Patent ID: 7885948
Filing Date: 2011-02-08
Classification: G06F,H04L

Abstract:
1. A processor-implemented method for automatically managing incoming communications, the method comprising: receiving a first communication; analyzing identifying factors of the first communication; observing a behavior of a recipient on the first communication, wherein the behavior includes one or more actions performed upon the first communication, the one or more actions being manually directed by a user; receiving a second communication; analyzing identifying factors of the second communication; based upon the identifying factors of the first and of the second communications, determining whether the second communication is similar to the first communication, wherein similarity of the first and the second communications is based upon the identifying factors of the first and of the second communications, wherein the first and the second communications are determined to be similar when one or more of the following identifying factors match between the first and the second communications: a sender of each communication, keywords or phrases in a subject line of each communication, keywords or phrases in a body of each communication, the placement of the recipient in an address area of each communication, or combinations thereof; and in response to a determination that the second communication is similar to the first communication, selectively applying the observed behavior to the second communication, wherein the applied observed behavior includes performing the one or more actions that were performed upon the first communication, wherein the one or more actions performed upon the second communication as part of the applied observed behavior include opening the second communication, flagging the second communication, deleting the second communication, moving the second communication to a designated folder, performing a designated action on the second communication at least for a defined period of time before performing any other action on the second communication, or performing a designated action on the second communication at least for a defined period of time before performing another designated action on the second communication.