Patent ID: 7593992

Claim:
In a computer system wherein messages are transferred between participants using a messaging system, at least some of which are human users of the computer system using the computer system in furtherance of work projects, and wherein a workflow system handles task-based operations in a structured environment, a method of handling tasks embodied in messages as tasks in the structure environment, the method comprising: sending a message from a sender to a user computer system; upon review of the message at the user computer system by a user, accepting input from the user representative of a trigger for transforming the message content to a workflow object, wherein the workflow object is a structured representation of one or more tasks to be performed by one or more assignees including linkages between tasks, wherein said inkages between tasks provide at least one of order dependencies among said tasks or rules to link said tasks; following a trigger for transforming, accepting user input as needed to obtain task-related information other than information present in the message; once the user input is obtained, generating one or more workflow objects for tasks represented by the message; and providing the one or more workflow objects to a workflow system for workflow handling, including: sending the one or more workflow objects to a first assignee associated with the one or more workflow objects, receiving the one or more workflow objects from the first assignee after the first assignee has performed a first task associated with the one or more workflow objects, sending the one or more workflow objects to a second assignee associated with the one or more workflow objects according to a first linkage between the first task and a second task, and receiving the one or more workflow objects from the second assignee after the second assignee has performed the second task.