Method and arrangement for obtaining an electronic mail service

• US 20060017983A1
• Filed: 07/22/2002
• Published: 01/26/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/22/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Hyotyniemi, Heikki, Syri, Juha
• Granted Patent: US 9,135,236 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/402
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/216 using statistical methods
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/284 Lexical analysis, e.g. tokenisation or collocates
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/214 using selective forwarding
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/226 Delivery according to priorities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles

Abstract

The a user interface (UI) residing in a mobile environment, which has a possibility of indicating after reading each message whether or not the message is divergent from the normal/general level as to the importance of the message. Advantageously, the user does not need to do the indication every time when reading the mail. In the interface, after a given mail has been read (or a part of the given mail has been read), there occurs a possibility to choose between two alternatives: interesting or non-interesting. Advantageously, there is not required other extra work from the user. Gradually, a mail agent collects information about what kind of mail the user prefers and does not prefer. The result will be a prearranged list by preference in the incoming mail. Any mail similar to the ones previously indicated as important will appear first to the user. The applied algorithm in the methods and systems is based on statistical analysis of the linguistic contents of the mail.

Claims

1. A method for obtaining an electronic mail service to a mobile station, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving an electronic mail message at the mobile station,

indicating the electronic mail message by a level as to a preference of the electronic mail message for a user of the mobile station,

transferring data information indicating the preference to a computing system operating a mail agent, and

processing data information indicating the preference for resulting in an order of preference for electronic mail messages for the user.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the step of processing is based on an appliance of at least one algorithm based on a statistical analysis of linguistic contents of the electronic mail message.

3. A method according to claim 2, wherein the step of processing further comprises applying a user profile containing information about the preference of the user for certain electronic mail messages.

4. A method according to claim 2, wherein the linguistic contents comprises terms.

5. A method according to claim 4, wherein the terms comprises predetermined character strings.

6. A method according to claim 2, wherein the step of processing further comprises a selection of a relevant word.

7. A method according to claim 6, wherein the selection of the relevant word comprises dividing the electronic mail messages into two groups:

interesting, and not having a particular relevancy.

8. A method according to claim 2, wherein the step of processing further comprises an appliance of a priority model, wherein the priority model contains beforehand established pattern for the user about the preference of the user for certain electronic mail messages.

9. A method according to claim 2, wherein the step of processing further comprises an appliance of a message priority.

10. A method according to claim 1, wherein the preference for electronic mail message comprises at least one of electronic mail message having a relevance for the user, and electronic mail message not having a particular relevance for the user.

11. A method according to claim 1, wherein the step of indicating comprises entering an option depicting the preference by the mobile station for the electronic mail message.

12. A method according to claim 1, wherein the order of preference for electronic mail messages comprises a list, wherein the most preferred electronic mail messages are among the firsts in the list, and as the list proceeds, the less relevancy the electronic mail messages for the user establish.

13. A method according to claim 1, wherein at least a part of the electronic mail message is contained in a message viable in a mobile environment.

14. A method according to claim 13, wherein the message comprises at least one of a data packet for a transfer in a packet based mobile environment, a SMS for transfer in a GSM environment, USSD for transfer in a GSM environment, R-data for transfer in a TDMA environment.

15. A method according to claim 2, wherein the algorithm is based on an equation,

ƒ

←

π

(ƒ

), wherein π

=Γ

_η

(ƒ

+γ

·

π

), wherein

π

represents a vector of frequencies for terms that are the most frequent,

(ƒ

+γ

·

π

) represents an expression that the words are slowly forgotten if they are not used in the latest messages,

γ

represents at least one of an adjustable parameter that affects adaptation properties, and a forgetting factor,

Γ

_η

represents a function that cuts off all entries that are not among the 71 most common words, and

η

represents an experimentally selected value to define a size of the user'"'"'s preference model.

16. A method for providing an electronic mail service for a mobile station, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving an electronic mail message at a computing system operating a mail agent,

processing the electronic mail message for resulting in an order of preference for electronic mail messages for a user of the mobile station, and

transferring a list indicating the order of preference for the electronic mail messages for the user to the mobile station.

17. A system for obtaining an electronic mail service for a mobile station, the system comprising:

a mobile station for receiving an electronic mail message and for indicating the electronic mail message by a level as to a preference of the electronic mail message for a user of the mobile station,

a network for transferring data information indicating the preference to a computing system operating a mail agent, and

the computing system operating the mail agent for processing the data information indicating the preference for resulting in an order of preference for electronic mail messages for the user.

18. A system according to claim 17, wherein the mail agent processing is based on an appliance of at least one algorithm based on a statistical analysis of linguistic contents of the electronic mail message.

19. A system according to claim 18, wherein the mail agent processing further comprises an appliance of a user profile containing information about the preference of the user for certain electronic mail messages.

20. A system according to claim 18, wherein the linguistic contents comprises terms.

21. A system according to claim 20, wherein the terms comprises predetermined character strings.

22. A system according to claim 18, wherein the mail agent processing further comprises a selection of a relevant word.

23. A system according to claim 22, wherein the selection of the relevant word comprises dividing the electronic mail messages into two groups:

interesting and not having a particular relevancy.

24. A system according to claim 18, wherein the mail agent processing further comprises an appliance of a priority model, wherein the priority model contains beforehand established pattern for the user about the preference of the user for certain electronic mail messages.

25. A system according to claim 18, wherein the mail agent processing further comprises an appliance of a message priority.

26. A system according to claim 17, wherein the preference for electronic mail message comprises at least one of electronic mail message having a relevance for the user, and electronic mail message not having a particular relevance for the user.

27. A system according to claim 17, wherein the order of preference for electronic mail messages comprises a list, wherein the most preferred electronic mail messages are among the firsts in the list, and as the list proceeds, the less relevancy the electronic mail messages for the user establish.

28. A system according to claim 17, wherein at least a part of the electronic mail message is contained in a message viable in a mobile environment.

29. A system according to claim 28, wherein the message comprises at least one of a data packet for a transfer in a packet based mobile environment, a SMS for transfer in a GSM environment, USSD for transfer in a GSM environment, R-data for transfer in a TDMA environment.

30. A system according to claim 17, wherein the network comprises a mobile network and a fixed network.

31. A system for providing an electronic mail service for a mobile station, the system comprising:

a computing system operating a mail agent for receiving an electronic mail message, and for processing the electronic mail message for resulting in an order of preference for electronic mail messages for a user of the mobile station, and

a network for transferring a list indicating the order of preference for the electronic mail messages for the user to the mobile station.

32. A mobile station for providing a user an electronic mail service, the mobile station comprising:

an output for presenting an electronic mail message at the mobile station,

means for indicating the electronic mail message by a level as to a preference of the electronic mail message for a user of the mobile station, and

means for transferring data information indicating the preference to a computing system operating a mail agent, wherein the mail agent is for processing data information indicating the preference for resulting in an order of preference for electronic mail messages for the user.

33. A computer program product comprising a program of instructions executable by a computing system for processing an electronic mail service to a mobile station, the computer program product comprising:

computer program code for causing the system to receive an electronic mail message at the mobile station,

computer program code for causing the system to receive an indication for the electronic mail message by a level as to a preference of the electronic mail message for a user of the mobile station,

computer program code for causing the system to transfer data information indicating the preference to a computing system operating a mail agent, and

computer program code for causing the system to process the data information indicating the preference for resulting in an order of preference for electronic mail messages for the user.

34. A computer program product comprising a program of instructions executable by a computing system for providing an electronic mail service to a mobile station, the computer program product comprising:

computer program code for causing the system to receive an electronic mail message at a computing system operating a mail agent,

computer program product for causing the system to process the electronic mail message for resulting in an order of preference for electronic mail messages for a user of the mobile station,

and computer program product for causing the system to transfer a list indicating the order of preference for the electronic mail messages for the user to the mobile station.