Interactive electronic messaging system

An article of manufacture comprising:

• a computer usable medium having computer readable program code means embodied therein for analyzing text information of incoming electronic message to categorize the incoming text information into categorization information, the text information being a user input query;
• a computer usable medium having computer readable program code means embodied therein for retrieving category information from a data storage unit corresponding to the categorization information, the retrieved category information having an associated threshold value which is a predetermined value;
• a computer usable medium having computer readable program code means embodied therein for determining whether the categorization information equals or exceeds a threshold value associated with the retrieved category information;
• and
• a computer usable medium having computer readable program code means embodied therein for requesting further text information from the user when the categorization information does not equal or exceed the threshold value, wherein the request for further information is machine generated.

A means for interactively generating a response to an incoming electronic message, comprising:

• means for analyzing text information of the incoming electronic message to categorize the incoming text information into categorization information, the text information being a user input query;
• means for retrieving category information from a data storage unit corresponding to the categorization information, the retrieved category information having predetermined associated threshold values;
• means for determining whether the categorization information equals or exceeds a threshold value;
• and
• means for requesting further text information from the user when the categorization information does not equal or exceed the threshold value, wherein the request for further information is machine generated.

An apparatus that interactively generates a response to an incoming electronic message, comprising:

• an analyzing module, the analyzing module categorizing the incoming text information into categorization information, the text information being a user input query;
• a storing module associated with the analyzing module, the storing module being a database that stores category information corresponding to the categorization information obtained from the analyzing module;
• a retrieving and determining module associated with the storing module, the retrieving and determining module retrieves the category information corresponding to the categorization information and determines whether the categorization information equals or exceeds a threshold value, the threshold value being a predetermined value associated with the stored category information;
• and
• a requesting module associated with the retrieving and determining module, the requesting module requesting further text information from the user when the categorization information does not equal or exceed the threshold value, wherein the request for further information is machine generated.