A collating table containing user-defined sort criteria in ranked order is employed
in sorting electronic mail messages for display to the user. Entries within the
collating table prioritize unread and/or previously viewed messages based upon
the address of the sender or similar attributes, and may each contain a specific
username and domain address, a domain of user addresses, or a plurality of addresses
of either type. Entries within the collating table may be fixed or dynamic, with
dynamic entries automatically updated based on historical statistics relating to
the frequency and/or speed of response by the user to messages previously received
from the sender, speed of opening or deleting prior messages from the sender, or
some user-specified combination of such attributes. Addresses within the dynamic
entries may percolate up or down the ranking of the collating table, with aging
employed in removing addresses from the collating table. Other users may be given
access to portions of the collating table to rank their own messages to the user,
and specific messages may be ranked within or above any messages received from
addresses within the collating table until deleted.
