METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PERFORMING ENTERPRISE EMAIL MANAGEMENT

• US 20020099681A1
• Filed: 11/17/1998
• Published: 07/25/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 11/17/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verint Americas Incorporated (Verint Systems Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Birdge Bank National Assoc. Technology Support Services
• Inventors: HORVATH, MICHAEL, BROQUET, ALEX, GAINEY, MARK
• Granted Patent: US 6,941,304 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/212 using filtering or selective blocking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/214 using selective forwarding
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/48 Message addressing, e.g. address format or anonymous messages, aliases
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99937 Sorting

Abstract

An enterprise email management system is disclosed. The enterprise mail system is designed to handle large volumes of email quickly and efficiently, responding through enterprise email system users or automated means. The enterprise email system processes incoming email using a set of configurable rules that examine each message for a specific attribute state condition and invoke a configurable action when the attribute satisfies the condition. A number of actions may be invoked such as routing a message to a specific mail queue. The enterprise email system assigns a mail queue timer when a message is moved into a mail queue. Each mail queue has a different mail queue timeout value that specifies the maximum amount of time that a message may sit idle within a mail queue. The enterprise email system may automatically move a message from a mail queue into a mailbox of an enterprise email system user that subscribed to the mail queue. A mailbox timer then set for the message and the mailbox timer is compared with a mailbox timeout value that specifies the amount of time that message may sit idle within a mail queue. If the mail queue timer expires, the message is returned to the mail queue from where it came. If the mail queue timer expires, then the message is routed to another mail queue or enterprise email user.

Claims

1. A method for processing electronic messages, said method comprising:

receiving a message in an enterprise mail system, said message from a message sender;

categorizing said message by selecting a first category entry from a category database; and

creating a response message using said first category entry, said response message including a response body defined in said first category entry and a set of recipients defined in said first category entry.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said recipient comprises a carbon copy recipient.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said recipient comprises a blind carbon copy recipient.

4. A method for processing electronic messages, said method comprising:

receiving a first message into an enterprise mail system, said first message from a first message sender;

storing said first message in a message database;

assigning a category entry from a category database; and

delivering said first message to a first enterprise mail system user, said enterprise mail system user creating a template response message with said category entry.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein assigning a category entry from a category database is performed by a rule processor.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein assigning a category entry from a category database is performed by said enterprise mail system user.

7. The method of claim 4 further comprising:

providing a set of default message body sections for said response message.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein one of said set of default message body sections comprises a salutation.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein one of said set of default message body sections comprises a body header.

10. The method of claim 7 wherein one of said set of default message body sections comprises a closing.

11. The method of claim 7 wherein one of said set of default message body sections comprises a footer.