Method and system for handling email

• US 7,831,676 B1
• Filed: 02/21/2008
• Issued: 11/09/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/21/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ajay R. Nagar
• Original Assignee: Ajay R. Nagar
• Inventors: Nagar, Ajay R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Jacobs, LaShonda T
• Application Number:
  US12/070,852
• Time in Patent Office: 992 Days
• Field of Search: 709/223, 709/224, 709/203, 709/206, 709/217, 709/218, 709/219
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]

Abstract

The invention includes a system that selectively or automatically creates email packages by parsing emails into email elements such as attachments, email reply bodies, storing them in the system'"'"'s database and then grouping the elements from different selected emails to form email packages. Emails that satisfy user-defined keywords and criteria are also included in packages and their summary is displayed for a quick retrieval. An example is creating email workgroups, each containing emails that pertain to a set of activities or a specific project, and visually presenting them to users. By storing the links between an email and its elements, the invention facilitates the gathering of statistical information pertaining to different email interactions and action states, attachment-sharing across multiple users, assigning versions to the modified iterations, and cross-referencing them to the originating emails. The links further facilitate identification of email propagation relationships as emails proliferate across multiple users.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for forming a consolidated email in an existing email system, supported by an existing separate database, the existing email system containing email messages, the database containing or capable of storing parsed email elements, the method of forming a consolidated email (also denoted as an email package) comprising the steps of:

selecting automatically or otherwise, emails from the email system or the inventive system;

assigning a user or system supplied name to an email package to associate and contain the consolidated email and its corresponding individual emails;

comparing, by a processor, the selected emails in the email system with emails in the database;

retrieving all the email elements of the first email from the database;

organizing the email elements into email message bodies in a time-sequence order to form a first email copy that is identical to the original first email in the email system and that is also the first consolidated email (or an email package);

linking the consolidated email and its corresponding first email copy to the email package;

storing in the database the links associated to forming the consolidated email and the first email copy for future retrieval;

retrieving from the database the email elements of the second selected email;

dividing the email elements of the second email into a body portion of email elements that contain email message bodies and a link portion of the second email that contains links to duplicate email bodies;

retrieving from the database the email message bodies that are related to link portion of the second email;

adding the email message bodies of the link portion of the second email to the second email;

as a user or system option, the email bodies associated with the links may not be added to prevent duplicate email message bodies from appearing in the consolidated email;

organizing the email message bodies in a time-sequence order to form a second email copy that is identical to the original second email in the email system;

linking the consolidated email and the corresponding second email copy to the email package;

storing in the database the links that are associated to forming the consolidated email and the second email copy for future retrieval;

repeating the steps of the second email for the remaining selected emails in the email system to create the corresponding copies of emails identical to their original email counterpart in the email system, and append them to the consolidated email (or an email package) linking them to the group name and saving the links in the database for future formation;

deleting unwanted emails to remove the corresponding email portion from the consolidated email and its associated links stored in the database;

renaming, deleting, merging splitting email packages;

creating links between the interactions and action states of emails and their corresponding emails within the email package; and

storing relationship links in the database.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising using user-defined keywords and criteria to identify, group and retrieve emails containing these keywords or satisfying the criteria, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving user-defined keywords and criteria;

identifying in the database the email elements and their associated originating emails containing the keywords and satisfying the criteria;

identifying the relationship links between the keywords and criteria and the original emails that contain them; and

storing the relationship links in the database.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising creating email packages, also referred to as email workgroups, to identify and maintain related emails within a workgroup, project, a set of activities, the method comprising the steps of:

creating a workgroup;

assigning a user or system supplied name to the workgroup;

storing the workgroup name in the database;

assigning an email that is in the database to the workgroup, referencing it as the first email of the workgroup;

retrieving from the database emails that are of the same email conversation as the first email of the workgroup;

adding to the workgroup, emails from the database that are of the same conversation as the emails in the workgroup;

creating links between the emails and the workgroup;

repeating the above steps for any emails to be added to any workgroup;

renaming, deleting, merging, splitting workgroups;

removing or adding emails from one workgroup to another workgroup; and

storing in the database the links that associate the workgroup with its associated emails.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising storing email attachments and cross-referencing attachments with the original emails, the method comprising the steps of:

assigning names and sequence numbers to the attachments stored in the database;

storing names and sequence numbers in the database;

creating links to cross-reference attachments to the emails they originate from;

saving links in the database; and

cross-referencing the attachments with the emails they originate from.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising sharing email attachments across multiple users and their modifications, the method comprising the steps of:

providing user-access to an attachment in the inventive system to users who have been granted permission by the inventive system, email system security-controlling application or device;

creating a new copy of the attachment;

assigning a new versioning number to the new copy of the attachment;

locking the attachment access to other users;

permitting modification to the new copy of the attachment;

saving the attachment with modifications in the database;

storing in the database the user'"'"'s identification, the time the file is saved a description of the type of change that was made;

notifying, through user or system option, the email addressees, which are included in the included in the TO, CC and BCC fields of the email that own the attachment;

releasing the lock to allow other users to access the attachment;

permitting creation of a copy of the attachment in their own system; and

preventing deletion or renaming, through user or system option, of the attachment in the inventive system database.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising determining the states of email interactions and actions, collecting, processing and displaying interaction, action and related email elements, comprising the steps of:

extracting email elements and relationship links from the database;

performing mathematical analysis and aggregations on the extracted links to produce statistical metrics for historical and future trending for any combination of email elements; and

storing the results of the extracted data in the database.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising creating relationships between emails and their associated replies and attached emails as they propagate from one email user to another;

the method comprising the steps of;

identify complete or partial proliferation of any selected email as the email and its replies and forwards propagate across multiple email users;

retrieving from the database the links that associate the selected email with its replies, forwards, associated attachments, senders and recipients, email packages and email workgroups;

organizing relationships between each email and its propagation path; and

storing relationship data and links in the database.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising generating a viewable format of the information from the database, the method comprising the steps of

retrieving from the database the email elements, emails, email packages, email workgroups, analytical, statistical, interaction and action states, email proliferation results and relationship links;

organizing the email elements, emails, email packages, email workgroups, analytical, statistical, interaction states, email proliferation results and relationship links in any viewable format by a computer program; and

storing the resulting format in the database.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising providing the stored relationship links, data and the resulting format in the database to computer programs, user interfaces, application program interfaces, and peripheral output devices, the method comprising the steps of

retrieving the stored relationship links, data and viewable organized formats from the database;

providing the relationship links, data and organized formats to computer programs, user interfaces, application program interfaces, and peripheral output devices; and

storing the interfacing information in the database.

10. A computer implemented system for forming a consolidated email in an existing email system, supported by an existing separate database, the existing email system containing email messages, the database containing or capable of storing parsed email elements, the computer implemented system comprising:

a software program stored on a computer wherein the software program is adapted to;

selecting automatically or otherwise, emails from the email system or the inventive system;

assigning a user or system supplied name to an email package to associate and contain the consolidated email and its corresponding individual emails;

comparing the selected emails in the email system with emails in the database;

retrieving all the email elements of the first email from the database;

organizing the email elements into email message bodies in a time-sequence order to form a first email copy that is identical to the original first email in the email system and that is also the first consolidated email (or an email package);

linking the consolidated email and its corresponding first email copy to the email package;

storing in the database the links associated to forming the consolidated email and the first email copy for future retrieval;

retrieving from the database the email elements of the second selected email;

dividing the email elements of the second email into a body portion of email elements that contain email message bodies and a link portion of the second email that contains links to duplicate email bodies;

retrieving from the database the email message bodies that are related to link portion of the second email;

adding the email message bodies of the link portion of the second email to the second email;

as a user or system option, the email bodies associated with the links may not be added to prevent duplicate email message bodies from appearing in the consolidated email;

organizing the email message bodies in a time-sequence order to form a second email copy that is identical to the original second email in the email system;

linking the consolidated email and the corresponding second email copy to the email package;

storing in the database the links that are associated to forming the consolidated email and the second email copy for future retrieval;

repeating the steps of the second email for the remaining selected emails in the email system to create the corresponding copies of emails identical to their original email counterpart in the email system, and append them to the consolidated email (or an email package) linking them to the group name and saving the links in the database for future formation;

deleting unwanted emails to remove the corresponding email portion from the consolidated email and its associated links stored in the database;

renaming, deleting, merging splitting email packages;

creating links between the interactions and action states of emails and their corresponding emails within the email package;

storing relationship links in the database

wherein the software program is further adapted to perform steps of claims 2-9.