Google Inc.

Jing Yee Lim

Sanjeev Singh

Paul Thomas Buchheit

Bay-Wei W Chang

Brian D Rakowski

Seth J Golub

Russell R Tuck, Iii

Darick M Tong

Lauren M Baptist

Matthew D Cutts

Terry Allen Winograd

Russel R Tuck, Iii

A host system sends a web page to a client system via a communications network, and receives inputs from the client system, via the communications network, that include user text inputs to the web page. The inputs are received without receiving from the client system, via the communications network, a user-initiated command that would require saving user inputs to the web page. The host system makes incremental changes to a backup copy of user inputs to the web page, stored at the host system, in accordance with the received inputs. In accordance with detection by the host system of a restart condition for the web page corresponding to prior closure of the web page at the client system, the host system sends the backup copy to the client system for presentation to a user of the client system.

Server-based backup system for user data

Systems and methods for storing a plurality of conversations are provided. Each such conversation has a corresponding conversation identifier and one or more messages sharing a common set of characteristics that meet predefined criteria. Information is sent to a remote computer identifying the conversations and providing sufficient information to rank them in accordance with a date/time value of a most recently received message of each conversation thereby causing a first conversation to be ordered before a second conversation. Subsequently, a first message that is deemed to belong to the second conversation is obtained and added to the second conversation. Information is resent to a remote computer identifying the plurality of conversations and providing sufficient information to rank the plurality of conversations in accordance with a date/time value of a most recently received message of each respective conversation thereby causing the first conversation to be ordered after the second conversation.

Systems and methods for re-ranking displayed conversations

Server-based-backup system for user data

A method and system for processing messages is disclosed that includes receiving a plurality of messages directed to a user, where each message has a unique message identifier. Each of the plurality of messages may be associated with a respective conversation, where each conversation has a respective conversation identifier. Also, each conversation includes a set of one or more messages sharing a common set of characteristics that meet a first predefined criteria. A list of conversations is displayed as a set of rows in an order determined by a second predefined criteria, where each row corresponds to one of the listed conversations and includes at least a sender list, a conversation topic and a date/time value. The contents of a conversation is displayed when the user selects a conversation from the displayed list of conversations. Messages can be displayed in one of three modes: expanded, compacted and hidden.

Displaying conversations in a conversation-based email system

In a method performed by a host system with one or more processors, the host system sends a web page to a client system via a communications network. The host system receives inputs from the client system, via the communications network, that include user text inputs to the web page. The inputs are received prior to receiving from the client system, via the communications network, a user-initiated command that would require saving user inputs to the web page. The host system also periodically auto-saves a backup copy of at least some of the received user text inputs to the web page, prior to receiving the user-initiated command that would require saving user inputs to the web page.

System and method for storing a plurality of conversations are provided. Each such conversation has a corresponding conversation identifier and one or more messages sharing a common set of characteristics that meet predefined criteria. Information is sent to a remote computer identifying the conversations and providing sufficient information to rank them in accordance with a date/time value of a most recently received message of each conversation thereby causing a first conversation to be ordered before a second conversation. Subsequently, a first message that is deemed to belong to the second conversation is obtained and added to the second conversation. Information is resent to a remote computer identifying the plurality of conversations and providing sufficient information to rank the plurality of conversations in accordance with a date/time value of a most recently received message of each respective conversation thereby causing the first conversation to be ordered after the second conversation.

Systems, methods, and graphical user interfaces for concurrent display of a reply message and two or more response options are disclosed. In some implementations, a method includes, at a computer, maintaining the display of a reply message associated with a plurality of response options. Each respective response option in the plurality of response options is independently associated with one or more recipient addresses for the reply message. While maintaining the display of at least a portion of the reply message, at least one recipient address for the reply message is updated in accordance with a selected response option. In some implementations, the maintaining of the display of at least a portion of the reply message includes maintaining the display of at least a portion of a message body of the reply message. In some embodiments, the selected response option is one of: reply, reply to all, and forward.

Systems, methods, and graphical user interfaces for concurrent display of reply message and multiple response options

A server having one or more processors and memory receives a plurality of messages organized as conversations associated with a user. The server receives, from a client, a request for a selected conversation that is associated with a first message, a second message that was sent after the first message and a plurality of interstitial messages that were sent at times between when the first message was sent and when the second message was sent. The server sends, to the client, display information for displaying content of the selected conversation that includes a representation of the second message in an expanded mode, a representation of the first message in a first compacted mode and a representation of the plurality of interstitial messages in a second compacted mode that is different from the first compacted mode.

Compacted mode for displaying messages in a conversation

Methods and systems for saving draft electronic communications, such as web e-mails, are described herein. One such described method comprises automatically saving a draft web-email in the e-mail web page. A second such described method comprises saving a draft web e-mail in a cookie residing on the client machine. A third such described method comprises automatically saving a draft web e-mail at the host that provides the Web e-mail service. A fourth such described method comprises interacting with a central installed client component to save a draft web e-mail one the user's machine at the client side.

Methods and systems for saving draft electronic communications

A server having one or more processors and memory receives a search query from a client. The server identifies a conversation relevant to the search query, where the conversation has two or more messages sharing a common set of characteristics that meet predefined criteria and a respective conversation identifier. Identifying a conversation relevant to the search query comprises identifying a conversation that, as a whole, is relevant to the search query. The server returns to the client for display, as a search result for the search query, conversation information corresponding to the identified conversation.

Retrieving conversations that match a search query

A method and system for processing messages includes receiving a plurality of messages directed to a user. Each of the plurality of messages is associated with a respective conversation and list of conversations is displayed in an order determined in accordance with second predefined criteria, as a set of rows, where each row corresponds to one of the listed conversations and includes at least a sender list, a conversation topic and a date/time value. A user is enabled to identify one or more conversations in the list of conversations, to mark the identified conversations as belonging to a particular category, and to display another list of conversations comprising conversations marked as belonging to the particular category. A user may cause a conversation to be removed from certain displays, but to become visible again after the passage of a certain amount of time or the occurrence of an event.

Retrieving and snoozing categorized conversations in a conversation-based email system

A server having one or more processors and memory stores a conversation including a plurality of messages, where the conversation is associated with a first label and a respective message of the plurality of messages is associated with a second label. The server receives a predefined request from a remotely located client system and responds to the predefined request by producing and sending to the client system a list of conversations. When the predefined request corresponds to a request for conversations associated with the first label, the server sends, to the client system, a first list of conversations associated with the first label. When the predefined request corresponds to a request for conversations including messages associated with the second label, the server sends, to the client system, a second list of conversations that include at least one message to which the second label has been assigned.

Labeling messages with conversation labels and message labels

Systems and methods for providing information include receiving messages associated with a user. Each message is associated with a respective conversation. A request for conversations associated with the user is received from a client. In response, display information for displaying the conversations as a list, including first and second rows respectively representing first and second conversations, is sent to the client. The first row includes a first recipient indicator indicating that the user is a primary message recipient in the first conversation. The second row includes a second recipient indicator indicating that the user is a secondary message recipient in the second conversation. A single field in each row is provided for presentation of both the first and second recipient indicators in individual rows. The first recipient indicator is not used to identify the primary recipient and the second recipient indicator is not used to identify the secondary recipient.

Primary and secondary recipient indicators for conversations

In a method of archiving content, a web page corresponding to an application program is transmitted to a client computer using a network. The web page includes instructions corresponding to an embedded archiving tool. The embedded archiving tool is to store content provided to the web page by a user. The content is stored on a server remotely located from the client computer when an archiving condition is satisfied.

Growing community of inventors

Santa Clara, CA, United States of America

Jing Yee Lim