METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR REMOVING RECIPIENTS FROM A MESSAGE THREAD

• US 20080295000A1
• Filed: 05/25/2007
• Published: 11/27/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/25/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Heidloff, Niklas, O'Brien, Michael R., Kieselbach, Oliver, Klouda, Gregory R.
• Granted Patent: US 8,056,010 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/752
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management

Abstract

A system for conveniently removing recipients from a message being added to a message thread that enables a user to filter people from a recipient list of a message being added to a message thread. The system advantageously enables a user to filter out potential recipients based on a) their previous non-participation in the thread, b) their lack of registered interest in a topic of the thread, and/or c) their being listed only as recipients by way of their being contained in a group indicated in the recipient list.

Claims

1. A method for enabling a user to indicate recipients for a message, comprising:

determining an initial recipient list for said message; and

generating a user interface object through which said user can issue a user command enabling said user to filter recipients for said message from said initial recipient list based on whether each recipient is a member of at least one user group contained in said initial recipient list.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said user interface object through which said user can issue said user command to enable said user to filter recipients for said message from said initial recipient list based on whether each recipient is a member of said at least one user group contained in said initial recipient list enables said user to issue a user command to remove all recipients from said initial recipient list that are present in said initial recipient list only as members of said at least one user group contained in said initial recipient list.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said user interface object enabling said user to issue said user command enabling said user to filter recipients for said message from said initial recipient list based on whether each recipient is a member of said at least one user group contained in said initial recipient list enables said user to issue a user command to view and select from all recipients contained in said initial recipient list that are present in said initial recipient list as members of at least one user group indicated in said initial recipient list.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating a user interface object through which said user can issue a user command enabling said user to filter recipients for said message from said initial recipient list based on whether each recipient has previously contributed at least one message to a message thread.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said user interface object through which said user can issue said user command to enable said user to filter recipients for said message from said initial recipient list based on whether each recipient has contributed to said message thread enables said user to issue a user command to remove all recipients from said initial recipient list that have not contributed at least one message to said message thread.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein said user interface object enabling said user to issue said user command enabling said user to filter recipients for said message from said initial recipient list based on whether each recipient has contributed to said message thread enables said user to issue a command to view and select from all recipients from said initial recipient list that have contributed at least one message to said message thread.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein said initial recipient list is determined from a list of recipients for a previously received message in said message thread, and wherein said message is a reply to said previously received message.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating a user interface object through which said user can issue a user command enabling said user to filter recipients for said message from said initial recipient list based on whether each recipient has an interest in a topic of a message thread.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein said user interface object through which said user can issue said user command to enable said user to filter recipients for said message from said initial recipient list based on whether each recipient has an interest in said topic of said message thread enables said user to issue a user command to remove all recipients from said initial recipient list that do not have an interest in said topic of said message thread.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein said user interface object enabling said user to issue said user command enabling said user to filter recipients for said message from said initial recipient list based on whether each recipient has an interest in said topic of said message thread enables said user to issue a command to view and select from all recipients from said initial recipient list that have an interest in said topic of said message thread.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein said initial recipient list is determined from a list of recipients for a previously received message in said message thread, and wherein said message is a reply to said previously received message.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein interest of a given recipient in said topic is determined from a personal interest profile associated with said given recipient, and wherein interests in said personal interest profile associated with said given recipient are registered by said given recipient.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein interest of a given recipient in said topic is determined from a personal interest profile associated with said given recipient, and wherein interests in said personal interest profile associated with said given recipient are automatically determined based on actions performed by said given recipient.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein said initial recipient list is determined from a list of recipients for a previously received message, and wherein said message is a reply to said previously received message.

15. A computer system including a computer readable storage medium, said computer readable storage medium having program code stored thereon for enabling a user to indicate recipients for a message, said program code operable when executed to cause said computer system to:

determine an initial recipient list for said message; and

generate a user interface object through which a user can issue a user command enabling said user to filter recipients for said message from said initial recipient list based on whether each recipient is a member of at least one user group contained in said initial recipient list.

16. A computer program product including a computer readable storage medium, said computer readable storage medium having program code stored thereon for enabling a user to indicate recipients for a message, said program code operable when executed on a computer system to cause said computer system to:

determine an initial recipient list for said message; and

generate a user interface object through which a user can issue a user command enabling said user to filter recipients for said message from said initial recipient list based on whether each recipient is a member of at least one user group contained in said initial recipient list.

17. A computer data signal embodied in a carrier wave, said computer data signal having program code stored thereon for enabling a user to indicate recipients for a message, said program code operable when executed on a computer system to cause said computer system to:

determine an initial recipient list for said message; and

generate a user interface object through which a user can issue a user command enabling said user to filter recipients for said message from said initial recipient list based on whether each recipient is a member of at least one user group contained in said initial recipient list.

18. A system for enabling a user to indicate recipients for a message, comprising:

means for determining an initial recipient list for said message; and

means for generating a user interface object through which a user can issue a user command enabling said user to filter recipients for said message from said initial recipient list based on whether each recipient is a member of at least one user group contained in said initial recipient list.