Abstract:
Automated classification and time-based relevancy prioritization of electronic messages is provided. An electronic mail item is parsed for identifying and extracting attributes for classifying the electronic message and for identifying time-sensitivity associated with the electronic message, and enriched with metadata identifying the classification and the associated time-sensitivity for displaying the electronic message based on the classification and based on relevancy to a receiving user based on the time-sensitivity.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/316,383 titled “Automated Classification and Time-Based Relevancy Prioritization of Electronic Mail Items” filed Mar. 31, 2016, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    Users of email applications typically receive a large number of emails daily, which can include various types of messages, such as work-related emails, personal emails, promotional emails, newsletters, and the like. Some emails comprise a time component (e.g., an expiration date, an date of an event or promotion, a due date), which, in effect, causes an email to be time-sensitive. An email that is time-sensitive can become irrelevant as the time component associated with the email passes. For example, the content of a time-sensitive email may expire or only be useful for a particular time period, may lose significant or relevancy after a certain time period, may require a response or action by a particular date/time, etc. 
         [0003]    As can be appreciated, it can be time-consuming and inefficient to go through individual emails to determine what kind of messages they are, to determine if their contents are time-sensitive, and if so, to determine whether the contents are still relevant or active. Further, a user may miss out on time-sensitive emails that may require the user&#39;s attention. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0004]    This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description section. This summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter. Methods, systems and computer-readable media are provided for automating classification and time-based relevancy prioritization of electronic messages. In particular, aspects are directed to: parsing an electronic message for identifying and extracting attributes for classifying the electronic message and for identifying time-sensitivity associated with the electronic message; and annotating the electronic message with metadata identifying the classification and the associated time-sensitivity for displaying the electronic message based on the classification and based on relevancy to a receiving user based on the time-sensitivity. 
         [0005]    Examples are implemented as a computer process, a computing system, or as an article of manufacture such as a device, computer program product, or computer readable media. According to an aspect, the computer program product is a computer storage media readable by a computer system and encoding a computer program of instructions for executing a computer process. 
         [0006]    The details of one or more aspects are set forth in the accompanying drawings and description below. Other features and advantages will be apparent from a reading of the following detailed description and a review of the associated drawings. It is to be understood that the following detailed description is explanatory only and is not restrictive of the claims. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0007]    The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this disclosure, illustrate various aspects. In the drawings: 
           [0008]      FIG. 1  is a block diagram of a representation of an environment in communication with a system for providing automated classification and time-based relevancy prioritization of electronic messages; 
           [0009]      FIG. 2  is a flow chart showing general stages involved in an example method for analyzing an electronic message and extracting attributes for classifying the electronic message and for identifying a time-sensitivity associated with the electronic message; 
           [0010]      FIG. 3  is a flow chart showing general stages involved in an example method for classifying an electronic message; 
           [0011]      FIG. 4  is a flow chart showing general stages involved in an example method for identifying time-sensitivity associated with an electronic message; 
           [0012]      FIG. 5  is a flow chart showing general stages involved in an example method for annotating an electronic message with classification metadata and time-sensitivity metadata; 
           [0013]      FIG. 6  is a flow chart showing general stages involved in an example method for retrieving an electronic message by a mail client application; 
           [0014]      FIG. 7  is a flow chart showing general stages involved in an example method for performing an action based on a determined relevancy of an electronic message; 
           [0015]      FIG. 8  is a flow chart showing general stages involved in an example method for filtering an electronic message into at least one category; 
           [0016]      FIG. 9  is a flow chart showing general stages involved in an example method for updating a graphical user interface to display at least one category of electronic messages; 
           [0017]      FIG. 10  is an illustration of an example graphical user interface displaying a category of electronic messages; 
           [0018]      FIG. 11  is a block diagram illustrating example physical components of a computing device; 
           [0019]      FIGS. 12A and 12B  are block diagrams of a mobile computing device; and 
           [0020]      FIG. 13  is a block diagram of a distributed computing system. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0021]    The following detailed description refers to the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers are used in the drawings and the following description refers to the same or similar elements. While examples may be described, modifications, adaptations, and other implementations are possible. For example, substitutions, additions, or modifications may be made to the elements illustrated in the drawings, and the methods described herein may be modified by substituting, reordering, or adding stages to the disclosed methods. Accordingly, the following detailed description is not limiting, but instead, the proper scope is defined by the appended claims. Examples may take the form of a hardware implementation, or an entirely software implementation, or an implementation combining software and hardware aspects. The following detailed description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense. 
         [0022]    Aspects of the present disclosure are directed to a method, device, and computer storage media for providing automated classification and time-based relevancy prioritization of electronic messages. Accordingly, aspects are directed to increasing computer performance by automatically differentiating between various types of electronic messages and enabling a display of electronic messages based on message categories, thus providing more efficient user interaction with electronic messages. In addition, computer efficiency for electronic mail item viewing and searching is improved by automatically determining a relevance of an electronic message to a user based on time-sensitivity, and enabling a display of electronic messages based on the determined relevancy. Accordingly, when searching for a particular message of interest, the number of messages a user has to navigate through to locate the particular message is reduced, and user interaction performance is increased. 
         [0023]    With reference now to  FIG. 1 , a block diagram of one example environment  100  in communication with a message classification and time-based relevancy prioritization system  110 , 121  is shown. As illustrated, the example environment  100  includes a computing device  102 . The computing device  102  illustrated in  FIG. 1  is illustrated as a laptop computer; however, as should be appreciated, the computing device  102  may be one of various types of computing devices (e.g., a tablet computing device, a desktop computer, a mobile communication device, a laptop computer, a laptop/tablet hybrid computing device, a large screen multi-touch display, a gaming device, a smart television, a wearable device, or other type of computing device) for executing applications for performing a variety of tasks. The hardware of these computing devices is discussed in greater detail in regard to  FIGS. 11, 12A, 12B, and 13 . 
         [0024]    A user may utilize an application on the computing device  102  for a variety of tasks, which may include, for example, to write, calculate, draw, take and organize notes, organize, prepare presentations, send and receive electronic mail, browse web content, make music, and the like. According to examples, the computing device  102  is operative to execute a mail client application  122 . The user may utilize the mail client application  122  executing on the computing device  102  to receive, view, interact with, compose, or generate electronic messages  108 , such as emails, meeting requests, or other types of electronic messages. According to an aspect, the mail client application  122  uses a standard protocol for receiving and sending electronic messages. 
         [0025]    In some examples, the mail client application  122  is a thick client application, which is stored locally on the computing device  102 . In other examples, the mail client application  122  is a thin client application (i.e., web application) that resides on a remote server and is accessible over a network  120 , such as the Internet or an intranet. A thin mail client application  122  may be hosted in a browser-controlled environment or coded in a browser-supported language and reliant on a common web browser to render the application executable on the computing device  102 . According to examples, a graphical user interface (GUI)  104  is provided by the mail client application  122  for enabling the user to interact with functionalities of the application and with electronic messages  108  through manipulation of graphical icons, visual indicators, and the like. 
         [0026]    According to an aspect, a mail server  106  is operative to receive incoming electronic messages  108  from a sending user, and forward outgoing electronic messages  108  for delivery to a recipient user. In some examples, the mail server  106  is operative to transmit an electronic message  108  to one or more intended recipients by routing the electronic message  108  to one or more mailbox delivery agents  130 . The mail server  106  includes or is communicatively attached to a plurality of mailbox delivery agents  130 , wherein each mailbox delivery agent  130  is connected to a user&#39;s mailbox  132  from which the mail client application  122  is operative to retrieve an electronic message  108 , for example, over a network  120 . 
         [0027]    In one example and as illustrated in  FIG. 1 , the mailbox delivery agent  130  comprises a server-side message classification and time-based relevancy prioritization system  110 , wherein server-side automated classification and time-based relevancy prioritization functionalities of electronic messages  108  are performed when an electronic message  108  is received by a mailbox delivery agent  130  associated with an intended recipient. However, server-side automated classification and time-based relevancy prioritization functionalities are not limited to implementation by the mailbox delivery agent  130 . In another example (not illustrated), the server-side message classification and time-based relevancy prioritization system  110  is not included in the mailbox delivery agent  130 , and server-side automated classification and time-based relevancy prioritization functionalities of electronic messages  108  are performed prior to routing an electronic message  108  to the one or more mailbox delivery agents  130  associated with the one or more intended recipients, and may be implemented by various distributed components within the environment  100 . 
         [0028]    Content in an electronic message  108  may comprise one or more objects present or embedded in the electronic message  108  including, but not limited to: text (including text containers), numeric data, macros, images, movies, sound files, and metadata. According to an example, an electronic message  108  includes one or more objects that provide an indication of a message category to which the electronic message  108  is related. For example, various components of the electronic message  108  may include text, links, numeric data, dates, etc., that can be extracted and utilized to classify the electronic message  108  to a message category, such as a newsletter, a promotional message, a travel-related message, an event-related message, a bill, a notification, an invitation, etc. 
         [0029]    According to another example, the electronic message  108  includes one or more objects related to time-related data that provides an indication that the electronic message  108  or content of the electronic message  108  is time-sensitive. For example, the electronic message  108  may be a promotional message that includes a promotion that is relevant for a particular time period. The promotional message may include an expiration date or time period indicating effective dates of the promotion. As another example, the electronic message  108  may be one of: a regularly-distributed informational publication (e.g., a newsletter, daily/weekly/monthly announcement), a travel-related message (e.g., comprising an itinerary, boarding passes, reservation information, meeting information), an event-related message (e.g., comprising event information, concert tickets, save-the-date information), a notification (e.g., delivery notification, payment notification), a financial-related message (e.g., a bill, a bank statement), and the like that includes content that may lose significance or relevancy after a certain time period. As another example, the electronic message  108  may be a call-to-action message that requests a response or action from the user by a particular date/time. 
         [0030]    As illustrated in  FIG. 1 , the mail client application  122  includes a client-side message classification and time-based relevancy prioritization system  121  operative to perform various client-side automated classification and time-based relevancy prioritization functionalities of electronic messages  108 . According to examples, the client-side message classification and time-based relevancy prioritization system  121  includes a filter  124 , a relevancy engine  126 , and a user interface (UI) engine  128 , which are described in detail below with respect to  FIGS. 6-9 . The server-side message classification and time-based relevancy prioritization system  110  includes: an extractor  112 , a classifier  114 , a time-sensitivity identifier  115 , and an annotator  116 . The extractor  112  is illustrative of a software module, system, or device operative to analyze an electronic message  108 , and extract one or more objects that can be utilized to classify the electronic message  108  to a message category or provide an indication of time-sensitivity associated with the electronic message  108 . Components  114 ,  115 , and  116  are described in detail below with respect to  FIGS. 3-5 . 
         [0031]    With reference now to  FIG. 2 , a flow chart showing general stages involved in an example method  200  performed by the extractor  112  is illustrated. The method  200  begins at OPERATION  202 , where an electronic message  108  is received. For example, when a sending user selectively sends the electronic message  108  to a recipient, the mail server  106  associated with the recipient&#39;s mailbox  132  to which the electronic message  108  is addressed receives the incoming electronic message  108 , and passes the electronic message  108  to the extractor  112 . 
         [0032]    The method  200  proceeds to OPERATION  204 , where the extractor  112  analyzes various components of the electronic message  108 , and extracts one or more objects from one or more components of the electronic message  108 . For example, the extractor  112  is operative to parse at least one of: a subject header, a sender header, a date/time header, a recipient header, a message body, a HyperText Markup Language (HTML) body, and an attachment for objects, such as text, numeric data, dates, links, etc., that are related to a message category or time-sensitivity. For example, the extractor  112  is operative to isolate objects comprising a time component. In one example, determination of relatedness to a message category or time-sensitivity is based on natural language processing and machine learning queued off of dates, word patterns (e.g., “expires,” “good until,” “RSVP by,” “newsletter,” “itinerary,” “delivered,” “statement,” “boarding pass,” “save the date”), numeric patterns, and the like. 
         [0033]    In various aspects, the data comprising the electronic message  108  content are stored in an elemental form by the electronic message  108 , such as in Extensible Markup Language (XML), Java Script Object Notation (JSON) elements, HTML, or another declaratory language interpretable by a schema. The schema may define sections or content items via tags, and may apply various properties to content items via direct assignment or hierarchical inheritance. For example, an object comprising text may have its typeface defined in its element definition (e.g., “&lt;text typeface=garamond&gt;example text&lt;/text&gt;”) or defined by a stylesheet or an element above the object in the document&#39;s hierarchy from which the element depends. As another example, an electronic message  108  may have a JSON property that outlines a date associated with an object in the message (e.g., an expiration date of a coupon), which can then be queried by the client. 
         [0034]    The classifier  114  (shown in  FIG. 1 ) is illustrative of a software module, system, or device operative to classify an electronic message  108  to a message category. With reference now to  FIG. 3 , a flow chart showing general stages involved in an example method  300  performed by the classifier  114  is illustrated. The method  300  is a continuance of method  200  of  FIG. 2 , wherein at OPERATION  302 , the classifier  114  receives one or more objects extracted by the extractor  112  (at OPERATION  204 ). The method  300  proceeds to OPERATION  304 , where the classifier  114  determines a message category related to the electronic message  108  based on natural language processing of the one or more objects. For example, the classifier  114  may determine that the electronic message  108  is a newsletter, an announcement, a travel-related message, an event-related message, a delivery notification, a payment notification, a bill, a financial statement, a call-to-action message, etc. 
         [0035]    The time-sensitivity identifier  115  (shown in  FIG. 1 ) is illustrative of a software module, system, or device operative to identify time-sensitivity associated with an electronic message  108 . With reference now to  FIG. 4 , a flow chart showing general stages involved in an example method  400  performed by the time-sensitivity identifier  115  is illustrated. The method  400  is a continuance of method  200  of  FIG. 2 , wherein at OPERATION  402 , the time-sensitivity identifier  115  receives one or more objects extracted by the extractor  112  (at OPERATION  204 ). The method  400  proceeds to DECISION OPERATION  404 , where the time-sensitivity identifier  115  makes a determination as to whether the electronic message  108  is time-sensitive based natural language processing of the one or more objects, for example, based on extracted dates and surrounding textual data, numeric data, etc., consistent with time-related word patterns, numeric patterns, dates, etc. 
         [0036]    When a determination is made that the electronic message  108  is time-sensitive, the method  400  continues to OPERATION  406 , where the time-sensitivity associated with the electronic message  108  is identified. For example, the time-sensitivity identifier  115  may identify that a newsletter (i.e., electronic message  108 ) includes date information consistent with a publication date, such as “January 2000.” As another example, the time-sensitivity identifier  115  may identify that a promotional message (i.e., electronic message  108 ) includes date information and textual data consistent with an expiration date. As another example, the time-sensitivity identifier  115  may identify that a promotional electronic message  108  includes a date of an event, wherein after the date of the event has passed, the electronic message is no longer relevant to the user. 
         [0037]    The annotator  116  (shown in  FIG. 1 ) is illustrative of a software module, system, or device operative to annotate an electronic message  108  with classification metadata  118  and time-sensitivity metadata  118 . With reference now to  FIG. 5 , a flow chart showing general stages involved in an example method  500  performed by the annotator  116  is illustrated. The method  500  is a continuance of method  300  of  FIG. 3  (from OPERATION  304 ) and method  400  of  FIG. 4  (from DECISION OPERATION  404  or from OPERATION  406 ), wherein at OPERATION  502 , the annotator  116  annotates the electronic message  108  with metadata  118  defining the message category determined by the classifier  114  at OPERATION  304 . The method  500  continues to DECISION OPERATION  504 , where a determination is made as to whether the electronic message  108  is time-sensitive. For example, the determination is made based on whether time-sensitivity associated with the electronic message  108  is identified by the time-sensitivity identifier  115  at OPERATION  406  (in  FIG. 4 ) and passed to the annotator  116 . If a determination is made that the electronic message  108  is time-sensitive, the method  500  proceeds to OPERATION  506 , where the annotator  116  annotates the electronic message  108  with metadata  118  defining the time-sensitivity identified by the time-sensitivity identifier  115  at OPERATION  406 . 
         [0038]    With reference now to  FIG. 6 , a flow chart showing general stages involved in an example method  600  performed by the mail client application  122  (shown in  FIG. 1 ) is illustrated. The method  600  is a continuance of method  500  of  FIG. 5  (from DECISION OPERATION  504  or from OPERATION  506 ), wherein at OPERATION  602 , the mail client application  122  retrieves the electronic message  108  from the mailbox  132 . In some examples, the electronic message  108  is pushed to the mail client application  122 , wherein the electronic message  108  is received by the mail client application  122 . The method  600  optionally proceeds to OPERATION  604 , where the mail client application  122  receives a selection to display at least one message category. For example, a user of the mail client application  122  may select to view electronic messages classified to a specific message category, such as to a newsletters message category. The method  600  proceeds to OPERATION  606 , where the mail client application  122  directs the electronic message  108  to the client-side message classification and time-based relevancy prioritization system  121 . 
         [0039]    The relevancy engine  126  (shown in  FIG. 1 ) is illustrative of a software module, system, or device operative to perform an action based on a determined relevancy of an electronic message  108 . With reference now to  FIG. 7 , a flow chart showing general stages involved in an example method  700  performed by the relevancy engine  126  is illustrated. The method  700  is a continuance of method  600  of  FIG. 6  and runs in a loop, wherein at DECISION OPERATION  702 , the relevancy engine  126  makes a determination as to whether the electronic message  108  is time-sensitive. For example, the relevancy engine  126  makes the determination based on the metadata  118  added to the electronic message  108  by the annotator  116 . 
         [0040]    If a determination is made that the electronic message is time-sensitive, the method  700  proceeds to OPERATION  704 , where the relevancy engine  126  determines a relevancy of the electronic message  108  to the user based on the time-related metadata  118  defining the time-sensitivity determined by the time-sensitivity identifier  115 , based on a current date or time, and based on the message category to which the electronic message is classified according to the classification metadata. For example, the relevancy engine  126  is operative to identify that an example electronic message  108  is classified as a travel-related message, and includes time-related information, such as a boarding pass. The relevancy engine  126  is further operative to determine whether the time-related metadata is associated with a date occurring prior to or after the current date. In some examples, the relevancy engine  126  determines an amount of time between the time-related data in the electronic message  108  and the current date. Accordingly, the relevancy engine  126  determines whether the electronic message  108  is likely to be relevant or irrelevant to the user based on the identified information (i.e., the time-related metadata, the time difference between the current date and the time-related metadata, and the message category). For example, the category that an electronic message  108  is classified as determines whether the time difference between the time-related metadata and the current date (e.g., time-related metadata occurring prior to or after or the amount of time difference) causes the electronic message to be determined to be relevant or irrelevant. 
         [0041]    According to one example, a travel-related, event-related, or financial-related electronic message  108  may be determined to be relevant when the time-related metadata is associated with a date occurring on or after the current date, and may be determined to be irrelevant when the time-related metadata is associated with a date occurring prior to the current date. In some examples, the electronic message  108  may be determined to be irrelevant when the time-related metadata is associated with a date that occurs prior to the current date by more than a predetermined amount of time (e.g., 1 week, 1 month, 6 months). According to another example, a regularly-distributed informational publication or a notification-categorized electronic message  108  may be determined to be relevant when the time-related metadata is associated with a date occurring within a predetermined amount of time from the current date (e.g., 1 week, 2 weeks, 1 month). According to another example, a call-to-action electronic message  108  may be determined to be relevant when the time-related metadata is associated with a date occurring on or after the current date, and may be determined to be irrelevant when the time-related metadata is associated with a date occurring prior to the current date. As should be appreciated, the above relevance and irrelevance determinations are meant as non-limiting examples, and other determinations of relevance and irrelevance are within scope of the present disclosure. According to an aspect, the determination of relevance and irrelevance are based on settings or user-preferences. 
         [0042]    For example, if the date associated with the boarding pass (i.e., travel-related message category) is determined to have occurred prior to the current date, the relevancy engine  126  is operative to determine that the electronic message  108  is likely to be irrelevant to the user. As another example, if the date associated with a coupon or promotion is determined to have passed, the relevancy engine  126  is operative to determine that the electronic message  108  is likely to be irrelevant to the user. As another example, if a date associated with a newsletter is determined to be prior to the current date but within a predetermined amount of time of the current date, such as within one month of the current date, the relevancy engine  126  is operative to determine that the electronic message  108  is likely to be relevant to the user. As another example, if a category of an electronic message is determined to be an event-related message, and time-related data in the electronic message  108  is determined to be prior to the current date, the relevancy engine  126  is operative to determine that the electronic message is likely to be irrelevant to the user. 
         [0043]    Responsive to the determined relevance of the electronic message  108 , at OPERATION  706 , the relevancy engine  126  is operative to perform an action based on the relevance. For example, continuing with the example above, upon determining that the electronic message  108  is likely to be irrelevant to the user, the relevancy engine  126  may archive the electronic message  108 , delete the electronic message  108 , filter the electronic message from view, provide a visual indication (e.g., highlight the message) in the user interface, add metadata to the electronic message  108  indicating the determined relevance, etc. According to an aspect, the action performed by the relevancy engine  126  may be based on settings or user-selected preferences. In one example, if the relevancy engine  126  determines that a date associated with an electronic message  108  is an upcoming date occurring within a predetermined amount of time from the current date (e.g., tomorrow, next week), the relevancy engine  126  is operative to prioritize the electronic message  108 . In some examples, the relevancy engine  126  is further operative to perform an action based on the priority, such as integrate with a calendaring application for adding a notification or a calendaring event to the user&#39;s calendar associated with the time-sensitive electronic message  108 . 
         [0044]    The filter  124  (shown in  FIG. 1 ) is illustrative of a software module, system, or device operative to filter an electronic message into a message category based on classification metadata  118 . With reference now to  FIG. 8 , a flow chart showing general stages involved in an example method  800  performed by the filter  124  is illustrated. The method  800  is a continuance of method  700  of  FIG. 7  (from DECISION OPERATION  702  or from OPERATION  706 ), wherein at DECISION OPERATION  802 , the filter  124  makes a determination as to whether an indication of a selection to display messages in a particular message category is received. When the filter  124  makes a determination that a selection to display a message category is received, the method  800  proceeds to OPERATION  804 , where the filter  124  filters one or more electronic messages  108  into the selected message category based on the classification metadata  118 . 
         [0045]    The UI engine  128  (shown in  FIG. 1 ) is illustrative of a software module, system, or device operative to generate a GUI display of one or more message categories, and generate a display of one or more electronic messages  108  classified to a selected message category. With reference now to  FIG. 9 , a flow chart showing general stages involved in an example method  900  performed by the UI engine  128  is illustrated. The method  900  is a continuance of method  800  of  FIG. 8  (from DECISION OPERATION  802  or from OPERATION  804 ), wherein at DECISION OPERATION  902 , the UI engine  128  updates the GUI  104  to display the selected message category and one or more electronic messages  108  classified to the selected message category. In some examples, the UI engine  128  is further operative to update the GUI  104  to display an indication of a priority of an electronic message  108  based on a determined priority by the relevancy engine  126 . For example, the UI engine  128  may highlight a prioritized electronic message  108  or apply another visual indication of priority. 
         [0046]    In some examples, the UI engine  128  is operative to display a relevancy filter selector, enabling the user to filter electronic messages  108  according to relevance. For example, the user is enabled to view only electronic messages  108  that are determined to be relevant to him/her. As another example, the user is enabled to view only electronic messages  108  that are determined to be irrelevant to him/her, such as time-sensitive electronic messages  108  comprising time-related metadata associated with a date occurring prior to the current date. As another example, the user is enabled to view all messages classified to a message category including electronic messages  108  that are determined to be relevant to the user and electronic messages  108  that are determined to be irrelevant to the user. 
         [0047]    With reference now to  FIG. 10 , an example GUI  104  displayed on a computing device  102  including a display of a plurality of message categories  1002  and a display of a plurality of electronic messages  108  automatically classified to a selected message category  1004 . The example GUI  104  includes a display of a relevancy filter selector  1006 . For example and as illustrated, via the relevancy filter selector  1006 , the user has selected to filter electronic messages  108  within the selected “Bills” category  1004  to display irrelevant messages, which, in this example, are past bills. Accordingly, the UI engine  128  updates the GUI  104  to display the electronic messages  108  that are determined to be irrelevant to the user (e.g., past bills). As will be appreciated, the example illustrated in  FIG. 10  is a non-limiting illustration; other GUIs with different elements and arrangements thereof may be used in conjunction with the present disclosure. 
         [0048]    While implementations have been described in the general context of program modules that execute in conjunction with an application program that runs on an operating system on a computer, those skilled in the art will recognize that aspects may also be implemented in combination with other program modules. Generally, program modules include routines, programs, components, data structures, and other types of structures that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. 
         [0049]    The aspects and functionalities described herein may operate via a multitude of computing systems including, without limitation, desktop computer systems, wired and wireless computing systems, mobile computing systems (e.g., mobile telephones, netbooks, tablet or slate type computers, notebook computers, and laptop computers), hand-held devices, multiprocessor systems, microprocessor-based or programmable consumer electronics, minicomputers, and mainframe computers. 
         [0050]    In addition, according to an aspect, the aspects and functionalities described herein operate over distributed systems (e.g., cloud-based computing systems), where application functionality, memory, data storage and retrieval and various processing functions are operated remotely from each other over a distributed computing network, such as the Internet or an intranet. According to an aspect, user interfaces and information of various types are displayed via on-board computing device displays or via remote display units associated with one or more computing devices. For example, user interfaces and information of various types are displayed and interacted with on a wall surface onto which user interfaces and information of various types are projected. Interaction with the multitude of computing systems with which implementations are practiced include, keystroke entry, touch screen entry, voice or other audio entry, gesture entry where an associated computing device is equipped with detection (e.g., camera) functionality for capturing and interpreting user gestures for controlling the functionality of the computing device, and the like. 
         [0051]      FIGS. 11-13  and the associated descriptions provide a discussion of a variety of operating environments in which examples are practiced. However, the devices and systems illustrated and discussed with respect to  FIGS. 11-13  are for purposes of example and illustration and are not limiting of a vast number of computing device configurations that are utilized for practicing aspects, described herein. 
         [0052]      FIG. 11  is a block diagram illustrating physical components (i.e., hardware) of a computing device  1100  with which examples of the present disclosure are be practiced. In a basic configuration, the computing device  1100  includes at least one processing unit  1102  and a system memory  1104 . According to an aspect, depending on the configuration and type of computing device, the system memory  1104  comprises, but is not limited to, volatile storage (e.g., random access memory), non-volatile storage (e.g., read-only memory), flash memory, or any combination of such memories. According to an aspect, the system memory  1104  includes an operating system  1105  and one or more program modules  1106  suitable for running software applications  1150 . According to an aspect, the system memory  1104  includes the Message Classification and Time-Based Relevancy Prioritization System  121 . The operating system  1105 , for example, is suitable for controlling the operation of the computing device  1100 . Furthermore, aspects are practiced in conjunction with a graphics library, other operating systems, or any other application program, and is not limited to any particular application or system. This basic configuration is illustrated in  FIG. 11  by those components within a dashed line  1108 . According to an aspect, the computing device  1100  has additional features or functionality. For example, according to an aspect, the computing device  1100  includes additional data storage devices (removable and/or non-removable) such as, for example, magnetic disks, optical disks, or tape. Such additional storage is illustrated in  FIG. 11  by a removable storage device  1109  and a non-removable storage device  1110 . 
         [0053]    As stated above, according to an aspect, a number of program modules and data files are stored in the system memory  1104 . While executing on the processing unit  1102 , the program modules  1106  (e.g., message classification and time-based relevancy prioritization system  110 , 121 ) perform processes including, but not limited to, one or more of the stages of the methods  200 , 300 , 400 , 500 , 600 , 700 , 800 , 900  illustrated in  FIGS. 2-9 . According to an aspect, other program modules are used in accordance with examples and include applications such as electronic mail and contacts applications, word processing applications, spreadsheet applications, database applications, slide presentation applications, drawing or computer-aided application programs, etc. 
         [0054]    According to an aspect, aspects are practiced in an electrical circuit comprising discrete electronic elements, packaged or integrated electronic chips containing logic gates, a circuit utilizing a microprocessor, or on a single chip containing electronic elements or microprocessors. For example, aspects are practiced via a system-on-a-chip (SOC) where each or many of the components illustrated in  FIG. 11  are integrated onto a single integrated circuit. According to an aspect, such an SOC device includes one or more processing units, graphics units, communications units, system virtualization units and various application functionality all of which are integrated (or “burned”) onto the chip substrate as a single integrated circuit. When operating via an SOC, the functionality, described herein, is operated via application-specific logic integrated with other components of the computing device  1100  on the single integrated circuit (chip). According to an aspect, aspects of the present disclosure are practiced using other technologies capable of performing logical operations such as, for example, AND, OR, and NOT, including but not limited to mechanical, optical, fluidic, and quantum technologies. In addition, aspects are practiced within a general purpose computer or in any other circuits or systems. 
         [0055]    According to an aspect, the computing device  1100  has one or more input device(s)  1112  such as a keyboard, a mouse, a pen, a sound input device, a touch input device, etc. The output device(s)  1114  such as a display, speakers, a printer, etc. are also included according to an aspect. The aforementioned devices are examples and others may be used. According to an aspect, the computing device  1100  includes one or more communication connections  1116  allowing communications with other computing devices  1118 . Examples of suitable communication connections  1116  include, but are not limited to, radio frequency (RF) transmitter, receiver, and/or transceiver circuitry; universal serial bus (USB), parallel, and/or serial ports. 
         [0056]    The term computer readable media as used herein include computer storage media. Computer storage media include volatile and nonvolatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in any method or technology for storage of information, such as computer readable instructions, data structures, or program modules. The system memory  1104 , the removable storage device  1109 , and the non-removable storage device  1110  are all computer storage media examples (i.e., memory storage.) According to an aspect, computer storage media includes RAM, ROM, electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory or other memory technology, CD-ROM, digital versatile disks (DVD) or other optical storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other article of manufacture which can be used to store information and which can be accessed by the computing device  1100 . According to an aspect, any such computer storage media is part of the computing device  1100 . Computer storage media does not include a carrier wave or other propagated data signal. 
         [0057]    According to an aspect, communication media is embodied by computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules, or other data in a modulated data signal, such as a carrier wave or other transport mechanism, and includes any information delivery media. According to an aspect, the term “modulated data signal” describes a signal that has one or more characteristics set or changed in such a manner as to encode information in the signal. By way of example, and not limitation, communication media includes wired media such as a wired network or direct-wired connection, and wireless media such as acoustic, radio frequency (RF), infrared, and other wireless media. 
         [0058]      FIGS. 12A and 12B  illustrate a mobile computing device  1200 , for example, a mobile telephone, a smart phone, a tablet personal computer, a laptop computer, and the like, with which aspects may be practiced. With reference to  FIG. 12A , an example of a mobile computing device  1200  for implementing the aspects is illustrated. In a basic configuration, the mobile computing device  1200  is a handheld computer having both input elements and output elements. The mobile computing device  1200  typically includes a display  1205  and one or more input buttons  1210  that allow the user to enter information into the mobile computing device  1200 . According to an aspect, the display  1205  of the mobile computing device  1200  functions as an input device (e.g., a touch screen display). If included, an optional side input element  1215  allows further user input. According to an aspect, the side input element  1215  is a rotary switch, a button, or any other type of manual input element. In alternative examples, mobile computing device  1200  incorporates more or less input elements. For example, the display  1205  may not be a touch screen in some examples. In alternative examples, the mobile computing device  1200  is a portable phone system, such as a cellular phone. According to an aspect, the mobile computing device  1200  includes an optional keypad  1235 . According to an aspect, the optional keypad  1235  is a physical keypad. According to another aspect, the optional keypad  1235  is a “soft” keypad generated on the touch screen display. In various aspects, the output elements include the display  1205  for showing a graphical user interface (GUI), a visual indicator  1220  (e.g., a light emitting diode), and/or an audio transducer  1225  (e.g., a speaker). In some examples, the mobile computing device  1200  incorporates a vibration transducer for providing the user with tactile feedback. In yet another example, the mobile computing device  1200  incorporates input and/or output ports, such as an audio input (e.g., a microphone jack), an audio output (e.g., a headphone jack), and a video output (e.g., a HDMI port) for sending signals to or receiving signals from an external device. In yet another example, the mobile computing device  1200  incorporates peripheral device port  1240 , such as an audio input (e.g., a microphone jack), an audio output (e.g., a headphone jack), and a video output (e.g., a HDMI port) for sending signals to or receiving signals from an external device. 
         [0059]      FIG. 12B  is a block diagram illustrating the architecture of one example of a mobile computing device. That is, the mobile computing device  1200  incorporates a system (i.e., an architecture)  1202  to implement some examples. In one example, the system  1202  is implemented as a “smart phone” capable of running one or more applications (e.g., browser, e-mail, calendaring, contact managers, messaging clients, games, and media clients/players). In some examples, the system  1202  is integrated as a computing device, such as an integrated personal digital assistant (PDA) and wireless phone. 
         [0060]    According to an aspect, one or more application programs  1250  are loaded into the memory  1262  and run on or in association with the operating system  1264 . Examples of the application programs include phone dialer programs, e-mail programs, personal information management (PIM) programs, word processing programs, spreadsheet programs, Internet browser programs, messaging programs, and so forth. According to an aspect, the message classification and time-based relevancy prioritization system  110 , 121  is loaded into memory  1262 . The system  1202  also includes a non-volatile storage area  1268  within the memory  1262 . The non-volatile storage area  1268  is used to store persistent information that should not be lost if the system  1202  is powered down. The application programs  1250  may use and store information in the non-volatile storage area  1268 , such as e-mail or other messages used by an e-mail application, and the like. A synchronization application (not shown) also resides on the system  1202  and is programmed to interact with a corresponding synchronization application resident on a host computer to keep the information stored in the non-volatile storage area  1268  synchronized with corresponding information stored at the host computer. As should be appreciated, other applications may be loaded into the memory  1262  and run on the mobile computing device  1200 . 
         [0061]    According to an aspect, the system  1202  has a power supply  1270 , which is implemented as one or more batteries. According to an aspect, the power supply  1270  further includes an external power source, such as an AC adapter or a powered docking cradle that supplements or recharges the batteries. 
         [0062]    According to an aspect, the system  1202  includes a radio  1272  that performs the function of transmitting and receiving radio frequency communications. The radio  1272  facilitates wireless connectivity between the system  1202  and the “outside world,” via a communications carrier or service provider. Transmissions to and from the radio  1272  are conducted under control of the operating system  1264 . In other words, communications received by the radio  1272  may be disseminated to the application programs  1250  via the operating system  1264 , and vice versa. 
         [0063]    According to an aspect, the visual indicator  1220  is used to provide visual notifications and/or an audio interface  1274  is used for producing audible notifications via the audio transducer  1225 . In the illustrated example, the visual indicator  1220  is a light emitting diode (LED) and the audio transducer  1225  is a speaker. These devices may be directly coupled to the power supply  1270  so that when activated, they remain on for a duration dictated by the notification mechanism even though the processor  1260  and other components might shut down for conserving battery power. The LED may be programmed to remain on indefinitely until the user takes action to indicate the powered-on status of the device. The audio interface  1274  is used to provide audible signals to and receive audible signals from the user. For example, in addition to being coupled to the audio transducer  1225 , the audio interface  1274  may also be coupled to a microphone to receive audible input, such as to facilitate a telephone conversation. According to an aspect, the system  1202  further includes a video interface  1276  that enables an operation of an on-board camera  1230  to record still images, video stream, and the like. 
         [0064]    According to an aspect, a mobile computing device  1200  implementing the system  1202  has additional features or functionality. For example, the mobile computing device  1200  includes additional data storage devices (removable and/or non-removable) such as, magnetic disks, optical disks, or tape. Such additional storage is illustrated in  FIG. 12B  by the non-volatile storage area  1268 . 
         [0065]    According to an aspect, data/information generated or captured by the mobile computing device  1200  and stored via the system  1202  is stored locally on the mobile computing device  1200 , as described above. According to another aspect, the data is stored on any number of storage media that is accessible by the device via the radio  1272  or via a wired connection between the mobile computing device  1200  and a separate computing device associated with the mobile computing device  1200 , for example, a server computer in a distributed computing network, such as the Internet. As should be appreciated such data/information is accessible via the mobile computing device  1200  via the radio  1272  or via a distributed computing network. Similarly, according to an aspect, such data/information is readily transferred between computing devices for storage and use according to well-known data/information transfer and storage means, including electronic mail and collaborative data/information sharing systems. 
         [0066]      FIG. 13  illustrates one example of the architecture of a system for providing automated classification and time-based relevancy prioritization of electronic messages as described above. Content developed, interacted with, or edited in association with the message classification and time-based relevancy prioritization system  110 , 121  is enabled to be stored in different communication channels or other storage types. For example, various documents may be stored using a directory service  1322 , a web portal  1324 , a mailbox service  1326 , an instant messaging store  1328 , or a social networking site  1330 . The message classification and time-based relevancy prioritization system  110 , 121  is operative to use any of these types of systems or the like for providing automated classification and time-based relevancy prioritization of electronic messages, as described herein. According to an aspect, a server  1320  provides the message classification and time-based relevancy prioritization system  110 , 121  to clients  1305   a,b,c . As one example, the server  1320  is a web server providing the message classification and time-based relevancy prioritization system  110 , 121  over the web. The server  1320  provides the message classification and time-based relevancy prioritization system  110 , 121  over the web to clients  1305  through a network  1340 . By way of example, the client computing device is implemented and embodied in a personal computer  1305   a,  a tablet computing device  1305   b  or a mobile computing device  1305   c  (e.g., a smart phone), or other computing device. Any of these examples of the client computing device are operable to obtain content from the store  1316 . 
         [0067]    Implementations, for example, are described above with reference to block diagrams and/or operational illustrations of methods, systems, and computer program products according to aspects. The functions/acts noted in the blocks may occur out of the order as shown in any flowchart. For example, two blocks shown in succession may in fact be executed substantially concurrently or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon the functionality/acts involved. 
         [0068]    The description and illustration of one or more examples provided in this application are not intended to limit or restrict the scope as claimed in any way. The aspects, examples, and details provided in this application are considered sufficient to convey possession and enable others to make and use the best mode. Implementations should not be construed as being limited to any aspect, example, or detail provided in this application. Regardless of whether shown and described in combination or separately, the various features (both structural and methodological) are intended to be selectively included or omitted to produce an example with a particular set of features. Having been provided with the description and illustration of the present application, one skilled in the art may envision variations, modifications, and alternate examples falling within the spirit of the broader aspects of the general inventive concept embodied in this application that do not depart from the broader scope.