US 10,320,731 B2Granted

System and method for threading electronic messages

AssigneeMicrosoft Technology Licensing, LLC

InventorsXiaobin Lu, Elaine Chien

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Abstract

A system and method includes a network interface device to receive and retransmit electronic messages between a first user and a second user, an electronic data storage configured to store database entries related to electronic messages as received and retransmitted by the network interface device, at least some of the database entries including a latest message in thread flag identifying a latest electronic message in a thread of multiple electronic messages, and a processor. The processor may create a database entry corresponding to a first electronic message, the database entry including the latest message in thread flag indicating that the first electronic message is a latest electronic message of a thread, and change a status of a latest message in thread flag of a database entry corresponding to a second electronic message of the thread to indicate that the second electronic message is not a latest message in the thread.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A system, comprising:

a network interface device to receive and retransmit electronic messages between a first user and a second user;
an electronic data storage comprising a first database and a second database, each database configured to store database entries related to electronic messages as received and retransmitted by the network interface device, at least some of the database entries including a binary latest message in thread flag identifying a latest electronic message in a thread of multiple electronic messages as stored in a respective one of the first database and the second database, wherein the first database corresponds to electronic messages received from and retransmitted to the first user and the second database corresponds to electronic messages received from and retransmitted to the second user;
and
a processor, coupled to the electronic data storage;
and
a computer readable medium comprising instructions which, when implemented by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:
create, in at least one of the first database and the second database, in response to receipt of a first electronic message by one of the first user and the second user, a database entry corresponding to the first electronic message as received or retransmitted to a respective one of the first user and the second user, the database entry including the latest message in thread flag indicating that the first electronic message is a latest electronic message of a thread corresponding to the first electronic message, the thread including electronic messages exchanged between the first user and the second user;
change a status of a latest message in thread flag of a database entry in the one of the first database and the second database corresponding to a second electronic message of the thread from indicating that the second electronic message is the latest message in the thread to indicating that the second electronic message is not a latest message in the thread;
and
cause a user interface to display, to at least one of the first user or the second user:
the first electronic message as the latest message in the thread based on the entry corresponding to the first electronic message including the latest message in thread flag indicating that the first electronic message is a latest electronic message of the thread;
and
the second electronic message as being received before the first message based on the entry corresponding to the second electronic message including the latest message in thread flag indicating that the second electronic message is not a latest electronic message of the thread.

10 more elements

A method, comprising:

creating, with a processor, in response to receipt of a first electronic message by one of a first user and the second user, a database entry in at least one of a first database and a second database stored in an electronic data storage, the database entry corresponding to the first electronic message as received or retransmitted by a network interface device between a first user and a second user, the database entry including a binary latest message in thread flag indicating that the first electronic message is a latest electronic message of a thread corresponding to the first electronic message as stored in a respective one of the first database and the second database, wherein the first database corresponds to electronic messages received from and retransmitted to the first user and the second database corresponds to electronic messages received from and retransmitted to the second user, the thread including electronic messages exchanged between the first user and the second user;
changing, with the processor, in the one of the first database and the second database, a status of a latest message in thread flag of a database entry corresponding to a second electronic message of the thread from indicating that the second electronic message is the latest message in the thread to indicating that the second electronic message is not a latest message in the thread;
and
causing, with the processor, a user interface to display to at least one of the first user and the second user:
the first electronic message as the latest message in the thread based on the entry corresponding to the first electronic message including the latest message in thread flag indicating that the first electronic message is a latest electronic message of the thread;
and
the second electronic message as being received before the first message based on the entry corresponding to the second electronic message including the latest message in thread flag indicating that the second electronic message is not a latest electronic message of the thread.

4 more elements

A computer readable medium comprising instructions which, when implemented by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

create, in at least one of a first database and a second database, in response to receipt of a first electronic message by one of a first user and the second user, a database entry corresponding to the first electronic message as received or retransmitted to a respective one of a first user and a second user, the database entry including a latest message in thread flag indicating that the first electronic message is a latest electronic message of a thread corresponding to the first electronic message, wherein each database stores database entries related to electronic messages as received and retransmitted by a network interface device, at least some of the database entries including the latest message in thread flag identifying a latest electronic message in a thread of multiple electronic messages as stored in a respective one of the first database and the second database, wherein the first database corresponds to electronic messages received from and retransmitted to the first user and the second database corresponds to electronic messages received from and retransmitted to the second user, the thread including electronic messages exchanged between the first user and the second user;
change a status of a latest message in thread flag of a database entry in the one of the first database and the second database corresponding to a second electronic message of the thread from indicating that the second electronic message is the latest message in the thread to indicating that the second electronic message is not a latest message in the thread;
and
cause a user interface to display to at least one of the first user and the second user:
the first electronic message as the latest message in the thread based on the entry corresponding to the first electronic message including the latest message in thread flag indicating that the first electronic message is a latest electronic message of the thread;
and
the second electronic message as being received before the first message based on the entry corresponding to the second electronic message including the latest message in thread flag indicating that the second electronic message is not a latest electronic message of the thread.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 14/613,642Filed 4 Feb 2015 · continuation
Priority: 28 Feb 2014
Published: US 2015/0249631 A13 Sep 2015
Granted: 11 Jun 2019
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification6 codes

H04L 51/42
User-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, transmitted according to store-and-forward or real-time protocols, e.g. e-mail:…
G06F 16/284
Databases characterised by their database models, e.g. relational or object models: relational databases
G06Q 10/107
Office automation; Time management: computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
H04L
Digital communication

Family

Application61/946,163Us provisional application · filed 28 Feb 2014
Application14/227,366Parent of this continuation · filed 27 Mar 2014
US 2015/0249631 A1Pre-grant publication · published 3 Sep 2015
US 8,977,607 B1Parent of this continuation
US 10,320,731 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.

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