Method, system, and storage medium for providing autonomic identification of an important message

• US 7,536,442 B2
• Filed: 09/30/2003
• Issued: 05/19/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hulu LLC (The Walt Disney Company)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Wilbrink, Tijs Y., Kelley, Edward E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chang; Jungwon
• Application Number:
  US10/605,437
• Publication Number:
  US 20050086307A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,058 Days
• Field of Search: 709/207, 709/225, 709/206, 714/39, 726/2, 726/15
• US Class Current: 709/207
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/226 Delivery according to priorities

Abstract

An exemplary embodiment of the invention relates to a method, system, and storage medium for providing autonomic identification of an important message addressed to a recipient email subscriber. The method includes scanning an email message received over a network operable for identifying a Uniform Resource Locator contained in the email message. If a Uniform Resource Locator is found, the Uniform Resource Locator is compared to the contents of a history file that stores a listing of Uniform Resource Locators previously accessed by the recipient email subscriber. The method also includes performing analytics for the Uniform Resource Locator based upon said contents of the history file, resulting in a rating assigned to the Uniform Resource Locator. If the rating meets a minimum standard set for qualifying the Uniform Resource Locator as relevant, the email message is flagged as relevant and forwarded to the recipient email subscriber.

Claims

1. A method for providing autonomic identification of an important message addressed to a recipient email subscriber, comprising:

scanning an email message received over a network, said scanning operable for identifying a Uniform Resource Locator contained in said email message; and

if a Uniform Resource Locator is found;

comparing said Uniform Resource Locator with contents of a history file, said history file storing a listing of Uniform Resource Locators previously accessed by said recipient email subscriber;

performing analytics for said Uniform Resource Locator based upon said contents of said history file, said performing analytics resulting in a rating assigned to said Uniform Resource Locator; and

if said rating meets a minimum standard set for qualifying said Uniform Resource Locator as relevant;

flagging said email message; and

forwarding said email message with a flag to said recipient email subscriber;

wherein the method further comprises deploying, accessing, and executing process software for providing said autonomic identification of an important message addressed to a recipient email subscriber, said deploying, accessing, and executing process software implemented through a virtual private network, the method further comprising;

determining if a virtual private network is required;

checking for remote access to said virtual private network when it is required;

if said remote access does not exist, identifying a third party provider to provide secure, encrypted connections between a private network and remote users;

identifying said remote users; and

setting up a network access server operable for downloading and installing client software on desktop computers for remote access of said virtual private network;

accessing said process software;

transporting said process software to at least one remote user'"'"'s desktop computer; and

executing said process software on said at least one remote user'"'"'s desktop computer.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

forwarding said email message without a flag to said recipient email subscriber if at least one of;

a Uniform Resource Locator has not been found; and

a rating fails to meet said minimum standard set for qualifying said Uniform Resource Locator as relevant.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

updating contents of said history file to include said Uniform Resource Locator found as a result of said scanning.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said performing analytics for said Uniform Resource Locator based upon contents of said history file includes at least one of:

evaluating frequency in which said recipient email subscriber accessed said Uniform Resource Locator;

evaluating how recently said recipient email subscriber accessed said Uniform Resource Locator; and

evaluating said Uniform Resource Locator in context with relevance rules established by said recipient email subscriber.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said relevance rules include at least one of:

assigning relevance to a specific Uniform Resource Locator;

establishing limits on a number of Uniform Resource Locators qualified to be relevant;

applying weighting factors to specific types of Uniform Resource Locators; and

applying weighting factors to Uniform Resource Locators based upon measurements of usage and time factors.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said flagging said email message includes associating said email message with at least one of a:

letter symbol;

number symbol;

pictorial symbol;

audio symbol; and

color symbol.

7. The method of claim l, further comprising:

determining if said virtual private network has a site-to-site configuration for providing site-to-site access, and if said virtual private network is not so available, installing equipment required to establish a site-to-site configuration for said virtual private network;

installing large scale encryption into said site-to-site virtual private network; and

accessing said process software through said site-to-site configuration with large scale encryption.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein said accessing said process software further comprises at least one of:

dialing into said network access server, and

attaching directly via a modem into said network access server, said modem being selected from the group of modems consisting of telephone dial-up modems, cable modems, DSL modems, and wireless modems.

9. A storage medium encoded with machine-readable computer program code for providing autonomic identification of an important message addressed to a recipient email subscriber, said storage medium including instructions for causing a computer to implement a method, comprising:

scanning an email message received over a network, said scanning operable for identifying a Uniform Resource Locator contained in said email message; and

if a Uniform Resource Locator is found;

comparing said Uniform Resource Locator with contents of a history file, said history file storing a listing of Uniform Resource Locators previously accessed by said recipient email subscriber;

performing analytics for said Uniform Resource Locator based upon said contents of said history file, said performing analytics resulting in a rating assigned to said Uniform Resource Locator; and

if said rating meets a minimum standard set for qualifying said Uniform Resource Locator as relevant;

flagging said email message; and

forwarding said email message with a flag to said recipient email subscriber;

wherein the storage medium further comprises instructions for causing said computer to implement deploying, accessing, and executing process software for providing autonomic identification of an important message addressed to a recipient email subscriber through a virtual private network, said deploying, accessing, and executing process software including;

determining if a virtual private network is required;

checking for remote access to said virtual private network when it is required;

if said remote access does not exist, identifying a third party provider to provide secure, encrypted connections between a private network and remote users;

identifying said remote users;

setting up a network access server for downloading and installing client software on desktop computers for remotely accessing said virtual private network;

accessing said process software;

transporting said process software to at least one remote user'"'"'s desktop computer; and

executing said process software on said at least one remote user'"'"'s desktop computer.

10. The storage medium of claim 9, further comprising instructions for causing said computer to implement:

forwarding said email message without a flag to said recipient email subscriber if at least one of;

a Uniform Resource Locator has not been found; and

a rating fails to meet said minimum standard set for qualifying said Uniform Resource Locator as relevant.

11. The storage medium of claim 9, further comprising instructions for causing said computer to implement:

updating contents of said history file to include said Uniform Resource Locator found as a result of said scanning.

12. The storage medium of claim 9, wherein said performing analytics for said Uniform Resource Locator based upon contents of said history file includes at least one of:

evaluating frequency in which said recipient email subscriber accessed said Uniform resource Locator;

evaluating how recently said recipient email subscriber accessed said Uniform Resource Locator; and

evaluating said Uniform Resource Locator in context with relevance rules established by said recipient email subscriber.

13. The storage medium method of claim 12, wherein said relevance rules include at least one of:

assigning relevance to a specific Uniform Resource Locator;

establishing limits on a number of Uniform Resource Locators qualified to be relevant;

applying weighting factors to specific types of Uniform Resource Locators; and

applying weighting factors to Uniform Resource Locators based upon measurements of usage and time factors.

14. The storage medium of claim 9, wherein said flagging said email message includes associating said email message with at least one of a:

letter symbol;

number symbol;

pictorial symbol;

audio symbol; and

color symbol.

15. The storage medium of claim 9, further comprising instructions for causing said computer to implement:

determining if said virtual private network has a site-to-site configuration for providing site-to-site access, and if said virtual private network is not so available, installing equipment required to establish a site-to-site configuration for said virtual private network;

installing large scale encryption into said site-to-site virtual private network; and

accessing said process software through said site-to-site configuration with large-scale encryption;

wherein said accessing said process software includes at least one of;

dialing into said network access server; and

attaching directly via a modem into said network access server, said modem being selected from the group of modems consisting of telephone dial-up modems, cable modems, DSL modems and wireless modems.

16. A message analysis system for providing autonomic identification of an important message addressed to a recipient email subscriber, comprising:

a computer processor; and

a message analysis system application executing on the computer processor, the message analysis system application implementing a method, the method comprising;

scanning an email message received over a network, said scanning operable for identifying a Uniform Resource Locator contained in said email message; and

if a Uniform Resource Locator is found;

comparing said Uniform Resource Locator with contents of a history file, said history file storing a listing of Uniform Resource Locators previously accessed by said recipient email subscriber;

performing analytics for said Uniform Resource Locator based upon said contents of said history file, said performing analytics resulting in a rating assigned to said Uniform Resource Locator; and

if said rating meets a minimum standard set for qualifying said Uniform Resource Locator as relevant;

flagging said email message; and

forwarding said email message with a flag to said recipient email subscriber;

wherein the method further comprises deploying, accessing, and executing process software for providing autonomic identification of an important message addressed to a recipient email subscriber through a virtual private network, said deploying, accessing, and executing process software including;

determining if a virtual private network is required;

checking for remote access to said virtual private network when it is required;

if said remote access does not exist, identifying a third party provider to provide secure, encrypted connections between a private network and remote users;

identifying said remote users;

setting up a network access server for downloading and installing client software on desktop computers for remotely accessing said virtual private network;

accessing said process software;

transporting said process software to at least one remote user'"'"'s desktop computer; and

executing said process software on said at least one remote user'"'"'s desktop computer.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the message analysis system application further performs:

forwarding said email message without a flag to said recipient email subscriber if at least one of;

a Uniform Resource Locator has not been found; and

a rating fails to meet said minimum standard set for qualifying said Uniform Resource Locator as relevant.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the message analysis system application further performs:

updating contents of said history file to include said Uniform Resource Locator found as a result of said scanning.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein said incoming email message determined to be relevant by said message analysis system is flagged with at least one of a:

letter symbol;

number symbol;

pictorial symbol;

audio symbol; and

color symbol.

20. The system of claim 16, wherein said performing analytics for said Uniform Resource Locator based upon contents of said history file includes at least one of:

evaluating frequency in which said recipient email subscriber accessed said Uniform Resource Locator;

evaluating how recently said recipient email subscriber accessed said Uniform Resource Locator; and

evaluating said Uniform Resource Locator in context with relevance rules established by said recipient email subscriber.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein said relevance rules include at least one of:

assigning relevance to a specific Uniform Resource Locator;

establishing limits on a number of Uniform Resource Locators qualified to be relevant;

applying weighting factors to specific types of Uniform Resource Locators; and

applying weighting factors to Uniform Resource Locators based upon measurements of usage and time factors.