Methods, systems, and user interface for E-mail analysis and review

• US 8,392,409 B1
• Filed: 09/10/2007
• Issued: 03/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/23/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Veritas Technologies, LLC (Whitehouse Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Symantec Corporation (NortonLifeLock Inc.)
• Inventors: Kashyap, Anurag, Desai, Malay, Rangan, Venkat, Lehrman, Gary
• Primary Examiner(s): REYES, MARIELA D
• Application Number:
  US11/852,444
• Time in Patent Office: 2,003 Days
• Field of Search: 707/723, 707/728, 707/731, 707/724
• US Class Current: 707/723
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]

Abstract

Methods and systems for searching e-mails are disclosed. In one embodiment, a method for displaying information associated with electronic messages includes receiving information associated with a plurality of e-mails in response to a search query. Each e-mail in the plurality of e-mails is categorized according to a set of categories. Relevance is determined of each e-mail in the plurality of e-mails. The plurality of e-mails are then displayed using a graphical user interface according to the set of categories and the relevance of each e-mail. Input may be received from a user indicative of a tag. The tag may be associated with at least one of the plurality of e-mails and displayed to assist in review.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for generating information displays associated with electronic messages, the method comprising:

in response to a search query having one or more tokens, categorizing, by a computer system, each e-mail in a plurality of received e-mails according to a plurality of categories, wherein the plurality of received e-mails comprise a plurality of determined regions;

for each of the plurality of determined regions, determining, by the computer system, a region score that quantifies a term frequency of at least one term in an e-mail relative to a weighted frequency of the at least one term in the determined region, wherein the at least one term corresponds to a token in the one or more tokens associated with the search query;

determining, by the computer system, a relevance of each e-mail in the plurality of received e-mails to the one or more tokens associated with the search query based on a scoring formula aggregating a region score for each of the plurality of determined regions; and

generating, by the computer system, information configured for displaying the plurality of received e-mails using a graphical user interface, wherein the information is configured according to the plurality of categories and the determined relevance of each e-mail in the plurality of received e-mails.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, by the computer system, a number of e-mails in each category in the plurality of categories; and

generating, by the computer system, information configured for displaying the number of e-mails in each category.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein generating information configured for displaying the number of e-mails in each category comprises:

generating information configured for displaying an initial number of e-mails in each category in response to the search query; and

generating information configured for displaying a rolling update to the initial number of e-mails in each category in response to a categorization of each e-mail in at least another plurality of e-mails received in response to the same search query.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein generating information configured for displaying the plurality of received e-mails using a graphical user interface comprises generating information configured for displaying the plurality of received emails using a navigation histogram.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein categorizing-each e-mail in the plurality of received e-mails according to the plurality of categories comprises categorizing each e-mail according to each of a ToList category, a CcList category, a BccList category, a SentDateTime category, an Importance category, a Subject category, and an Attachment category.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the scoring formula specifies the weighted frequency of the term in the determined regions in the e-mail.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the scoring formula specifies that relevancy is reduced when the term appears in a determined region that contains more than a predetermined number of other terms.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having instructions for displaying information related to electronic messages, which when executed, cause a processor to perform operations comprising:

categorizing, in response to a search query having one or more tokens, each e-mail in a plurality of received e-mails according to a plurality of categories, wherein the plurality of received e-mails comprise a plurality of determined regions;

determining, for each of the plurality of determined regions, a region score that quantifies a term frequency of a term in an e-mail relative to a weighted frequency of the term in the determined region, wherein the term corresponds to a token of the one or more tokens associated with the search query;

determining a relevance of each e-mail in the plurality of received e-mails to the one or more tokens associated with the search query based on a scoring formula aggregating a region score for each of the plurality of determined regions; and

generating information configured for displaying the plurality of received e-mails using a graphical user interface, wherein the information is configured according to the plurality of categories and the determined relevance of each e-mail in the plurality of received e-mails.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, having instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations further comprising:

determining a number of e-mails in each category in the plurality of categories; and

generating information configured for displaying the number of e-mails in each category.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein generating information configured for displaying the number of e-mails in each category comprises:

generating information configured for displaying an initial number of e-mails in each category in response to the search query; and

generating information configured for displaying a rolling update to the initial number of e-mails in each category in response to categorizing each e-mail in at least another plurality of e-mails received in response to the same search query.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein generating information configured for displaying the plurality of received e-mails using a graphical user interface comprises generating information configured for displaying the plurality of received emails using a navigation histogram.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the code for categorizing each e-mail in the plurality of received e-mails comprises code for categorizing each e-mail according to each of a ToList category, a CcList category, a BccList category, a SentDateTime category, an Importance category, a Subject category, and an Attachment category.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the scoring formula specifies the weighted frequency of the term in the determined regions in the e-mail.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the scoring formula specifies that relevancy is reduced when the term appears in a determined region that contains more than a predetermined number of other terms.

15. A system comprising:

a processor; and

a memory coupled to the processor, the memory configured to store a plurality of instructions which when executed by the processor cause the processor to;

in response to a search query having one or more tokens, categorize each e-mail in a plurality of received e-mails according to a plurality of categories, wherein the plurality of received e-mails comprise a plurality of determined regions;

for each of the plurality of determined regions, determine a region score that quantifies a term frequency of a term in an e-mail relative to a weighted frequency of the term in the determined region, wherein the term corresponds to a token of the one or more tokens associated with the search query;

determine a relevance of each e-mail in the plurality of received e-mails to the one or more tokens associated with the search query based on a scoring formula aggregating a region score for each of the plurality of determined regions; and

generate information configured for displaying the plurality of received e-mails using a graphical user interface, wherein the information is configured according to the plurality of categories and the determined relevance of each e-mail in the plurality of received e-mails.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the processor is further to:

determine a number of e-mails in each category in the plurality of categories; and

generate information configured for displaying the number of e-mails in each category.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the processor is further to:

generate information configured for displaying an initial number of e-mails in each category in response to the search query; and

generate information configured for displaying a rolling update to the number of e-mails in each category in response to categorizing each e-mail in at least another plurality of e-mails received in response to the search query.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the processor is further to:

generate information configured for displaying the plurality of received emails using a navigation histogram.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the processor is further to categorize each e-mail of the plurality of received emails according to each of a ToList category, a CcList category, a BccList category, a SentDateTime category, an Importance category, a Subject category, and an Attachment category.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein the scoring formula specifies the weighted frequency of the term in the determined regions in the e-mail.

21. The system of claim 15, wherein the scoring formula specifies that relevancy is reduced when the term appears in a determined region that contains more than a predetermined number of other terms.