Providing Snippets Relevant to a Search Query in a Conversation-Based Email System

A conversation-based message system, comprising:

• one or more conversation servers, the one or more conversation servers comprising:
• memory;
• one or more processors;
• and
• one or more programs stored in the memory and configured to be executed by the one or more processors, the one or more programs comprising instructions to:
• receive a search query;
• in response to receiving the search query:
• obtain, from a message repository, conversations relevant to the search query;
• create a list of conversations representing at least a subset of the obtained conversations, wherein each conversation in the list of conversations is represented as a single item, and at least one of the conversations in the list of conversations comprises two or more electronic messages from distinct senders;
• identify, for each conversation in the list of conversations, a portion of conversation content relevant to the search query;
• and
• produce, for concurrent display at a client, a search result including at least the list of conversations, and the identified portion of conversation content for each conversation in the list of conversations.

A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing one or more programs for execution by a computer system, the one or more programs comprising instructions to:

• receive a search query;
• in response to receiving the search query:
• obtain, from a message repository, conversations relevant to the search query;
• create a list of conversations representing at least a subset of the obtained conversations, wherein each conversation in the list of conversations is represented as a single item, and at least one of the conversations in the list of conversations comprises two or more electronic messages from distinct senders;
• identify, for each conversation in the list of conversations, a portion of conversation content relevant to the search query;
• and
• produce, for concurrent display at a client, a search result including at least the list of conversations, and the identified portion of conversation content for each conversation in the list of conversations.