System, method, and computer program product for providing a multi-user e-mail system

• US 7,421,472 B1
• Filed: 11/20/2000
• Issued: 09/02/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Robert C. Ross Jr
• Original Assignee: Robert C. Ross Jr
• Inventors: Ross, Robert C. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): NEURAUTER, GEORGE C
• Application Number:
  US09/714,997
• Time in Patent Office: 2,843 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206, 709/250, 345/750, 345/751, 345/752, 345/733, 345/764, 345/741, 345/810, 345/835
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/16 Combinations of two or more digital computers each having at least an arithmetic unit, a program unit and a register, e.g. for a simultaneous processing of several programs coordinating program control therefor G06F9/52; in regulating and control system G05B
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]

Abstract

A system, method, and computer program product for providing a multi-user shared e-mail system on a single computer is described. The system enables multiple users to use a single computer to provide for each user, one at a time, access to a personal secure e-mail account environment for that user. The e-mail account environment can include an inbox, an outbox and one or more folders to store received e-mail. The multiple e-mail account environments are all stored on the single computer. The single computer can be standalone, or can include an interface to a network, such as the Internet, for delivery of e-mail to users whose e-mail accounts do not reside on the single computer. The multi-user e-mail account system on a shared single computer provides cost efficient access for a large number of users which do not each need their own computer. The e-mail system includes a prioritization indicator to determine which of the multiple users of the shared e-mail system can get access first. Priority can reflect, e.g., receipt of new e-mail by an account and the urgency of received e-mail.

Claims

1. A shared multi-user email system on a single computer, comprising:

a shared computer;

a multi-user email system configured to run on said shared computer configured to enable a plurality of users, one at a time, to access said multi-user email system running on said shared computer;

a multi-user graphical user interface (GUI) configured to display concurrently current status of multiple email accounts of said plurality of users,

wherein said multi-user GUI permits one user of said plurality of users at a time to access an email user account environment of said one user of said plurality of users on said multi-user email system,

wherein said one user, if authenticated, can access only said email user account environment belonging to said one user,

wherein each of said email user account environments includes an inbox, an outbox, and at least one personal file folder; and

a network interface coupled to said shared computer through which emails can be routed to destination addresses not included in said multi-user email system.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein said multi-user GUI includes an indication of the priority of email received in said multi-user email system enabling prioritization of access to said shared computer by said users.

3. The system according to claim 2, wherein said indication of priority includes at least one of the following indications of priority:

an audio;

a visual;

a color;

an iconic;

a communication to a communication device;

a page to a pager;

a numeric;

an alphabetic;

a letter;

a character;

an alert; and

a wireless alert.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein the system is used in at least one of a production, operations, healthcare, retail, hospital, and nursing environments.

9. The shared multi-user email system of claim 1, further comprising:

a user-assignable personal file folder, wherein said user-assignable personal file folder has associated with said user-assignable personal file folder a property including at least one of;

at least one recipient, a sender, an email address of the sender, a username of a sender, an email address of the at least one recipient, or a username of the at least one recipient,

a user selectable save message instruction operative, upon a selection by the user of a single user interface element, to automatically store in one of one or more user selected user-assignable personal file folders, a user selected previously received message,

wherein the system automatically stores an outgoing message, at the same time as said outgoing message is sent, to at least one user-assignable personal file folder having associated with the user-assignable personal file folder a recipient of the outgoing message.

10. The system according to claim 9, wherein the system is operative to automatically create a new one of said user assignable personal file folders, automatically tagged to at least one of the email address of, or the username of the sender of said previously received message when no user assignable personal file folder exists for the sender of said message.

11. The system according to claim 9, wherein the electronic message system is operative to automatically store in a user-assignable personal file folder associated with the sender of read receipt report, said report received from the sender of said read receipt report in response to a previously sent message.

12. The system according to claim 11, wherein said read receipt report is a dynamic, active read receipt report comprising:

a continually updated single file indicating read receipt status indicating which of a plurality of recipients of a previously sent message have and/or have not accessed said previously sent message, and wherein said read receipt report tracks a date and time of access by one of a plurality of recipients of said previously sent message.

13. The system according to claim 9, wherein said user interface element comprises at least one of an icon, a menu selection, and/or a button.

14. The system according to claim 9, wherein the system is operative to automatically create a new user-assignable personal file folder.

15. The system according to claim 9, wherein the system is operative to store a plurality of user-selected previously received messages in one of said user-assignable personal file folders associated with said sender of said previously received messages upon selection by the user of the single user interface element.

5. A real time multi-user graphical user interface (GUI) comprising:

a status module enabling a computer to indicate current status of multiple email accounts of a plurality of users, concurrently, on a shared multi-user computer.

6. The GUI according to claim 5, wherein said status module comprises:

a priority indicator enabling the computer to indicate priority of access to the shared multi-user computer.

7. The GUI according to claim 6, wherein said priority indicator comprises at least one of:

a visual indicator;

an audio indicator;

a color indicator;

a numeric indicator;

a alphabetic indicator;

an alphanumeric indicator;

an iconic indicator;

a communication;

a communication device;

an alert;

a wireless alert; and

a page.

8. The GUI according to claim 5, wherein said status module comprises:

a new mail indicator enabling the computer to indicate that a new mail has arrived for one of said plurality of users of said shared multi-user computer.