Compressible Email Display via Header Removal

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Solution Overview

Problem

Reading long email message strings with multiple replies and forwards is challenging due to included message headers, especially on small screens, where traditional editing is time-consuming and prone to errors.

Innovation Solution

Implementing a method to automatically skip or delete message headers using a hot key or context-sensitive menu item, allowing for a compressible display of email message strings, enabling quick access to meaningful message bodies.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Loss of information

If message headers are displayed completely for each email in a thread, then all message information is preserved, but the display area is excessively consumed making readability difficult

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemessage information preservationVSAvoiddisplay area consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of informationVSArea of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts and removes redundant message header information from the display, keeping only the essential message body content. This extraction principle allows the system to preserve all message information internally while displaying only the critical portions, thereby reducing display area consumption without losing important message data.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent segments the email thread display into compressed units, where each message is represented by its essential content rather than full headers. This segmentation allows multiple messages to be displayed in a compact format, fitting more messages on the screen while maintaining information accessibility.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

2Area of stationary object

If traditional editing methods are used to delete redundant message headers, then display space is freed up, but the process is time-consuming and error-prone

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedisplay space availabilityVSAvoidediting time consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

Area of stationary objectVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs automatic deletion of redundant message headers without requiring user intervention. The email client autonomously identifies and removes header information, freeing display space while eliminating the time-consuming manual editing process and avoiding user errors.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The patent applies preliminary processing to automatically prepare the email thread for optimal display by pre-deleting redundant headers before the user views the message. This preliminary action ensures display space is optimized automatically, eliminating the need for subsequent manual editing by the user.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

3Ease of operation

If message headers are compressed automatically, then readability improves, but user control over message display is reduced

Engineering Contradiction:

ImprovereadabilityVSAvoiduser control flexibility

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements a dynamic display system that can automatically compress message headers while providing user controls to adjust the level of compression. Users can switch between automatic compression mode and manual control mode, allowing the system to adapt to different user preferences and situations, thereby maintaining both readability and user control flexibility.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Data Source

PatentUS7548954B2Compressible display of e-mail message string to facilitate readability

Publication Date: 2009.06.16 MALIKIE INNOVATIONS LTD

AI summary

A displayed string of emails is effectively compressed for improved readability by deleting some or all headers and/or by skipping the cursor from one message body to another in response to “hot” key actuation(s) by a user.