METHOD, SYSTEM, AND COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCT FOR CHANGING THE STATUS OF AN EXISTING EMAIL IN A RECIPIENT EMAIL CLIENT INBOX

• US 20080235335A1
• Filed: 03/20/2007
• Published: 09/25/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/20/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Rahn, Michael D., Hintermeister, Gregory R.
• Application Number:
  US11/688,465
• Publication Number:
  US 20080235335A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]

Abstract

A method, system, and computer program product for changing the status of an existing email in a recipient email client inbox are provided. The method includes receiving a message from an email server that includes a message identifier identifying the existing email message, the existing email message transmitted to the recipient email client inbox. The method also includes retrieving the existing email message corresponding to the message identifier, replacing a date and time of the existing email message with a current date and time corresponding to a time the message is transmitted, and moving the existing email message to the top of an email queue of the recipient email client inbox. The method further includes marking the existing email message at the top of the email queue as unread and notating the existing email message with the date and time of the existing email message.

Claims

1. A method for changing the status of an existing email message in a recipient email client inbox, comprising:

receiving a message from an email server, the message including a message identifier that identifies the existing email message by a timestamp of original transmission of the existing email message and an email address of a sender email client, the existing email message transmitted to the recipient email client from the sender email client;

retrieving the existing email message corresponding to the message identifier from the recipient email client inbox;

replacing a date and time of the existing email message with a current date and time corresponding to a time the message is transmitted by the sender email client;

changing a priority designator identifier of the existing email message between urgent and normal when the message reflects a priority designator that is different from a currently assigned priority designator associated with the existing email message;

moving the existing email message to the top of an email queue of the recipient email client inbox;

marking the existing email message at the top of the email queue as unread; and

notating the existing email message at the top of the email queue with the date and time of the existing email message, the date and time of the existing email message reflecting at least one of a time of original transmission and most recent email message update.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the message further includes a message handling identifier comprising a message handled option, a suggest handler option, a keep in loop option, and a teamroom email option, the method further comprising:

viewing a list of email recipients who have received, viewed, forwarded, responded, and deleted the existing email message when the message handling identifier reflects selection of the message handled option by the sender email client;

identifying a recipient from a list of email recipients who is selected to respond or take action on the existing email message when the suggest handler option is selected;

identifying an email address of an entity who is selected to be copied each time the existing email message or email thread of the existing email message is forwarded and responded to when the keep in loop option is selected; and

storing the existing email message in a central location accessible to a list of email recipients when the teamroom email option is selected.

3. A system for changing the status of an existing email message in a recipient email client inbox, comprising:

a computer system executing an email client; and

a message handling application executing on the computer system and in communication with the email client, the message handling application implementing a method, comprising;

receiving a message from an email server, the message including a message identifier that identifies the existing email message by a timestamp of original transmission of the existing email message and an email address of a sender email client, the existing email message transmitted to the recipient email client inbox from the sender email client, the recipient email client inbox provided by the email client;

retrieving the existing email message corresponding to the message identifier from the recipient email client inbox;

replacing a date and time of the existing email message with a current date and time corresponding to a time the message is transmitted by the sender email client;

changing a priority designator identifier of the existing email message between urgent and normal when the message reflects a priority designator that is different from a currently assigned priority designator associated with the existing email message;

moving the existing email message to the top of an email queue of the recipient email client inbox;

marking the existing email message at the top of the email queue as unread; and

notating the existing email message at the top of the email queue with the date and time of the existing email message, the date and time of the existing email message reflecting at least one of a time of original transmission and most recent email message update.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the message further includes a message handling identifier comprising a message handled option, a suggest handler option, a keep in loop option, and a teamroom email option, the method further comprising:

viewing a list of email recipients who have received, viewed, forwarded, responded, and deleted the existing email message when the message handling identifier reflects selection of the message handled option by the sender email client;

identifying a recipient from a list of email recipients who is selected to respond or take action on the existing email message when the suggest handler option is selected;

identifying an email address of an entity who is selected to be copied each time the existing email message or email thread of the existing email message is forwarded and responded to when the keep in loop option is selected; and

storing the existing email message in a central location accessible to a list of email recipients when the teamroom email option is selected.

5. A computer program product for changing the status of an existing email message in a recipient email client inbox, the computer program product including instructions for causing a computer to implement a method, comprising:

receiving a message from an email server, the message including a message identifier that identifies the existing email message by a timestamp of original transmission of the existing email message and an email address of a sender email client, the existing email message transmitted to the recipient email client from the sender email client;

retrieving the existing email message corresponding to the message identifier from the recipient email client inbox;

replacing a date and time of the existing email message with a current date and time corresponding to a time the message is transmitted by the sender email client;

changing a priority designator identifier of the existing email message between urgent and normal when the message reflects a priority designator that is different from a currently assigned priority designator associated with the existing email message;

moving the existing email message to the top of an email queue of the recipient email client inbox;

making the existing email message at the top of the email queue as unread; and

notating the existing email message at the top of the email queue with the date and time of the existing email message, the date and time of the existing email message reflecting at least one of a time of original transmission and most recent email message update.

6. The computer program product of claim 5, wherein the message further includes a message handling identifier comprising a message handled option, a suggest handler option, a keep in loop option, and a teamroom email option, the method further comprising:

viewing a list of email recipients who have received, viewed, forwarded, responded, and deleted the existing email message when the message handling identifier reflects selection of the message handled option by the sender email client;

identifying a recipient from a list of email recipients who is selected to respond or tale action on the existing email message when the suggest handler option is selected;

identifying an email address of an entity who is selected to be copied each time the existing email message or email thread of the existing email message is forwarded and responded to when the keep in loop option is selected; and

storing the existing email message in a central location accessible to a list of email recipients when the teamroom email option is selected.