Method and Apparatus for Identifying, Managing, and Controlling Communications

Abstract

A method and apparatus for sorting, prioritizing, identifying, managing, and otherwise controlling (collectively, “controlling”) a communication. A frank may be used to associate a value and a class with a communication. The communication may be associated with the frank through the method of selecting a frank associated with a value from among a plurality of frank types, each of the frank types having a pre-assigned value, associating the frank with the communication, and initiating transmission of the franked communication across a network. Value may include anything important of having meaning to the parties, including, for example, money, credit (or a promise to pay), frequent flier miles, and so forth. “Franking” a communication generally associates some indicia of value and/or a service class with a communication.

1 . A computer system for generating and sending a franked communication, comprising:
 a frank request module operative to request a frank;   wherein the request associates at least one franking criterion indicative of the relative importance, as specified by a user, with regards to a given communication;   a frank generation module, operatively connected to the frank request module, operative to receive a request, generate the frank and output the frank;   a frank attachment module, operatively connected to the frank generation module, operative to receive the frank and attach the frank requested by the frank request module to a communication, thereby creating a franked communication; and   a franked communication transmission module, operatively connected to the frank attachment module, operative to transmit the franked communication to at least one recipient.   
   
   
       2 . The computer system of  claim 1  further comprising a frank receipt module operative to receive the frank requested by the request module, and further operative to pass the frank to the frank attachment module. 
   
   
       3 . The computer system of  claim 1 , further comprising a sender system on which the frank request module, frank attachment module, franked transmission module, and franked receipt module reside. 
   
   
       4 . The computer system of  claim 2 , further comprising a network node on which the frank attachment module, franked transmission module, and frank generation module reside. 
   
   
       5 . A computer system for receiving and processing a franked communication, comprising:
 a communication receipt module operative to receive a communication;   wherein the communication is associated with at least one franking criterion specified by a sender;   a determination module operative to determine whether the communication is franked, the determination module operatively connected to the communication receipt module; and   a franked communication processing module operative to process the communication according to a first rule in the event the communication is franked, the franked communication processing module operatively connected to the determination module.   
   
   
       6 . The computer system of  claim 5 , further comprising a non-franked communication processing module, operatively connected to the communication receipt module, operative to process the communication according to a second rule in the event the communication is not franked, the non-franked communication processing module operatively connected to the determination module. 
   
   
       7 . The computer system of  claim 6 , further comprising a display module, operatively connected to at least one of the franked communication process module and the non-franked communication process module, operative to display the communication in a first state dictated by the first rule. 
   
   
       8 . The computer system of  claim 7 , wherein the display module is further operative to display the communication in a second state dictated by the second rule. 
   
   
       9 . The computer system of  claim 6 , wherein the communication receipt module, determination module, franked communication processing module, and non-franked communication processing module are incorporated into an electronic mail application. 
   
   
       10 . The computer system of  claim 6 , wherein the communication receipt module, determination module, franked communication processing module, and non-franked communication processing module are co-located at a network node associated with an Internet service provider. 
   
   
       11 . The computer system of  claim 6 , wherein the communication receipt module, determination module, franked communication processing module, and non-franked communication processing module are co-located at a recipient system. 
   
   
       12 . The computer system of  claim 6 , wherein the communication receipt module, determination module, franked communication processing module, and non-franked communication processing module are co-located at a mail server.