Systems and methods for managing discussion threads based on ratings

• US 20050198128A1
• Filed: 02/23/2004
• Published: 09/08/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 02/23/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Anderson, Stephen, Ostling, Ridge
• Granted Patent: US 7,904,510 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/166 Editing, e.g. inserting or deleting

Abstract

System and method for removing threads from discussion groups based on ratings of the individual posts within the thread. If a user takes the time to rate a post positively, then the post (and the thread) is considered to be useful to the entire community and should not be deleted. To rate the post, a window is displayed to the user whenever the post is open and queries the user whether the post is useful. A positive rating rates a delete date associated with the post. If there is not positive rating of a post, the thread may be considered useful if the originator of a post marks the post as being answered, in which case delete clock is reset. If however, none of the posts within the thread are rated positively, then the thread is considered not be useful and deleted.

Claims

1. A method for deleting threads from a discussion group comprising a plurality of posts, comprising:

receiving a rating from each of the users whether the post was useful;

determining whether at least one user has rated at least one post within the thread as useful;

if at least one user has rated at least one post as useful, retaining the thread; and

if at least one user has not rated at least one post as useful, then deleting the thread.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising setting a delete date associated with the thread to a predetermined value.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein retaining the thread comprises resetting the delete date of the thread to the predetermined value

4. The method of claim 3, wherein retaining the thread comprises leaving the delete date of the post unchanged.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein deleting the thread comprises:

determining whether the delete date of at least one post is equal to the current date; and

deleting the thread if the deleted date is equal to the current date.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether at least one user has rated at least one post within the thread, comprises:

storing the rating value in a field associated with the post; and

determining whether the user has affirmatively rated the post as positive.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein determining whether the rating field has a value indicative of a positive response, comprises:

determining whether at least one person opened the post; and

storing a positive value in the rating field associated with the post.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein determining whether the rating field has a value indicative of a positive response further comprises:

determining whether the user provided a positive response in response to an inquiry whether the post was useful.

9. The method of claim 2, wherein setting the delete date to a predetermined value, comprises:

determining the type of the post;

if the post is a first type then setting the delete date of the thread to a first predefined value;

if the post is a second type then the setting the delete date of the thread to a second predefined value,

wherein the first predefined value is less than the second predefined value.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the first type of thread is selected from a list consisting essentially of Question/Answer-type thread and Feedback-type threads.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the second type of thread comprises a General Comment-type post.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying each post and the rating for each post on a display device.

13. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing deleting threads from a discussion group comprising a plurality of posts, comprising:

setting a delete date associated with the thread to a predetermined value;

updating the delete date of the thread if at least one post is rated positively by a user;

updating the delete date of the thread if;

the thread is a first type of thread; and

the thread contains at least one Answer-type post;

determining whether the delete date of the thread is equal to the current date; and

if the deleted date is equal to the current date, deleting the thread.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein determining whether at least one post has received a positive rating, comprising:

determining whether at least one person opened the post; and

updating the delete date of the thread if at least one person has opened the post.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein setting the delete date to a predetermined value, comprises:

determining the type of the post;

if the post if a first type, setting the delete date to a first predetermined value; and

if the post is a second type, setting the delete date to a second predetermined value.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the first type of post is selected from a list consisting essentially of Question type posts and Feedback type posts and the second type of post comprises a General Comment-type post.

17. A system for removing a thread comprising a plurality of posts from, comprising:

a client operable for;

receiving an input from a user related to the rating of at least one post associated with the thread;

a server operable for;

displaying at least one post of a thread on the client;

receiving at least one rating associated with the post from the client;

determining whether to delete the thread associated with the post from the database depending on the rating received from the client; and

a distributed network connecting the client tot the server.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein determining whether to delete the thread comprises:

determining whether the delete date of the thread is equal to the current date; and

if the deleted date is equal to the current date, deleting the thread.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the server is further operable for storing the received input from the client in a rating field associated with the post and the delete date associated with the thread.

20. The system of claim 17, further comprising:

determining whether the input received from the client has a value indicative of being useful, comprising;

determining whether at least one person opened the constituent post; and

updating the delete date of the thread if at least one person opened the constituent post.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein updating the delete date of the thread, comprises:

determining the type of the thread;

setting the deleted date to a first predetermined value if the thread is a General Comment-type thread;

setting the delete date to a second predetermined value if the thread comprises a Question/Answer-type thread; and

setting the delete date to a second predetermined value if the thread comprises a Feedback-type post.