System for managing and organizing stored electronic messages
First Claim
1. A method for organizing electronic messages comprising:
- providing an electronic message, the electronic message comprising a plurality of properties;
generating a plurality of shortcuts to the electronic message, each of the shortcuts comprising a record in a database, each record comprising a FolderId value associating the shortcut with a different one of a plurality of folders and a MessageId value associating the shortcut with the message wherein each of the records comprises a SortKey value, and the method comprises;
identifying a sort field for at least one of the folders; and
, for each of a plurality of shortcuts associated with the at least one of the folders setting the SortKey value based upon a value corresponding to the shortcut in the sort field wherein setting the SortKey value for each of the shortcuts comprises retrieving a most significant portion of a value for the sort field corresponding to the shortcut and basing the SortKey value on the most significant portion of the value for the sort field.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A computer-based system catalogs and retrieves electronic messages saved in a message store. The system automatically organizes each saved message into multiple folders based on the contents and attributes of the message, and implements improved methods for manually organizing messages. Unlike prior art systems, where a message exists in only one folder, the system uses lightweight message shortcuts to display the message in multiple folders simultaneously. The system preferably permits messages to be organized by: 1) basic message and attachment properties, e.g. date, status, attachment type; 2) extended message properties that the user can specify, e.g. keywords; and 3) correspondent or bulk mail sender/recipient, with automatic separation of bulk mail from correspondence. Performance and usability are improved by performing reads incrementally and by providing multiple sorting keys.
280 Citations
34 Claims
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1. A method for organizing electronic messages comprising:
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providing an electronic message, the electronic message comprising a plurality of properties;
generating a plurality of shortcuts to the electronic message, each of the shortcuts comprising a record in a database, each record comprising a FolderId value associating the shortcut with a different one of a plurality of folders and a MessageId value associating the shortcut with the message wherein each of the records comprises a SortKey value, and the method comprises;
identifying a sort field for at least one of the folders; and
,for each of a plurality of shortcuts associated with the at least one of the folders setting the SortKey value based upon a value corresponding to the shortcut in the sort field wherein setting the SortKey value for each of the shortcuts comprises retrieving a most significant portion of a value for the sort field corresponding to the shortcut and basing the SortKey value on the most significant portion of the value for the sort field. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28)
identifying a set of shortcuts having a FolderId value, identifying one or more consecutive SortKey values of shortcuts in the set of shortcuts and identifying as a subset of the set of shortcuts, all shortcuts in the set of shortcuts having any one of the one or more consecutive SortKey values, sorting the shortcuts in the subset according to values in the sort field corresponding to each of the shortcuts, and displaying at least some of the shortcuts of the subset in sorted order.
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24. A method according to claim 23 wherein identifying a subset of the set of shortcuts comprises including in the subset:
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a predetermined number of the shortcuts taken in order of the SortKey values of the shortcuts; and
all shortcuts having a SortKey value equal to the SortKey value of a last one of the shortcuts in the predetermined number of the shortcuts.
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25. A computer readable medium containing instructions which, when executed on a computer system, cause the computer system to implement the method of claim 1.
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26. A method according to claim 1 wherein the method comprises:
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identifying a new sort field for at least one of the folders; and
,for each shortcut associated with the at least one of the folders setting the SortKey value based upon a value corresponding to the shortcut in the new sort field.
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27. A method according to claim 26 comprising identifying a sort direction for the at least one of the folders wherein setting the SortKey value is also based upon the sort direction.
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28. A method according to claim 26 comprising determining a format of the new sort field and selecting a corresponding format for the SortKey value wherein setting the SortKey value comprises writing the SortKey value in the corresponding format.
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29. A method for locating a stored electronic message, the method comprising:
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selecting a folder, the folder associated with a plurality of shortcuts, each shortcut associated with a message and comprising a SortKey value the SortKey value based upon a value of a sort field corresponding to the message associated with the shortcut;
requesting a first set of the shortcuts in the folder, the shortcuts of the first set having one or more consecutive SortKey values;
receiving the first set of shortcuts;
sorting the first set of shortcuts according to values of the sort field; and
,displaying a sorted representation of shortcuts in the first set of shortcuts to a user wherein the method comprises;
identifying a new sort field for at least one of the folders; and
,for each shortcut associated with the at least one of the folders setting the SortKey value based upon a value corresponding to the shortcut in the new sort field wherein setting the SortKey value comprises retrieving a most significant portion of a value for the new sort field corresponding to the shortcut and basing the SortKey value on the most significant portion of the value for the new sort field. - View Dependent Claims (30, 31, 32, 33, 34)
identifying a set of shortcuts associated with a folder, identifying one or more consecutive SortKey values of shortcuts in the set of shortcuts and identifying as a subset of the set of shortcuts, all shortcuts in the set of shortcuts having any one of the one or more consecutive SortKey values, sorting the shortcuts in the subset according to values in the new sort field corresponding to each of the shortcuts, and displaying at least some of the shortcuts of the subset in sorted order.
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34. A method according to claim 33 wherein identifying a subset of the set of shortcuts comprises including in the subset:
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a predetermined number of the shortcuts taken in order of the SortKey values of the shortcuts; and
all shortcuts having a SortKey value equal to the SortKey value of a last one of the shortcuts in the predetermined number of the shortcuts.
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Specification