Patent ID: 7386592

Claim:
A method for collating e-mail comprising: (a) differencing at least one first e-mail message and a second e-mail message wherein said at least one first e-mail message is prior to said second e-mail message, said differencing generating a set of unmatched text and a set of matched text; (b) matching said set of matched text against a collated message file, said matching step identifying a position in said collated message file at an end of a portion of said collated message file corresponding to said set of matched text; and (c) inserting said set of unmatched text in said collated message file at said position; wherein said at least one first e-mail message and said second e-mail message comprise a set of topically-related e-mail selected in response to a preselected pattern in a header portion of each e-mail of said set of topically-related e-mail; (d) searching each e-mail message of said set of topically-related e-mail for at least one member of a preselected set of prepended identifiers; (e) if said at least one at least one member of a preselected set of prepended identifiers matches a portion of said message of said set of topically-related messages: (i) selecting a portion of said message not having said prepended identifier; (ii) inserting said portion from substep (i) into said collated message file at a position following a portion matching a set of text having said at least one member of a preselected set of prepended identifiers; and (iii) bypassing steps (a)-(c).