METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR EMAIL SEARCH

• US 20100169320A1
• Filed: 12/22/2009
• Published: 07/01/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Persistent Systems Limited
• Original Assignee: Persistent Systems Limited
• Inventors: Deshpande, Ajay, Gokhale, Jitendra, PATNAM, Prashanth, Kulkarni, Vinod
• Granted Patent: US 9,281,963 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/737
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/338 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/212 using filtering or selective blocking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/234 for tracking messages

Abstract

A method and system for performing email search, the said method comprising of enabling the user to find relations between emails and build network relations and to further retrieve groups based on the relations (and intersections of relations) as per the user'"'"'s choice; the system comprising of giving and having the user select predetermined options for a search with a further ability to “drill-down” the results with the aid of filters to view further mails/results, and being also able to search on search results and also provide for storing user searches.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of performing email communication search, comprising:

accessing email communication and related data from a first data repository;

generating an index from email communication and related data based on pre-determined relationships; and

retrieving the desired email communication (s) and related data in response to the request based on various inputs from the user, the input comprising of choosing at least one filter.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein email communication and related data is accessed from a corporate messaging server, or web based email server;

3. The method of claim 2 wherein multiple corporate messaging servers or web based email servers can be searched.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein email communication and related data accessed from a messaging server is updated at realtime;

5. The method of claim 1 wherein various predetermined relationships may include email communication addresses or name of the person, related people, email communication, filters, number of persons involved in a conversation, attachments, from, to, cc, bcc, date, time, subject, headers, keywords in the communication, folders, conversation thread, enhanced search such as boolean search, fuzzy search, phrase search or wild card search;

6. The method of claim 5 wherein various pre-determined relationships include filters, people view, domain based, mail based, and context based view.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein relationships can be created and saved for future use;

8. The method of claim 7 wherein email communications and related data are automatically classified into matching contexts based on relationships created and saved for future use by the user;

9. The method of claim 1 wherein input of the user includes search in Boolean search, fuzzy search, phrase search and wild card search;

10. The method of claim 1 wherein various filters may include email communication addresses or domain addresses or name of the person, related people, number of persons involved in a conversation, attachments, from, to, cc, bcc, date, time, subject, headers, keywords in the communication, folders, conversation thread, enhanced search such as boolean search, fuzzy search, phrase search or wild card search;

11. The method of claim 10 where various filters include keyword search, from, to, cc, bcc, date, time, subject, headers, attachments, number of person involved in a conversation, email communication addresses or domain addresses or name of the person, folders.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein retrieval of the desired communication can be effected in steps comprising of applying of one or more filters, simultaneously or at various levels, on the email communications to get search results;

13. The method of claim 12 wherein further search is performed on the search results;

14. The method of claim 1 wherein retrieval of the desired communication can be effected based on various inputs, various inputs comprising of switching between different filters and relationships to get corresponding results.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein generating relationships from email communications builds social network and represents network, groups of people, groups of domains, or connection types;

16. The method of claim 15 wherein such network, groups of people, groups of domains, or connection types are represented to the user graphically.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein retrieval of the desired communication can be effected by and individual as a part of group;

18. The method of claim 1 wherein very less memory of the second data repository is used and applies filters as desired only at runtime on the first data repository when the user makes a request;

19. A computer-implemented system for performing email communication search, the system comprising:

a first data repository comprising email communications and related data;

a second data repository for generating and storing index from email communication and related data based on various contexts and filters; and

a module for taking, processing, and responding to the request of the user.

20. The system of claim 19 further comprising

a second module for synchronizing new email communications and related data up-to-date in the second data repository;

21. The system of claim 19 further comprising

a display module for displaying the request of the user.

22. The system of claim 21 wherein the display module comprises an interface.

23. The system of claim 19 further comprising

a third module for invoking appropriate plug-ins based on the requirement of the user.