Email Service Automatic Categorization and Deletion

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing email services do not effectively categorize and manage important emails, leading to user inconvenience as users need to manually sift through numerous emails to find relevant ones and delete unwanted ones, which is time-consuming.

Innovation Solution

An email service that automatically sorts received emails into predefined categories, sets an automatic deletion option for each category, and provides reminders for unread emails that meet preset conditions, utilizing an instant messaging service to enhance email management.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If emails are manually sorted and managed by users, then email classification accuracy is improved, but user time consumption and operational complexity increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveemail classification accuracyVSAvoiduser time consumption
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs automatic email classification and management without requiring user intervention. The server automatically sorts incoming emails into categories, applies deletion rules, and manages email lifecycles, allowing the system to serve itself rather than requiring manual user operation for each email management task

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The patent replaces manual mechanical sorting operations with automated server-side processing. Instead of users physically sorting emails through manual actions, the system uses automated algorithms and server processes to classify and manage emails, substituting human mechanical operations with computational automation

Inventive Principle:
Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

2Loss of information

If all emails are retained for user review, then information completeness is improved, but storage requirements and processing complexity increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveinformation completenessVSAvoidprocessing complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of informationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments emails into different categories (e.g., important, promotional, transactional) and applies different retention and processing rules to each category. This segmentation allows the system to manage information completeness selectively, retaining important emails while automatically processing or deleting less important ones, thereby reducing overall processing complexity

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Different quality levels of retention and processing are applied to different email categories. Important emails receive high-quality retention with detailed processing, while less important emails receive lower-quality retention with automated or no processing, optimizing the balance between information completeness and system complexity

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

3Loss of substance

If automatic deletion is enabled for all emails, then storage efficiency is improved, but risk of deleting important emails increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvestorage efficiencyVSAvoidemail retention reliability
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of substanceVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies different deletion policies to different email categories. Important emails are excluded from automatic deletion or given extended retention periods, while less important emails are subject to automatic deletion after specified durations. This localized application of deletion rules maintains storage efficiency while protecting important information

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The system performs preliminary classification and importance assessment of emails before applying deletion rules. By pre-categorizing emails and identifying important ones before deletion execution, the system ensures that automatic deletion does not inadvertently remove critical information while still achieving storage efficiency for non-critical emails

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentUS12101288B2Method and apparatus for providing email service
Publication Date: 2024.09.24 AXZ CORP
  • US12101288B2 patent drawing
  • US12101288B2 patent drawing
  • US12101288B2 patent drawing

AI summary

A method and apparatus for providing an email service is provided. The method includes sorting received emails into preset categories, providing an interface for reading an email for each category, and determining whether to delete an email based on an automatic deletion option set for each category.