System and method for establishing relationships between hypertext reference and electronic mail program incorporating the same

• US 7,055,091 B1
• Filed: 01/20/1999
• Issued: 05/30/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/20/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Avaya Incorporated, Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Inventors: Williams, Marvin L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bashore, William
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Maikhanh
• Application Number:
  US09/234,351
• Time in Patent Office: 2,687 Days
• Field of Search: 707/301.1, 707/500.1, 707503-530, 709/206, 709/207, 709/218, 709/229, 709/203, 715/501.1, 715/500.1, 715/503, 715/514, 715/500, 715/513, 715/526
• US Class Current: 715/205
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]

Abstract

For use with an electronic mail (e-mail) program, a system for, and method of, establishing relationships between hypertext references contained in e-mail messages received by the e-mail program and an e-mail program containing the system or the method. In one embodiment, the system includes: (1) a message parser that locates hypertext references in first and second e-mail messages received by the e-mail program and (2) a message organizer that allows a user to choose to display the first and second e-mail messages in an order that is based on the hypertext references.

Claims

1. For use with an electronic mail program, an arrangement comprising:

a message parser that locates hypertext references in a plurality of electronic mail messages;

a message organizer that orders the located hypertext references in an order predetermined by a preference of a user;

means responsive to a first command from the user, for displaying a first web page corresponding to one of the located hypertext references; and

means responsive to a next command issued by the user while the first web page is displayed, wherein the next command does not identify an electronic mail message or a hypertext reference, for displaying a second web page corresponding to another of the located hypertext references that is next in the predetermined order, without displaying the electronic mail message in which the other hypertext reference is located.

2. The arrangement as recited in claim 1 wherein said message organizer further causes said electronic mail program to display a message field containing said hypertext references and a from field containing said sender associated with each of said hypertext references.

3. The arrangement as recited in claim 1 wherein said electronic mail messages are each selected from the group consisting of:

a direct electronic mail message, and

a newsgroup posting.

4. The arrangement as recited in claim 1 wherein said hypertext references have associated viewing statuses, said message organizer identically marking viewing statuses of identical ones of said hypertext references.

5. The arrangement as recited in claim 1 wherein said message organizer orders based on said hypertext references and said sender associated with each of said hypertext references.

6. The arrangement as recited in claim 1 wherein said hypertext references are uniform resource locators (URLs).

7. The arrangement as recited in claim 1 further comprising a browser and wherein said message organizer is capable of employing said browser to view information associated with said hypertext references.

8. The arrangement as recited in claim 7 wherein said browser is capable of paging between pages of information associated with said hypertext references of said message organizer and said browser identically marks viewing statuses of identical ones of said hypertext references.

9. The arrangement of claim 1 wherein:

the means for displaying a second web page comprise

a button displayed along with the first web page whose actuation triggers displaying of the second web page.

10. The arrangement of claim 1 wherein:

the means for displaying a second web page are further responsive to another command issued by the user while the first web page is displayed, wherein the other command does not identify an electronic mail message or a hypertext reference, for displaying a third web page corresponding to a preceding one of the hypertext references in the predetermined order, without displaying the electronic message in which such other hypertext reference is located.

11. The arrangement of claim 10 wherein:

the means for displaying a second web page comprise

a button displayed along with the first web page whose actuation triggers displaying of the second web page.

12. The arrangement of claim 1 wherein:

the means for displaying a second web page are further responsive to another command issued by the user while the second web page is displayed, wherein the other command does not identify an electronic mail message or a hypertext reference, for displaying a third web page corresponding to yet another of the located hypertext references in the predetermined order that follows or precedes the hypertext reference to the first web page, without displaying the electronic mail message in which the hypertext reference to the third web page is located.

13. The arrangement of claim 12 wherein:

the means for displaying a second web page comprise

a first button displayed along with the first web page whose actuation triggers displaying of the web page corresponding to the hypertext reference that follows the one hypertext reference in the order, and

a second button displayed along with the first web page whose actuation triggers displaying of the web page corresponding to the hypertext reference that precedes the one hypertext reference in the order.

14. The arrangement of claim 1 further comprising:

means responsive to displaying of the first web page, for marking all hypertext references corresponding to the first web page in the electronic mail messages as having been accessed.

15. The arrangement of claim 1 wherein:

the message organizer responds to displaying of the first web page by deleting the hypertext reference corresponding to the first web page from the order.

16. The arrangement of claim 1 further comprising:

means responsive to the locating, for displaying a list of the electronic mail messages, including displaying in the list each located hypertext reference in association with an identifier of the electronic mail message in which the located hypertext reference is found.

17. For use with an electronic mail program, a method comprising:

locating hypertext references in a plurality of electronic mail messages;

in response to a first command from a user, displaying a first web page corresponding to one of the located hypertext references; and

in response to a next command issued by the user while the first web page is displayed, wherein the next command does not identify an electronic mail message or a hypertext reference, displaying a second web page corresponding to another of the located hypertext references that is next in relation to the hypertext reference to the first web page in an order of the located hypertext references predetermined by a preference of the user, without displaying the electronic mail message in which the hypertext reference to the second web page is located.

18. The method as recited in claim 17 further comprising causing said electronic mail program to display a message field containing said hypertext references and a from field containing said sender associated with each of said hypertext references.

19. The method as recited in claim 17 wherein said electronic mail messages are selected from the group consisting of:

a direct electronic mail message, and

a newsgroup posting.

20. The method as recited in claim 17 wherein said hypertext references have associated viewing statuses, said method comprising identically marking viewing statuses of identical ones of said hypertext references.

21. The method as recited in claim 17 wherein said order is based on said hypertext references and said sender associated with each of said hypertext references.

22. The method as recited in claim 17 wherein said hypertext references are uniform resource locators (URLs).

23. The method as recited in claim 17 further comprising invoking a browser to view information associated with said hypertext references.

24. The method of claim 17 further comprising:

in response to another command issued by the user while the first web page is displayed, wherein the another command does not identify an electronic mail message or a hypertext reference, displaying a third web page corresponding to yet another of the located hypertext references that precedes the hypertext reference of the first web page in the order, without displaying the electronic message in which the hypertext reference to the third web page is located.

25. The method of claim 17 further comprising:

in response to another command issued by the user while the second web page is displayed and wherein the other command does not identify an electronic mail message or a hypertext reference, displaying a third web page corresponding to yet another of the located hypertext references that follows or precedes the hypertext reference of the first web page in the order, without displaying the electronic mail message in which the hypertext reference to the third web page is located.

26. The method of claim 17 further comprising:

in response to displaying the first web page, marking all hypertext references corresponding to the first web page in the electronic mail messages as having been accessed.

27. The method of claim 17 further comprising:

in response to displaying the first web page, deleting the hypertext reference corresponding to the first web page from the order.

28. The method of claim 17 further comprising:

in response to the locating, displaying a list of the electronic mail messages, including displaying in the list each located hypertext reference in association with an identifier of the electronic mail message in which the located hypertext reference is found.

29. An electronic mail program, comprising:

a message receiver;

a message transmitter coupled to said message receiver;

a message composer coupled to said message transmitter;

a message store coupled to said message composer;

a message parser that locates hypertext references in a plurality of electronic mail messages received by said message receiver;

a message organizer that orders the located hypertext references in an order predetermined by a preference of a user; and

a message displayer that responds to a first command from the user by displaying a first web page corresponding to one of the located hypertext references, and that responds to a next command issued by the user while the first web page is displayed, wherein the next command does not identify an electronic mail message or a hypertext reference, by displaying a second web page corresponding to another of the located hypertext references that is next in the predetermined order, without displaying the electronic mail message in which the hypertext reference to the second web page is located.

30. The method as recited in claim 29 further comprising:

paging between pages of information associated with said hypertext references of said message organizer; and

identically marking viewing statuses of identical ones of said hypertext references.

31. The electronic mail program as recited in claim 29 wherein said message organizer further causes said electronic mail program to display a message field containing said hypertext references and a from field containing said sender associated with each of said hypertext references.

32. The electronic mail program as recited in claim 29 wherein said is electronic mail messages are selected from the group consisting of:

a direct electronic mail message, and

a newsgroup posting.

33. The electronic mail program as recited in claim 29 wherein said hypertext references have associated viewing statuses, said message organizer identically marking viewing statuses of identical ones of said hypertext references.

34. The electronic mail program as recited in claim 29 wherein said message organizer orders based on said hypertext references and said sender associated with each of said hypertext references.

35. The electronic mail program as recited in claim 29 wherein said hypertext references are uniform resource locators (URLs).

36. The electronic mail program as recited in claim 29 further comprising a browser and wherein said message organizer is capable of employing said browser to view information associated with said hypertext references.

37. The electronic mail program as recited in claim 36 wherein said browser is capable of paging between pages of information associated with said hypertext references of said message organizer and said browser identically marks viewing statuses of identical ones of said hypertext references.

38. The program of claim 29 wherein:

the message displayer comprises

a button displayed along with the first web page whose actuation triggers displaying of the second web page.

39. The program of claim 29 wherein:

the message displayer further responds to another command issued by the user while the first web page is displayed and wherein the other command does not identify an electronic mail message or a hypertext reference, by displaying a third web page corresponding to yet another of the hypertext references in the predetermined order that precedes the hypertext reference to the first web page, without displaying the electronic message in which the hypertext reference to the third web page is located.

40. The program of claim 39 wherein:

the message displayer comprises

a button displayed along with the first web page whose actuation triggers displaying of the second web page.

41. The program of claim 39 wherein:

the message displayer further responds to another command issued by the user while the second web page is displayed and wherein the other command does not identify an electronic mail message or a hypertext reference, by displaying a third web page corresponding to yet another of the hypertext references that follows or precedes the hypertext reference to the first web page, without displaying the electronic mail message in which the hypertext reference to the third web page is located.

42. The program of claim 41 wherein:

the message displayer comprises

a first button displayed along with the first web page whose actuation triggers displaying of the web page corresponding to the hypertext reference that follows the one hypertext reference in the order, and

a second button displayed along with the first web page whose actuation triggers displaying of the web page corresponding to the hypertext reference that precedes the one hypertext reference in the order.

43. The program of claim 29 wherein:

the message displayer responds to displaying of the first web page by marking all hypertext references corresponding to the first web page in the electronic mail messages as having been accessed.

44. The program of claim 29 wherein:

the message organizer responds to displaying of the first web page by deleting the hypertext reference corresponding to the first web page from the order.

45. The program of claim 29 wherein:

the message displayer responds to the locating by displaying a list of the electronic mail messages, including displaying in the list each located hypertext reference in association with an identifier of the electronic mail message in which the located hypertext reference is found.