USER INTERFACE FOR EMAIL INBOX TO CALL ATTENTION DIFFERENTLY TO DIFFERENT CLASSES OF EMAIL

• US 20150365369A1
• Filed: 08/12/2015
• Published: 12/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/03/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Iconix Incorporated (Matthews Group LLC)
• Original Assignee: Iconix Incorporated (Matthews Group LLC)
• Inventors: Tokuda, Lance Aiji, Zager, Robert Philip, Shen, Jia, Picazo, Jose Jesus Jr., Talbot, Bryan Allen
• Granted Patent: US 10,594,645 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/212 using filtering or selective blocking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/214 using selective forwarding
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/224 providing notification on incoming messages, e.g. pushed notifications of received messages

Abstract

A user interface for email users which calls attention to one or more categories of emails in different ways. In some species, at least three categories are used: branded senders with Trumarks; white list buddies; and fraudulent emails which are either not from the domain they purport to be from or in which the content was tampered. The preferred embodiment authenticates emails from branded senders and displays them with the sender'"'"'s Truemark. Branded sender emails have their Truemarks displayed in the sender column of a list view in the preferred embodiment. In a preferred embodiment, white list senders have either an icon or other graphic or photo they choose displayed to the left or right of the sender column with their name in the sender column. In a preferred embodiment, fraudulent emails have a fraud icon displayed to the left or right of the sender column with a warning in the sender column. Antiphishing processing is also disclosed.

Claims

1. (canceled)

2. A method, comprising:

identifying events retrieved from an email server for new emails being retrieved from the email server into an email client; and

customizing the events within the email client by adding functionality to the email client that calls attention to senders of the emails with one or more of;

branding visual indicators, whitelist visual indicators, and fraudulent visual indicators for the senders.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein identifying further includes identifying the events through an embedded service that is embedded into the email client.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein identifying further includes identifying the events through a plugin for the email client.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein customizing further includes presenting the visual indicators with the senders in an email inbox listing for the emails.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein customizing further includes presenting the visual indicators when the emails are brought into focus within an email inbox.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein customizing further includes associating the visual indicators as metadata with the emails.

8. The method of claim 2, wherein customizing further includes presenting additional visual information for the emails when the emails with the presented visual indicators are brought into focus within the email client.

9. The method of claim 2, wherein customizing further includes filtering the emails into one or more folders within the email client based on data associated with each of the visual indicators.

10. The method of claim 2, wherein the email client is a browser-based email client.

11. The method of claim 2, wherein the email client operates on a client device.

12. A method, comprising:

monitoring communications between an email server and an email client;

enhancing visual presentations of emails within the email client during the monitoring by adding visual indicators for senders of the emails before the emails are presented within an inbox of the email client.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein monitoring further includes monitoring the communications as one of:

an embedded service within the email client and a plugin to the email client.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein monitoring further includes monitoring the communications as a service that is external to both the email server and the email client.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein enhancing further includes providing at least one visual indicator for uniquely identifying a particular sender.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein enhancing further includes providing at least one visual indicator for uniquely identifying a category to which one or more of the senders are to be assigned.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein providing further includes providing the at least one visual indicator as a white list category of safe senders.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein providing further includes providing the at least one visual indicator as a fraudulent list category of known fraudulent senders.

19. The method of claim 12, wherein enhancing further includes providing audio in connection with at least one visual indicator that plays on a device associated with the email inbox when those emails having the at least one visual indicator are brought into focus within the email inbox.

20. A system, comprising:

an email client; and

an email client service to;

i) execute on a hardware device, ii) monitor communications between the email client and an email server, and iii) enhance presentation of emails within an inbox of the email client with distinctive visual indicators assigned to senders of the emails.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the distinctive visual indicators include one or more of:

distinctive branding indicators, distinctive whitelist indicators, and distinctive fraudulent indicators.