Electronic mail system

• US 7,328,244 B1
• Filed: 11/03/1999
• Issued: 02/05/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/03/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Kelley, Edward E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bashore; William
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen; Chau
• Application Number:
  US09/433,504
• Time in Patent Office: 3,016 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206, 709/201, 709/203, 709/217, 707/10, 707/200, 395/621
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/353 into predefined classes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/358 Browsing; Visualisation therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/00 User-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, transmitted according to store-and-forward or real-time protocols, e.g. e-mail

Abstract

The present invention discloses a method and apparatus, preferably embodied as a computer program product, wherein e-mail is classified according to categories by imbedding a category identifier into the header of the e-mail message. The invention also provides for a series of electronic storage sites such that upon downloading the e-mail containing the category identifier onto a client computer, the e-mail message is placed into a storage site corresponding to the category identifier. A user of the present invention would no longer need to search through every e-mail message to find a specific e-mail message regarding a particular category. A category table is provided which contains the category identifiers or designators with which to categorize the e-mail message.

Claims

1. A method of sending an e-mail message from a first client computer to a second client computer via a network, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) creating an e-mail message on a first client computer;

(b) providing a plurality of category identifiers for categorizing said e-mail message;

(c) selecting at said first client computer by a sender of said e-mail message a category identifier for said e-mail message from said plurality of category identifiers;

(d) incorporating said category identifier into said e-mail message;

(e) sending said e-mail message having the category identifier from said first client computer;

(f) receiving, by a second client computer, said e-mail message having the category identifier, said second client computer having a plurality of electronic storage sites corresponding to said plurality of category identifiers;

(g) placing said e-mail message having the category identifier in an electronic storage site corresponding to the category identifier;

(h) selecting, by a user of said second client computer, a particular electronic storage site; and

(i) viewing e-mail messages stored in said particular electronic storage site.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein step (c) comprises selecting a category identifier for said e-mail message from a category table having a plurality of designators for classifying e-mail messages.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein step (c) comprises selecting a category identifier for said e-mail message from a plurality of category identifiers and imbedding said category identifier in a header of said e-mail message.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein during step (f) if said e-mail message does not contain a category identifier, said e-mail message is placed in a default storage site stored on said second client computer.

5. A method of sending an e-mail message from an originator'"'"'s client computer to a receiver'"'"'s client computer comprising the steps of:

(a) creating an e-mail message;

(b) selecting a category for said e-mail message from a plurality of categories stored on the originator'"'"'s client computer to form a categorized e-mail message, said category being selected by a sender of the e-mail message at the originator'"'"'s client computer; and

(c) sending said categorized e-mail message via a server to a receiver at the receiver'"'"'s client computer having a plurality of electronic storage sites corresponding to the plurality of categories.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein during step (b) if no category is selected for said e-mail message then said e-mail message is adapted to be stored in a general storage site when received by the receiver'"'"'s client computer.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein step (b) further includes imbedding said category in a header of said e-mail message such that said e-mail message is placed in an electronic storage site corresponding to said category when said e-mail is received by the receiver'"'"'s client computer.

8. The method of claim 5 wherein step (b) comprises selecting a category for said e-mail message from a plurality of categories in a category table stored on the originator'"'"'s client computer.

9. A method of receiving e-mail messages comprising the steps of:

(a) establishing a plurality of electronic storage sites corresponding to a plurality of categories selected by a sender of an e-mail message at an originator'"'"'s client computer, said plurality of electronic storage sites capable of being imbedded in a header of an e-mail message sent from an originator, said plurality of electronic storage sites adapted to store one or more of said e-mail messages having a corresponding category;

(b) receiving an e-mail message at a receiver'"'"'s client computer having one of said plurality of categories imbedded in a header of said e-mail message at said originator'"'"'s client computer;

(c) storing said e-mail message in one of said plurality of electronic storage sites corresponding to said category imbedded in said e-mail message on said receiver'"'"'s client computer;

(d) selecting one of said plurality of electronic storage sites on said receiver'"'"'s client computer; and

(e) viewing said e-mail messages stored in said selected one of said plurality of electronic storage sites at said receiver'"'"'s client computer.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein step (b) further includes receiving an e-mail message without a category, said e-mail is stored in a default electronic storage site in step (c).

11. The method of claim 9 wherein said receiving computer includes a category table comprising a plurality of predetermined designators for classifying e-mail messages.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein said designators of said category table correspond to a plurality of storage sites on said receiving computer for storing e-mail messages.

13. A method of creating and utilizing a category identifier table comprising the steps of:

(a) providing a plurality of designators for classifying e-mail messages, said plurality of designators corresponding to a plurality of electronic storage sites located on a client computer of a receiver of an e-mail message; and

(b) incorporating a designator into an e-mail message, said designator selected by an originator of the e-mail message,

wherein the e-mail message is sent to the receiver such that upon receipt, said e-mail message is stored in one of said plurality of electronic storage sites corresponding to said designator selected by the originator of the e-mail message.

14. A program storage device readable by a machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform method steps for sending an e-mail message created on a first client computer for receiving by a second client computer, said method steps comprising:

(a) providing a plurality of category identifiers such that said user of said first client computer can select one of said plurality of category identifiers;

(b) selecting by the user of said first client computer one of said plurality of category identifiers;

(c) incorporating the selected one of said plurality of category identifiers into said e-mail message selected by the user of said first client computer;

(d) sending said e-mail message having the one of said plurality of category identifiers to a recipient at a second client computer; and

(e) placing said e-mail message having one of said plurality of category identifiers in one of a plurality of electronic storage sites located on said second client computer, said plurality of electronic storage sites corresponding to said plurality of category identifiers.

15. A program storage device readable by a machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform method steps for sending an e-mail message from an originator'"'"'s client computer to a receiver'"'"'s client computer, said method steps comprising:

(a) providing a plurality of category identifiers in which to categorize an e-mail message;

(b) categorizing an e-mail message by an originator of said e-mail message selecting one of said plurality of category identifiers;

(c) imbedding the selected category identifier into said e-mail message;

(d) sending said e-mail message having the selected category identifier to a receiver'"'"'s client computer having a plurality of storage sites corresponding to said plurality of category identifiers; and

(e) storing said e-mail message on the receiver'"'"'s client computer in a storage site corresponding to said selected category identifier.

16. A program storage device readable by a machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform method steps for receiving e-mail messages, said method steps comprising:

(a) establishing a plurality of storage sites on a receiver'"'"'s client computer corresponding to a plurality of category identifiers selected by a sender at a sender'"'"'s client computer, said plurality of category identifiers being imbedded in a plurality of e-mail messages;

(b) downloading at the receiver'"'"'s client computer an e-mail message having a category identifier selected from said plurality of category identifiers selected by said sender at the sender'"'"'s client computer;

(c) storing said e-mail message in one of said plurality of storage sites corresponding to the category identifier of said e-mail message at the receiver'"'"'s client computer; and

(d) enabling the receiver to select one of said plurality of storage sites to view e-mail messages stored within.

17. A computer program product comprising:

a computer usable medium having computer readable program code means embodied therein for sending and receiving e-mail messages, said computer program product having;

computer readable program code means for causing a computer to create an e-mail message in computer readable form based on a sender'"'"'s input, whereby the sender selects a category identifier for incorporating therein said e-mail message at said computer;

computer readable program code means for providing a plurality of category identifiers to categorize said e-mail message wherein one of said plurality of category identifiers is selected for said e-mail message by said sender;

computer readable program code means for causing said computer to send said e-mail message to another computer;

computer readable program code means for causing said another computer to receive said e-mail messages from said computer; and

computer readable program code means for causing said another computer to place said e-mail messages upon receipt in one of a plurality of electronic storage sites corresponding to said category identifiers selected at said computer and located within said e-mail messages.

18. A computer program product comprising:

a computer usable medium having computer readable program code means embodied therein for sending an e-mail message, said computer program product having;

computer readable program code means for causing a computer to create an e-mail message in computer readable form based on a user'"'"'s input;

computer readable program code means for providing a category table comprising a plurality of category identifiers for categorizing said e-mail message, said plurality of category identifiers being provided at said computer;

computer readable program code means for causing said computer to imbed a selected category identifier into said e-mail message, said category identifier being selected by said user; and

computer readable program code means for causing said computer to send said e-mail message, having said selected category identifier embedded therein, to another computer.

19. A computer program product comprising:

a computer usable medium having computer readable program code means embodied therein for causing a computer to receive an e-mail message having a category identifier contained within said e-mail message whereby said category identifier is selected by a user at a sending computer, said computer program product having;

computer readable program code means for causing a receiving computer to establish a plurality of electronic folders corresponding to a plurality of category identifiers capable of being incorporated in an e-mail message sent from said sending computer, said plurality of electronic folders adapted to store one or more e-mail messages having a corresponding category identifier as selected by said user at said sending computer;

computer readable program code means for causing a receiving computer to receive e-mail messages having one of said plurality of category identifiers contained within each e-mail message;

computer readable program code means for causing a receiving computer to store said e-mail messages in one of said electronic folders corresponding to the one of said plurality of category identifiers contained within each e-mail message; and

computer readable program code means for viewing said e-mail messages stored in one of said electronic folders at said receiving computer.