Using e-mail message characteristics for prioritization

• US 10,541,957 B2
• Filed: 06/13/2018
• Issued: 01/21/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Gourevitch, Gregory, Luttinen, Todd, Boctor, Victor, De Graaf, Wilbert, Zhao, Lizhuang
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Minh Chau
• Application Number:
  US16/007,626
• Publication Number:
  US 20180295084A1
• Time in Patent Office: 587 Days
• Field of Search: 709206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/5681 Buffer or queue management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/16 Threshold monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/30 in combination with information about buffer occupancy at either end or at transit nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/50 Queue scheduling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/805 QOS or priority aware
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/212 using filtering or selective blocking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/214 using selective forwarding
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols

Abstract

Message prioritization may be provided. First, a message may be received and a priority level may be calculated for the message. If the message is not rejected for having a priority lower than a predetermined threshold, the message may be placed in a first priority queue. Next, the message may be de-queued from the first priority queue based upon the calculated priority level for the message. Distribution group recipients corresponding to the message may then be expanded and the priority level for the message may be re-calculated based upon the expanded distribution group recipients. Next, the message may be placed in a second priority queue. The message may then be de-queued from the second priority queue based upon the re-calculated priority level for the message and delivered.

Claims

1. A method for providing prioritization, the method comprising:

receiving a message;

calculating a priority level for the message;

in response to determining that the calculated priority level of the message does not fall below a threshold, placing the message in a first priority queue;

de-queuing the message from the first priority queue in an order based upon the calculated priority level for the message, wherein messages having higher calculated priority levels are de-queued from the first priority queue before messages having lower calculated priority levels, and wherein the order the message is de-queued from the first priority queue is different than a first-in-first-out (FIFO) order;

expanding distribution group recipients corresponding to the message;

re-calculating the priority level for the message based upon the expanded distribution group recipients;

placing the message in a second priority queue;

de-queuing the message from the second priority queue based upon the re-calculated priority level for the message, wherein messages having higher re-calculated priority levels are de-queued from the second priority queue before messages having lower re-calculated priority levels; and

delivering the message.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the message comprises receiving the message from an e-mail client.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the message comprises receiving the message from a message server.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein calculating the priority level for the message comprises calculating the priority level based upon direct characteristics of the message.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein calculating the priority level for the message comprises calculating the priority level based upon direct characteristics of the message, the direct characteristics comprising a size of the message.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein calculating the priority level for the message comprises calculating the priority level based upon direct characteristics of the message, the direct characteristics comprising a presence of a specific attachment type to the message.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein calculating the priority level for the message comprises calculating the priority level based upon direct characteristics of the message, the direct characteristics comprising an authentication level of a sender of the message.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein calculating the priority level for the message comprises calculating the priority level based upon direct characteristics of the message, the direct characteristics comprising a number of recipients of the message.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein calculating the priority level for the message comprises calculating the priority level based upon direct characteristics of the message, the direct characteristics comprising whether a recipient of the message comprises a distribution group.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein calculating the priority level for the message comprises calculating the priority level based upon direct characteristics of the message, the direct characteristics comprising whether the message is “

fresh”

verses “

delayed”

.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein calculating the priority level for the message comprises calculating the priority level based upon direct characteristics of the message, the direct characteristics comprising whether the message is being aggregated from a secondary account verses a regular message.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein calculating the priority level for the message comprises calculating the priority level based upon aggregated characteristics of the message.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein calculating the priority level for the message comprises calculating the priority level based upon aggregated characteristics of the message, the aggregated characteristics comprising a sender threshold comprising one of the following:

a number of recipients, a number of messages sent, or a total size of messages sent.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein calculating the priority level for the message comprises calculating the priority level based upon aggregated characteristics of the message, the aggregated characteristics comprising tenant organization activity in a given time interval in a multi-tenant e-mail system.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein calculating the priority level for the message comprises calculating the priority level based upon aggregated characteristics of the message, the aggregated characteristics comprising aggregated usage of a specific resource by a sender/tenant.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein calculating the priority level for the message comprises calculating the priority level based upon aggregated characteristics of the message, the aggregated characteristics comprising a number of messages recently delivered to recipients of the message.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein delivering the message comprises delivering the message to a recipient e-mail box.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein calculating the priority level for the message comprises calculating the priority level based upon direct characteristics of the message, the direct characteristics comprising whether the message is one of sent to or sent from a user who is paying for e-mail service verses receiving the e-mail service free of charge.

19. A computer storage device that stores a set of instructions which when executed perform a method for providing prioritization, the method executed by the set of instructions comprising:

providing a plurality of processing states in series, each of the plurality of processing states having a respective corresponding priority calculator;

providing a plurality of priority queues respectively corresponding to the plurality of processing states; and

passing a message serially through the plurality of processing states, wherein at each of the plurality of processing states, the message is re-prioritize by the respective corresponding priority calculator and saved in a respective corresponding priority queue, wherein higher-priority messages are de-queued from respective corresponding priority queues before lower-priority messages, and wherein the message is de-queued from the respective corresponding priority queue in a different order than a first-in-first-out (FIFO) order.

20. A system for providing prioritization, the system comprising:

a memory storage; and

a processing unit coupled to the memory storage, wherein the processing unit is operative to;

calculate a priority level for a message, the calculated priority level for the message being based upon at least one of the following;

at least one direct characteristic of the message or at least one aggregated characteristic of the message;

place the message in a first priority queue;

de-queue the message from the first priority queue in an order based upon the calculated priority level for the message, wherein messages having higher calculated priority levels are de-queued from the first priority queue before messages having lower calculated priority levels, and wherein the order the message is de-queued from the first priority queue is different than a first-in-first-out (FIFO) order;

expand distribution group recipients corresponding to the message;

re-calculate the priority level for the message based upon the expanded distribution group recipients;

place the message in a second priority queue;

de-queue the message from the second priority queue based upon the re-calculated priority level for the message, wherein messages having higher re-calculated priority levels are de-queued from the second priority queue before messages having lower re-calculated priority levels; and

deliver the message.