Filtering and managing electronic mail

• US 7,783,706 B1
• Filed: 04/21/2004
• Issued: 08/24/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/21/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aristotle.Net, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Aristotle.Net, Inc.
• Inventors: Robinson, John D.
• Primary Examiner(s): EL CHANTI, HUSSEIN A
• Application Number:
  US10/828,500
• Time in Patent Office: 2,316 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/207, 709/217, 709/223, 709/225, 709/206
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/212 using filtering or selective blocking

Abstract

Filtering and managing electronic mail is accommodated by allowing a user to designate an approved subject line phrase whose presence allows an incoming message to bypass certain message filtering operations. E-mail messages sent to the user are examined to determine whether their subject line includes the approved phrase. When the phrase is present in the message subject line, delivery of the message to the user is accommodated according to the settings prescribed by the user. E-mail management is also accommodated by allowing a user to download a message from a mail server to an e-mail client and subsequently restore the message onto the mail server as though it had not yet been downloaded.

Claims

1. A method for restoring electronic mail messages to a mail server, the method comprising:

determining that an electronic mail message addressed to a particular user is resident at a mail server;

receiving the electronic mail message at a mail client from the mail server pursuant to an electronic mail downloading procedure that entails deleting the electronic mail message from the mail server;

receiving a request to restore the electronic mail message on the mail server following a completion of the electronic mail downloading procedure; and

restoring the electronic mail message as though the electronic mail message had not been downloaded from the mail server in response to receiving the request, wherein restoring the electronic mail message comprises creating a temporary message file that includes a re-written header and an original message body corresponding to the electronic mail message, wherein the re-written header indicates that the message is being sent from the original sender of the electronic mail message and to the particular user, and transmitting the temporary message file to the mail server as the restored electronic mail message.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether the electronic mail message is an appropriate candidate for restoration prior to restoring the electronic mail message.

3. A computer program product for restoring electronic mail messages to a mail server, the computer program product stored on a computer readable medium and adapted to perform operations comprising:

determining that an electronic mail message addressed to a particular user is resident at a mail server;

receiving the electronic mail message at a mail client from the mail server pursuant to an electronic mail downloading procedure that entails deleting the electronic mail message from the mail server;

receiving a request to restore the electronic mail message on the mail server following a completion of the electronic mail downloading procedure; and

restoring the electronic mail message as though the electronic mail message had not been downloaded from the mail server in response to receiving the request, wherein restoring the electronic mail message comprises creating a temporary message file that includes a re-written header and an original message body corresponding to the electronic mail message, wherein the re-written header indicates that the message is being sent from the original sender of the electronic mail message and to the particular user, and transmitting the temporary message file to the mail server as the restored electronic mail message.

4. The computer program product of claim 3, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining whether the electronic mail message is an appropriate candidate for restoration prior to restoring the electronic mail message.

5. A system for restoring electronic mail messages to a mail server, the system comprising:

a e-mail management module, which determines that an electronic mail message addressed to a particular user is resident at a mail server, and receives the electronic mail message at a mail client from the mail server pursuant to an electronic mail downloading procedure that entails deleting the electronic mail message from the mail server; and

an e-mail restoration module, in communication with the e-mail management module, which receives a request to restore the electronic mail message on the mail server following a completion of the electronic mail downloading procedure, and restores the electronic mail message as though the electronic mail message had not been downloaded from the mail server in response to receiving the request, wherein the e-mail restoration manager restores the electronic mail message by creating a temporary message file that includes a re-written header and an original message body corresponding to the electronic mail message, wherein the re-written header indicates that the message is being sent from the original sender of the electronic mail message and to the particular user, and transmitting the temporary message file to the mail server as the restored electronic mail message.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the e-mail restoration manager determines whether the electronic mail message is an appropriate candidate for restoration prior to restoring the electronic mail message.