Message data management

• US 8,230,032 B2
• Filed: 04/05/2011
• Issued: 07/24/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Pearson, Malcolm Erik, Warman, Leon R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Moise, Emmanuel L
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ashraf, Waseem
• Application Number:
  US13/080,377
• Publication Number:
  US 20110185281A1
• Time in Patent Office: 476 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206, 709/223
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]

Abstract

A workflow manager application transfers message data received from an originating device via a communication network to a target application for processing. A graphical user interface displays the received message data and allows the user to view and designate one or more target applications for processing the message data. The workflow manger application is responsive to user input to transfer message data to the designated one or more target applications for processing the message data. Alternatively, the workflow manager application analyzes received message data to identify one or more target applications, and transfers the message data to the identified one or more target applications for processing.

Claims

1. One or more computer-readable storage device having computer executable components executed by a computing device for transferring received message data to an application for processing, wherein said message data is included in an electronic message received from a messaging device, said computer-readable storage media comprising:

an interface component for displaying a graphical user interface configured for displaying the message data received from the messaging device, said received message data including structured message data and unstructured message data;

a tracking component for identifying a message thread based on the received message data, said identified message thread including at least two electronic messages each having message data, and wherein the tracking component is further responsive to the identified message thread to create, or update, a thread tracking log, wherein the tracking log is configured for;

storing a selected target application for processing message data included in each of the at least two electronic messages included in the identified message thread, and storing a thread number for each of the at least two electronic messages included in the identified message thread, said thread number corresponding to a chronological sequence in which each of the at least two electronic messages were received from the messaging device; and

a transfer component responsive to user input to transfer at least a portion of the received message data to the selected target application for processing, wherein the transfer component queries the structured message data to identify a data type and corresponding data content and transfers the data content to corresponding data fields in the target application, said data fields each corresponding to a different data type.

2. The computer-readable storage device of claim 1, wherein the graphical user interface includes:

a message data window for displaying the received message data; and

a target application menu for displaying a transfer control corresponding to the target application, and wherein the transfer component is responsive to a user selecting the transfer control to transfer the received message data to the target application for processing.

3. The computer-readable storage device of claim 2, wherein the target application performs one or more of the following business functions:

schedule meetings based on the received message data;

prepare contracts based on the received message data;

transfer the received message data to a database for storage; and

notify a next approval level of the received message data.

4. The computer-readable storage device of claim 2, wherein the target application menu further displays one or more applications capable of processing the received message data, and wherein the interface component is responsive to user input selecting at least one of the one or more applications to define the target application.

5. The computer-readable storage device of claim 4, wherein the interface component is responsive to user input selecting a plurality of the one or more applications to define a plurality of target applications, and wherein the transfer component is responsive to the defined plurality of target applications to transfer the received message data to each of the plurality of target applications for processing.

6. The computer-readable storage device of claim 1, wherein the received message data includes file data, and wherein the transfer component is responsive to the received message data to define the target application as a function of the received file data.

7. The computer-readable storage device of claim 1, wherein the received message data includes text data, and wherein the transfer component is responsive to the received message data to define the target application as a function of one or more key words included in the received text data.

8. The computer-readable storage device of claim 1, wherein the tracking component identifies the thread number for each of the at least two electronic messages as a function of unstructured message data, and wherein the tracking component compares structured message data included in a most recent electronic message in the chronological sequence to the structured message data included in a next most recent electronic message in the chronological sequence to determine if updated structured message data is associated with the most recent electronic message.

9. The computer-readable storage device of claim 8, wherein the interface component is responsive to updated structured message data to display the graphical user interface, and wherein the transfer component is responsive to user input to transfer the updated structured message data to the selected target application for processing.

10. A computerized method for transferring received message data to an application for processing, wherein said message data is included in an electronic message received from a messaging device and includes structured message data and unstructured message data, said method comprising:

displaying a graphical user interface configured for displaying the message data received from the messaging device;

identifying a message thread based on the received message data, said message thread including at least two electronic messages each having message data;

storing a selected target application for processing message data included in each of the at least two electronic messages included in the identified message thread;

storing a thread number for each of the two electronic messages included in the identified message thread, said thread number corresponding to a chronological sequence in which each of the at least two electronic messages were received from the message device;

querying the structured message data to identify a data type and corresponding data content; and

responsive to user input, transferring the data content to corresponding data fields in the selected target application for processing, said data fields each corresponding to a different data type.

11. The computerized method of claim 10, wherein the graphical user interface includes:

a message data window for displaying the received message data; and

a target application menu for displaying a transfer control corresponding to the target application, and wherein the transfer component is responsive to a user selecting the transfer control to transfer the received message data to the target application for processing.

12. The computerized method of claim 11, wherein the target application menu further displays one or more applications capable of processing the received message data, and wherein the method further comprises selecting, responsive to user input, at least one of the one or more applications to define the target application.

13. The computerized method of claim 10, wherein the received message data includes file data, and wherein the method further comprises defining, responsive to the received message data, the target application as a function of the received file data.

14. The computerized method of claim 10, wherein the received message data includes text data, and wherein the method further comprises defining, responsive to the received message data, the target application as a function of one or more key words included in the received text data.

15. The computerized method of claim 10, further comprising:

identifying a thread number for each of the at least two electronic messages as a function of unstructured message data; and

comparing structured message data included in a most recent electronic message in a chronological sequence to the structured message data included in a next most recent electronic message in the chronological sequence to determine if updated structured message data is associated with the most recent electronic message.

16. A computerized system for transferring received message data to an application for processing, wherein said message data is included in an electronic message received from a messaging device, said system comprising:

a display for displaying a graphical user interface to a user; and

a computing device for executing computer-executable instructions, said computer-executable instructions including instructions for;

displaying a graphical user interface to the user via the display, said user interface configured for displaying the message data received from the messaging device, said message data including structured message data and unstructured message data;

identifying a message thread based on the received message data, said identified message thread including at least two electronic messages each having message data;

storing a selected target application for processing message data included in each of the at least two electronic messages included in the identified message thread;

storing a thread number for each of the at least two electronic messages included in the identified message thread, said thread number corresponding to a chronological sequence in which each of the at least two electronic messages were received from the messaging device;

querying the structured message data to identify a data type and corresponding data content; and

responsive to user input, transferring the data content corresponding data fields in the selected target application for processing, said data fields each corresponding to a different data type.

17. The computerized system of claim 16, wherein the graphical user interface includes:

a message data window for displaying the received message data; and

a target application menu for displaying a transfer control corresponding to the selected target application, and wherein the transfer component is responsive to a user selecting the transfer control to transfer the received message data to the selected target application for processing.