Message display system
AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation
InventorEric W B Dias
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method, medium and implementing processing system are provided in which electronic message content and other selected or predetermined components of an electronic message are automatically displayed whenever an abbreviated or condensed message identification on a listing of messages is highlighted by a user. In one exemplary embodiment, Whenever an item of a message listing is highlighted by a user of a wireless phone or other communication device, a first pop-up content window is created and overlaid upon the listing display. The content window enables the user to view only predetermined portions, for example the first several lines of text of the highlighted message without having to access and scroll through other detailed portions of the message.
Claims17
A computer-implemented method for processing messages for display to a user on a display device, said messages containing a header information section and a message content section, said computer-implemented method comprising:
- presenting said messages in an abbreviated form in a list on said display device, said abbreviated form including only said header information for each of said messages;
- enabling a highlighting of a selected one of said abbreviated form messages in said list on said display device by said user;
- determining that said user has highlighted said selected one of said abbreviated form messages;
- and
- automatically displaying content information from said message content section of said selected one of said abbreviated form messages in response to said determining and without further action by said user, said content information of said selected one of said abbreviated form messages being displayed only for a user selectable and pre-set constant period of time after said user has highlighted said selected one of said abbreviated form messages or until another one of said abbreviated form messages is highlighted.
A computer program product for processing messages for display to a user on a display device of a computer system, said messages containing a header information section and a message content section, said computer program product comprising:
- one or more a computer-readable, tangible storage devices;
- and
- program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to present said messages in an abbreviated form in a list on said display device, said abbreviated form including only said header information for each of said messages;
- program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to enable a highlighting of a selected one of said abbreviated form messages in said list on said display device by said user;
- program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to determine when said user has highlighted said selected one of said abbreviated form messages;
- program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to automatically display content information from said message content section of said selected one of said abbreviated form messages in a message content window for a user selectable and pre-set constant period of time in response to determining when said user has highlighted said selected one of said abbreviated form messages and without further action by said user;
- and
- program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to display a scroll device in said content window for scrolling to un-displayed lines when a number of displayed lines in said content window is less than a number of lines in said message content section of a selected message.
A computer system for processing messages for display to a user on a display device, said messages containing a header information section and a message content section, said computer system comprising:
- one or more processors, one or more computer-readable memories and one or more computer-readable tangible storage devices;
- program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, to present said messages in an abbreviated form in a list on a display device, said abbreviated form including only said header information for each of said messages displayed;
- program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one-or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, to enable a highlighting of a selected one of said abbreviated form messages in said list on said display device by said user;
- program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more-storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, to determine when said user has highlighted said selected one of said abbreviated form messages;
- program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, to automatically display content information from said message content section of said selected one of said abbreviated form messages in a message content window overlying said list in response to determining when said user has highlighted said selected one of said abbreviated form message and without further action by said user, said content information of said selected one of said abbreviated form messages being displayed in said message content window only for a user selectable and pre-set constant period of time after said user has highlighted said selected one of said abbreviated form messages in said list or until another one of said abbreviated form messages in said list is highlighted by said user;
- and
- program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, to display a scroll device in said message content window for enabling said user to scroll to un-displayed lines when a number of displayed lines in said content window is less than a number of lines in said message content section of a selected message.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.