Systems and Methods for Analyzing Electronic Communications

• US 20100174784A1
• Filed: 09/20/2006
• Published: 07/08/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/20/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Mark Alexander Neal, Michael Ernest Levey
• Original Assignee: Mark Alexander Neal, Michael Ernest Levey
• Inventors: Neal, Mark Alexander, Levey, Michael Ernest
• Application Number:
  US11/991,674
• Publication Number:
  US 20100174784A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/212 using filtering or selective blocking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/234 for tracking messages

Abstract

Methods and systems are provided for analyzing e-mail communications. E-mail messages and/or associated information (e.g., senders, recipients, message IDs) communicated through an e-mail system are captured and analyzed to identify e-mail threads. Based on the e-mail threads, scores are generated that are indicative of e-mail usage of e-mail users. Based on the scores, an action may be performed such as, for example, notifying individual(s) or their manager(s) that e-mail user(s) are generating or initiating e-mail conversations that generate an excessive amount of e-mail traffic. As another example, the e-mail account of at least one user may be at least partially restricted based on the scores.

Claims

1. A method for analyzing e-mail communications comprising:

capturing e-mail messages and/or associated information communicated through an e-mail system;

analyzing the captured e-mail messages and/or associated information to identify at least one e-mail thread; and

based on the at least one e-mail thread, generating a score indicative of e-mail usage for a user involved in the e-mail thread.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the generating comprises generating, for each e-mail user involved in the e-mail thread, a score indicative of e-mail usage.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the score indicative of e-mail usage is based on one or more of an origination, forward, reply, and reply to all of e-mail(s) by the e-mail user.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the score indicative of e-mail usage is further based on one or more of an e-mail forward, reply, and reply to all of a recipient of an e-mail sent by the e-mail user.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising performing an action based on the score.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the performing an action comprises generating a report indicative of the score.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the generating a report comprises generating a report comprising text, a graphic, animation, or a combination thereof.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the performing an action comprises sending an e-mail alert to at least one user based on the score.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein the performing an action comprises at least partially restricting an e-mail account of the e-mail user.

10. The method of claim 5, wherein the e-mail user is a member of a first group and performing an action comprises comparing the score for the e-mail user to a score for an e-mail user from a second group.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein said first group and said second group comprise different departments or other logical groupings in the same corporation or organization, different corporations or organizations, or different industries, regions, and/or countries.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the capturing comprises extracting the e-mail messages and/or associated information from an e-mail archive or archives, journaling, log files, or other storage for the e-mail system.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the capturing comprises receiving the e-mail messages and/or associated information in real time.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the capturing comprises capturing at least one of:

an e-mail message ID, e-mail address of sender, e-mail address(es) of recipients, attachment size, attachment type, attachment content, body content, e-mail header information, and associated e-mail information.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the analyzing to identify at least one e-mail thread comprises iteratively analyzing a plurality of e-mail messages in order to identify relationships between senders and recipients of the e-mails over multiple e-mail generations.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the generating the score for the e-mail user comprises assigning, for each e-mail user in the line of the e-mail thread and for all e-mails forwarded or replied to, weighting and/or points determining a sub-score based on where the e-mail user is in the thread and the actions the e-mail user actually initiated.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the generating the score for the e-mail user comprises:

generating a first sub-score for the e-mail user based on an e-mail sent by the given user to one or more recipients;

generating one or more secondary sub-scores for the user based on at least one e-mail sent by the one or more recipients in subsequent and/or previous e-mail generation(s); and

determining the score based on the first sub-score and the one or more secondary sub-scores.

18. Apparatus for analyzing e-mail communications comprising:

memory for storing e-mail messages and/or associated information communicated through an e-mail system; and

an e-mail analyzer configured to;

analyze the stored e-mail messages and/or associated information to identify at least one e-mail thread; and

generate, based on the at least one e-mail thread, a score indicative of e-mail usage for an e-mail user involved in the e-mail thread.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the e-mail analyzer is configured to generate, for each e-mail user involved in the e-mail thread, a score indicative of e-mail usage.

20. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the score indicative of e-mail usage is based on one or more of an origination, forward, reply, and reply to all of e-mail(s) by the e-mail user.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the score indicative of e-mail usage is further based on one or more of an e-mail forward, reply, and reply to all of a recipient of an e-mail sent by the e-mail user.

22. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the apparatus is configured to perform an action based on the score.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the action comprises generating a report indicative of the score.

24. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the action comprises sending an e-mail alert to at least one user based on the score.

25. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the action comprises at least partially restricting an e-mail account of the e-mail user.

26. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the memory stores e-mail messages and/or associated information extracted from an e-mail archive for the e-mail system.

27. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the memory stores e-mail messages and/or associated information received in real time.

28. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the e-mail messages and/or associated information comprises at least one of:

an e-mail message ID, e-mail address of sender, e-mail address(es) of recipients, attachment size, attachment type, attachment content, and body content, e-mail header information, and associated e-mail information.

29. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the e-mail analyzer is configured to identify the at least one e-mail thread by iteratively analyzing a plurality of e-mail messages in order to identify relationships between senders and recipients of the e-mails over multiple e-mail generations.

30. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the e-mail analyzer is configured to:

generate a first sub-score for the e-mail user based on an e-mail sent by the e-mail user to one or more recipients;

generate one or more secondary sub-scores for the e-mail user based on at least one e-mail sent by the one or more recipients in subsequent and/or previous e-mail generation(s); and

determine the at least one score based on the first sub-score and the one or more secondary sub-scores.

31. The apparatus of claim 18, further comprising:

a plurality of user computers; and

an e-mail server or servers for enabling e-mail communications between the plurality of user computers, wherein the e-mail server or servers is/are configured to allow journaling, logging or otherwise storage or archiving of the e-mail communications.

32. A system for analyzing e-mail communications comprising:

means for capturing e-mail messages and/or associated information communicated through an e-mail system;

means for analyzing the captured e-mail messages and/or associated information to identify at least one e-mail thread; and

means for generating, based on the at least one e-mail thread, a score indicative of e-mail usage of an e-mail user.