Email bankruptcy

• US 8,560,619 B1
• Filed: 09/09/2011
• Issued: 10/15/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Fioravanti, Ryan James, Huston, Catherine Emma
• Primary Examiner(s): Meky, Moustafa M
• Application Number:
  US13/229,636
• Time in Patent Office: 767 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206, 709200-203, 709217-227
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/18 Commands or executable codes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/224 providing notification on incoming messages, e.g. pushed notifications of received messages

Abstract

Methods, systems, and apparatus for reducing the delivery of undesirable electronic mail. In one aspect, a method includes, in response to receiving a request to declare email bankruptcy of an email account, emails identified as having undesirable content are identified based on one or more predetermined parameters and automatically moved to a designated location, and, for one or more senders of the emails, a notification is transmitted.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method comprising:

receiving, from a user, a request to declare email bankruptcy of an email account associated with the user;

in response to receiving the request, identifying emails having undesirable content based on one or more predetermined parameters;

automatically moving the emails identified as having undesirable content to a designated location; and

transmitting a notification to one or more senders of emails identified as having undesirable content.

2. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

during a predetermined period of time, upon receiving an incoming email associated with one of the emails identified as having undesirable content, deleting the incoming email and transmitting a message instructing the sender to wait until after the predetermined period of time to resend the incoming email.

3. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the designated location is an archive location.

4. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the designated location is a trash folder and the emails identified as having undesirable content are marked for deletion.

5. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the emails identified as having undesirable content is initially set to at least all unread emails in the email account.

6. The computer implemented method of claim 5, further comprising:

receiving one or more keywords; and

determining one or more emails to exclude from the emails identified as having undesirable content by a search of the email account based on the one or more keywords.

7. The computer implemented method of claim 5, further comprising:

providing a selectable list of emails; and

excluding from the emails identified as having undesirable content, one or more emails associated with one or more emails selected from the selectable list.

8. The computer implemented method of claim 5, further comprising:

providing a list of senders associated with the emails identified as having undesirable content; and

excluding from the emails identified as having undesirable content one or more emails received from one or more selected senders.

9. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing an input for receiving one or more keywords; and

determining at least a portion of the emails identified as having undesirable content by a search of the email account using one or more keywords received at the input.

10. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing one or more inputs for receiving one or more senders; and

determining at least a portion of the emails identified as having undesirable content by a search of the email account using one or more senders received at the one or more inputs.

11. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining at least a portion of the emails identified as having undesirable content by comparing one or more groups of associated emails with a text classifier to determine one or more groups of automated emails.

12. The computer implemented method of claim 11, further comprising:

upon receiving a command representative of a selected one of the automated emails, transmitting to a sender of the selected one of the automated emails an instruction to unsubscribe the email account from the selected one of the automated emails.

13. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the notification includes:

compiling a group of emails identified as having undesirable content associated with a single sender; and

transmitting the notification to the single sender, wherein the notification includes a notification that the group of emails identified as having undesirable content will not be read.

14. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein moving to a designated location includes attaching or removing a label to the emails identified as having undesirable content.

15. A machine-readable medium including machine-executable instructions for performing a method comprising:

receiving, from a user, an instruction to declare email bankruptcy of an email account associated with the user;

providing, in response to the instruction, a user interface for selecting parameters related to reducing the amount of emails;

receiving one or more parameters selected or input at the user interface;

identifying designated emails based on at least the one or more parameters;

removing the designated emails from the email account; and

sending a notification to one or more senders associated with the designated emails.

16. The machine-readable medium of claim 15, the method further comprising:

providing for display, a draft notification; and

receiving the notification in response to the draft notification.

17. The machine-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the one or more parameters include one or more received keywords.

18. The machine-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the one or more parameters include one or more selected senders.

19. The machine-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the one or more parameters include one or more selected email addresses.

20. The machine-readable medium of claim 15, wherein determining emails includes removing one or more selected emails from the designated emails.

21. The machine-readable medium of claim 15, wherein identifying the designated emails includes removing emails from one or more selected senders from the designated emails.

22. A computer implemented method comprising:

receiving an indication that a user has made a request to declare email bankruptcy of an email account associated with the user;

upon receiving the command, identifying a first set of senders based on one or more predetermined parameters;

deleting or moving to a designated location emails from the first set of senders, while retaining within the email account emails from a second set of senders; and

transmitting to one or more of the first set of senders a notification related to the deleting or moving of one or more associated emails.

23. The computer implemented method of claim 22, further comprising:

upon receiving an incoming email associated with the first set of senders during a predetermined period of time, deleting the incoming email and transmitting a message instructing the sender to wait until after the predetermined period of time to resend the incoming email.

24. The computer implemented method of claim 23, wherein the notification informs the sender that the one or more associated emails will not be read.

25. The computer implemented method of claim 22, wherein deleting or moving to a designated location includes attaching a label to, or removing a label from, the one or more associated emails.