Email management based on user behavior

• US 8,255,468 B2
• Filed: 02/11/2009
• Issued: 08/28/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/11/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Vitaldevara, Krishna C., Gillum, Eliot C., Walter, Jason D., Bidgoli, Mehrdad
• Primary Examiner(s): Winder, Patrice
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hussain, Tauqir
• Application Number:
  US12/369,724
• Publication Number:
  US 20100205259A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,294 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]

Abstract

Methods for assisting email users manage email messages received in an email account. An event is triggered by an action performed by an email user with respect to an email message in an email account. The event identifies an entity associated with the email message (e.g., sender address, domain, keyword, etc.). A determination is made whether to assist the user manage their email based on a heuristic. The heuristic assigns weights based on prior events associated with the same entity to determine whether the user is interested in receiving emails from the sender. Based on the heuristics, the method may add the sender to the user'"'"'s block-list or unsubscribe the user from a mailing list.

Claims

1. A method for assisting email users to manage email messages received in an email account, comprising:

receiving event data indicating a user action performed by an email user with respect to a received email message in an email account, the received email message having a characteristic;

determining whether to assist the email user manage the email account based on a heuristic comprising

assigning an assistance weight to the received event data,

determining an assistance factor determined based upon the assistance weight of the received event data indicating the user action performed by the email user on the received email message and one or more assistance weights of event data indicating prior user actions performed by the email user for previously received e-mails having the same value for the characteristic as the received email message; and

determining whether the assistance factor satisfies a criteria with respect to a predetermined value;

responsive to the assistance factor satisfying the criteria with respect to the predetermined value,

selecting to perform an action with respect to the received email message on behalf of the email user, the action comprising adding an entity of the received email message associated with the event data on a block-list associated with the email user, and

implementing the action comprising adding the entity of the received email message associated with the event data on the block-list associated with the email user which further comprises

adding the characteristic of the received email message associated with the event data to the block-list associated with the email user;

notifying the email user via a user interface that the characteristic has been added to the block-list associated with the email user;

providing the email user an opportunity to remove the characteristic from the block-list associated with the email user; and

removing the characteristic from the block-list associated with the email user if user input from the user interface indicates the characteristic is not to be added to the block-list associated with the email user.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the characteristic associated with the received email message includes at least one of the following:

a sender'"'"'s email address, a sender'"'"'s domain, a keyword, a topic, an Internet Protocol address, a company, a Uniform Resource Locator, and an unsubscribe mechanism.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the step of assigning an assistance weight comprises assigning the assistance weight based on at least one of:

a number of email messages associated with the same entity that have been previously junked by the user;

a number of email messages associated with the same entity that the user has previously submitted an unsubscribe request;

a number of email messages associated with the same entity that have been previously deleted by the user;

a number of email messages associated with the same entity that have been previously rescued by the user;

a number of email messages associated with the same entity that have been previously marked as a phishing scam by the user;

a number of email messages associated with the same entity that have been replied to by the user;

a number of email messages associated with the same entity that have been forwarded by the user;

or

a number of email messages associated with the same entity that have been read by the user.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the step of assigning an assistance weight comprises assigning the assistance weight based on at least one of:

a number of email messages associated with the same characteristic that have been previously junked by the user;

a number of email messages associated with the same characteristic that the user has previously submitted an unsubscribe request;

a number of email messages associated with the same characteristic that have been previously deleted by the user;

a number of email messages associated with the same characteristic that have been previously rescued by the user;

a number of email messages associated with the same characteristic that have been previously marked as a phishing scam by the user;

a number of email messages associated with the same characteristic that have been replied to by the user;

a number of email messages associated with the same characteristic that have been forwarded by the user;

or

a number of email messages associated with the same characteristic that have been read by the user.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the step of adding the characteristic of the received email message associated with the event data to the block-list associated with the email user comprises the steps of:

providing a user interface prompting the email user for permission to add the characteristic of the received email message associated with the event data to the block-list associated with the email user; and

if user input indicates permission has been granted, adding the characteristic of the received email message associated with the event data to the block-list associated with the email user.

9. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising implementing one or more of the following actions:

blocking the received email message;

if the email message includes a list-unsubscribe header, unsubscribing the user from a mailing list;

if the sender is listed in a safe-list associated with the user, removing the sender from the safe-list associated with the user.

6. One or more computer readable storage devices having stored thereon software which when executed by one or more processors cause the processor to perform a method for assisting email users in managing email messages received in their email account, the method comprising:

receiving event data indicating a user action associated with a received email message in an email account, the received email message contains data that identifies a sender of the received email message;

assigning an assistance weight to the received event data indicating the user action associated with the received email message in accordance with a heuristic;

determining that the email user is not interested in receiving future emails from the sender based on the heuristic comprising determining an assistance factor based upon one or more assistance weights assigned to event data indicating prior user actions associated with the same sender and the assistance weight assigned to the received event data indicating the user action associated with the received email message and determining that the assistance factor satisfies a criteria with respect to a predetermined value; and

adding the sender of the received email message associated with the event data on a block-list associated with the email user;

notifying the email user via a user interface that the sender has been added to the block-list associated with the email user;

providing the email user an opportunity to remove the sender from the block-list associated with the email user; and

removing the sender from the block-list associated with the email user if user input indicates the sender is not to be added to the block-list associated with the email user.

7. The one or more computer readable storage devices as recited in claim 6, wherein the step of assigning an assistance weight to the event data indicating the user action associated with the received email message comprises assigning the assistance weight based on at least one of:

a number of email messages associated with the sender that have been previously junked by the user;

a number of email messages associated with the sender for which the user has previously submitted an unsubscribe request;

a number of email messages associated with the sender that have been previously deleted by the user;

a number of email messages associated with the sender that have been previously rescued by the user;

a number of email messages associated with the sender that have been previously marked as a phishing scam by the user;

a number of email messages associated with the sender that have been read by the user; and

if a number of email messages associated with the sender have been read by the user, an amount of time the user has spent reading each email message.

8. The one or more computer readable storage devices as recited in claim 6 further comprising implementing one or more of the following actions:

blocking the received email message;

if the email message includes a list-unsubscribe header, unsubscribing the user from a mailing list;

if the sender is listed in a safe-list associated with the user, removing the sender from the safe-list associated with the user.

10. A system for assisting email users to manage email messages received in an email account, comprising:

one or more first computer systems comprising one or more first processors and having access to one or more first memories, the one or more first computer systems being communicatively coupled over a network to one or more second computer systems comprising one or more second processors and having access to one or more second memories, for accepting from and forwarding to emails for an email user having an email account which the one or more first processors of the one or more first computer systems manage;

the one or more first computer systems being communicatively coupled to a user interface for receiving user input and displaying data including emails;

the one or more first processors of the one or more first computer systems receiving event data from the user interface indicating a user action performed by the email user with respect to a received email message in the email account, the received email message having a characteristic;

a heuristic engine executing on the one or more first processors of the one or more first computer systems for determining whether to assist the email user manage the email account based on a heuristic which further comprises determining an assistance factor based upon one or more assistance weights assigned to event data indicating prior actions performed by the email user for previously received e-mails having the same value for the characteristic as the received email message and an assistance weight assigned to the received event data indicating the user action associated with the received email message and determining whether the assistance factor satisfies a criteria with respect to a predetermined value; and

responsive to the assistance factor satisfying the criteria with respect to a predetermined value, the one or more first processors of the one or more first computer systems selecting to perform an action with respect to the received email message on behalf of the email user, the action comprising adding an entity of the received email message associated with the event data on a block-list associated with the email user and stored in the one or more first memories accessible by the one or more first computer systems which further comprises

the one or more first processors of the one or more first computer systems adding the characteristic of the received email message associated with the event data to the block-list associated with the email user;

the one or more first processors of the one or more first computer systems sending one or more messages to the user interface, the one or more messages notifying the email user that the characteristic has been added to the block-list associated with the email user and indicating an opportunity to remove the characteristic from the block-list associated with the email user; and

the one or more first processors of the one or more first computer systems removing the characteristic from the block-list associated with the email user if user input from the user interface indicates the characteristic is not to be added to the block-list associated with the email user.