Patent ID: 8341228

Claim:
A method for automatically collecting information in a messaging system, comprising: setting, using a computing device, a flag indicating an information collection and an initiation flag for a message for requesting information collection by an information requestor, wherein the information to be collected is included in the message; generating, using the computing device, a unique identifier for identifying a task for the information collection, and sending the message and the unique identifier; when replying to the message for requesting information collection, setting, using the computing device, a reply flag for a replied message and sending the replied message and the unique identifier, wherein information required to be collected is included in the replied message; identifying, using the computing device, a specific information collection task by the unique identifier for extracting; extracting, using the computing device, in response to the identifying, the information required to be collected from the replied message in accordance with the flag indicating an information collection and the reply flag; consolidating, using the computing device, the extracted information into a single summary document; and providing, using the computing device, the summary document to the information requestor.