ELECTRONIC MAIL INBOX WITH FOCUSED E-MAILS ACCORDING TO CATEGORIES

• US 20090089798A1
• Filed: 09/28/2007
• Published: 04/02/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Anderson, Christine, Chan, Wendy, Schnoebelen, Tyler, Hirsh, Sandra, Bell, Nancy Jane, Kikin-Gil, Erez, Stovicek, Thomas Jan, Yang, Sara Liu, Shahine, Omar
• Granted Patent: US 8,239,874 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 719/314
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/353 into predefined classes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/42 Mailbox-related aspects, e.g. synchronisation of mailboxes

Abstract

Focusing electronic mail messages in a list of messages. Category information is received for classifying particular e-mail messages or senders of the messages in the list of e-mail messages according to a category. The method also includes setting a status data associated with each of the particular messages. The status data indicates the category classified by the user. A first instruction is received from the user for focusing the particular messages according to the category. The particular messages having the status data therewith in the list are focused collectively without altering a preexisting order of the messages in the list.

Claims

1. A method for focusing messages in an inbox, said method comprising:

receiving category information defining one or more categories to be associated with messages or senders of the messages;

identifying each of the messages from senders corresponding to at least one of the defined categories in the received category information;

setting a status data associated with each of the messages, said status data indicating which of the defined categories in the received category information correspond thereto;

receiving a first instruction from a user for focusing the messages according to the status data associated therewith; and

focusing the messages in a list according to the status data associated therewith collectively without altering a preexisting order of the messages in the list.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the category information comprises receiving the category information from one of the following sources:

a user-defined category and a predefined category, and wherein the category information includes at least one or more of the following categories;

unknown, safe, contact, good reputation, and mixed reputation.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising pre-selecting each of the focused e-mail messages in the list according to the status data associated therewith collectively such that the focused e-mail messages are additionally marked among the rendered one or more entries in the one or more data fields.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing a toolbar having at least one option for performing an operation on the focused e-mail messages, said at least one option including grouping the focused e-mail messages in a cluster in the list.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein providing the toolbar comprises providing the toolbar having at least one additional option for sorting the grouped e-mail messages in the cluster in the list.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising selectively persisting a state of the status data of the focused e-mail messages.

7. A method for focusing one or more entries in a list, said method comprising:

receiving category information defining one or more categories for one or more particular entries or senders of the one or more particular entries in the list;

setting a status data associated with each of the particular entries, said status data indicating the defined category in the received category information corresponding thereto;

receiving a first instruction from a user for focusing the particular entries according to the status data; and

graphically focusing the particular entries in the list according to the status data associated therewith collectively while maintaining a preexisting order of the entries in the list.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein receiving the category information comprises receiving the category information from one of the following sources:

a user-defined category and a predefined category, and wherein the category information includes one or more of the following categories;

unknown, safe, contact, good reputation, and mixed reputation.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising pre-selecting each of the graphically focused e-mail messages in the list according to the status data associated therewith collectively such that the focused e-mail messages are additionally marked among the rendered one or more entries in the one or more data fields.

10. The method of claim 7, further comprising providing a toolbar having at least one option for performing an operation on the focused entries, said at least one option including grouping the focused entries in a cluster in the list.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein providing the toolbar comprises providing the toolbar having at least one additional option for sorting the grouped entries in the cluster in the list.

12. The method of claim 7, further comprising selectively persists a state of the status data for each of the focused particular entries.

13. The method of claim 7, wherein the particular entries comprise at least one of the following:

electronic mail (e-mail) messages, offline instant messages, private messages, facsimile messages, and voice mail messages.

14. One or more computer-readable media having a data structure stored thereon, said data structure having data fields for storing data for a graphical user interface (GUI), said data structure comprising:

one or more data fields providing data for rendering one or more entries in a list to a user, said one or more entries being arranged according to a preexisting order;

a first data field for storing data identifying a category for each of the one or more entries or senders of the one or more entries in the one or more data fields;

a second data field for storing data for activating or deactivating a search of particular entries in response to an instruction from the user for selecting the particular entries according to a particular category in the one or more entries in the list in the first data field;

wherein the second data field stores data activating the search of the particular entries according to the particular category; and

a third data field storing data for graphically focusing each of the particular entries having the particular category in the first data field therewith collectively such that the focused particular entries are visually prominent from the rendered one or more entries in the one or more data fields while the one or more entries maintaining the preexisting order of the entries in the list.

15. The computer-readable media of claim 14, wherein the category in the first data field includes at least one or more of the following categories:

unknown, safe, good reputation, mixed reputation, contact, and a customized category established by the user.

16. The computer-readable media of claim of 14, wherein the third data field stores data for pre-selecting each of the particular entries having the particular category in the first data field therewith collectively such that the focused particular entries are marked among the rendered one or more entries in the one or more data fields.

17. The computer-readable media of claim 14, further comprising a fourth data field storing data for a toolbar having at least one option for performing one or more operations on the graphically focused entries in the third data field, said at least one option including grouping the focused entries in a cluster in the third data field.

18. The computer-readable media of claim 17, wherein the fourth data field provides data for performing one or more operations to the focused entries according to the third data field, said one or more operations including at least one or more of the following:

additionally marking each of the focused entries, storing data for one or more rules to define a category, and shuffling the grouped entries in the cluster in the third data field.

19. The computer-readable media of claim 18, wherein the fourth data field selectively persists a state of the data in the first data field in response to the data in the third data field as a function of the performed operations.

20. The computer-readable media of claim 14, wherein the one or more entries in the one or more data fields comprise at least one of the following:

electronic mail (e-mail) messages, offline instant messages, private messages, facsimile messages, and voice mail messages.