# US 10,313,285 B1 · System and method for analyzing and filtering journaled electronic mail

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- Number: US 10,313,285 B1
- Document ID: US10313285B1
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B1
- Application number: 15/358,791
- Filed: 2016-11-22
- Granted: 2019-06-04
- Earliest claimed: 2006-11-17
- Assignees: Open Invention Network, LLC
- Applicants: Open Invention Network LLC
- Inventors: Nathan Robert Jones
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10313285B1

## CPC

- H04L 51/212: using filtering or selective blocking
- H04L 51/42: Mailbox-related aspects, e.g. synchronisation of mailboxes
- H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M)

## Abstract

A system, method, and program for the processing of large amounts of email based on user-configurable criteria in close to real-time. The invention enables filtering of all journaled emails in an organization for the duration of a regulatory proceeding, or for audit purposes, thus greatly reducing the manual effort required to produce a targeted set of emails. The journaling feature copies all unique emails coming through the distributed email server farm to a smaller set of email mailboxes. The filtering application could run as a batch operation on each of those “journaling” mailboxes at periodic intervals or could run interactively. The user-defined filter criteria are applied to the emails filling up the “journaling” mailboxes, and matches are separated from the non-matches for analysis. The invention can be executed on offline data, such as personal message stores or individual compound message files.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method, comprising:
determining select electronic mail messages of a plurality of electronic mail messages that match a filter criteria;
storing the select electronic mail messages in one or more of a plurality of electronic mail server mailboxes;
loading a default job file via an electronic mail analyzer application;
executing a loaded job as a batch operation on the plurality of electronic mail server mailboxes each comprising a plurality of the stored electronic mail messages, wherein the loaded job comprises at least one rule to apply to the plurality of electronic mail messages;
examining job settings of the loaded job to determine whether the job settings are valid;
when the loaded job settings are valid, applying a corresponding predefined action to each select electronic mail message of the plurality of electronic mail messages that matches the filter criteria comprising a type of filter and a numerical string value of electronic mail message selection criteria used to identify each select electronic mail message, the predefined action being identified by the default job and the at least one rule;
copying or moving each select electronic mail message that matches the filter criteria;
generating a report as a result of the loaded job being executed on the plurality of electronic mail messages; and
storing the report.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1 further comprising discarding each electronic mail message that does not match the filter criteria.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of identifying and removing duplicate electronic mail messages.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1 comprising inputting at least one electronic mail message from an input source, wherein the input source comprises a mailbox store on an electronic mail server.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The method of claim 4 wherein the input source comprises a personal store (PST).

### Claim 6 (depends on 3)

The method of claim 3 further comprising moving the select electronic mail messages that match the filter criteria to an output mailbox for report generation.

### Claim 7 (depends on 3)

The method of claim 3 wherein the step of identifying and removing duplicate electronic mail messages comprises determining if more than one electronic mail message has an identical Internet message identifier.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the applying the filter criteria comprises determining if a filter's input name references the input being examined.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1 further comprising searching a folder specified by a filter criterion.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The method of claim 9 further comprising merging a result for each folder searched into a collection of matched electronic mails.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of deleting each electronic mail message after applying the corresponding predefined action.

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of filtering the plurality of electronic mail messages via filtering criteria stored in a job configuration file.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The method of claim 12 further comprising configuring the job configuration file to control the analysis and filtering of the plurality of electronic mail messages.

### Claim 14

A non-transitory computer readable storage medium configured to store instructions that when executed cause a processor to perform:
determining select electronic mail messages of a plurality of electronic mail messages that match a filter criteria;
storing the select electronic mail messages in one or more of a plurality of electronic mail server mailboxes;
loading a default job file via the electronic mail analyzer application;
executing a loaded job as a batch operation on the plurality of electronic mail server mailboxes each comprising a plurality of the stored electronic mail messages wherein the loaded job comprises at least one rule to apply to the plurality of electronic mail messages;
examining job settings of the loaded job to determine whether the job settings are valid;
when the loaded job settings are valid, applying a corresponding predefined action to each select electronic mail message of the plurality of electronic mail messages that matches the filter criteria comprising a type of filter and a numerical string value of electronic mail message selection criteria used to identify each select electronic mail message, the predefined action being identified by the default job and the at least one rule;
copying or moving each select electronic mail message that matches the filter criteria;
generating a report as a result of the loaded job being executed on the plurality of electronic mail messages; and
storing the report.

### Claim 15 (depends on 14)

The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the processor is further configured to perform discarding each electronic mail message that does not match the filter criteria.

### Claim 16 (depends on 14)

The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 14 wherein the processor is further configured to perform identifying and removing duplicate electronic mail messages.

### Claim 17 (depends on 14)

The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 14, comprising an input source, wherein the input source comprises a mailbox store on an electronic mail server.

### Claim 18 (depends on 17)

The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the input source comprises a personal store (PST).

### Claim 19 (depends on 16)

The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the processor is further configured to perform moving the select electronic mail messages that match the filter criteria to an output mailbox for report generation.

### Claim 20 (depends on 16)

The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the processor is further configured to perform determining if more than one electronic mail message has an identical Internet message identifier.

### Claim 21 (depends on 14)

The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 14 wherein the processor is further configured to perform determining if a filter's input name references the input being examined.

### Claim 22 (depends on 14)

The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 14 wherein the processor is further configured to perform searching a folder specified by a filter criterion.

### Claim 23 (depends on 22)

The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 22 wherein the processor is further configured to perform merging a result for each folder searched into a collection of matched electronic mails.

### Claim 24 (depends on 14)

The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the processor is further configured to perform deleting each electronic mail message after applying the corresponding predefined action.

### Claim 25 (depends on 14)

The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the processor is further configured to perform generating a report when a set of conditions are met as a result of the analysis and filtering of the plurality of electronic mail messages.

### Claim 26 (depends on 14)

The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 14 wherein the processor is further configured to perform configuring a job configuration file to control the analysis and filtering of the plurality of electronic mail messages.

### Claim 27

A system, comprising:
a local data store;
a processor that executes a plurality of components including:
a component that determines select electronic mail messages of a plurality of electronic mail messages that match a filter criteria;
a component that stores the select electronic mail messages in one or more of a plurality of electronic mail server mailboxes;
a component that loads a default job file via an electronic mail analyzer application;
a component that executes a loaded job as a batch operation on the plurality of electronic mail server mailboxes each comprising a plurality of the stored electronic mail messages, wherein the loaded job comprises at least one rule to apply to the plurality of electronic mail messages;
a component that examines job settings of the loaded job to determine whether the job settings are valid;
a component that, when the loaded job settings are valid, applies a corresponding predefined action to each select electronic mail message of the plurality of electronic mail messages that matches the filter criteria comprising a type of filter and a numerical string value of electronic mail message selection criteria used to identify each select electronic mail message, the predefined action being identified by the default job and the at least one rule;
a component that copies or moves each select electronic mail message that matches the filter criteria;
a component that generates a report as a result of the loaded job being executed on the plurality of electronic mail messages; and
a component that stores the report.

### Claim 28 (depends on 27)

The system of claim 27 further comprising a component that discards each electronic mail message that does not match the filter criteria.

### Claim 29 (depends on 27)

The system of claim 27 further comprising a component that identifies and removes duplicate electronic mail messages.

### Claim 30 (depends on 27)

The system of claim 27 comprising an input source which comprises a mailbox store on an electronic mail server or a personal store (PST).

### Claim 31 (depends on 29)

The system of claim 29 further comprising a component that moves the select electronic mail messages that match the filter criteria to an output mailbox for report generation.

### Claim 32 (depends on 29)

The system of claim 29 wherein the component that identifies and removes duplicate electronic mail messages comprises a module that determines if more than one electronic mail message has a same Internet message identifier.

### Claim 33 (depends on 27)

The system of claim 27, wherein the component which applies the filter criteria comprises a determination if a filter's input name references the input being examined.

### Claim 34 (depends on 27)

The system of claim 27 further comprising a component that searches a folder specified by a filter criterion.

### Claim 35 (depends on 34)

The system of claim 34 further comprising a component that merges a result for each folder searched into a collection of matched electronic mails.

### Claim 36 (depends on 27)

The system of claim 27 further comprising a component that deletes each electronic mail message after the corresponding predefined action is applied.

### Claim 37 (depends on 27)

The system of claim 27 further comprising a component that filters the plurality of electronic mail messages via filtering criteria stored in a job configuration file.

### Claim 38 (depends on 27)

The system of claim 27 further comprising a component that configures the job configuration file to control the analysis and filter of the electronic mail messages.