Method and apparatus for displaying e-mail messages

Abstract

A method for displaying e-mail messages to a user of an e-mail message viewer comprises displaying a list of received e-mail messages with a list entry for each received email message and displaying binary information indicating the read/unread status of each received email message in the list. The read/unread status information of each received first email message is switched from “unread” to “read” when the text and/or attachments of this particular first e-mail message have been displayed at least partially to the user when opening this particular first e-mail message. The read/unread status information of each received second email message is switched from “unread” to “read” when the text and/or attachments of this particular second e-mail message have been displayed at least partially to the user when opening a particular first e-mail message.

We claim: 
     
         1 - 8 . (canceled) 
     
     
         9 . A method for displaying e-mail messages to a user of an e-mail message viewer, comprising:
 a) displaying a list of received e-mail messages with a list entry for each received email message;   b) displaying binary information indicating a read/unread status of each received email message in the list;   c) switching the binary of a received first email message from “unread” to “read” when at least one of text and attachments of first e-mail message has been displayed at least partially to a user when opening the received first e-mail message; and   d) switching the binary information of at least one additional received email message from “unread” to “read” when the at least one of text and attachments of the at least one additional received e-mail message has been displayed at least partially to the user when opening the received first e-mail message.   
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein switching the binary information of the at least one additional email message from “unread” to “read” is performed when the at least text and attachments of the at least one additional received e-mail message has been displayed completely to the user when opening the received first e-mail message. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 9 , comprising hiding the at least one additional received email message when at least one of the text and attachments of the at least one additional e-mail message have been displayed completely to the user when opening the received first e-mail message. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , further comprising by displaying at least one of a reference to and a copy of at least one of text and attachments of the at least one additional e-mail message in the received first e-mail message, wherein said received first e-mail did not contain all or part of the at least one of text and attachments of the at least one additional e-mail message. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12 , further comprising indicating information about an origin of the at least one of text and attachments of the at least one additional e-mail message. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  13 , wherein said information is selected from the group consisting of information about the originator and information about the sender of the at least one of text and attachments of the at least one additional e-mail message. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein said information is information about the time of origin of the at least one of text and attachments of the at least one additional e-mail message. 
     
     
         16 . An apparatus for displaying visual information about participants in a teleconference comprising:
 a) a display for displaying a list of received e-mail messages;   b) a processor operably connected to the display; and   c) a storage medium including instructions for carrying out the method of  claim 9 , when said instructions are operated on by the processor.