Providing snippets relevant to a search query in a conversation-based email system

• Main Authors: CHANG BAY-WEI, MATTIS PETER D, RAKOWSKI BRIAN D, WINOGRAD TERRY A, BUCHHEIT PAUL T
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 23.06.2015
• Subjects: CALCULATING; COMPUTING; COUNTING; DATA PROCESSING SYSTEMS OR METHODS, SPECIALLY ADAPTED FORADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL, SUPERVISORYOR FORECASTING PURPOSES; ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE; ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING; ELECTRICITY; PHYSICS; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE,COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL, SUPERVISORY OR FORECASTINGPURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHICCOMMUNICATION

A system and method for searching messages is disclosed. The system and method includes receiving a search query and, in response to receiving the search query: (1) obtaining, from a message repository, conversations relevant to the search query, (2) creating a list of conversations representing at least a subset of the obtained conversations, where 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, (3) identifying, for each conversation in the list of conversations, a portion of conversation content relevant to the search query, and (4) producing, 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.