User interface for email inbox to call attention differently to different classes of email

• US 20060200531A1
• Filed: 03/13/2006
• Published: 09/07/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/03/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Bryan Allen Talbot, Jia Shen, Jose Jesus Jr. Picazo, Lance Aiji Tokuda, Robert Philip Zager
• Original Assignee: Bryan Allen Talbot, Jia Shen, Jose Jesus Jr. Picazo, Lance Aiji Tokuda, Robert Philip Zager
• Inventors: Zager, Robert Philip, Tokuda, Lance Aiji, Shen, Jia, Picazo, Jose Jesus Jr., Talbot, Bryan Allen
• Application Number:
  US11/375,329
• Publication Number:
  US 20060200531A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/212 using filtering or selective blocking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/214 using selective forwarding
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/224 providing notification on incoming messages, e.g. pushed notifications of received messages

Abstract

A user interface for email users which calls attention to one or more categories of emails in different ways. In some species, at least three categories are used: branded senders with Trumarks; white list buddies; and fraudulent emails which are either not from the domain they purport to be from or in which the content was tampered. The preferred embodiment authenticates emails from branded senders and displays them with the sender'"'"'s Truemark. Branded sender emails have their Truemarks displayed in the sender column of a list view in the preferred embodiment. In a preferred embodiment, white list senders have either an icon or other graphic or photo they choose displayed to the left or right of the sender column with their name in the sender column. In a preferred embodiment, fraudulent emails have a fraud icon displayed to the left or right of the sender column with a warning in the sender column. Antiphishing processing is also disclosed.

Claims

1. A method, including:

detecting a message within a browser;

identifying a sender of the message; and

acquiring personalized data associated with the sender from an external service and associating the personalized data with the message within the browser.

2. The method of claim 1 further including:

acquiring a distinctive graphic to identify the sender; and

presenting the distinctive graphic in connection with the message within the browser.

3. The method of claim 2 further including, presenting at least a portion of the personalized data if the distinctive graphic is selected or if the distinctive graphic is bought into focus by a selection device within the browser.

4. The method of claim 1 further including, presenting at least a portion of the personalized data within a first view associated with the message or presenting the portion of the personalized data within a second view that is separate and distinct from the first view.

5. The method of claim 1 further including, playing a distinctive sound on a device associated with the browser in response to identifying the sender.

6. The method of claim 1 further including, distinctively identifying the sender within a display header associated with the message within the browser, wherein the distinctive identification includes a link to acquire the personalized data associated with the sender.

7. The method of claim 1 further including, attaching the personalized data to the message as an attachment which when open presents the personalized data.

8. A machine-accessible medium having instructions residing therein, the instructions when accessed by a machine perform a method, including:

receiving an identifier for a sender from a browser service;

acquiring personalized data for the sender; and

supplying the personalized data to the browser service for access within a browser in connection with a message received from the sender.

9. The medium of claim 8 further including instructions for registering the personalized data from the sender prior to receiving the identifier for the sender from the browser service.

10. The medium of claim 8 further including instructions for supplying a distinctive graphic with the personalized data to the browser service, wherein the browser service presents the distinctive graphic with the message or with a header of the message to identify the sender.

11. The medium of claim 10 further including instructions for linking the distinctive graphic to the personalized data for the browser service.

12. The medium of claim 8 further including instructions for assigning different access permissions for different portions of the personalized data in response to an identity associated with the browser service or with a user of the browser service.

13. The medium of claim 12 further including instructions for encrypting some portions of the supplied personalized data for which the browser service or for which the user is not authorized to view pursuant to a particular one of the access permissions.

14. The medium of claim 8, wherein receiving further includes receiving an email address for the sender as the identifier from the browser service.

15. A system, including:

a personalized information service; and

a browser service, wherein the browser service is to process messages received from a message service within a browser and is to further send identifiers of senders of those messages to the personalized information service, and wherein the personalized information service is to acquire personalized information for the senders and supply the personalized information back to the browser service for processing in connection with the messages within the browser.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the personalized information service is to further interact with the senders to receive and record the personalized information.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the browser service is to present selective portions of the personalized information within the browser in connection with the messages.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the browser service is to automatically present the personalized information within the browser in connection with the messages.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the browser service is to present the personalized information within the browser in connection with the messages in response to one or more actions taken by a user within the browser with respect to the messages.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein the personalized information includes distinctive graphics that the browser service is to present in connection with presentations of the messages within the browser, and wherein each distinctive graphic identifies a particular one of the senders.