E-mail filing system and method

• US 8,051,133 B2
• Filed: 06/07/2005
• Issued: 11/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Sadiq, Wasim, Schulz, Karsten A.
• Primary Examiner(s): TANG, KAREN C
• Application Number:
  US11/148,138
• Publication Number:
  US 20060277195A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,338 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206, 709/207
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/00 User-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, transmitted according to store-and-forward or real-time protocols, e.g. e-mail

Abstract

An exemplary embodiment providing for one or more improvements includes an e-mail server including at least one client mailbox for the receipt of e-mail over a network, and at least one client apparatus of the client computer coupled to the e-mail server for access to the e-mail in the client mailbox, wherein at least one of the e-mail server and the client apparatus facilitates in the filing of e-mail by providing a number of suggestions to the client user as to where to file the e-mail. One exemplary method facilitates the filing of e-mail by monitoring the filing of e-mail by an e-mail recipient, creating a dynamic shortcut list based upon the monitoring, and displaying the shortcut list to facilitate the filing of e-mail by an e-mail recipient. Another exemplary method to facilitate e-mail filing includes detecting a request for a recommendation as to where to file an e-mail by an e-mail recipient, analyzing the e-mail, comparing the e-mail to a database of e-mail filing information, and displaying a shortcut list to facilitate the filing of the e-mail by the e-mail recipient.

Claims

1. An e-mail filing system comprising:

an e-mail server including at least one client mailbox of a client user for receipt of e-mails over a network from e-mail senders;

at least one client apparatus of said client user coupled to said e-mail server for access to said e-mails in said client mailbox;

wherein at least one of said e-mail server and said at least one client apparatus facilitates filing said e-mails by providing a plurality of suggestions to said client user as to where to file said e-mails, and wherein said plurality of suggestions include a list of subject folders ranked by subject frequencies of past e-mails received from said e-mail senders within a selected timeframe.

2. An e-mail filing system as recited in claim 1 wherein said e-mail server and said at least one client apparatus are implemented on the same computer system.

3. An e-mail filing system as recited in claim 1 wherein said e-mail server and said at least one client apparatus are implemented on different computer systems.

4. An e-mail filing system as recited in claim 3 wherein said plurality of suggestions are ranked to provide ranked suggestions, and wherein said ranked suggestions are provided, at least in part, by observing past filing behavior of said client user.

5. An e-mail filing system as recited in claim 3 wherein said plurality of suggestions is provided, at least in part, by analyzing at least one of metadata or content of said e-mails.

6. An e-mail filing system as recited in claim 5 wherein said analyzing includes the analysis of e-mail addresses.

7. A method to facilitate e-mail filing comprising:

monitoring filing of e-mail by an e-mail recipient;

creating a dynamic shortcut list of filing locations based upon said monitoring;

adding a first folder in the dynamic shortcut list of filing locations if a frequency of filing emails into the first folder meets a threshold;

removing a second folder from the dynamic shortcut list of filing locations if a frequency of filing emails into the second folder falls below the threshold; and

displaying said shortcut list of filing locations to facilitate the filing of future e-mail by the e-mail recipient,

wherein said shortcut list of filing locations include a list of subject folders ranked by subject frequencies of past e-mails received by the e-mail recipient within a selected timeframe.

8. A method to facilitate e-mail filing as recited in claim 7 wherein said monitoring of the filing of e-mail comprises:

noting the filing of a filed e-mail in a folder; and

storing data concerning said filed e-mail and said folder.

9. A method to facilitate e-mail filing as recited in claim 8 wherein said data concerning said filed e-mail and said folder is filed in a database.

10. A method to facilitate e-mail filing as recited in claim 8 wherein said data concerning said filed e-mail and said folder includes an address of a sender of said filed e-mail and an identity of said folder.

11. A method to facilitate e-mail filing as recited in claim 10 wherein said data concerning said filed e-mail further includes a number of email messages filed in said folder.

12. A method to facilitate e-mail filing comprising:

detecting a request for a recommendation as to where to file an e-mail by an e-mail recipient;

analyzing said e-mail;

comparing said e-mail to a database of e-mail filing information; and

displaying a shortcut list of filing locations to facilitate filing of e-mail by the e-mail recipient,

wherein said shortcut list of filing locations include a list of subject folders ranked by subject frequencies of past e-mails received by the e-mail recipient within a selected timeframe.

13. A method to facilitate e-mail filing as recited in claim 12 wherein said database is created, at least in part, by:

noting the filing of a filed e-mail in a folder; and

storing data concerning said filed e-mail and said folder in said database.

14. A method to facilitate e-mail filing as recited in claim 13 wherein said data concerning said filed e-mail and said folder includes an address of a sender of said filed e-mail and an identity of said folder.

15. A method to facilitate e-mail filing as recited in claim 14 wherein said data concerning said filed e-mail further includes a number of email messages filed in said folder.