Methods and systems for managing electronic messages

• US 8,713,027 B2
• Filed: 01/08/2010
• Issued: 04/29/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/18/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Forutanpour, Babak, Dorner, Steven
• Primary Examiner(s): Singh, Amresh
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chang, Jeffrey
• Application Number:
  US12/684,643
• Publication Number:
  US 20110119258A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,572 Days
• Field of Search: 707/748, 707/754, 707/755
• US Class Current: 707/748
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/48 Message addressing, e.g. address format or anonymous messages, aliases
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/52 for supporting social networking services

Abstract

Methods and systems provide tools that enable users to manage electronic messages by obtaining additional information about senders, receivers or entities mentioned in messages. A computing device may identify a sender or recipient of an electronic message and search a database to obtain additional data about the sender or recipient. The additional data may be displayed with the electronic message. The additional data may also be used to calculate importance values that the computing device can use to highlight, preferentially display, or sort the electronic messages. The importance values may be calculated by applying sorting algorithms to the retrieved additional data based on user defined criteria. Importance values may also be based upon information obtained from messages. A graphical user interface may be implemented to enable users to specify criteria and weighting factors to apply in sorting electronic messages.

Claims

1. A method for displaying a plurality of electronic messages for a recipient, comprising:

parsing each of the plurality of electronic messages to obtain identity information about an entity associated with each electronic message;

searching a first database for additional data related to the obtained identity information, wherein the first database comprises data associated with the obtained identity information by a third party;

retrieving the additional data related to the obtained identity information from the first database;

receiving user inputs determining a first weighting factor and a second weighting factor for adjusting a display of the plurality of electronic messages;

applying a first algorithm using the first weighting factor to a first type of the additional data to obtain a first criterion importance factor;

applying a second algorithm using the second weighting factor to a second type of the additional data to obtain a second criterion importance factor;

calculating an importance value for each of the plurality of electronic messages based on the first criterion importance factor and the second criterion importance factor; and

adjusting the display of the plurality of electronic messages based on the calculated importance value.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of electronic messages are email messages.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the entity is selected from the recipient of each electronic message, a sender of the electronic message, an individual mentioned in each electronic message, and a company mentioned in each electronic message.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first database is accessed via the Internet.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first database is a contacts database.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing at least a portion of the retrieved additional data related to the obtained identity information in a prior search results database;

searching the prior search results database for previously retrieved additional data related to the obtained entity information; and

accessing the previously retrieved additional data related to the obtained identity information from the prior search results database, wherein searching the first database and retrieving the additional data from the first database are performed if no previously retrieved additional data related to the obtained identity information is retrieved from the prior search results database.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein searching the first database and retrieving the additional data from the first database are if previously retrieved additional data related to the obtained identity information is retrieved from the prior search results database but the time since a last search exceeds a predetermined threshold.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein adjusting a display of the plurality of electronic messages further comprises:

sorting the plurality of electronic messages based on the calculated importance value.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the additional data is selected from the group consisting of company name, job title, age, gender, ethnicity, income, social networking data social network linkages, Google™

hits, alma mater, home value, home address, images, political affiliation, political donations, number of times a reply has been sent to a sender of the message number of times a message from a sender has been received but not opened, and distance to sender'"'"'s company.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein calculating the importance value for each electronic message further comprises:

parsing the electronic message to obtain information within the message body to determine a time required to review the electronic message;

determining a time required to review importance factor based on the determined time required to review the message; and

including the determined required time to review importance factor in calculating the importance value.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein calculating the importance value for each electronic message further comprises:

parsing the electronic message to determine its original Internet portal address;

determining an ExternalOrInternal importance factor based on the original Internet portal address; and

including the determined ExternalOrInternal importance factor in calculating the importance value.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein calculating the importance value for each electronic message further comprises:

parsing the electronic message to determine the identity of a sender;

determining a HowOftenIHaveReplied importance factor based on the identity of the sender; and

including the determined HowOftenIHaveReplied importance factor in calculating the importance value.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein calculating the importance value for each electronic message further comprises:

parsing the electronic message to determine the identity of a sender;

determining a political party of the sender based on the identity of the sender;

determining a PoliticalParty importance factor based on the determined political party and

including the determined PoliticalParty importance factor in calculating the importance value.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein calculating the importance value for each electronic message further comprises:

parsing the electronic message to determine the identity of a sender;

obtaining images of the sender based on the identity of the sender;

determining Attractiveness importance factor based on the obtained images; and

including the determined Attractiveness importance factor in calculating the importance value.

15. The method of claim 8, wherein calculating the importance value for each electronic message further comprises:

parsing the electronic message to determine the identity of a sender;

determining a Gender of the sender based on the identity of the sender;

determining a gender importance factor based on the gender of the sender; and

including the determined gender importance factor in calculating the importance value.

16. The method of claim 8, wherein calculating the importance value for each electronic message further comprises:

parsing the electronic message to determine the date of the message;

determining a DateSent importance factor based on the date of the message; and

including the determined DateSent importance factor in calculating the importance value.

17. The method of claim 8, wherein calculating the importance value for each electronic message further comprises:

parsing the electronic message to determine the identity of a sender;

determining a Preapproved importance factor based on the identity of the sender; and

including the determined Preapproved importance factor in calculating the importance value.

18. The method of claim 8, wherein calculating the importance value for each electronic message further comprises:

parsing the electronic message to obtain keywords;

determining a Keyword importance factor based on obtained keywords; and

including the determined Keyword importance factor in calculating the importance value.

19. The method of claim 8, wherein calculating the importance value for each electronic message further comprises:

parsing the electronic message to determine a list of recipients of the message;

determining a SentJustToMe importance factor based on the list of recipients of the message; and

including the determined SentJustToMe importance factor in calculating the importance value.

20. The method of claim 8, wherein calculating the importance value for each electronic message further comprises:

parsing the electronic message to determine the identity of a sender'"'"'s company;

determining a CompanyCareAbout importance factor based on the identity of the sender'"'"'s company; and

including the determined CompanyCareAbout importance factor in calculating the importance value.

21. The method of claim 8, wherein calculating the importance value for each electronic message further comprises:

parsing the electronic message to determine the identity of a sender;

determining an alma mater of the sender based on the identity of the sender;

determining an Alum importance factor based on the determined alma mater; and

including the determined Alum importance factor in calculating the importance value.

22. The method of claim 8, wherein calculating the importance value for each electronic message further comprises:

parsing the electronic message to determine the identity of a sender;

determining a FamilyMember importance factor based on the identity of the sender; and

including the determined FamilyMember importance factor in calculating the importance value.

23. The method of claim 8, wherein calculating the importance value for each electronic message further comprises:

parsing the electronic message to determine the identity of a sender;

determining an estimated wealth of the sender based on the identity of the sender;

determining an EstimatedWealth importance factor based on the estimated wealth of the sender; and

including the determined EstimatedWealth importance factor in calculating the importance value.

24. The method of claim 8, wherein calculating the importance value for each electronic message further comprises:

parsing the electronic message to determine the identity of a sender;

accessing a social network based on the identity of the sender to determine a number of social network connections associated with the sender;

determining a Popularity importance factor based on the determined number of social network connections associated with the sender; and

including the determined Popularity importance factor in calculating the importance value.

25. The method of claim 8, wherein calculating the importance value for each electronic message further comprises:

parsing the electronic message to determine the identity of a sender;

accessing a social network based on the identity of the sender;

determining a FriendsInCommon importance factor based on sender connections identified on the social network; and

including the determined FriendsInCommon importance factor in calculating the importance value.

26. The method of claim 8, wherein calculating the importance value for each electronic message further comprises:

parsing the electronic message to determine the identity of a sender;

determining a measure of how much the sender has traveled by searching a database using the identity of the sender;

determining a WellTraveled? importance factor based on the measure of how much the sender has traveled; and

including the determined WellTraveled? importance factor in calculating the importance value.

27. The method of claim 8, wherein calculating the importance value for each electronic message further comprises:

parsing the electronic message to determine the types of punctuation used in the message;

determining a NumberOF_?_Marks importance factor based on the types of punctuation used in the message; and

including the determined NumberOF_?_Marks importance factor in calculating the importance value.

28. The method of claim 8, wherein calculating the importance value for each electronic message further comprises:

parsing the electronic message to determine the types of punctuation used in the message;

determining a NumberOf_!_Marks importance factor based on the types of punctuation used in the message; and

including the determined NumberOf !_Marks importance factor in calculating the importance value.

29. The method of claim 8, wherein calculating the importance value for each electronic message further comprises:

parsing the electronic message to obtain words used in the message;

determining a FriendlinessOfMessage importance factor based on the words used in the message; and

including the determined FriendlinessOfMessage importance factor in calculating the importance value.

30. The method of claim 8, wherein calculating the importance value for each electronic message further comprises:

parsing the electronic message to determine the identity of a sender;

accessing a database using the identity of the sender to determine an age of the sender;

determining an Age importance factor based on the determined age of the sender; and

including the determined Age importance factor in calculating the importance value.

31. The method of claim 8, wherein calculating the importance value for each electronic message further comprises:

parsing the electronic message to determine the identity of a sender;

determining a nation of origin of the sender based on the identity of the sender;

determining a NationalOrigin importance factor based on the determined nation of origin of the sender; and

including the determined NationalOrigin importance factor in calculating the importance value.

32. The method of claim 8, wherein calculating the importance value for each electronic message further comprises:

parsing the electronic message to determine the identity of a sender;

accessing a database to obtain images of the sender based on the identity of the sender;

determining a skin tone of the sender based on the obtained images of the sender;

determining a ColorOfSkin importance factor based on the determined skin tone; and

including the determined ColorOfSkin importance factor in calculating the importance value.

33. The method of claim 8, wherein calculating the importance value for each electronic message further comprises:

parsing the electronic message to determine the identity of a sender;

accessing a database using the identity of the sender to determine a measure of electronic messages received from the sender that previously have been read but not replied to;

determining a ReadButNotRepliedTo importance factor based on the determined measure of electronic messages received from the sender that previously have been read but not replied to; and

including the determined ReadButNotRepliedTo importance factor in calculating the importance value.

34. The method of claim 8, wherein calculating the importance value for each electronic message further comprises:

parsing the electronic message to determine the identity of a sender;

accessing a database using the identity of the sender to determine a measure of electronic messages previously received from the sender that have not been opened;

determining a ReceivedButNotOpened importance factor based on the determined measure of electronic messages previously received from the sender that have not been opened; and

including the determined ReceivedButNotOpened importance factor in calculating the importance value.

35. The method of claim 8, wherein calculating the importance value for each electronic message further comprises:

parsing the electronic message to determine an identity of a sender'"'"'s company;

determining a location of the sender'"'"'s company;

determining a distance to the location of the sender'"'"'s company;

determining a DistanceFromCompany importance factor based on the determined distance to the location of the sender'"'"'s company; and

including the determined DistanceFromCompany importance factor in calculating the importance value.

36. The method of claim 8, wherein adjusting a display of the plurality of electronic messages further comprises highlighting at least a portion of the display of each electronic message based upon the importance value.

37. The method of claim 8, wherein calculating the importance value for each electronic message further comprises:

summing a product of the first criterion importance factor times the first weighting factor and a product of the second criterion importance factor times the second weighting factor.

38. The method of claim 37, further comprising receiving user inputs selecting criteria for sorting the plurality of electronic messages,

wherein the first type of additional data, the first algorithm, the second type of additional data, and the second algorithm are determined based upon the received user inputs.

39. The method of claim 37, further comprising receiving user inputs identifying priorities for sorting the plurality of electronic messages.

40. The method of claim 39, wherein searching the first database for additional data related to the obtained identity information is only performed for information relevant to an algorithm for which a corresponding weighting factor is greater than a threshold value.

41. The method of claim 39, further comprising displaying on a graphical user interface user-interface icons that a user can manipulate with a user interface pointing device to indicate relative priorities of importance criteria,

wherein receiving user inputs identifying priorities for sorting the plurality of electronic messages comprises determining user manipulations of the user-interface icons included on the graphical user interface and interpreting the user manipulations as a relative priority.

42. The method of claim 39, wherein receiving user inputs identifies a condition to be compared to one of the first or second types of additional data and a conditional operation to be performed on an electronic message when the condition is satisfied by the one of the first or second types of additional data.

43. A computing device, comprising:

a processor;

a display coupled to the processor;

a memory coupled to the processor; and

a communication circuit coupled to the processor and configured to communicate with a network and receive electronic messages for a recipient,

wherein the processor is configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations comprising;

parsing each of the plurality of electronic messages to obtain identity information about an entity associated with each electronic message;

searching a first database for additional data related to the obtained identity information, wherein the first database comprises data associated with the obtained identity information by a third party;

retrieving the additional data related to the obtained identity information from the first database;

receiving user inputs determining a first weighting factor and a second weighting factor for adjusting a display of the plurality of electronic messages;

applying a first algorithm using the first weighting factor to a first type of the additional data to obtain a first criterion importance factor;

applying a second algorithm using the second weighting factor to a second type of the additional data to obtain a second criterion importance factor;

calculating an importance value for each of the plurality of electronic messages based on the first criterion importance factor and the second criterion importance factor; and

adjusting the display of the plurality of electronic messages based on the calculated importance value.

44. The computing device of claim 43, wherein the processor is configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations such that the plurality of electronic messages are email messages.

45. The computing device of claim 43, wherein the processor is configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations such that the entity is selected from the recipient of each electronic message, a sender of the electronic message, an individual mentioned in each electronic message, and a company mentioned in each electronic message.

46. The computing device of claim 43, wherein the processor is configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations such that the first database is accessed via the Internet through the communication circuit.

47. The computing device of claim 43, wherein the processor is configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations such that the first database is a contacts database stored in the memory.

48. The computing device of claim 43, wherein the processor is configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations further comprising:

storing at least a portion of the retrieved additional data related to the obtained identity information in a prior search results database;

searching the prior search results database for previously retrieve additional data related to the obtained entity information; and

accessing the previously retrieved additional data related to the obtained identity information from the prior search results database, wherein searching the first database and retrieving the additional data from the first database are performed if no previously retrieved additional data related to the obtained identity information is retrieved from the prior search results database.

49. The computing device of claim 48, wherein the processor is configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations such that searching the first database and retrieving the additional data from the first database are performed if previously retrieved additional data related to the obtained identity information is retrieved from the prior search results database but the time since a last search exceeds a predetermined threshold.

50. The computing device of claim 43, wherein the processor is configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations such that adjusting the display of the plurality of electronic messages further comprises:

sorting the plurality of electronic messages based on the calculated importance value.

51. The computing device of claim 50, wherein the processor is configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations such that the additional data is selected from the group consisting of company name, job title, age, gender, ethnicity, income, social networking data, social network linkages, Google™

hits, alma mater, home value, home address, images, political affiliation, political donations, number of times a reply has been sent to a sender of the message, number of times a message from a sender has been received but not opened, and distance to sender'"'"'s company.

52. The computing device of claim 50, wherein the processor is configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations such that calculating the importance value for each electronic message further comprises:

parsing the electronic message to obtain information within the message body to determine a time required to review the electronic message;

determining a time required to review importance factor based on the determined time required to review the message; and

including the determined required time to review importance factor in calculating the importance value.

53. The computing device of claim 50, wherein the processor is configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations such that calculating the importance value for each electronic message further comprises:

parsing the electronic message to determine its original Internet portal address;

determining an ExternalOrInternal importance factor based on the original Internet portal address; and

including the determined ExternalOrInternal importance factor in calculating the importance value.

54. The computing device of claim 50, wherein the processor is configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations such that calculating the importance value for each electronic message further comprises:

parsing the electronic message to determine the identity of a sender;

determining a HowOftenIHaveReplied importance factor based on the identity of the sender; and

including the determined HowOftenIHaveReplied importance factor in calculating the importance value.

55. The computing device of claim 50, wherein the processor is configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations such that calculating the importance value for each electronic message further comprises:

parsing the electronic message to determine the identity of a sender;

determining a political party of the sender based on the identity of the sender;

determining a PoliticalParty importance factor based on the determined political party; and

including the determined PoliticalParty importance factor in calculating the importance value.

56. The computing device of claim 50, wherein the processor is configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations such that calculating the importance value for each electronic message further comprises:

parsing the electronic message to determine the identity of a sender;

obtaining images of the sender based on the identity of the sender;

determining Attractiveness importance factor based on the obtained images; and

including the determined Attractiveness importance factor in calculating the importance value.

57. The computing device of claim 50, wherein the processor is configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations such that calculating the importance value for each electronic message further comprises:

parsing the electronic message to determine the identity of a sender;

determining a Gender of the sender based on the identity of the sender;

determining a gender importance factor based on the gender of the sender; and

including the determined gender importance factor in calculating the importance value.

58. The computing device of claim 50, wherein the processor is configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations such that calculating the importance value for each electronic message further comprises:

parsing the electronic message to determine the date of the message;

determining a DateSent importance factor based on the date of the message; and

including the determined DateSent importance factor in calculating the importance value.

59. The computing device of claim 50, wherein the processor is configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations such that calculating the importance value for each electronic message further comprises:

parsing the electronic message to determine the identity of a sender;

determining a Preapproved importance factor based on the identity of the sender; and

including the determined Preapproved importance factor in calculating the importance value.

60. The computing device of claim 50, wherein the processor is configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations such that calculating the importance value for each electronic message further comprises:

parsing the electronic message to obtain keywords;

determining a Keyword importance factor based on obtained keywords; and

including the determined Keyword importance factor in calculating the importance value.

61. The computing device of claim 50, wherein the processor is configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations such that calculating the importance value for each electronic message further comprises:

parsing the electronic message to determine a list of recipients of the message;

determining a SentJustToMe importance factor based on the list of recipients of the message; and

including the determined SentJustToMe importance factor in calculating the importance value.

62. The computing device of claim 50, wherein the processor is configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations such that calculating the importance value for each electronic message further comprises:

parsing the electronic message to determine the identity of a sender'"'"'s company;

determining a CompanyCareAbout importance factor based on the identity of the sender'"'"'s company; and

including the determined CompanyCareAbout importance factor in calculating the importance value.

63. The computing device of claim 50, wherein the processor is configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations such that calculating the importance value for each electronic message further comprises:

parsing the electronic message to determine the identity of a sender;

determining an alma mater of the sender based on the identity of the sender;

determining an Alum importance factor based on the determined alma mater; and

including the determined Alum importance factor in calculating the importance value.

64. The computing device of claim 50, wherein the processor is configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations such that calculating the importance value for each electronic message further comprises:

parsing the electronic message to determine the identity of a sender;

determining a FamilyMember importance factor based on the identity of the sender; and

including the determined FamilyMember importance factor in calculating the importance value.

65. The computing device of claim 50, wherein the processor is configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations such that calculating the importance value for each electronic message further comprises:

parsing the electronic message to determine the identity of a sender;

determining an estimated wealth of the sender based on the identity of the sender

determining an EstimatedWealth importance factor based on the estimated wealth of the sender; and

including the determined EstimatedWealth importance factor in calculating the importance value.

66. The computing device of claim 50, wherein the processor is configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations such that calculating the importance value for each electronic message further comprises:

parsing the electronic message to determine the identity of a sender;

accessing a social network based on the identity of the sender to determine a number of social network connections associated with the sender;

determining a Popularity importance factor based on the determined number of social network connections associated with the sender; and

including the determined Popularity importance factor in calculating the importance value.

67. The computing device of claim 50, wherein the processor is configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations such that calculating the importance value for each electronic message further comprises:

parsing the electronic message to determine the identity of a sender;

accessing a social network based on the identity of the sender;

determining a FriendsInCommon importance factor based on sender connections identified on the social network; and

including the determined FriendsInCommon importance factor in calculating the importance value.

68. The computing device of claim 50, wherein the processor is configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations such that calculating the importance value for each electronic message further comprises:

parsing the electronic message to determine the identity of a sender;

determining a measure of how much the sender has traveled by searching a database

using the identity of the sender;

determining a WellTraveled? importance factor based on the measure of how much the sender has traveled; and

including the determined WellTraveled? importance factor in calculating the importance value.

69. The computing device of claim 50, wherein the processor is configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations such that calculating the importance value for each electronic message further comprises:

parsing the electronic message to determine the types of punctuation used in the message;

determining a NumberOF_?_Marks importance factor based on the types of punctuation used in the message; and

including the determined NumberOF_?_Marks importance factor in calculating the importance value.

70. The computing device of claim 50, wherein the processor is configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations such that calculating the importance value for each electronic message further comprises:

parsing the electronic message to determine the types of punctuation used in the message;

determining a NumberOf!_Marks importance factor based on the types of punctuation used in the message; and

including the determined NumberOf!_Marks importance factor in calculating the importance value.

71. The computing device of claim 50, wherein the processor is configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations such that calculating the importance value for each electronic message further comprises:

parsing the electronic message to obtain words used in the message;

determining a FriendlinessOfMessage importance factor based on the words used in the message; and

including the determined FriendlinessOfMessage importance factor in calculating the importance value.

72. The computing device of claim 50, wherein the processor is configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations such that calculating the importance value for each electronic message further comprises:

parsing the electronic message to determine the identity of a sender;

accessing a database using the identity of the sender to determine an age of the sender;

determining an Age importance factor based on the determined age of the sender; and

including the determined Age importance factor in calculating the importance value.

73. The computing device of claim 50, wherein the processor is configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations such that calculating the importance value for each electronic message further comprises:

parsing the electronic message to determine the identity of a sender;

determining a nation of origin of the sender based on the identity of the sender;

determining a NationalOrigin importance factor based on the determined nation of origin of the sender; and

including the determined NationalOrigin importance factor in calculating the importance value.

74. The computing device of claim 50, wherein the processor is configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations such that calculating the importance value for each electronic message further comprises:

parsing the electronic message to determine the identity of a sender;

accessing a database to obtain images of the sender based on the identity of the sender;

determining a skin tone of the sender based on the obtained images of the sender;

determining a ColorOfSkin importance factor based on the determined skin tone; and

including the determined ColorOfSkin importance factor in calculating the importance value.

75. The computing device of claim 50, wherein the processor is configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations such that calculating the importance value for each electronic message further comprises:

parsing the electronic message to determine the identity of a sender;

accessing a database using the identity of the sender to determine a measure of electronic messages received from the sender that previously have been read but not replied to;

determining a ReadButNotRepliedTo importance factor based on the determined measure of electronic messages received from the sender that previously have been read but not replied to; and

including the determined ReadButNotRepliedTo importance factor in calculating the importance value.

76. The computing device of claim 50, wherein the processor is configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations such that calculating the importance value for each electronic message further comprises:

parsing the electronic message to determine the identity of a sender;

accessing a database using the identity of the sender to determine a measure of electronic messages previously received from the sender that have not been opened;

determining a ReceivedButNotOpened importance factor based on the determined measure of electronic messages previously received from the sender that have not been opened; and

including the determined ReceivedButNotOpened importance factor in calculating the importance value.

77. The computing device of claim 50, wherein the processor is configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations such that calculating the importance value for each electronic message further comprises:

parsing the electronic message to determine an identity of a sender'"'"'s company;

determining a location of the sender'"'"'s company;

determining a distance to the location of the sender'"'"'s company;

determining a DistanceFromCompany importance factor based on the determined distance to the location of the sender'"'"'s company; and

including the determined DistanceFromCompany importance factor in calculating the importance value.

78. The computing device of claim 50, wherein the processor is configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations further comprising highlighting at least a portion of the display of each electronic message based upon the importance value.

79. The computing device of claim 50, wherein the processor is configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations such that calculating the importance value for each electronic message further comprises:

summing a product of the first criterion importance factor times the first weighting factor and a product of the second criterion importance factor times the second weighting factor.

80. The computing device of claim 79, wherein the processor is configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations further comprising receiving user inputs selecting criteria for sorting the plurality of electronic messages,

wherein the first type of additional data, the first algorithm, the second type of additional data, and the second algorithm are determined based upon the received user inputs.

81. The computing device of claim 79, wherein the processor is configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations further comprising receiving user inputs identifying priorities for sorting the plurality of electronic messages.

82. The computing device of claim 81, wherein the processor is configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations such that searching the first database for additional data related to the obtained identity information is only performed for information relevant to an algorithm for which a corresponding weighting factor is greater than a threshold value.

83. The computing device of claim 81, wherein the processor is configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations further comprising displaying on a graphical user interface user-interface icons that a user can manipulate with a user interface pointing device to indicate relative priorities of importance criteria,

wherein receiving user inputs identifying priorities for sorting the plurality of electronic messages comprises determining user manipulations of the user-interface icons included on the graphical user interface and interpreting the user manipulations as a relative priority.

84. The computing device of claim 81, wherein the processor is configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations further comprising receiving user inputs identifying a condition to be compared to one of the first or second types of additional data and a conditional operation to be performed on an electronic message when the condition is satisfied by the one of the first or second types of additional data.

85. The computing device of claim 43, wherein the computing device is a personal computer.

86. The computing device of claim 43, wherein the computing device is a server, wherein the processor is configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations to adjust the display of the plurality of electronic messages by adjusting the plurality of messages stored in memory prior to being downloaded by a recipient user computer.

87. A computing device, comprising:

means for parsing each of a plurality of electronic messages for a recipient to obtain identity information about an entity associated with each electronic message;

means for searching a first database for additional data related to the obtained identity information, wherein the first database comprises data associated with the obtained identity information by a third party;

means for retrieving additional data related to the obtained identity information from the first database;

means for receiving user inputs determining a first weighting factor and a second weighting factor for adjusting a display of the plurality of electronic messages;

means for applying a first algorithm using the first weighting factor to a first type of the additional data to obtain a first criterion importance factor;

means for applying a second algorithm using the second weighting factor to a second type of the additional data to obtain a second criterion importance factor;

means for calculating an importance value for each of the plurality of electronic messages based on the first criterion importance factor and the second criterion importance factor; and

means for adjusting the display of the plurality of electronic messages based on the calculated importance value.

88. The computing device of claim 87, wherein the plurality of electronic messages are email messages.

89. The computing device of claim 87, wherein means for parsing each of the plurality of electronic messages to obtain identity information about the entity associated with each electronic message comprises means for parsing each of the plurality of electronic messages to obtain identity information about one of the recipient of each electronic message, a sender of the electronic message, an individual mentioned in each electronic message, and a company mentioned in each electronic message.

90. The computing device of claim 87, further comprising means for accessing the first database via the Internet.

91. The computing device of claim 87, wherein the first database is a contacts database.

92. The computing device of claim 87, further comprising:

means for storing at least a portion of the retrieved additional data related to the obtained identity information in a prior search results database;

means for searching the prior search results database for previously retrieved additional data related to the obtained entity information; and

means for accessing the previously retrieved additional data related to the obtained identity information from the prior search results database, wherein searching the first database and retrieving the additional data from the first database are performed if no previously retrieved additional data related to the obtained identity information is retrieved from the prior search results database.

93. The computing device of claim 92, wherein means for searching the first database and retrieving the additional data from the first database comprises means for searching the first database and retrieving additional data from the first database if previously retrieved additional data related to the obtained identity information is retrieved from the prior search results database but the time since a last search exceeds a predetermined threshold.

94. The computing device of claim 87, wherein means for adjusting the display of the plurality of electronic messages further comprises:

means for sorting the plurality of electronic messages based on the calculated importance value.

95. The computing device of claim 94, wherein the additional data is selected from the group consisting of company name, job title, age, gender, ethnicity, income, social networking data, social network linkages, Google™

hits, alma mater, home value, home address, images, political affiliation, political donations, number of times a reply has been sent to a sender of the message, number of times a message from a sender has been received but not opened, and distance to sender'"'"'s company.

96. The computing device of claim 94, wherein means for calculating the importance value for each electronic message further comprises:

means for parsing the electronic message to obtain information within the message body to determine a time required to review the message;

means for determining a time required to review importance factor based on the determined time required to review the message; and

means for including the determined required time to review importance factor in calculating the importance value.

97. The computing device of claim 94, wherein means for calculating the importance value for each electronic message further comprises:

means for parsing the electronic message to determine its original Internet portal address;

means for determining an ExternalOrInternal importance factor based on the original Internet portal address; and

means for including the determined ExternalOrInternal importance factor in calculating the importance value.

98. The computing device of claim 94, wherein means for calculating the importance value for each electronic message further comprises:

means for parsing the electronic message to determine the identity of a sender;

means for determining a HowOftenIHaveReplied importance factor based on the identity of the sender; and

means for including the determined HowOftenIHaveReplied importance factor in calculating the importance value.

99. The computing device of claim 94, wherein means for calculating the importance value for each electronic message further comprises:

means for parsing the electronic message to determine the identity of a sender;

means for determining a political party of the sender based on the identity of the sender;

means for determining a PoliticalParty importance factor based on the determined political party; and

means for including the determined PoliticalParty importance factor in calculating the importance value.

100. The computing device of claim 94, wherein means for calculating the importance value for each electronic message further comprises:

means for parsing the electronic message to determine the identity of a sender;

means for obtaining images of the sender based on the identity of the sender;

means for determining Attractiveness importance factor based on the obtained images; and

means for including the determined Attractiveness importance factor in calculating the importance value.

101. The computing device of claim 94, wherein means for calculating the importance value for each electronic message further comprises:

means for parsing the electronic message to determine the identity of a sender;

means for determining a Gender of the sender based on the identity of the sender;

means for determining a gender importance factor based on the gender of the sender; and

means for including the determined gender importance factor in calculating the importance value.

102. The computing device of claim 94, wherein means for calculating the importance value for each electronic message further comprises:

means for parsing the electronic message to determine the date of the message;

means for determining a DateSent importance factor based on the date of the message; and

means for including the determined DateSent importance factor in calculating the importance value.

103. The computing device of claim 94, wherein means for calculating the importance value for each electronic message further comprises:

means for parsing the electronic message to determine the identity of a sender;

means for determining a Preapproved importance factor based on the identity of the sender; and

means for including the determined Preapproved importance factor in calculating the importance value.

104. The computing device of claim 94, wherein means for calculating the importance value for each electronic message further comprises:

means for parsing the electronic message to obtain keywords;

means for determining a Keyword importance factor based on obtained keywords; and

means for including the determined Keyword importance factor in calculating the importance value.

105. The computing device of claim 94, wherein means for calculating the importance value for each electronic message further comprises:

means for parsing the electronic message to determine a list of recipients of the message;

means for determining a SentJustToMe importance factor based on the list of recipients of the message; and

means for including the determined SentJustToMe importance factor in calculating the importance value.

106. The computing device of claim 94, wherein means for calculating the importance value for each electronic message further comprises:

means for parsing the electronic message to determine the identity of a sender'"'"'s company;

means for determining a CompanyCareAbout importance factor based on the identity of the sender'"'"'s company; and

means for including the determined CompanyCareAbout importance factor in calculating the importance value.

107. The computing device of claim 94, wherein means for calculating the importance value for each electronic message further comprises:

means for parsing the electronic message to determine the identity of a sender;

means for determining an alma mater of the sender based on the identity of the sender;

means for determining an Alum importance factor based on the determined alma mater; and

means for including the determined Alum importance factor in calculating the importance value.

108. The computing device of claim 94, wherein means for calculating the importance value for each electronic message further comprises:

means for parsing the electronic message to determine the identity of a sender;

means for determining a FamilyMember importance factor based on the identity of the sender; and

means for including the determined FamilyMember importance factor in calculating the importance value.

109. The computing device of claim 94, wherein means for calculating the importance value for each electronic message further comprises:

means for parsing the electronic message to determine the identity of a sender;

means for determining an estimated wealth of the sender based on the identity of the sender;

means for determining an EstimatedWealth importance factor based on the estimated wealth of the sender; and

means for including the determined EstimatedWealth importance factor in calculating the importance value.

110. The computing device of claim 94, wherein means for calculating the importance value for each electronic message further comprises:

means for parsing the electronic message to determine the identity of a sender;

means for accessing a social network based on the identity of the sender to determine a number of social network connections associated with the sender;

means for determining a Popularity importance factor based on the determined number of social network connections associated with the sender; and

means for including the determined Popularity importance factor in calculating the importance value.

111. The computing device of claim 94, wherein means for calculating the importance value for each electronic message further comprises:

means for parsing the electronic message to determine the identity of a sender;

means for accessing a social network based on the identity of the sender;

means for determining a FriendsInCommon importance factor based on sender connections identified on the social network; and

means for including the determined FriendsInCommon importance factor in calculating the importance value.

112. The computing device of claim 94, wherein means for calculating the importance value for each electronic message further comprises:

means for parsing the electronic message to determine the identity of a sender;

means for determining a measure of how much the sender has traveled by searching a database using the identity of the sender;

means for determining a WellTraveled? importance factor based on the measure of how much the sender has traveled; and

means for including the determined WellTraveled? importance factor in calculating the importance value.

113. The computing device of claim 94, wherein means for calculating the importance value for each electronic message further comprises:

means for parsing the electronic message to determine the types of punctuation used in the message;

means for determining a NumberOF_?_Marks importance factor based on the types of punctuation used in the message; and

means for including the determined NumberOF_?_Marks importance factor in calculating the importance value.

114. The computing device of claim 94, wherein means for calculating the importance value for each electronic message further comprises:

means for parsing the electronic message to determine the types of punctuation used in the message;

means for determining a NumberOf!_Marks importance factor based on the types of punctuation used in the message; and

means for including the determined NumberOf!_Marks importance factor in calculating the importance value.

115. The computing device of claim 94, wherein means for calculating the importance value for each electronic message further comprises:

means for parsing the electronic message to obtain words used in the message;

means for determining a FriendlinessOfMessage importance factor based on the words used in the message; and

means for including the determined FriendlinessOfMessage importance factor in calculating the importance value.

116. The computing device of claim 94, wherein means for calculating the importance value for each electronic message further comprises:

means for parsing the electronic message to determine the identity of a sender;

means for accessing a database using the identity of the sender to determine an age of the sender;

means for determining an Age importance factor based on the determined age of the sender; and

means for including the determined Age importance factor in calculating the importance value.

117. The computing device of claim 94, wherein means for calculating the importance value for each electronic message further comprises:

means for parsing the electronic message to determine the identity of a sender;

means for determining a nation of origin of the sender based on the identity of the sender;

means for determining a NationalOrigin importance factor based on the determined nation of origin of the sender; and

means for including the determined NationalOrigin importance factor in calculating the importance value.

118. The computing device of claim 94, wherein means for calculating the importance value for each electronic message further comprises:

means for parsing the electronic message to determine the identity of a sender;

means for accessing a database to obtain images of the sender based on the identity of the sender;

means for determining a skin tone of the sender based on the obtained images of the sender;

means for determining a ColorOfSkin importance factor based on the determined skin tone; and

means for including the determined ColorOfSkin importance factor in calculating the importance value.

119. The computing device of claim 94, wherein means for calculating the importance value for each electronic message further comprises:

means for parsing the electronic message to determine the identity of a sender;

means for accessing a database using the identity of the sender to determine a measure of electronic messages received from the sender that previously have been read but not replied to;

means for determining a ReadButNotRepliedTo importance factor based on the determined measure of electronic messages received from the sender that previously have been read but not replied to; and

means for including the determined ReadButNotRepliedTo importance factor in calculating the importance value.

120. The computing device of claim 94, wherein means for calculating the importance value for each electronic message further comprises:

means for parsing the electronic message to determine the identity of a sender;

means for accessing a database using the identity of the sender to determine a measure of electronic messages previously received from the sender that have not been opened;

means for determining a ReceivedButNotOpened importance factor based on the determined measure of electronic messages previously received from the sender that have not been opened; and

means for including the determined ReceivedButNotOpened importance factor in calculating the importance value.

121. The computing device of claim 94, wherein means for calculating the importance value for each electronic message further comprises:

means for parsing the electronic message to determine an identity of a sender'"'"'s company;

means for determining a location of the sender'"'"'s company;

means for determining a distance to the location of the sender'"'"'s company;

means for determining a DistanceFromCompany importance factor based on the determined distance to the location of the sender'"'"'s company; and

means for including the determined DistanceFromCompany importance factor in calculating the importance value.

122. The computing device of claim 94, further comprising means for highlighting at least a portion of the display of each electronic message based upon the importance value.

123. The computing device of claim 94, wherein means for calculating the importance value for each electronic message further comprises:

means for summing a product of the first criterion importance factor times the first weighting factor and a product of the second criterion importance factor times the second weighting factor.

124. The computing device of claim 123, further comprising means for receiving user inputs selecting criteria for sorting the plurality of electronic messages,

wherein the first type of additional data, the first algorithm, the second type of additional data, and the second algorithm are determined based upon the received user inputs.

125. The computing device of claim 123, further comprising means for receiving user inputs identifying priorities for sorting the plurality of electronic messages.

126. The computing device of claim 123, wherein means for searching the first database for additional data related to the obtained identity information comprises means for searching the first database for additional data related to the obtained identity information relevant to an algorithm for which a corresponding weighting factor is greater than a threshold value.

127. The computing device of claim 123, further comprising means for displaying on a graphical user interface user-interface icons that a user can manipulate with a user interface pointing device to indicate relative priorities of importance criteria,

wherein means for receiving user inputs identifying priorities for sorting the plurality of electronic messages comprises means for determining user manipulations of the user-interface icons included on the graphical user interface and interpreting the user manipulations as a relative priority.

128. The computing device of claim 123, further comprising means for receiving user inputs identifying a condition to be compared to one of the first or second types of additional data and a conditional operation to be performed on an electronic message when the condition is satisfied by the one of the first or second types of additional data.

129. The computing device of claim 87, wherein the computing device is a personal computer.

130. The computing device of claim 87, wherein the computing device is a server, and wherein means for adjusting the display of the plurality of electronic messages comprises means for adjusting the plurality of messages stored in memory prior to being downloaded by a recipient user computer.

131. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon processor-executable instructions configured to cause a processor to perform operations comprising:

parsing each of a plurality of electronic messages for a recipient to obtain identity information about an entity associated with each electronic message;

searching a first database for additional data related to the obtained identity information, wherein the first database comprises data associated with the obtained identity information by a third party;

retrieving the additional data related to the obtained identity information from the first database;

receiving user inputs determining a first weighting factor and a second weighting factor for adjusting a display of the plurality of electronic messages;

applying a first algorithm using the first weighting factor to a first type of the additional data to obtain a first criterion importance factor;

applying a second algorithm using the second weighting factor to a second type of the additional data to obtain a second criterion importance factor;

calculating an importance value for each of the plurality of electronic messages based on the first criterion importance factor and the second criterion importance factor; and

adjusting the display of the plurality of electronic messages based on the calculated importance value.

132. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 131, wherein the stored processor-executable instructions are configured to cause a processor to perform operations such that the plurality of electronic messages are email messages.

133. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 131, wherein the stored processor-executable instructions are configured to cause a processor to perform operations such that the entity is selected from the recipient of each electronic message, a sender of the electronic message, an individual mentioned in each electronic message, and a company mentioned in each electronic message.

134. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 131, wherein the stored processor-executable instructions are configured to cause a processor to perform operations such that the first database is accessed via the Internet through the communication circuit.

135. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 131, wherein the stored processor-executable instructions are configured to cause a processor to perform operations such that the first database is a contacts database stored in the memory.

136. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 131, wherein the stored processor-executable instructions are configured to cause a processor to perform operations further comprising:

storing at least a portion of the retrieved additional data related to the obtained identity information in a prior search results database;

searching the prior search results database for previously retrieved additional data related to the obtained entity information; and

accessing the previously retrieved additional data related to the obtained identity information from the prior search results database, wherein searching the first database and retrieving the additional data from the first database are performed if no previously retrieved additional data related to the obtained identity information is retrieved from the prior search results database.

137. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 136, wherein the stored processor-executable instructions are configured to cause a processor to perform operations such that retrieving the additional data from the first database is performed if previously retrieved additional data related to the obtained identity information is retrieved from the prior search results database but the time since a last search exceeds a predetermined threshold.

138. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 131, wherein the stored processor-executable instructions are configured to cause a processor to perform operations such that adjusting the display of the plurality of electronic messages further comprises:

sorting the plurality of electronic messages based on the calculated importance value.

139. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 138, wherein the stored processor-executable instructions are configured to cause a processor to perform operations such that the additional data is selected from the group consisting of company name, job title, age, gender, ethnicity, income, social networking data, social network linkages, Google™

hits, alma mater, home value, home address, images, political affiliation, political donations, number of times a reply has been sent to a sender of the message, number of times a message from a sender has been received but not opened, and distance to sender'"'"'s company.

140. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 138, wherein the stored processor-executable instructions are configured to cause a processor to perform operations such that calculating the importance value for each electronic message further comprises:

parsing the electronic message to obtain information within the message body to determine a time required to review the electronic message;

determining a time required to review importance factor based on the determined time required to review the message; and

including the determined required time to review importance factor in calculating the importance value.

141. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 138, wherein the stored processor-executable instructions are configured to cause a processor to perform operations such that calculating the importance value for each electronic message further comprises:

parsing the electronic message to determine its original Internet portal address;

determining an ExternalOrInternal importance factor based on an original Internet portal address; and

including the determined ExternalOrInternal importance factor in calculating the importance value.

142. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 138, wherein the stored processor-executable instructions are configured to cause a processor to perform operations such that calculating the importance value for each electronic message further comprises:

parsing the electronic message to determine the identity of a sender;

determining a HowOftenIHaveReplied importance factor based on the identity of the sender; and

including the determined HowOftenIHaveReplied importance factor in calculating the importance value.

143. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 138, wherein the stored processor-executable instructions are configured to cause a processor to perform operations such that calculating the importance value for each electronic message further comprises:

parsing the electronic message to determine the identity of a sender;

determining a political party of the sender based on the identity of the sender;

determining a PoliticalParty importance factor based on the determined political party; and

including the determined PoliticalParty importance factor in calculating the importance value.

144. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 138, wherein the stored processor-executable instructions are configured to cause a processor to perform operations such that calculating the importance value for each electronic message further comprises:

parsing the electronic message to determine the identity of a sender;

obtaining images of the sender based on the identity of the sender;

determining Attractiveness importance factor based on the obtained images; and

including the determined Attractiveness importance factor in calculating the importance value.

145. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 138, wherein the stored processor-executable instructions are configured to cause a processor to perform operations such that calculating the importance value for each electronic message further comprises:

parsing the electronic message to determine the identity of a sender;

determining a Gender of the sender based on the identity of the sender;

determining a gender importance factor based on the gender of the sender; and

including the determined gender importance factor in calculating the importance value.

146. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 138, wherein the stored processor-executable instructions are configured to cause a processor to perform operations such that calculating the importance value for each electronic message further comprises:

parsing the electronic message to determine the date of the message;

determining a DateSent importance factor based on the date of the message; and

including the determined DateSent importance factor in calculating the importance value.

147. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 138, wherein the stored processor-executable instructions are configured to cause a processor to perform operations such that calculating the importance value for each electronic message further comprises:

parsing the electronic message to determine the identity of a sender;

determining a Preapproved importance factor based on the identity of the sender; and

including the determined Preapproved importance factor in calculating the importance value.

148. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 138, wherein the stored processor-executable instructions are configured to cause a processor to perform operations such that calculating the importance value for each electronic message further comprises:

parsing the electronic message to obtain keywords;

determining a Keyword importance factor based on obtained keywords; and

including the determined Keyword importance factor in calculating the importance value.

149. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 138, wherein the stored processor-executable instructions are configured to cause a processor to perform operations such that calculating the importance value for each electronic message further comprises:

parsing the electronic message to determine a list of recipients of the message;

determining a SentJustToMe importance factor based on the list of recipients of the message; and

including the determined SentJustToMe importance factor in calculating the importance value.

150. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 138, wherein the stored processor-executable instructions are configured to cause a processor to perform operations such that calculating the importance value for each electronic message further comprises:

parsing the electronic message to determine the identity of a sender'"'"'s company;

determining a CompanyCareAbout importance factor based on the identity of the sender'"'"'s company; and

including the determined CompanyCareAbout importance factor in calculating the importance value.

151. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 138, wherein the stored processor-executable instructions are configured to cause a processor to perform operations such that calculating the importance value for each electronic message further comprises:

parsing the electronic message to determine the identity of a sender;

determining an alma mater of the sender based on the identity of the sender;

determining an Alum importance factor based on the determined alma mater; and

including the determined Alum importance factor in calculating the importance value.

152. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 138, wherein the stored processor-executable instructions are configured to cause a processor to perform operations such that calculating the importance value for each electronic message further comprises:

parsing the electronic message to determine the identity of a sender;

determining a FamilyMember importance factor based on the identity of the sender; and

including the determined FamilyMember importance factor in calculating the importance value.

153. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 138, wherein the stored processor-executable instructions are configured to cause a processor to perform operations such that calculating the importance value for each electronic message further comprises:

parsing the electronic message to determine the identity of a sender;

determining an estimated wealth of the sender based on the identity of the sender;

determining an EstimatedWealth importance factor based on the estimated wealth of the sender; and

including the determined EstimatedWealth importance factor in calculating the importance value.

154. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 138, wherein the stored processor-executable instructions are configured to cause a processor to perform operations such that calculating the importance value for each electronic message further comprises:

parsing the electronic message to determine the identity of a sender;

accessing a social network based on the identity of the sender to determine a number of social network connections associated with the sender;

determining a Popularity importance factor based on the determined number of social network connections associated with the sender; and

including the determined Popularity importance factor in calculating the importance value.

155. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 138, wherein the stored processor-executable instructions are configured to cause a processor to perform operations such that calculating the importance value for each electronic message further comprises:

parsing the electronic message to determine the identity of a sender;

accessing a social network based on the identity of the sender;

determining a FriendsInCommon importance factor based on sender connections identified on the social network; and

including the determined FriendsInCommon importance factor in calculating the importance value.

156. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 138, wherein the stored processor-executable instructions are configured to cause a processor to perform operations such that calculating the importance value for each electronic message further comprises:

parsing the electronic message to determine the identity of a sender;

determining a measure of how much the sender has traveled by searching a database using the identity of the sender;

determining a WellTraveled? importance factor based on the measure of how much the sender has traveled; and

including the determined WellTraveled? importance factor in calculating the importance value.

157. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 138, wherein the stored processor-executable instructions are configured to cause a processor to perform operations such that calculating the importance value for each electronic message further comprises:

parsing the electronic message to determine the types of punctuation used in the message;

determining a NumberOF_?_Marks importance factor based on the types of punctuation used in the message; and

including the determined NumberOF_?_Marks importance factor in calculating the importance value.

158. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 138, wherein the stored processor-executable instructions are configured to cause a processor to perform operations such that calculating the importance value for each electronic message further comprises:

parsing the electronic message to determine the types of punctuation used in the message;

determining a NumberOf!_Marks importance factor based on the types of punctuation used in the message; and

including the determined NumberOf!_Marks importance factor in calculating the importance value.

159. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 138, wherein the stored processor-executable instructions are configured to cause a processor to perform operations such that calculating the importance value for each electronic message further comprises:

parsing the electronic message to obtain words used in the message;

determining a FriendlinessOfMessage importance factor based on the words used in the message; and

including the determined FriendlinessOfMessage importance factor in calculating the importance value.

160. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 138, wherein the stored processor-executable instructions are configured to cause a processor to perform operations such that calculating the importance value for each electronic message further comprises:

parsing the electronic message to determine the identity of a sender;

accessing a database using the identity of a sender to determine an age of the sender;

determining an Age importance factor based on the determined age of the sender; and

including the determined Age importance factor in calculating the importance value.

161. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 138, wherein the stored processor-executable instructions are configured to cause a processor to perform operations such that calculating the importance value for each electronic message further comprises:

parsing the electronic message to determine the identity of a sender;

determining a nation of origin of the sender based on the identity of the sender;

determining a NationalOrigin importance factor based on the determined nation of origin of the sender; and

including the determined NationalOrigin importance factor in calculating the importance value.

162. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 138, wherein the stored processor-executable instructions are configured to cause a processor to perform operations such that calculating the importance value for each electronic message further comprises:

parsing the electronic message to determine the identity of a sender;

accessing a database to obtain images of the sender based on the identity of the sender;

determining a skin tone of the sender based on the obtained images of the sender;

determining a ColorOfSkin importance factor based on the determined skin tone; and

including the determined ColorOfSkin importance factor in calculating the importance value.

163. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 138, wherein the stored processor-executable instructions are configured to cause a processor to perform operations such that calculating the importance value for each electronic message further comprises:

parsing the electronic message to determine the identity of a sender;

accessing a database using the identity of the sender to determine a measure of electronic messages received from the sender that previously have been read but not replied to;

determining a ReadButNotRepliedTo importance factor based on the determined measure of electronic messages received from the sender that previously have been read but not replied to; and

including the determined ReadButNotRepliedTo importance factor in calculating the importance value.

164. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 138, wherein the stored processor-executable instructions are configured to cause a processor to perform operations such that calculating the importance value for each electronic message further comprises:

parsing the electronic message to determine the identity of a sender;

accessing a database using the identity of a sender to determine a measure of electronic messages previously received from the sender that have not been opened;

determining a ReceivedButNotOpened importance factor based on the determined measure of electronic messages previously received from the sender that have not been opened; and

including the determined ReceivedButNotOpened importance factor in calculating the importance value.

165. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 138, wherein the stored processor-executable instructions are configured to cause a processor to perform operations such that calculating the importance value for each electronic message further comprises:

parsing the electronic message to determine an identity of a sender'"'"'s company;

determining a location of the sender'"'"'s company;

determining a distance to the location of the sender'"'"'s company;

determining a DistanceFromCompany importance factor based on the determined distance to the location of the sender'"'"'s company; and

including the determined DistanceFromCompany importance factor in calculating in the calculation of the importance value.

166. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 138, wherein the stored processor-executable instructions are configured to cause a processor to perform operations further comprising highlighting at least a portion of the display of each electronic message based upon the importance value.

167. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 138, wherein the stored processor-executable instructions are configured to cause a processor to perform operations such that calculating the importance value for each electronic message further comprises:

summing a product of the first criterion importance factor times the first weighting factor and a product of the second criterion importance factor times the second weighting factor.

168. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 167, wherein the stored processor-executable instructions are configured to cause a processor to perform operations further comprising receiving user inputs selecting criteria for sorting the plurality of electronic messages,

wherein the first type of additional data, the first algorithm, the second type of additional data, and the second algorithm are determined based upon the received user inputs.

169. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 167, wherein the stored processor-executable instructions are configured to cause a processor to perform operations further comprising receiving user inputs identifying priorities for sorting the plurality of electronic messages.

170. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 169, wherein the stored processor-executable instructions are configured to cause a processor to perform operations such that searching the first database for additional data related to the obtained identity information is only performed for information relevant to an algorithm for which a corresponding weighting factor is greater than a threshold value.

171. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 169, wherein the stored processor-executable instructions are configured to cause a processor to perform operations further comprising displaying on a graphical user interface user-interface icons that a user can manipulate with a user interface pointing device to indicate relative priorities of importance criteria,

wherein receiving user inputs identifying priorities for sorting the plurality of electronic messages comprises determining user manipulations of the user-interface icons included on the graphical user interface and interpreting the user manipulations as a relative priority.

172. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 169, wherein the stored processor-executable instructions are configured to cause a processor to perform operations further comprising receiving user inputs identifying a condition to be compared to one of the first or second types of additional data and a conditional operation to be performed on an electronic message when the condition is satisfied by the one of the first or second types of additional data.

173. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 131, wherein the stored processor-executable instructions are configured to be executed by processor of a personal computer.

174. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 131, wherein the stored processor-executable instructions are configured to be executed by a processor of a server, wherein the stored processor-executable instructions are configured to cause the processor to perform operations to adjust the display of the plurality of electronic messages by adjusting the plurality of messages stored in memory prior to being downloaded by a recipient user computer.