E-mail role templates for classifying e-mail

• US 7,493,359 B2
• Filed: 12/17/2004
• Issued: 02/17/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Lebowitz, David B., Fitzpatrick, Gregory P., Gusler, Carl Phillip, Hamilton, Rick Allen II
• Primary Examiner(s): Kang; Paul H
• Application Number:
  US11/016,128
• Publication Number:
  US 20060168029A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,523 Days
• Field of Search: 709/202, 709/205, 709/238
• US Class Current: 709/202
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]

Abstract

An e-mail categorization system can include a plurality of role templates, each role template being associated with an e-mail account and defining a plurality of categories for categorizing e-mail messages. An authorized account holder can establish the plurality of categories and can designate programmatic actions that are to be selectively executed by an e-mail receiving application upon the receipt of e-mail messages. The selection of actions can be based upon categories of the received e-mail messages. Role templates can be distributed to e-mail originators so that when e-mail originators direct e-mail messages to an account associated with a role template, the originators are prompted to select one of the categories defined by a corresponding role template.

Claims

1. An e-mail categorization system comprising:

a plurality of role templates, each role template being associated with an e-mail account and defining a plurality of categories for categorizing e-mail messages, wherein an authorized account holder establishes the plurality of categories and designates programmatic actions that are to be selectively executed by an e-mail receiving application upon the receipt of e-mail messages based upon categories of the received e-mail messages, and wherein role templates are distributed to e-mail originators so that when e-mail originators direct e-mail messages to an account associated with a role template, the originators are prompted to select one of the categories defined by a corresponding role template;

an originator module associated with an e-mail application of one of the e-mail originators, the originator module having machine-readable code that directs a computing device to

detect an e-mail origination event,

responsive to the origination event and for each e-mail recipient that is to be conveyed an e-mail message, identify a role template associated with the e-mail recipient, and

when a role template is detected, prompt the e-mail originator to designate one of the categories defined by the identified role template that pertains to the e-mail message; and

a role manager module configured to mark selected categories defined by a role template as stale and to prevent new e-mail messages from being associated with a categories marked as stale, wherein the role manager module further defines actions that an account holder is to take when receiving e-mail messages associated with a stale category, and wherein one of said actions includes conveying an e-mail notification to the e-mail originator to inform the e-mail originator that a stale role has been designated against an e-mail message.

2. A computerized e-mailing method comprising the steps of:

identifying a role template for an e-mail account, wherein said role template establishes a plurality of account holder defined categories for an e-mail account;

prompting an e-mail originator to designate one of the categories based upon said role template when said e-mail originator directs an e-mail message to said e-mail account, wherein the designated category is conveyed to the e-mail account along with the e-mail message;

detecting an attempt to disseminate said role template;

validating the role template; and

responsive to the validating step, selectively accepting the role template, wherein accepting the template results in a category pop-up interface item populated with categories defined by the role template to appear when the e-mail originator attempts to send an e-mail message to the e-mail account associated with the role template.

3. A computerized e-mailing method comprising the steps of:

receiving account holder provided input that defines a plurality of categories for an e-mail account;

establishing a role template in accordance with the received input;

distributing the role template to a plurality of e-mail communicators; and

using indicators from the e-mail communicators that designate one of the categories defined by said role template to handle e-mail messages received from the e-mail communicators;

wherein said using step comprises the steps of;

receiving an e-mail message;

examining an indicator associated with the e-mail message to determine a category specified for the received e-mail message;

comparing the determined category against a list of current categories associated with the role template; and

performing at least one previously defined programmatic action based upon results of said comparing step;

wherein the comparing step determines that the determined category is not one of the categories included within the list of current categories by automatically conveying an e-mail message to an originator of the e-mail message that indicates that a valid category for the e-mail message is to be selected in order for the e-mail to be conveyed to the intended recipient.