IP Library Granted Patent US 7,856,417
Granted Patent B2
US 7,856,417 · App. 11/754,720 · Granted Dec 21, 2010

Method and system for filing electronic mails

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 7,856,417
App. No.
11/754,720
Granted
Dec 21, 2010
Kind
B2
Abstract

A method and system for filing electronic mails is disclosed. The method executed on the client side of a mail application allows to propose to a user a list of relevant folders that have been previously used to store e-mails in relation with the current e-mail to be stored. The relationship between the e-mail is determined by analyzing the content of different message fields of the e-mail header.

Claims (34)

1. A computer implemented method of filing an electronic mail (e-mail) comprising the steps of:

detecting an instruction from a user action to file the e-mail;

extracting content of at least one message field from a header of the e-mail;

using, by a computer, at least some of the extracted content as a message identifier to search into a folder table for one or more records associated with the same message identifier, each record of the folder table being defined by a folder name and a message identifier; and

displaying a proposed folder list as being a result of relevant one or more folders where to file the e-mail, the list including a folder name of each record found,

wherein the extracted content is content of a message-id field, the content of a message-id field having a unique identifier which refers to current version of current message, and

wherein the extracted content further comprises content of a reply-to field, the reply-to field having a message-id of a previous message which current message is a reply to.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising after the step of displaying, selecting one folder name to allow the storage of the e-mail into the corresponding folder.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein each record of the folder table further being defined by the number of e-mails stored in the corresponding folder.

4. The method of claim 3 , further comprising before the step of displaying, sorting the records found based on the number of e-mails stored in each corresponding folder.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the e-mail is an electronic mail received by the user.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the e-mail is an electronic mail sent by the user.

7. A program storage device readable by machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform a method of filing an electronic mail (e-mail) comprising:

detecting an instruction from a user action to file the e-mail;

extracting content of at least one message field from a header of the e-mail;

using at least some of the extracted content as a message identifier to search into a folder table for one or more records associated with the same message identifier, each record of the folder table being defined by a folder name and a message identifier; and

displaying a proposed folder list as being a result of relevant one or more folders where to file the e-mail, the list including a folder name of each record found,

wherein the extracted content is content of a message-id field, the content of a message-id field having a unique identifier which refers to current version of current message, and

wherein the extracted content further comprises content of a reply-to field, the reply-to field having a message-id of a previous message which current message is a reply to.

8. The program storage device of claim 7 , further comprising after the step of displaying, selecting one folder name to allow the storage of the e-mail into the corresponding folder.

9. The program storage device of claim 7 , wherein each record of the folder table further being defined by the number of e-mails stored in the corresponding folder.

10. The program storage device of claim 9 , further comprising before the step of displaying, sorting the records found based on the number of e-mails stored in each corresponding folder.

11. A system for filing an electronic mail (e-mail) comprising:

a computer;

a user graphical interface detecting an instruction from a user action to file the e-mail;

a mail user agent extracting content of at least one message field from a header of the e-mail;

the mail user agent using at least some of the extracted content as a message identifier to search into a folder table for one or more records associated with the same message identifier, each record of the folder table being defined by a folder name and a message identifier; and

the user graphical interface displaying a proposed folder list as being a result of relevant one or more folders where to file the e-mail, the list including a folder name of each record found,

wherein the extracted content is content of a message-id field, the content of a message-id field having a unique identifier which refers to current version of current message, and

wherein the extracted content further comprises content of a reply-to field, the reply-to field having a message-id of a previous message which current message is a reply to.

12. The system of claim 11 ,

the graphical user interface enables selecting one folder name to allow the storage of the e-mail into the corresponding folder, after the step of displaying.

13. The system of claim 11 , wherein each record of the folder table further being defined by the number of e-mails stored in the corresponding folder.

14. The system of claim 11 , wherein the e-mail is part of an e-mail network using SMTP protocol and the system is located on a mail user agent.

Assignments (2)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Mar 13, 2015
From: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
To: LINKEDIN CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 035201/0479 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded May 29, 2007
From: BAUCHOT, FREDERIC; COULOMB, BEATRICE; MARMIGERE, GERARD; TRUNTSCHKA, CAROLE
To: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 019351/0920 →