Automatic electronic message content extraction method and apparatus

A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium tangibly encoded with computer-executable instructions that when executed by a processor associated with a computing device perform a method comprising:

• obtaining a plurality of electronic messages having an associated set of shared expressions;
• identifying for the plurality of electronic messages, a variable value in connection with a respective expression in the set of shared expressions, the variable value indicating that at least a portion of a value corresponding to the respective expression varies across two or more of the plurality of electronic messages;
• analyzing the variable value corresponding to multiple electronic messages of the plurality of electronic messages to determine an annotation indicative of a meaning of the variable value;
• automatically generating, for the plurality of electronic messages, a data extraction rule comprising the annotation associated with the respective expression having the variable value;
• receiving, over an electronic communications network, an electronic message;
• using the automatically-generated data extraction rule to extract data from a received electronic message;
• and
• causing the data extracted from the received electronic message to be displayed at a user device.

A computing device comprising:

• a processor;
• and
• a non-transitory storage medium for tangibly storing thereon program logic for execution by the processor, the program logic comprising:
• obtaining logic executed by the processor for obtaining a plurality of electronic messages having an associated set of shared expressions;
• identifying logic executed by the processor for identifying for the plurality of electronic messages, a variable value in connection with a respective expression in the set of shared expressions, the variable value indicating that at least a portion of a value corresponding to the respective expression varies across two or more of the plurality of electronic messages;
• analyzing logic executed by the processor for analyzing the variable value corresponding to multiple electronic messages of the plurality of electronic messages to determine an annotation indicative of a meaning of the variable value;
• generating logic executed by the processor for automatically generating, for the plurality of electronic messages, a data extraction rule comprising the annotation associated with the respective expression having the variable value;
• receiving logic executed by the processor for receiving, over an electronic communications network, an electronic message;
• using logic executed by the processor for using the automatically-generated data extraction rule to extract data from a received electronic message;
• and
• causing logic executed by the processor for causing the data extracted from the received electronic message to be displayed at a user device.