Geographical email presentation

• US 8,195,748 B2
• Filed: 01/09/2007
• Issued: 06/05/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/09/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Snap, Inc.
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Hallyn, Serge E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dennison, Jerry
• Application Number:
  US11/621,367
• Publication Number:
  US 20080168347A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,974 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206, 715/752
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]

Abstract

An email content management method, system and program are provided for mapping a plurality of received electronic mail (email) messages to a plurality of predetermined graphical representations of an email Inbox. Predetermined sender and originating information is associated with an email. When the email is received by the recipient, the associated sender and originating information is used to map the email to a graphical Inbox depicting the email'"'"'s originating location. Once mapped, the corresponding email graphical Inbox is represented in a graphical display, such as the user interface of an email client. Graphical Inboxes can be represented as subsets of a geographical map or depict an organizational hierarchy chart. Status information related to the received email messages is generated and display attributes are applied to their corresponding email graphical Inboxes.

Claims

1. A computer-implementable method for mapping a plurality of received electronic mail (email) messages to a plurality of predetermined graphical representations of an email Inbox, comprising:

associating, via a computer system, predetermined sender and originating information with an email that is to be received by a recipient;

using, via the computer system, the associated predetermined sender and originating information to depict an originating location of a received email message in a graphical display;

generating, via the computer system, status information comprising received email messages; and

applying, via the computer system, display attributes to predetermined email Inbox graphical representations, the display attributes indicating the status information of received email messages mapped to the predetermined email Inbox graphical representations; and

wherein

the plurality of email Inbox graphical representations comprises a geographical map, the geographical map further comprising a plurality of geographical subsets, the geographical subsets being configurable to implement at least one email Inbox graphical representation.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the sender and originating information comprises an information repository operable to generate predetermined sender and originating information for use by an email graphical Inbox mapper.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the sender and originating information is appended to the received email message and is configured for use by an email graphical Inbox mapper.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the sender and originating information comprises at least one of a physical address of a sender and an originating email server address of a sender.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of email Inbox graphical representations comprises:

a hierarchical organization chart, the hierarchical organization chart further comprising a plurality of hierarchical subsets, the hierarchical subsets being configurable to implement at least one email Inbox graphical representation.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the graphical display comprises at least one of

an email client user interface operable to display status information of email messages mapped to a predetermined email Inbox graphical representation;

and,

an email client user interface operable to display associated sender and originating information of email messages mapped to a predetermined email Inbox graphical representation.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the display attributes comprise a predetermined plurality of colors configurable to correspond to email message status information.

8. A system comprising:

a processor;

a data bus coupled to the processor; and

a computer-usable medium embodying computer program code, the computer-usable medium being coupled to the data bus, the computer program code for mapping a plurality of received electronic mail (email) messages to a plurality of predetermined graphical representations of an email Inbox and comprising instructions executable by the processor and configured for;

associating predetermined sender and originating information with an email that is to be received by a recipient;

using the associated predetermined sender and originating information to depict an originating location of a received email message in a graphical display;

generating status information comprising received email messages; and

applying display attributes to predetermined email Inbox graphical representations, the display attributes indicating the status information of received email messages mapped to the predetermined email Inbox graphical representations; and

wherein

the plurality of email Inbox graphical representations comprises a geographical map, the geographical map further comprising a plurality of geographical subsets, the geographical subsets being configurable to implement at least one email Inbox graphical representation.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the sender and originating information comprises an information repository operable to generate predetermined sender and originating information for use by an email graphical Inbox mapper.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the sender and originating information is appended to the received email message and is configured for use by an email graphical Inbox mapper.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the sender and originating information comprises at least one of a physical address of a sender and an originating email server address of a sender.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the plurality of email Inbox graphical representations comprises:

a hierarchical organization chart, the hierarchical organization chart further comprising a plurality of hierarchical subsets, the hierarchical subsets being configurable to implement at least one email Inbox graphical representation.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the graphical display comprises at least one of

an email client user interface operable to display status information of email messages mapped to a predetermined email Inbox graphical representation;

and,

an email client user interface operable to display associated sender and originating information of email messages mapped to a predetermined email Inbox graphical representation.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein the display attributes comprise a predetermined plurality of colors configurable to correspond to email message status information.

15. A tangible non-transitory computer-usable medium embodying computer program code, the computer program code comprising computer executable instructions configured for:

associating predetermined sender and originating information with an email that is to be received by a recipient;

using the associated predetermined sender and originating information to depict an originating location of a received email message in a graphical display;

generating status information comprising received email messages; and

applying display attributes to predetermined email Inbox graphical representations, the display attributes indicating the status information of received email messages mapped to the predetermined email Inbox graphical representations; and

wherein

the plurality of email Inbox graphical representations comprises a geographical map, the geographical map further comprising a plurality of geographical subsets, the geographical subsets being configurable to implement at least one email Inbox graphical representation.

16. The non-transitory computer-usable medium of claim 15, wherein the sender and originating information comprises an information repository operable to generate predetermined sender and originating information for use by an email graphical Inbox mapper.

17. The non-transitory computer-usable medium of claim 15, wherein the sender and originating information is appended to the received email message and is configured for use by an email graphical Inbox mapper.

18. The non-transitory computer-usable medium of claim 15, wherein the sender and originating information comprises at least one of a physical address of a sender and an originating email server address of a sender.

19. The non-transitory computer-usable medium of claim 15, wherein the plurality of email Inbox graphical representations comprises:

a hierarchical organization chart, the hierarchical organization chart further comprising a plurality of hierarchical subsets, the hierarchical subsets being configurable to implement at least one email Inbox graphical representation.

20. The non-transitory computer-usable medium of claim 15, wherein the graphical display comprises at least one of:

an email client user interface operable to display status information of email messages mapped to a predetermined email Inbox graphical representation; and

,

an email client user interface operable to display associated sender and originating information of email messages mapped to a predetermined email Inbox graphical representation.

21. The non-transitory computer-usable medium of claim 15, wherein the display attributes comprise a predetermined plurality of colors configurable to correspond to email message status information.