most recent to oldest), is a list of display objects 74a–74n
`corresponding to legacy thread message sections 65a-65n.
`As explained in further detail below with reference to FIGS.
`4, 5, 6A-6C, and 7A-7B, the method, system and computer
`program product of present invention provide a particularly
`effective mechanism for managing the content and format
`ting of a displayed e-mail thread sequence Such as that
`shown in FIG. 3B.
`0039) Referring to FIG.4, there is illustrated a simplified
`block diagram representation of e-mail thread display mod
`ule 17 in accordance with the present invention. As shown
`in FIG. 4, thread display module 17 receives input e-mail
`message file 60 including the message content and header
`attributes explained above with reference to FIG. 3A.
`Thread display module 17 generally comprises any combi
`nation of circuit modules, program modules, instructions
`and data for processing the content of e-mail message 60 to
`generate a display file Such as a markup language display file
`88 that may be displayed on a computer display device. As
`utilized in the present description and in the claims, the
`terms “display.'"displaying, and similar terms refer alter
`natively to the overall process or any Subpart or Sub-process
`performed by thread display module 17 in generating
`markup language file 88 as described herein.
`0040. Thread display module 17 includes a message
`sequence module 84 that determines the sequence, or order,
`in which the e-mail thread message will be displayed as
`specified by markup language file 88 and as executed by an
`e-mail message display graphical user interface (GUI) 92. In
`one embodiment, an input specifying a sequential ordering
`of messages may be received with user input 82 and pro
`cessed by message sequence module 84, which responds by
`processing the date-type header attribute data (the Date
`header attributes, for example) to order the message list in
`the e-mail in forward or reverse chronological order.
`0041. Thread display module 17 further includes a dis
`play filter module 86 that, like message sequence module 84.
`processes header attribute data of e-mail message file 60 in
`accordance with user-specified message display preferences.
`Display filter module 86 preferably includes electronic and/
`or program instruction means for determining the content
`and arrangement of the e-mail display (as specified by
`markup language file 88 or otherwise) in accordance with
`filter selection criteria Such as one or more specified address
`names, e-mail or network addresses, etc. For example, and
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`as depicted and explained with reference to FIGS. 6A and
`6C, user input 82 may include filter instruction and header
`attribute data that instruct display module 17 to display the
`subset of the thread content of e-mail file 60 containing or
`excluding a specified sender name(s).
`0042 Examples of how thread display module 17 may be
`utilized to determine the content and format of an e-mail
`thread display are now described with reference to FIGS. 5,
`6A-6C, and 7A-7B in conjunction with FIG. 4. Referring
`first to FIG. 6A, there is illustrated an e-mail thread display
`management GUI 150 as may be used by an e-mail client to
`provide a forum in which thread display module 17 pro
`cesses user specified input 82. In the depicted embodiment,
`display management GUI 150 includes a window 152 con
`taining an inbox object 154 that displays a list of e-mail
`messages labeled by sender name. Responsive to selecting
`one of the messages, such as by well-known pointer selec
`tion techniques, display management objects are displayed
`having display management options relating to the selected
`message. For example, responsive to selecting the message
`designated Sender A, a message processing object 156 in
`the form of a drop-down menu is displayed. Among the
`various message processing options including an Open
`option, a Reply option, a Forward option, etc., is a user
`selectable Message Display option that, when selected,
`provides the user a selectable menu of options for managing
`the content and display of the selected Sender A e-mail
`message. The display management option menu is provided
`by a display management object 158 that displays user
`selectable Order, Filter and Default options.
`0.043
`Referring next to FIG. 6B, there is depicted a
`sequence management object 172 that is preferably dis
`played responsive to selecting the Order option within
`display management object 158. Sequence management
`object 172 provides a user interface for selecting the criteria
`processed by thread display module 17 to determining the
`chronological order or other display sequence for the
`selected e-mail thread. To this end, sequence management
`object 172 includes several display-ordering option buttons
`including a Whole Threadbutton 174 and a Beginning From
`button 176. User selection of Whole Thread button 174
`results in GUI 150 delivering commands, instructions or
`data as input 82, prompting thread display module 17 to
`construct markup language file 88 in accordance with Date
`attributes such that the default chronological ordering of the
`thread messages is reversed. For example, e-mail client
`applications typically display an e-mail thread in reverse
`chronological order in which the most recent thread message
`is presented at the top of the display followed downwardly
`by the next most recent and continuing in like manner to the
`bottom of the presented thread list where the original thread
`message is displayed. In this case, selecting the Whole
`Thread button 174 prompts thread display module 17 to
`reverse the ordering of thread messages such that the mes
`sages are displayed in top to bottom in forward chronologi
`cal order in which the original thread message is presented
`at the top of the display followed in correspondingly
`reversed order by the remaining messages.
`0044 As another feature of the embodiment depicted in
`FIG. 6B, the Beginning From object 176 provides a means
`by which the user can more selectively determine which
`portion of the thread is to be reversed. Specifically, respon
`sive to user selection of the Beginning From object 176, a
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`Facebook's Exhibit No. 1006 - Page 15
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`US 2006/0161849 A1
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`Jul. 20, 2006
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`drop-down menu 178 i