Patent ID: 7680892

Claim:
A system for monitoring email behavior, comprising: control logic configured to allow a device having a cookie to access an email, the email having a first recipient; control logic configured to determine a relationship between the device accessing the email and the first recipient of the email using status history of the cookie and access history of the email; and control logic configured to display information relating to the determined relationship to a sender of the email; wherein if there is no status history of the cookie and the access history of the email shows that the email has never been accessed, then the status history of the cookie is updated to primary with respect to the first recipient, a status of primary with respect to the first recipient indicating that the device accessing the email is determined to be likely used by the first recipient to access emails addressed to the first recipient, and if there is no status history of the cookie and the access history of the email shows that the email has already been accessed, then the status history of the cookie is updated to secondary with respect to the first recipient, a status of secondary with respect to the first recipient indicating that the device accessing the email is determined to be likely used by a second recipient to access forwarded emails originally addressed to the first recipient.