Benutzer wählbares elektronisches Postverwaltungsverfahren

摘要

A user selectable electronic mail management method is disclosed for utilization by an individual computer user in a multi-user computer base electronic mail distribution system. Each individual computer system is permitted to graphically establish a plurality of electronic mail "in-baskets", each in-basket having one or more electronic mail properties associated therewith. Each item of electronic mail received is then routed to a selected in-basket in response to the properties associated with the item of electronic mail. In the disclosed embodiment of the present invention, the normal system in-basket is utilized as a default or "no-choice" location for electronic mail which is not routed to a user designated in-basket. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, user designated in-baskets are arranged in a selected order so that electronic mail items which meet more than one in-basket criterion are assigned to the highest priority in-basket during routing. By utilizing the present invention a computer user may sort incoming electronic mail by source, subject matter, type of mail, urgency, security level, or any other easily identifiable property associated with an item of electronic mail.