Patent ID: 7139800

Claim:
A method for managing information items within a message-based system having a viewer, the method comprising the operations of: displaying a first viewing pane within the viewer of the message-based system; the first viewing pane showing a plurality of titled data items; each titled data item representing a collection of information items associated with the titled data item; at least one titled data item including a message as one of the information items in the collection; the first viewing pane further showing, for each titled data item, a visual indication that the titled data item includes a message having a message status of unopened as one of the information items associated with the titled data item; receiving a first selection signal from a user selecting one of the titled data items displayed in the first viewing pane; displaying a plurality of information data items in a second viewing pane within the viewer of the message-based system; each information data item indicating one of the information items associated with the titled data item selected by the user; one of the plurality of information data items indicating the message having the message status of unopened; and displaying at least some of the contents of the message having the message status of unopened in a third viewing pane within the viewer of the message-based system.