Mechanism for managing sequential emails

• US 8,392,519 B2
• Filed: 01/06/2011
• Issued: 03/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/03/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tamiras Per Pte Ltd LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Misaki Acquisitions LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Madnani, Rajkumar R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Meky, Moustafa M
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nano, Sargon
• Application Number:
  US12/986,144
• Publication Number:
  US 20110099242A1
• Time in Patent Office: 789 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206, 709/207
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/08 Annexed information, e.g. attachments
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/212 using filtering or selective blocking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/216 Handling conversation history, e.g. grouping of messages in sessions or threads
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/42 Mailbox-related aspects, e.g. synchronisation of mailboxes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]

Abstract

A mechanism is disclosed for generating a composite email for an email conversation. The composite email includes content automatically extracted from a plurality of the emails in the email conversation, and may be generated in response to a user accessing just one of the emails in the email conversation. A mechanism is also disclosed for discovering and recovering lost emails in an email conversation. A mechanism is further disclosed for automatically moving emails from one container to another after an email has been read. These and other advantageous email generating, manipulation, and organization mechanisms are disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A machine implemented method, comprising:

receiving an incoming electronic mail message (email) that is part of an email flow;

receiving an indication that a user wishes to send a new email relating to the email flow;

determining that the email flow is a sequential email flow, wherein a sequential email flow is an email flow in which recipients of future emails in the email flow are predetermined by an initiator of the email flow;

accessing a set of participant information from one of the emails in the sequential email flow, wherein the set of participant information specifies a plurality of sets of participants including a first set of participants, a second set of participants, and a third set of participants, with each set of participants comprising one or more participants, wherein the second set of participants is different from the first set of participants, and the third set of participants is different from the second set of participants, wherein the set of participant information specifies a predetermined sequential ordering of the plurality of sets of participants for receiving emails relating to the sequential email flow, and wherein the predetermined sequential ordering indicates that a first email in the sequential email flow is to be sent to the first set of participants, that a next email in the sequential email flow, sent by the first set of participants, is to be sent to the second set of participants, and that a next email in the sequential email flow, that is sent by the second set of participants, is to be sent to the third set of participants;

determining, based at least partially upon the predetermined sequential ordering, which set of participants is next in line to receive emails relating to the sequential email flow; and

sending the new email to the set of participants that is next in line to receive emails relating to the sequential email flow.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the sequential email flow is initiated by an administrator, and wherein the method further comprises:

sending the new email to the administrator as well so that the administrator can monitor the sequential email flow.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the sequential email flow includes one or more attachments that are passed from one set of participants to another, and wherein the one or more attachments are modified by one or more sets of participants as they are passed from one set of participants to another.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the sequential email flow is an email conversation, wherein the email conversation spans across a plurality of separate emails, and wherein all of the emails that are part of the email conversation have a unique identifier associated therewith that indicates that the emails are part of the email conversation, and wherein the method further comprises:

accessing the incoming email;

extracting the unique identifier and content from the incoming email;

accessing, based at least partially upon the unique identifier, an email conversation data structure that is associated with the email conversation, the email conversation data structure containing information indicating which emails are part of the email conversation;

accessing one or more other emails that are indicated by the email conversation data structure as being part of the email conversation;

extracting content from the one or more other emails; and

automatically generating a composite email which includes the content extracted from the incoming email and the content extracted from the one or more other emails.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the email conversation includes a recipient list email which contains the set of participant information, and wherein accessing the set of participant information comprises:

accessing the recipient list email.

6. The machine implemented method of claim 1, wherein the new email is not sent to the other sets of participants in the plurality of sets of participants.

7. The machine implemented method of claim 1, wherein the predetermined sequential ordering indicates which set of participants is to receive which future email in the sequential email flow.

8. The machine implemented method of claim 1, wherein the first set of participants, the second set of participants, and the third set of participant are different sets of participants.

23. The machine implemented method of claim 1, wherein the set of participants that are next in line to receive emails relating to the sequential email flow is determined automatically, independent of user input.

9. A non-transitory machine readable storage medium having stored thereon instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform the operations of:

receiving an incoming electronic mail message (email) that is part of an email flow;

receiving an indication that a user wishes to send a new email relating to the email flow;

determining that the email flow is a sequential email flow, wherein a sequential email flow is an email flow in which recipients of future emails in the email flow are predetermined by an initiator of the email flow;

accessing a set of participant information from one of the emails in the sequential email flow, wherein the set of participant information specifies a plurality of sets of participants including a first set of participants, a second set of participants, and a third set of participants, with each set of participants comprising one or more participants, wherein the second set of participants is different from the first set of participants, and the third set of participants is different from the second set of participants, wherein the set of participant information specifies a predetermined sequential ordering of the plurality of sets of participants for receiving emails relating to the sequential email flow, and wherein the predetermined sequential ordering indicates that a first email in the sequential email flow is to be sent to the first set of participants, that a next email in the sequential email flow, sent by the first set of participants, is to be sent to the second set of participants, and that a next email in the sequential email flow, that is sent by the second set of participants, is to be sent to the third set of participants;

determining, based at least partially upon the predetermined sequential ordering, which set of participants is next in line to receive emails relating to the sequential email flow; and

sending the new email to the set of participants that is next in line to receive emails relating to the sequential email flow.

10. The non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the sequential email flow is initiated by an administrator, and wherein the instructions cause the one or more processors to further perform the operation of:

sending the new email to the administrator as well so that the administrator can monitor the sequential email flow.

11. The non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the sequential email flow includes one or more attachments that are passed from one set of participants to another, and wherein the one or more attachments are modified by one or more sets of participants as they are passed from one set of participants to another.

12. The non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the sequential email flow is an email conversation, wherein the email conversation spans across a plurality of separate emails, and wherein all of the emails that are part of the email conversation have a unique identifier associated therewith that indicates that the emails are part of the email conversation, and wherein the instructions cause the one or more processors to further perform the operations of:

accessing the incoming email;

extracting the unique identifier and content from the incoming email;

accessing, based at least partially upon the unique identifier, an email conversation data structure that is associated with the email conversation, the email conversation data structure containing information indicating which emails are part of the email conversation;

accessing one or more other emails that are indicated by the email conversation data structure as being part of the email conversation;

extracting content from the one or more other emails; and

automatically generating a composite email which includes the content extracted from the incoming email and the content extracted from the one or more other emails.

13. The non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the email conversation includes a recipient list email which contains the set of participant information, and wherein accessing the set of participant information comprises:

accessing the recipient list email.

14. The non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the set of participants that is next in line to receive emails relating to the sequential email flow is determined automatically, independent of user input.

15. The non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the new email is not sent to the other sets of participants in the plurality of sets of participants.

16. The non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the predetermined sequential ordering indicates which set of participants is to receive which future email in the sequential email flow.

17. The non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the first set of participants, the second set of participants, and the third set of participants are different sets of participants.

18. An apparatus, comprising:

one or more processors; and

a machine readable storage medium having stored thereon instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform the operations of;

receiving an incoming electronic mail message (email) that is part of an email flow;

receiving an indication that a user wishes to send a new email relating to the email flow;

determining that the email flow is a sequential email flow, wherein a sequential email flow is an email flow in which recipients of future emails in the email flow are predetermined by an initiator of the email flow;

accessing a set of participant information from one of the emails in the sequential email flow, wherein the set of participant information specifies a plurality of sets of participants including a first set of participants, a second set of participants, and a third set of participants, with each set of participants comprising one or more participants, wherein the second set of participants is different from the first set of participants, and the third set of participants is different from the second set of participants, wherein the set of participant information specifies a predetermined sequential ordering of the plurality of sets of participants for receiving emails relating to the sequential email flow, and wherein the predetermined sequential ordering indicates that a first email in the sequential email flow is to be sent to the first set of participants, that a next email in the sequential email flow, sent by the first set of participants, is to be sent to the second set of participants, and that a next email in the sequential email flow, that is sent by the second set of participants, is to be sent to the third set of participants;

determining, based at least partially upon the predetermined sequential ordering, which set of participants is next in line to receive emails relating to the sequential email flow; and

sending the new email to the set of participants that is next in line to receive emails relating to the sequential email flow.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the sequential email flow is initiated by an administrator, and wherein the instructions cause the one or more processors to further perform the operation of:

sending the new email to the administrator as well so that the administrator can monitor the sequential email flow.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the sequential email flow includes one or more attachments that are passed from one set of participants to another, and wherein the one or more attachments are modified by one or more sets of participants as they are passed from one set of participants to another.

21. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the sequential email flow is an email conversation, wherein the email conversation spans across a plurality of separate emails, and wherein all of the emails that are part of the email conversation have a unique identifier associated therewith that indicates that the emails are part of the email conversation, and wherein the instructions cause the one or more processors to further perform the operations of:

accessing the incoming email;

extracting the unique identifier and content from the incoming email;

accessing, based at least partially upon the unique identifier, an email conversation data structure that is associated with the email conversation, the email conversation data structure containing information indicating which emails are part of the email conversation;

accessing one or more other emails that are indicated by the email conversation data structure as being part of the email conversation;

extracting content from the one or more other emails; and

automatically generating a composite email which includes the content extracted from the incoming email and the content extracted from the one or more other emails.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the email conversation includes a recipient list email which contains the set of participant information, and wherein accessing the set of participant information comprises:

accessing the recipient list email.

24. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the set of participants that is next in line to receive emails relating to the sequential email flow is determined automatically, independent of user input.

25. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the new email is not sent to the other sets of participants in the plurality of sets of participants.

26. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the predetermined sequential ordering indicates which set of participants is to receive which future email in the sequential email flow.

27. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the first set of participants, the second set of participants, and the third set of participants are different sets of participants.