US Patent 7426541 Electronic mail metadata generation and management

Electronic mail is archived and retrieved based on metadata generated by the client sending the electronic mail. The metadata is generated based on variable metadata generation policies distributed to each client. The metadata generation policies are executed in each client in conjunction with each electronic mail sent from the client. The electronic mail is received in a mail server on route to at least one addressee of the electronic mail. The received electronic mail is processed based on the metadata attached to the received electronic mail.