Electronic message sorting and notification system
US6396513B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | May 14, 1996 |
| Grant date | May 28, 2002 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | May 14, 2016 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06Q10/107
- WIPO fieldIT methods for management
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
The invention concerns an improved electronic mail system, wherein incoming mail is automatically sorted into mailboxes, based on criteria defined by the user. In addition, the user can rank the mailboxes in order of importance, and the mailboxes are presented to the user in the order of rank. The user can also establish thresholds for any measurable characteristic of a mailbox. For example, one measurable characteristic may be the total number of unread messages. The user may choose to be informed when the total number of unread messages exceeds a threshold. If the threshold is set to ten, for example, then, when the eleventh message is received, the system triggers an alarm, notifying the user. The system also includes an interface which displays multiple windows to the user simultaneously, showing not only the contents of mail messages, but also other information about the user's mail, such as the ranking of the mailboxes and the criteria for triggering alarms.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.