EMAIL FREQUENCY AND CONSOLIDATION ASSISTANT

• US 20150100644A1
• Filed: 10/03/2013
• Published: 04/09/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/03/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Yahoo Assets LLC
• Original Assignee: Yahoo! Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Gulik, Tom
• Granted Patent: US 10,110,532 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/216 Handling conversation history, e.g. grouping of messages in sessions or threads
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/42 Mailbox-related aspects, e.g. synchronisation of mailboxes

Abstract

An email system is configured to enable a user to identify frequent email senders and block or consolidate emails from such senders. The emails received within a predetermined time period from a sender, who is selected for consolidation by a user of an email account, are consolidated into one entry in the inbox. This mitigates the inbox from getting overcrowded with frequent emails from various senders. Statistics related to various senders are also generated in order to aid the user in identifying senders whose emails need to be consolidated or blocked.

Claims

1. ) A method comprising:

receiving, by a processor, input from a user of an email account to consolidate emails received at the email account from a sender;

receiving, by the processor, a first new email from the sender;

configuring, by the processor, a view of an inbox of the email account to show a consolidated view of emails from the sender wherein a first indication associated with a prior email from the sender already existing in the inbox is also used for indicating the receipt of the first new email; and

transmitting, by the processor, to a user device instructions to display the consolidated view of the first new email and the existing email when the user logs into the email account.

2. ) The method of claim 1 further comprising:

including, by the processor, a consolidation element in a display of the inbox; and

receiving, by the processor, the input from the user via activation of the consolidation element.

3. ) The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the processor, consolidation criteria for the sender.

4. ) The method of claim 3, wherein the consolidation criteria comprise a time period for consolidating emails from the sender.

5. ) The method of claim 4, further comprising:

detecting, by the processor, expiry of the time period;

receiving, by the processor, a second new email from the sender upon the expiry; and

configuring, by the processor, the view of the inbox to show a second indication for the second new email.

6. ) The method of claim 1, further comprising:

configuring, by the processor, the emails in the consolidated view to be displayed in a tabbed user interface when the user desires to view the emails.

7. ) The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting, by the processor, a type associated with emails received into the email account.

8. ) The method of claim 1, further comprising:

configuring, by the processor, a user interface associated with the email account to display statistics associated with most frequent senders.

9. ) The method of claim 1, further comprising:

configuring, by the processor, a view of the inbox to display a frequency of message transmission associated with each sender.

10. ) The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating, by the processor, statistics related to received email messages based on user request.

11. ) A computing system comprising:

at least one processor;

a storage medium for tangibly storing thereon program logic for execution by the processor, the program logic comprising;

input receiving logic, executed by the processor, for receiving input from a user of an email account to consolidate emails received at the email account from a sender;

email receiving logic, executed by the processor, for receiving a first new email from the sender;

inbox configuring logic, executed by the processor, for configuring a view of an inbox of the email account to show a consolidated view of emails from the sender wherein a first indication associated with a prior email from the sender already existing in the inbox is also used for indicating the first new email; and

transmitting logic, executed by the processor, for transmitting instructions to a user device to display the consolidated view of the first new email and the existing email when the user logs into the email account.

12. ) The system of claim 11 further comprising:

configuring logic, executed by the processor, for configuring a display of the inbox to include a consolidation element such that the receiving logic, executed by the processor, receives the input from the user via activation of the consolidation element.

13. ) The system of claim 11, further comprising:

criteria receiving logic, executed by the processor, for receiving consolidation criteria for the sender.

14. ) The system of claim 13, wherein the consolidation criteria comprise a time period for consolidating emails from the sender.

15. ) The system of claim 14, further comprising:

detecting logic, executed by the processor, for detecting expiry of the time period.

16. ) The system of claim 15, further comprising:

entry configuring logic, executed by the processor, for configuring the view of the inbox to show a second indication for a second new email received from the sender upon the expiry.

17. ) A computer readable storage medium, comprising instructions, which when executed by a processor cause the processor to:

receive input from a user of an email account to consolidate emails received at the email account from a sender;

receive a first new email from the sender;

configure a view of an inbox of the email account to show a consolidated view of emails from the sender wherein a first indication associated with a prior email from the sender already existing in the inbox is also used for indicating the first new email; and

transmit to a user device instructions to display the consolidated view of the first new email and the existing email when the user logs into the email account.

18. ) The computer readable medium of claim 17 further comprising instructions to:

provide a consolidation element in a display of the inbox; and

receive an activation of the consolidation element as the input from the user.

19. ) The computer readable medium of claim 17 further comprising instructions to:

receive consolidation criteria for the sender, wherein the consolidation criteria comprise at least a time period for consolidating emails from the sender.

20. ) The computer readable medium of claim 19 further comprising:

detect expiry of the time period;

receive a second new email from the sender upon the expiry; and

configure the view of the inbox to show a second indication for the second new email.