Managing message categories in a network
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A method comprisingsending, by a messaging client, a configuration file to a category server, the configuration file comprising a list of category designations assignable to messages sent over a network by the messaging client;
- assigning, by the messaging client, at least one category designation from the list of category designations to an outgoing message comprising an email prior to sending the outgoing message, with the at least one category designation stored in a database managed by the category server and not being contained within the outgoing message, the at least one category designation being accessible by a command sent by a recipient mail client program to the category server, and wherein the at least one category designation is configured to facilitate the recipient mail client to display an indication representing a number of matches associated with the at least one category designation assigned to the outgoing message,the messaging client including an avatar,the avatar imparting the message with information allowing a recipient of the outgoing message to receive visual feedback indicating exactly which of a set of recipient filters match which category designations associated with the message; and
sending the outgoing message over the network;
wherein;
the category server is independent of any server used to send the outgoing message and is also independent of the messaging client; and
the at least one category designation representing attributes of the outgoing message or a sender of the outgoing message and being configured to facilitate a recipient mail client filter to filter the outgoing message based on the at least one category designation and to provide visual feedback associated with the at least one category designation, wherein the visual feedback includes an indication of the number of matches between the at least one category designation assigned to the outgoing message and at least one recipient category designation associated with the recipient mail client filter.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method for creating and assigning categories to electronic messages and detecting the categories for a given message when the message becomes available to the recipient.
45 Citations
42 Claims
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1. A method comprising
sending, by a messaging client, a configuration file to a category server, the configuration file comprising a list of category designations assignable to messages sent over a network by the messaging client; -
assigning, by the messaging client, at least one category designation from the list of category designations to an outgoing message comprising an email prior to sending the outgoing message, with the at least one category designation stored in a database managed by the category server and not being contained within the outgoing message, the at least one category designation being accessible by a command sent by a recipient mail client program to the category server, and wherein the at least one category designation is configured to facilitate the recipient mail client to display an indication representing a number of matches associated with the at least one category designation assigned to the outgoing message, the messaging client including an avatar, the avatar imparting the message with information allowing a recipient of the outgoing message to receive visual feedback indicating exactly which of a set of recipient filters match which category designations associated with the message; and sending the outgoing message over the network;
wherein;the category server is independent of any server used to send the outgoing message and is also independent of the messaging client; and the at least one category designation representing attributes of the outgoing message or a sender of the outgoing message and being configured to facilitate a recipient mail client filter to filter the outgoing message based on the at least one category designation and to provide visual feedback associated with the at least one category designation, wherein the visual feedback includes an indication of the number of matches between the at least one category designation assigned to the outgoing message and at least one recipient category designation associated with the recipient mail client filter. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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23. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory machine-readable medium storing instructions, which, when executed by at least one data processor, causes the at least one data processor to perform operations comprising:
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sending, by a messaging client, a configuration file to a category server, the configuration file comprising a list of category designations assignable to messages sent over a network by the messaging client; assigning, by the messaging client, at least one category designation from the list of category designations to an outgoing message comprising an email prior to sending the outgoing message, with the at least one category designation stored in a database managed by the category server and not being contained within the outgoing message, the at least one category designation being accessible by a command sent by a recipient mail client program to the category server, and wherein the at least one category designation is configured to facilitate the recipient mail client to display an indication representing a number of matches associated with the at least one category designation assigned to the outgoing message, the messaging client including an avatar, the avatar imparting the outgoing message with information allowing a recipient of the outgoing message to receive visual feedback indicating exactly which of a set of recipient filters match which category designations associated with the outgoing message; and sending, by the messaging client, the outgoing message over the network;
wherein;the category server is independent of any server used to send the outgoing message and is also independent of the messaging client; and the at least one category designation representing attributes of the outgoing message or a sender of the outgoing message and being configured to facilitate a recipient mail client filter to filter the outgoing message based on the at least one category designation and to provide visual feedback associated with the at least one category designation, wherein the visual feedback includes an indication of the number of matches between the at least one category designation assigned to the outgoing message and at least one recipient category designation associated with the recipient mail client filter. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41)
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42. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing one or more programs, the one or more programs having instructions that when executed by at least one programmable processor, cause the at least one programmable processor to perform operations comprising:
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sending, by a messaging client, a configuration file to a category server, the configuration file comprising a list of category designations assignable to messages sent over a network by the messaging client; assigning, by the messaging client, at least one category designation from the list of category designations to an outgoing message prior to sending the outgoing message, with the at least one category designation to be stored in a database managed by the category server and not being contained within the outgoing message, wherein the at least one category designation is configured to facilitate the recipient mail client to display an indication relating to the at least one category designation assigned to the outgoing message, the messaging client including an avatar, the avatar imparting the outgoing message with information configured to allow a recipient of the outgoing message to receive visual feedback indicating which of a set of recipient filters match which category designations associated with the outgoing message; and sending the outgoing message over the network; wherein the at least one category designation represents at least one attribute of the outgoing message or a sender of the outgoing message and being configured to facilitate a recipient mail client filter to filter the outgoing message based on the at least one category designation and to provide visual feedback associated with the at least one category designation.
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Specification