Data processing: database and file management or data structures – Database design – Data structure types
Reexamination Certificate
1998-07-22
2001-05-01
Breene, John (Department: 2177)
Data processing: database and file management or data structures
Database design
Data structure types
C345S960000, C707S793000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06226630
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The disclosed system relates generally to information management and more specifically to a system for organizing received information into folders based on user supplied criteria.
BACKGROUND
Many computer software application programs are available today which asynchronously provide new information to a user. For example, electronic mail systems asynchronously deliver information messages that are sent by other users. The amount of information or number of messages received by many users is very large. In order to manage this large amount of information, existing systems have enabled users to organize received messages into groups sometimes referred to as folders. For example, such existing systems may initially deliver received messages into a single “Inbox” repository. After the receiving user reads each message in the inbox, the user may then move or copy the messages into one or more groups or folders defined by the user to store messages based on their characteristics, such as sender identity, subject matter, or date of receipt. In this way such existing systems attempt to provide a means for users to organize received information such that it may conveniently be retrieved or scanned later. A drawback of such systems is that in the case where a user continuously receives a large number of messages, the user must examine or read each received message in order to assign it to a group or folder other than the default folder. This necessary examination of all received messages may require an unacceptable amount of user time.
Other existing systems have applied filters to messages as they are received in order to initially store them in appropriate folders without user intervention, based on previously provided, or default message characteristics. This type of system eliminates the requirement that a user go through all received messages in order to find those that match predetermined folder characteristics. However, as a user's needs change over time, or as the nature of the received message traffic changes, any particular set of filtering rules will inevitably become obsolete. At that point, the user must change the existing filtering rules so that received messages are handled properly. Moreover, the new set of filtering rules must often be applied to all previously received messages in all existing folders as well as newly received messages. Existing systems require that the folder structure and organization be updated with at least substantial changes involving pointers and data structures representing folder organization, and potentially copying of the messages themselves. In addition, such existing systems require the user to specify a complete set of new filtering rules to define the new folder organization in its entirety. Overall, such reorganizations in existing systems are cumbersome and time consuming for the user.
Accordingly, for the reasons stated above, it is desirable to have a new system for organizing information received by a user based on user provided characteristics which does not require the user to examine and categorize each received message. The new system should provide flexibility such that filtering rules can be conveniently changed or modified. Further, the new system should not require a complicated and time consuming reorganization of all existing folders each time the filtering characteristics are changed.
SUMMARY
In accordance with principles of the invention there is disclosed a new system for organizing received information for a user, which does not require the user to examine and categorize each received message, and which enables the user to conveniently and efficiently modify filtering rules used to define folders that organize received messages. The disclosed system includes a received information database for storing received messages. One or more message filters are provided to process received messages from multiple message sources, for example where a separate message filter is provided to handle each specific message source. In an alternative embodiment, a separate message filter is provided for each different message type. Each message filter generates indices of portions of the received messages it processes. An example of such portions are individual words within the received message, thus forming a text index of the received messages. The message filter or filters store the generated indices into a database index such that the indices are associated with the message and message portions to which they correspond. The disclosed system advantageously includes a plurality of message folders, so that the asynchronously received messages are organized based on a predetermined set of message characteristics. Rather than storing messages or message pointers within each message folder, the disclosed system stores a previously defined search query within each folder. When the user requests to view the contents of a given folder, the search query for that folder is passed to a search engine. The search engine generates search results based on the search query and a search of the received message text index. The search results for example indicate those messages which match the characteristics given in the search query. Those messages are thus associated with the given folder, as defined by the search query, and appear to the user to be contained within that folder.
In an example embodiment the disclosed system further includes a graphical user interface for receiving indication of the folder for which the user desires to display associated messages, and further for displaying those messages based on the search results. In a further example embodiment a query graphical user interface is provided for inputting a search query to be entered into one of the message folders.
In another example embodiment, each received message further comprises a number of fields, and the database index is organized into sub-indexes. Each one of the sub-indexes corresponds to one of the message fields.
In another example embodiment, the system includes an alert engine which periodically determines whether a message has been received that matches alert characteristics provided by the user. In the example embodiment, the graphical user interface includes a mechanism to input message characteristics from the user that will trigger various kinds of alert events.
In this way there is disclosed a new system for organizing information received by a user based on user provided characteristics, without requiring the user to examine and categorize each received message. The new system provides flexibility such that filtering rules can be conveniently changed or modified. In this way, the disclosed system enables the user to change folder definitions for all future messages as well as all received messages without moving messages or copying messages within existing folders. Thus the new system does not require a complicated and time consuming reorganization of all existing folders each time filtering characteristics are changed.
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Breene John
Compaq Computer Corporation
Hamilton Brook Smith & Reynolds P.C.
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