Email management

• US 20040243679A1
• Filed: 05/28/2003
• Published: 12/02/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/28/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Tyler, Joshua Rogers
• Application Number:
  US10/448,032
• Publication Number:
  US 20040243679A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/62 Establishing a time schedule for servicing the requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

Method and apparatus for managing email messages for a user. A responsiveness metric that describes a level of responsiveness may be determined as a function of a plurality of response time periods, each response time period being an amount of time elapsed between sending an email message and receiving a reply to the email message. Information indicative of the responsiveness metric is displayed for the user.

Claims

1. A processor-implemented method for managing email messages for a user, comprising:

determining a responsiveness metric that describes a level of responsiveness as a function of a plurality of response time periods, each response time period being an amount of time elapsed between sending an email message and receiving a reply to the email message; and

displaying for the user information indicative of the responsiveness metric.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing for each sent email message sent by the user, data that indicate a time at which the message was sent and identifiers of one or more correspondents to which the message was sent;

determining for each reply email message received as a response to a sent email message, a correspondent-response time period that is a period of time elapsed since the sent email message was sent and the time at which the reply email message was received;

determining a correspondent-responsiveness metric for each correspondent as a function of a plurality of correspondent-response time periods of reply messages from the correspondent to the user; and

displaying for the user information indicative of the correspondent-responsiveness metrics.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the responsiveness metric is an average of the correspondent-response time periods, the method further comprising:

determining a percentage for each correspondent of a number of messages sent from the user to the correspondent to which the correspondent has sent one or more reply messages; and

displaying for the user the percentage in association with an identifier of each correspondent.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

storing for each received email message received by the user, data that indicate a time at which the message was received and an identifier of a correspondent from which the message was received;

determining for each user-reply message sent by the user in response to a received message from a correspondent, a user-response time period that is a period of time elapsed between time of receipt of the received message and a time at which the user-reply message was sent;

determining a user-responsiveness metric for the user to each correspondent as a function of a plurality of user-response time periods of a plurality of reply messages from the user to the correspondent; and

displaying for the user information indicative of the user-responsiveness metrics.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising providing an indication to the user for each correspondent for which the user-responsiveness metric exceeds the correspondent-responsiveness metric.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising providing an indication to the user for each correspondent for which the correspondent-responsiveness metric exceeds the user-responsiveness metric.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing for each received email message received by the user, data that indicate a time at which the message was received and an identifier of a correspondent from which the message was received;

determining for each user-reply message sent by the user in response to a received message from a correspondent, a user-response time period that is a period of time elapsed between receipt of the received message and a time at which the user-reply message was sent;

determining a user-responsiveness metric for the user to each correspondent as a function of a plurality of user-response time periods of a plurality of reply messages from the user to the correspondent; and

displaying for the user information indicative of the user-responsiveness metrics.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the responsiveness metric is an average of the response time periods.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining for each reply message received as a response to a sent message, a correspondent-response time period that is a period of time elapsed between sending of the sent email message and a time at which the reply email message was received;

determining a first expected response period for each correspondent as a function of a plurality of correspondent-response time periods of reply messages from the correspondent to the user; and

alerting the user to a message sent from the user to a correspondent to which the correspondent has not replied and for which time passed since the message was sent is greater than the first expected response period.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

determining for each user-reply message sent by the user in response to a received message from a correspondent, a user-response time period that is a period of time elapsed between receipt of the received message and a time at which the user-reply message was sent;

determining a second expected response period for the user to each correspondent as a function of a plurality of user-response time periods of a plurality of reply messages from the user to the correspondent; and

alerting the user to a message received by the user from a correspondent to which the user has not replied and for which time passed since the message was received is greater than the second expected response period.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining for each user-reply message sent by the user in response to a received message from a correspondent, a user-response time period that is a period of time elapsed between receipt of the received message and a time at which the user-reply message was sent;

determining a expected response period for the user to each correspondent as a function of a plurality of user-response time periods of a plurality of reply messages from the user to the correspondent; and

alerting the user to a message received by the user from a correspondent to which the user has not replied and for which time passed since the message was received is greater than the expected response period.

12. A processor-implemented method for managing email messages for a user, comprising:

determining a first set of responsiveness metrics, each responsiveness metric in the first set describing a level of responsiveness of one of a plurality of correspondents as a function of a plurality of correspondent-response time periods, each correspondent-response time period being an amount of time elapsed between sending an email message from the user to the correspondent and receiving a reply to the email message from the correspondent;

determining a second set of responsiveness metrics, each responsiveness metric in the second set describing a level of responsiveness of the user to one of a plurality of correspondents as a function of a plurality of user-response time periods, each user-response time period being an amount of time elapsed between receipt of an email message from a correspondent and sending of a reply to the email message from the user to the correspondent; and

displaying for the user information indicative of the first and second set of responsiveness metrics.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the responsiveness metrics are averages of the correspondent-response time periods and user-response time periods.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

determining a percentage for each correspondent of a number of messages sent from the user to the correspondent to which the correspondent has sent one or more reply messages; and

displaying for the user the percentage in association with an identifier of each correspondent.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising providing an indication to the user for each correspondent for which the user-responsiveness metric indicates a greater level of responsiveness of the user than a level of responsiveness indicated by a correspondent-responsiveness metric associated with the correspondent.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising providing an indication to the user for each correspondent for which the correspondent-responsiveness metric indicates a greater level of responsiveness of the correspondent than a level of responsiveness indicated by a user-responsiveness metric of the user to the correspondent.

17. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

determining a third set of responsiveness metrics, each responsiveness metric in the third set describing a level of responsiveness of one of a plurality of correspondents as a function of a plurality of response time periods, each measured by time elapsed between receipt of an email message by the correspondent and sending a reply to the email message by the correspondent; and

displaying for the user information indicative of the third set of responsiveness metrics.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein the first and second set of responsiveness metrics are accumulated by an email client.

19. The method of claim 12, wherein the first and second set of responsiveness metrics are accumulated by an email server.

20. An apparatus for managing email messages for a user, comprising:

means for determining a first set of responsiveness metrics, each responsiveness metric in the first set describing a level of responsiveness of one of a plurality of correspondents as a function of a plurality of correspondent-response time periods, each correspondent-response time period being an amount of time elapsed between sending an email message from the user to the correspondent and receiving a reply to the email message from the correspondent;

means for determining a second set of responsiveness metrics, each responsiveness metric in the second set describing a level of responsiveness of the user to one of a plurality of correspondents as a function of a plurality of user-response time periods, each user-response time period being an amount of time elapsed between receipt of an email message from a correspondent and sending of a reply to the email message from the user to the correspondent; and

means for displaying for the user information indicative of the first and second set of responsiveness metrics.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, further comprising means for providing an indication to the user for each correspondent for which the user-responsiveness metric indicates a greater level of responsiveness of the user than a level of responsiveness indicated by a correspondent-responsiveness metric associated with the correspondent.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, further comprising means for providing an indication to the user for each correspondent for which the correspondent-responsiveness metric indicates a greater level of responsiveness of the correspondent than a level of responsiveness indicated by a user-responsiveness metric of the user to the correspondent.

23. The apparatus of claim 20, further comprising:

means for determining a third set of responsiveness metrics, each responsiveness metric in the third set describing a level of responsiveness of one of a plurality of correspondents as a function of a plurality of response time periods, each measured by time elapsed between receipt of an email message by the correspondent and sending a reply to the email message by the correspondent; and

means for displaying for the user information indicative of the third set of responsiveness metrics.

24. An article of manufacture for managing email messages for a user, comprising:

a computer-readable medium configured with instructions for causing a processor-based system to perform the steps of,

determining a first set of responsiveness metrics, each responsiveness metric in the first set describing a level of responsiveness of one of a plurality of correspondents as a function of a plurality of correspondent-response time periods, each correspondent-response time period being an amount of time elapsed between sending an email message from the user to the correspondent and receiving a reply to the email message from the correspondent;

determining a second set of responsiveness metrics, each responsiveness metric in the second set describing a level of responsiveness of the user to one of a plurality of correspondents as a function of a plurality of user-response time periods, each user-response time period being an amount of time elapsed between receipt of an email message from a correspondent and sending of a reply to the email message from the user to the correspondent; and

displaying for the user information indicative of the first and second set of responsiveness metrics.

25. The article of manufacture claim 24, wherein the responsiveness metrics are averages of the correspondent-response time periods and user-response time periods.

26. The article of manufacture of claim 25, further configured with instructions for causing a processor-based system to perform the steps of:

determining a percentage for each correspondent of a number of messages sent from the user to the correspondent to which the correspondent has sent one or more reply messages; and

displaying for the user the percentage in association with an identifier of each correspondent.

27. The article of manufacture of claim 24, further configured with instructions for causing a processor-based system to perform the step providing an indication to the user for each correspondent for which the user-responsiveness metric indicates a greater level of responsiveness of the user than a level of responsiveness indicated by a correspondent-responsiveness metric associated with the correspondent.

28. The article of manufacture of claim 27, further configured with instructions for causing a processor-based system to perform the step of providing an indication to the user for each correspondent for which the correspondent-responsiveness metric indicates a greater level of responsiveness of the correspondent than a level of responsiveness indicated by a user-responsiveness metric of the user to the correspondent.

29. The article of manufacture of claim 24, further configured with instructions for causing a processor-based system to perform the steps of:

determining a third set of responsiveness metrics, each responsiveness metric in the third set describing a level of responsiveness of one of a plurality of correspondents as a function of a plurality of response time periods, each measured by time elapsed between receipt of an email message by the correspondent and sending a reply to the email message by the correspondent; and

displaying for the user information indicative of the third set of responsiveness metrics.