Method and apparatus for applying personalized rules to e-mail messages at an e-mail server

• US 7,200,636 B2
• Filed: 11/01/2002
• Issued: 04/03/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/01/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle America, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Harding, Michael A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Meky; Moustafa M.
• Application Number:
  US10/286,568
• Publication Number:
  US 20040088357A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,614 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206, 709217-227, 709200-203
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/212 using filtering or selective blocking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/214 using selective forwarding

Abstract

One embodiment of the present invention provides a system that applies personalized rules for handling e-mail messages to e-mail messages within an e-mail server. During operation, the system connects to the e-mail server from a remote computer system on behalf of a user. Next, the system applies the personalized rules to e-mail messages received for the user at the e-mail server. This involves applying actions specified in the personalized rules to the e-mail messages. Next, the system disconnects from the e-mail server so that the connection does not have to be maintained.

Claims

1. A method for applying personalized rules for handling e-mail messages to e-mail messages within an e-mail server, comprising:

connecting to the e-mail server from a pseudo-client on a remote computer system on behalf of a user, wherein the pseudo-client periodically accesses the e-mail server on behalf of the user, and wherein the pseudo-client interacts with the user through a client that is separate from the pseudo-client;

applying the personalized rules to e-mail messages received for the user at the e-mail server, wherein the rules are applied by the pseudo-client;

wherein applying the personalized rules involves continually applying actions specified in the personalized rules to the new e-mail messages;

disconnecting from the e-mail server; and

waiting a specified interval before re-establishing a connection with the e-mail server.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising periodically sending a summary e-mail message to the user, wherein the summary e-mail message summarizes actions applied to e-mail messages on behalf of the user.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein applying the personalized rules involves filtering out unwanted e-mail messages from the e-mail messages received for the user.

4. The method of claim 3,

wherein the unwanted e-mail messages are moved into a possible junk folder;

and

wherein e-mail messages in the possible junk folder are automatically deleted if not acted upon the by the user.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein if a given e-mail message in the possible junk folder is subsequently acted upon by the user, the method further comprises modifying the personalized rules so that subsequent e-mail messages received from a sender of the given e-mail message are not moved into the possible junk folder.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein applying the personalized rules involves:

looking up the personalized rules for the user in a database;

assembling the personalized rules within a lookup structure; and

using the lookup structure to apply the personalized rules to the e-mail messages received for the user.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the method is applied to multiple e-mail servers associated with the user.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein applying the personalized rules involves forwarding selected e-mail messages to a single primary e-mail server for the user, so that selected e-mail messages are aggregated at the single primary e-mail server for the user.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising allowing the user to add, delete and/or modify personalized rules associated with the user.

10. A computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that when executed by a computer cause the computer to perform a method for applying personalized rules for handling e-mail messages to e-mail messages within an e-mail server, the method comprising:

connecting to the e-mail server from a pseudo-client on a remote computer system on behalf of a user, wherein the pseudo-client periodically accesses the e-mail server on behalf of the user, and wherein the pseudo-client interacts with the user through a client that is separate from the pseudo-client;

applying the personalized rules to e-mail messages received for the user at the e-mail server, wherein the rules are applied by the pseudo-client;

wherein applying the personalized rules involves continually applying actions specified in the personalized rules to the e-mail messages;

disconnecting from the e-mail server; and

waiting a specified interval before re-establishing a connection with the e-mail server.

11. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the method further comprises periodically sending a summary e-mail message to the user, wherein the summary e-mail message summarizes actions applied to e-mail messages on behalf of the user.

12. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein applying the personalized rules involves filtering out unwanted e-mail messages from the e-mail messages received for the user.

13. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 12,

wherein the unwanted e-mail messages are moved into a possible junk folder;

and

wherein e-mail messages in the possible junk folder are automatically deleted if not acted upon the by the user.

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein if a given e-mail message in the possible junk folder is subsequently acted upon by the user, the method further comprises modifying the personalized rules so that subsequent e-mail messages received from a sender of the given e-mail message are not moved into the possible junk folder.

15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein applying the personalized rules involves:

looking up the personalized rules for the user in a database;

assembling the personalized rules within a lookup structure; and

using the lookup structure to apply the personalized rules to the e-mail messages received for the user.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the method is applied to multiple e-mail servers associated with the user.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein applying the personalized rules involves forwarding selected e-mail messages to a single primary e-mail server for the user, so that selected e-mail messages are aggregated at the single primary e-mail server for the user.

18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the method further comprises allowing the user to add, delete and/or modify personalized rules associated with the user.

19. An apparatus that applies personalized rules for handling e-mail messages to e-mail messages within an e-mail server, comprising:

a connection mechanism configured to establish a connection to the e-mail server from a pseudo-client on a remote computer system on behalf of a user, wherein the pseudo-client periodically accesses the e-mail server on behalf of the user, and wherein the pseudo-client interacts with the user through a client that is separate from the pseudo-client;

a rule application mechanism configured to apply the personalized rules to e-mail messages received for the user at the e-mail server, wherein the rules are applied by the pseudo-client;

wherein the rule application mechanism is configured to continually apply actions specified in the personalized rules to the e-mail messages;

wherein the connection mechanism is configured to disconnect from the e-mail server after the personalized rules have been applied to the e-mail messages on the e-mail server; and

wherein the connection machine is configured to wait a specified interval before re-establishing a connection with the e-mail server.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, further comprising a summary mechanism configured to periodically send a summary e-mail message to the user, wherein the summary e-mail message summarizes actions applied to e-mail messages on behalf of the user.

21. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the rule application mechanism is configured to filter out unwanted e-mail messages from the e-mail messages received for the user.

22. The apparatus of claim 21,

wherein the rule application mechanism is configured to move unwanted e-mail messages into a possible junk folder;

and

wherein the rule application mechanism is configured to automatically delete e-mail messages in the possible junk folder if not acted upon by the user.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, further comprising a rule modification mechanism, wherein if a given e-mail message in the possible junk folder is subsequently acted upon by the user, the rule modification mechanism is configured to modify the personalized rules so that subsequent e-mail messages received from a sender of the given e-mail message are not moved into the possible junk folder.

24. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the rule application mechanism is configured to:

look up the personalized rules for the user in a database;

assemble the personalized rules within a lookup structure; and

to

use the lookup structure to apply the personalized rules to the e-mail messages received for the user.

25. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the rule application mechanism is configured to apply the personalized rules to multiple e-mail servers associated with the user.

26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the rule application mechanism is configured to forward selected e-mail messages to a single primary e-mail server for the user, so that selected e-mail messages are aggregated at the single primary e-mail server for the user.

27. The apparatus of claim 19, further comprising a rule modification mechanism configured to allow the user to add, delete and/or modify personalized rules associated with the user.