Abstract:
The Email Value Indicator comprises a computer implemented system and method for indicating the value of an email message. The system and method comprise collecting message values assigned to the email message; calculating a composite message value based on the collected message values; and inserting the composite message value into the email message. In additional embodiments, the system and method further comprises the steps of displaying the composite message value in an email reader, sorting the email message based on the composite message value, and calculating the composite message value based on selected message values.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is related to electrical computers and digital processing systems, and specifically to priority based messaging. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Email systems allow people to distribute the same message to multiple recipients. Messages distributed to multiple recipients are often referred to as “group messages”. Although the sender may consider the content of the message to be important, some recipients might disagree on the value of the message. Unsolicited email messages, particularly unsolicited group messages, are commonly referred to as “SPAM”. Some SPAM comes from innocent sources such as overly enthusiastic friends and relatives forwarding a joke to everyone in their address book. Other times, however, SPAM is the result of mass marketing or even a computer virus. 
     Another problem with group messages arises in the workplace. In an effort to communicate information across large working groups, messages are often sent to large groups of recipients. Many of the recipients really do not need the information. Workers become inundated with a high volume of unnecessary or repetitive messages. Dealing with and filtering out all these messages takes time and network bandwidth, resulting in a drop in productivity. 
     Many email readers and other commercial products are designed to identify and filter SPAM. SPAM filters use sender information, subject lines and even message content to identify unwanted email messages. Commercial SPAM filters can be effective for most commercial group messages, but are less effective in the situation of internal corporate communications. Workers at a company generally expect to receive individual or group messages from co-workers. Conventional SPAM filters often remove the relevant along with the irrelevant when used to filter out internal corporate communications. This problem of over-filtering group messages not only applies to the corporate world, but to other groups such as clubs, civic organizations, educational institutions or even families. 
     Thus, a need exists for an alternative to conventional SPAM filters that enables a user to manage the flow of information through email messages while minimizing the potential for over-filtering. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention meeting the need identified above comprises a computer implemented system and method for indicating the value of an email message. The system and method comprise collecting message values assigned to the email message; calculating a composite message value based on the collected message values; and inserting the composite message value into the email message. In additional embodiments, the system and method further comprises the steps of displaying the composite message value in an email reader, sorting the email message based on the composite message value, and calculating the composite message value based on selected message values. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
       The novel features believed characteristic of the invention are set forth in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, as well as a preferred mode of use, further objectives and advantages thereof, will be understood best by reference to the following detailed description of an illustrative embodiment when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
         FIG. 1  represents an exemplary computer network. 
         FIG. 2  describes programs and files in memory on a computer. 
         FIG. 3  is a flow chart of the Email Plug-in. 
         FIG. 4  is a flow chart of the Rating Interface. 
         FIG. 5  is a flow chart of the Composite Value Indicator. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     The principles of the present invention are applicable to a variety of computer hardware and software configurations. The term “computer hardware” or “hardware,” as used herein, refers to any machine or apparatus that is capable of accepting, performing logic operations on, storing, or displaying data, and includes without limitation processors and memory; the term “computer software” or “software,” refers to any set of instructions operable to cause computer hardware to perform an operation. A “computer,” as that term is used herein, includes without limitation any useful combination of hardware and software, and a “computer program” or “program” includes without limitation any software operable to cause computer hardware to accept, perform logic operations on, store, or display data. A computer program may, and often is, comprised of a plurality of smaller programming units, including without limitation subroutines, modules, functions, methods, and procedures. Thus, the functions of the present invention may be distributed among a plurality of computers and computer programs. The invention is described best, though, as a single computer program that configures and enables one or more general-purpose computers to implement the novel aspects of the invention. For illustrative purposes, the inventive computer program will be referred to as the Email Value Indicator or “EVI”. 
     Additionally, the EVI is described below with reference to an exemplary network of hardware devices, as depicted in  FIG. 1 . A “network” comprises any number of hardware devices coupled to and in communication with each other through a communications medium, such as the Internet. A “communications medium” includes without limitation any physical, optical, electromagnetic, or other medium through which hardware or software can transmit data. For descriptive purposes, exemplary network  100  has only a limited number of nodes, including workstation computer  105 , workstation computer  110 , server computer  115 , and persistent storage  120 . Network connection  125  comprises all hardware, software, and communications media necessary to enable communication between network nodes  105 - 120 . Unless otherwise indicated in context below, all network nodes use publicly available protocols or messaging services to communicate with each other through network connection  125 . 
     EVI  220  typically is stored in a memory, represented schematically as memory  200  in  FIG. 2 . The term “memory,” as used herein, includes without limitation any volatile or persistent medium, such as an electrical circuit, magnetic disk, or optical disk, in which a computer can store data or software for any duration. A single memory may encompass and be distributed across a plurality of devices. “The term “computer-readable” storage device does not encompass a signal propagation media such as a copper cable, optical fiber and wireless transmission media.” Thus,  FIG. 2  is included merely as a descriptive expedient and does not necessarily reflect any particular physical embodiment of memory  200 . As depicted in  FIG. 2 , though, memory  200  may include additional data and programs. Of particular importance to EVI  220 , memory  200  may include Email Reader  210  and Message Data  240 . Email Reader  210  represents any software capable of allowing users to receive, read, create, and send email, including any Internet browser program that interfaces with an email reader at a remote location. Message Data  240  is a file readable by Email Reader  210 . Message Data  240  may be replicated in local memory, as shown here, or may actually be stored at a centralized location, such as an exchange-based mail server. EVI  220  has three components: Email Plug-In  300 , Rating Interface  400 , and Composite Value Calculator  500 . Rating Interface  400  allows recipients of a message to assign a value to the message, which is stored in the recipient&#39;s copy of Message Data  240  and transmitted back to the message originator for storage in original Message Data  240 . Composite Value Calculator  500  collects the values from Message Data  240  and calculates a composite value. Email Plug-In  300  inserts the composite value into the message header. Email Reader  210  can display the composite value and use the composite value to sort email messages by importance. EVI  220  is particularly suited for group messages, but also is applicable generally to all types of email messages. EVI  220  is described below in its broadest application. 
       FIG. 3  is a flowchart of Email Plug-In  300 . The Email Plug-in starts ( 310 ) when a message is received. Email Plug-in  300  opens the recipient&#39;s copy of Message Data  240  ( 314 ) and queries Message Data  240  ( 316 ) to determine if the message has a composite value ( 318 ). If the message has no composite value, Email Reader  210  displays an unrated message icon ( 320 ). The unrated message icon may be, for example, part of the subject line or a separate indicator on Email Reader  210 . The icon may include any combination of colors, symbols, numbers or other characters. If the message has a composite value, Email Reader  210  reads the composite value from Message Data  240  ( 322 ) and displays a message composite value icon ( 324 ). The icon may be, for example, part of the subject line or a separate indicator on Email Reader  210 . The composite value icon may include any combination of colors, symbols, numbers or other characters. Email Plug-in  300  initiates a sort routine on Email Reader  210  to prioritize the message based on the composite value ( 326 ). Most email readers include a sort routine. Sort routines determine what order to display messages in Email Reader  210 . Sort routines also can move messages to different folders or delete messages. After the sort routine finishes, Email Plug-in  300  determines if the sort routine or the recipient deleted the message ( 328 ). When the recipient or the sort routine deletes the message, Email Plug-in  300  stops ( 332 ). When the recipient opens the message ( 330 ), Email Plug-in  300  stops ( 332 ). Email Plug-in  300  continues to query Message Data  240 , display the message composite value, and initiate the sort routine until the message is either deleted or opened ( 316 - 330 ). 
       FIG. 4  is a flowchart of Rating Interface  400 . Whenever a message is opened, Rating Interface  400  starts ( 410 ). Rating Interface  400  may appear in a dialog box or separate window from mail reader  210 . Rating Interface  400  prompts the message recipient to assign a value to the message ( 412 ). Table 1 shows possible values in one embodiment of the invention: 
                         TABLE 1                   1   This message is very relevant to me.       2   This message is marginally relevant to me.       3   This message is not relevant to me.       4   This message is definitely SPAM.       5   This message may contain a virus.       6   Remove me from this list.                    
The recipient enters the value ( 414 ), for example, by selecting a radio button or check box. Rating Interface  400  opens Message Data  240  ( 416 ) and determines if the current message has a rating entry yet ( 418 ). If Message Data  240  has no rating entry, Rating Interface  400  creates an entry for the rating in Message Data  240  ( 420 ). Rating Interface  400  sends the assigned value to the originator and all other recipients of Message Data  240  ( 422 ), much like the ‘Reply to All’ function found in most popular email readers. Rating Interface  400  may perform other functions not shown here, such as creating and sending an email to the message sender if the recipient wants to be removed from the list or the recipient suspects the message contained a virus.
 
     Value Calculator  500  is illustrated in  FIG. 5 . Composite Value Calculator  500  starts when Message Data  240  is displayed by Email Reader  210 , and whenever a value indicator is received from another recipient of Message Data  240  ( 510 ). Composite Value Calculator  500  collects the individual message values from Message Data  240  ( 512 ) and calculates a composite value ( 514 ). In one embodiment, the composite value is an average of the message values, truncated or rounded to the nearest integer. Composite Value Calculator  500  saves the calculated composite value to Message Data  240  ( 516 ) and stops ( 518 ). Other embodiments of Composite Value Calculator  500  may perform a statistical analysis of the values and forward values and calculations to the sender of the message. 
     An additional embodiment of EVI  220  allows a message originator to define a “peer group evaluator profile.” The peer group evaluator profile only allows EVI  220  to accept assigned values from designated members of a group. When a message originator activates a peer group evaluator profile, EVI  220  excludes message values from recipients not in the designated group. The group is defined, for example, by adding an attribute to the contact information of entries in an address book of Email Reader  210 . In this embodiment, EVI  220  includes a filter at Composite Value Calculator  500  that only accepts message value indicators sent by members of the group. 
     A preferred form of the invention has been shown in the drawings and described above, but variations in the preferred form will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The preceding description is for illustration purposes only, and the invention should not be construed as limited to the specific form shown and described. The scope of the invention should be limited only by the language of the following claims.