Method and system for filtering notirication of e-mail messages

Abstract

A messaging system for notifying subscribers of incoming e-mail messages that includes an e-mail system communicating with a notification system is disclosed. The e-mail system includes a user interface that permits subscribers to populate filter lists with e-mail message attributes, such as sender e-mail addresses. The filter list is provided to the notification system, which selectively notifies subscribers of incoming e-mail messages based on the contents of their respective filter lists. The notification system can alert subscribers to incoming e-mail messages by pager, facsimile, voice mail, synthetic speech via cellular or conventional telephones, or the like.

1 . A method for selective notification of an email message, comprising: 
 displaying a graphical user interface window to a user comprising a listing of a plurality of received email messages;    receiving a first indication via the graphical user interface to permit notification of future incoming email messages associated with a first received email of the plurality of received email messages while the first received email is selected;    storing an attribute associated with the first received email in a filter list to permit notification of future incoming email messages associated with the first received email in response to the received first indication; and    selectively notifying a user of an incoming email message as a function of an attribute associated with the incoming email message and the filter list.    
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising: 
 receiving a second indication via the graphical user interface to block notification of future incoming email messages associated with a second received email of the plurality of received email messages while the second received email is selected; and    storing an attribute associated with the second received email in the filter list to block notification of future incoming email messages associated with the second received email in response the received second indication.    
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the attribute associated with the first received email and the attribute associated with the incoming email is a sender email address.  
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the attribute associated with the first received email and the attribute associated with the incoming email is a subject field.  
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the attribute associated with the first received email and the attribute associated with the incoming email is a recipient email address.  
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein selectively notifying a user of an incoming email message as a function of an attribute associated with the incoming email message and the filter list comprises: 
 determining whether the attribute associated with the incoming message is associated with an inclusion attribute in the filter list; and    sending a notification to the user regarding the incoming email message in response to determining the attribute associated with the incoming message is associated with an inclusion attribute.    
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein sending a notification to the user comprises: 
 faxing a notification to the user regarding the incoming email message.    
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein sending a notification to the user comprises: 
 leaving a voicemail for the user regarding the incoming email message.    
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein sending a notification to the user comprises: 
 placing a telephone call to a telephone of the user regarding the incoming email message.    
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the telephone is a cellular telephone.  
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein sending a notification to the user comprises: 
 sending a page to a pager of the user regarding the incoming email message.    
     
     
         12 . A system for selective notification of an email message, comprising: 
 an email server, coupled to a user interface, the email server operative to store an attribute associated with a received email of a plurality of received email messages in response to a user selecting the received email and indicating via the user interface comprising a listing of the plurality of received email messages whether to notify the user of an incoming email message associated with the selected received email or to block notification of incoming email messages associated with the selected received email; and    a notification server coupled with the email server, the notification server operative to selectively notify the user of an incoming email message as a function of an attribute stored in the filter list associated with the incoming email message and the filter list;    wherein in response to indicating to notify the user of an incoming messages associated with the selected received email, the filter list permits notification of future incoming email messages associated with the received email and in response to indicating to block notification of incoming email messages associated with the selected received email, the filter list blocks notification of future incoming email messages associated with the received email.    
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 12 , wherein the attribute associated with the received email and the attribute associated with the incoming email message is a sender email address.  
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 12 , wherein the attribute associated with the received email and the attribute associated with the incoming email message is a subject field.  
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 12 , wherein the attribute associated with the received email and the attribute associated with the incoming email message is a recipient email address.  
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 12 , wherein the notification server comprises an interface operative to send a fax to a fax machine of the user regarding the incoming email message.  
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 12 , wherein the notification server comprises an interface operative to leave a voicemail for the user regarding the incoming email message.  
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 12 , wherein the notification server comprises an interface operative to send a page to a pager of the user regarding the incoming email message.  
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 12 , wherein the notification server comprises an interface operative to place a telephone call to a telephone of the user regarding the incoming email message.  
     
     
         20 . The system of  claim 19 , wherein the telephone is a cellular telephone.  
     
     
         21 . A computer-readable medium having computer-readable data which directs one or more computer processors to perform acts of: 
 displaying a graphical user interface window to a user comprising a listing of a plurality of received email messages;    receiving a first indication via the graphical user interface to permit notification of future incoming email messages associated with a first received email of the plurality of received email messages while the first received email is selected;    storing an attribute associated with the first received email in a filter list to permit notification of future incoming email messages associated with the first received email in response to the received first indication; and    selectively notifying a user of an incoming email message as a function of an attribute associated with the incoming email message and the filter list.    
     
     
         22 . The computer-readable medium of  claim 21 , further comprising computer-readable data which directs one or more computer processors to perform acts of: 
 receiving a second indication via the graphical user interface to block notification of future incoming email messages associated with a second received email of the plurality of received email messages while the second received email is selected; and    storing an attribute associated with the second received email in the filter list to block notification of future incoming email messages associated with the second received email in response the received second indication.    
     
     
         23 . A method for selective notification of an email message, comprising: 
 displaying a graphical user interface window to a user comprising a listing of a plurality of received email messages;    receiving a first indication via the graphical user interface to permit notification of future incoming email messages associated with a first received email of the plurality of received email messages while the first received email is selected; and    selectively notifying the user of an incoming email message as a function of an attribute associated with the incoming email message and a filter list.    
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 23 , further comprising: 
 storing an attribute associated with the first received email in the filter list to permit notification of future incoming email messages associated with the first received email in response to the received first indication.    
     
     
         25 . A computer-readable medium having computer-readable data which directs one or more computer processors to perform acts of: 
 displaying a graphical user interface window to a user comprising a listing of a plurality of received email messages;    receiving a first indication via the graphical user interface to permit notification of future incoming email messages associated with a first received email of the plurality of received email messages while the first received email is selected; and    selectively notifying the user of an incoming email message as a function of an attribute associated with the incoming email message and a filter list.    
     
     
         26 . The computer-readable medium of  claim 15 , further comprising data which directs one or more processors to perform the act of: 
 storing an attribute associated with the first received email in the filter list to permit notification of future incoming email messages associated with the first received email in response to the received first indication.