Abstract: Remotely directed filtering and sorting of near real-time audio or video messages is accomplished by including, within a messaging device, a messaging client application capable of assigning via a user interface attributes to an outgoing message, including a filtering assertion and a sorting assertion which express efficiently a sender's judgment about the relevance and currency of past, current and future messages with common attributes. Upon receiving a plurality of near real-time audio or video messages, the messaging client application enables a user to select attributes via a user interface for grouping pending messages, which are filtered and sorted in accordance with procedures that aggregate filtering and sorting assertions associated with messages having common attributes. The messaging client application further displays filtered counts of pending messages and sorted lists of pending messages and, in accordance with such sort, plays the next message when directed by a user interface.

Abstract: Remotely directed filtering and sorting of near real-time audio or video messages is accomplished by including, within a messaging device, a messaging client application capable of assigning via a user interface attributes to an outgoing message, including a filtering assertion and a sorting assertion which express efficiently a sender's judgment about the relevance and currency of past, current and future messages with common attributes. Upon receiving a plurality of near real-time audio or video messages, the messaging client application enables a user to select attributes via a user interface for grouping pending messages, which are filtered and sorted in accordance with procedures that aggregate filtering and sorting assertions associated with messages having common attributes. The messaging client application further displays filtered counts of pending messages and sorted lists of pending messages and, in accordance with such sort, plays the next message when directed by a user interface.