User-configured alternate email rendering

• US 10,558,949 B2
• Filed: 05/20/2009
• Issued: 02/11/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AirBNB Incorporated
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Jania, Frank L., Schirmer, Andrew L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chea, Philip J
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ma, Wing
• Application Number:
  US12/469,567
• Publication Number:
  US 20100299394A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,919 Days
• Field of Search: 709206, 709207
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/214 using selective forwarding

Abstract

A method of rendering email includes receiving with a networked computing device at least one filter criterion; receiving with the networked computing device an email message; and, responsive to a determination by the networked computing device that the email message meets the at least one filter criterion, diverting the email message from delivery to an inbox and providing an immediate display of the email message in its entirety to a user.

Claims

1. A method of rendering email, comprising:

receiving an email message addressed to a particular user with an email client application on a networked computing device operated by that particular user;

applying at least one filter criterion to content of said email message;

responsive to a determination by said networked computing device that said email message meets said at least one filter criterion, diverting said email message from delivery to an inbox of the email client application of said particular user and providing an alternative rendering of said email message on a display device of the networked computing device for attention by said particular user; and

responsive to input from said particular user through said alternative rendering, processing said email message; and

responsive to the email message being sent to the inbox, re-filtering the email message;

wherein the email message comprises an interactive calendar event invitation and said alternative rendering comprises user input options for accepting or declining said calendar event invitation.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said at least one filter criterion is configured by a user operating said networked computing device and an email client application of that networked computing device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said at least one filter criterion comprises at least one of:

a minimum length of said email message, and a maximum length of said email message.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said alternative rendering comprises a popup window on a visual display device of said computing device.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising providing a display of a plurality of unread email messages that meet said at least one filter criterion to said user in a single popup window.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said alternative rendering of said email message comprises user input options to reply to said email message;

forward said email message; and

send said email message on to a specific folder in the inbox.

7. The method of claim 1, said alternative rendering comprising a user input options to snooze said alternative rendering of said email message.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said email message comprises an interactive calendar event invitation and said alternative rendering comprises user input options for accepting or declining said calendar event invitation.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising responsive to a determination that said email message does not meet said at least one filter criterion, automatically sending said email message to said inbox.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the alternative rendering is rendered in a designated pane of a user display separated from a general screen area dedicated to other operations of the computing device.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein diverting the email message from delivery to the inbox comprises bypassing the inbox and immediately displaying the email message on a visual display device.

10. A computing device configured to implement an email client application, the computing device comprising:

a display device;

a processor with associated memory; and

a network interface with which to receive an email message addressed to a particular user associated with that computing device and email client application;

wherein said computing device is configured to divert the email message received from an email server over a network through the network interface from delivery to an inbox of the email client application and provide an alternative rendering of said email message on the display device for notification of the user responsive to said computing device determining that said email message meets at least one criterion for alternative email rendering;

wherein said alternative rendering of said email message comprises user input options to reply to said email message forward said email message and send said email message on to the inbox, and

wherein diverting the email message received from the email server comprises bypassing the inbox and immediately displaying the email message on the display device, and

wherein said email message comprises an interactive calendar event invitation and said alternative rendering comprises user input options for accepting or declining said calendar event invitation; and

wherein said computing device is further configured to, responsive to the email message being sent to the inbox, re-filter the email message.

11. The computing device of claim 10, wherein said at least one filter criterion comprises at least one of:

a minimum length of said email message, a maximum length of said email message, and a level of urgency associated with said email message.

12. The computing device of claim 10, wherein said alternative rendering comprises a popup window on said display device of said computing device.

13. The computing device of claim 10, wherein said alternative rendering comprises a plurality of unread email messages that meet said at least one filter criterion to said user in a single display window on said display device.

14. The computing device of claim 10, wherein said alternative rendering of said email message further comprises an option for said user to snooze said alternative rendering of said email message to be re-presented after a period of time.

15. The computing device of claim 10, wherein said alternative rendering of said email message further comprises an option for said user to send said email message to a designated folder.

16. The computing device of claim 10, wherein said computing device is further configured to, responsive to a determination that said email message does not meet said at least one filter criterion, automatically send said email message to said inbox.

17. A computer program product for email rendering, the computer program product comprising:

a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having computer readable program code embodied therewith, the computer readable program code to, when executed by a processor;

receive an email message addressed to a particular user with an email client application on a networked computing device operated by that particular user,

apply at least one filter criterion to content of said email message;

responsive to a determination by said networked computing device that said email message meets said at least one filter criterion, divert said email message from delivery to an inbox of the email client application of said particular user and providing an alternative rendering of said email message on a display device of the networked computing device for attention by said particular user; and

responsive to input from said particular user through said alternative rendering, process said email message; and

responsive to the email message being sent to the inbox, re-filtering the email message; and

wherein the email message comprises an interactive calendar event invitation and said alternative rendering comprises user input options for accepting or declining said calendar event invitation.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein said at least one filter criterion comprises at least one of:

a minimum length of said email message, a maximum length of said email message, and a level of urgency associated with said email message.