System and method for end-user management of E-mail threads using a single click

• US 8,010,613 B2
• Filed: 05/24/2007
• Issued: 08/30/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/24/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Oral, Tolga, Landar, Sergei R., Schirmer, Andrew L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Phuoc
• Assistant Examiner(s): John; Clarence
• Application Number:
  US11/753,149
• Publication Number:
  US 20080294730A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,559 Days
• Field of Search: 709203-207
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]

Abstract

The present invention provides various simple and easy ways for each end user to manage the thread in a way that suits them. In some cases, the user experience requires only a single click. Additional embodiments allow user to manage inbox space, recover suppressed threads, be alerted on contextual changes of such threads, and so forth. The system allows the user to specifically configure his/her own email thread management scheme by selecting an email and choosing “Suppress Thread” on his/her user interface. The system then performs a number of steps such as examining the <message-id> and <references> headers of the selected email to configure the suppress filter. Once configured, the system will examine each email as it is received and examine its <message-id> and <references> headers per RFC 822. If the headers match the configured <messageid> and <responses> headers, the emails will be suppressed in the manner chosen by the user such as deletion or move to folder.

Claims

1. A method, in an email system, for allowing a first user to select an email, belonging to an email thread, on a user interface and for automatically suppressing emails addressed to the first user related to the selected email and belonging to the email thread, the email system having a thread suppress filter with suppression settings, the method comprising:

receiving, from the first user, a selection of an email belonging to the email thread;

receiving, from the first user, suppression settings;

receiving, from the first user, an indication that a thread suppress control button on the user interface has been selected by the first user;

receiving, from a second user, an email addressed to the first user;

determining whether the received email belongs to the same email thread as the selected email according to the suppression settings; and

if so, acting upon the received email based upon the thread suppress filter suppression settings, the acting comprising deleting the received email or moving the received email to a predetermined folder, thereby suppressing the received email belonging to the email thread;

wherein the determining further comprises examining MIME <

message-id>

and MIME <

references>

headers of the received email to determine whether the received email belongs to the same email thread as the selected email according to the suppression settings, wherein the MIME headers are used to determine an email thread which is characterized by a common sender/recipient list.

2. The method of claim 1, after the determining step, further including the step of, if not, delivering the received email to the first user.

3. The method of claim 1 further including the step of examining the received email to determine whether there is a context change in the received email and providing feedback to the first user based upon whether there is a context change.

4. The method of claim 1 further including the step of allowing the user to view the current email, to view the suppressed thread or to view a suppressed thread summary.

5. The method of claim 1 further including the step of allowing the user to restore a suppressed thread or a portion of a suppressed thread.