SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR SOLICITING AND RETRIEVING A COMPLETE EMAIL THREAD

• US 20090063636A1
• Filed: 08/27/2007
• Published: 03/05/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: O'Sullivan, Patrick J., Heidloff, Niklas, Kumar, Shruti, O'Brien, Michael R.
• Granted Patent: US 7,720,921 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/00 User-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, transmitted according to store-and-forward or real-time protocols, e.g. e-mail
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/08 Annexed information, e.g. attachments
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/216 Handling conversation history, e.g. grouping of messages in sessions or threads

Abstract

A system and method allows an email user to solicit an email thread from another user (or from a server) in situations where the first requesting user may have been added to an email thread after the email thread was started, or in situations where the user may have an incomplete thread (for example, where a user is being added to a thread where an attachment was removed). The complete thread is returned to the first requesting user, after permission has been sought and granted, and after data mining and intelligent aggregation of a plurality of relevant threads in to one interleaved result is performed and returned to the first requesting user.

Claims

1. A method, for use in a system where users exchange emails to create an email thread, for a requesting user to request and retrieve a complete email thread, the method comprising the following steps:

a. receiving a request for an email thread from the requesting email user;

b. authenticating the requesting email user;

c. retrieving the requested email thread for the requesting email user; and

d. conveying the requested email thread to the requesting email user.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the system further comprises a “

Suppress Thread”

UI button, the method comprising the steps of;

receiving “

Suppress Thread”

request; and

removing the email thread from the user'"'"'s inbox.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the system further comprises a “

Request Thread”

UI button and wherein a requesting user is added to an email thread in which the thread is incomplete, the method further comprising the steps of

receiving, from the requesting user, identification of another user on the thread; and

receiving a “

Request Thread”

request;

conveying the thread to the requesting user.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising the step of conveying the “

Request Thread”

request to others in the thread.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising the step of allowing the others in the thread to review the thread and select “

I agree”

, “

I agree with comments”

, “

I decline”

, “

I decline with comments”

, “

Ignore”

, and “

Return the complete thread”

.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising the steps of receiving response from at least one of the others in the thread an agreement with comments, mining data on the mail server and parsing out the complete thread from the requesting user'"'"'s mail box.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the mining step include mining data from all available parent and child threads.

8. A computer software program comprising program code stored on a computer-readable medium, which when executed, enables a computer system to implement a method, in an email system, for use in a system where users exchange emails to create an email thread, for a requesting user to request and retrieve a complete email thread, the method comprising the steps of:

a. receiving a request for an email thread from the requesting email user;

b. authenticating the requesting email user;

c. retrieving the requested email thread for the requesting email user; and

d. conveying the requested email thread to the requesting email user.

9. The computer software program of claim 8 wherein the system further comprises a “

Suppress Thread”

UI button and wherein the method comprises the steps of;

receiving “

Suppress Thread”

request; and

removing the email thread from the user'"'"'s inbox.

10. The computer software program of claim 9 wherein the system further comprises “

a “

Request Thread”

UI button and wherein a requesting user is added to an email thread in which the thread is incomplete, the method further comprising the steps of;

receiving, from the requesting user, identification of another user on the thread; and

receiving a “

Request Thread”

request; and

conveying the thread to the requesting user.

11. The computer software program of claim 10 wherein the system further comprises a “

further comprising the step of conveying the “

Request Thread”

request to others in the thread.

12. The computer software program of claim 11 wherein the method further comprises the step of allowing the others in the thread to review the thread and select “

I agree”

, “

I agree with comments”

, “

I decline”

, “

I decline with comments”

, “

Ignore”

, and “

Return the complete thread”

.

13. The computer software program of claim 12 wherein the method further comprises the steps of receiving response from at least one of the others in the thread an agreement with comments, mining data on the mail server and parsing out the complete thread from the requesting user'"'"'s mail box.

14. The computer software program of claim 13 wherein, in the method, the mining step include mining data from all available parent and child threads.

15. A system, where users exchange emails to create an email thread, for a requesting user to request and retrieve a complete email thread, the system comprising:

a. an input/output device for receiving emails;

b. a storage device for storing the received emails and for storing an email thread;

c. the input/output device for receiving a request for an email thread from the requesting email user;

d. an authenticator for authenticating the requesting email user;

e. means for retrieving the requested email thread for the requesting email user; and

f. the input/output device for conveying the requested email thread to the requesting email user.

16. The system of claim 15 further comprising a “

Suppress Thread”

UI button and wherein the method comprises the steps of;

receiving “

Suppress Thread”

request; and

removing the email thread from the user'"'"'s inbox.

17. The system of claim 15 further comprising “

a “

Request Thread”

UI button and wherein a requesting user is added to an email thread in which the thread is incomplete, the system further allows the steps of;

receiving, from the requesting user, identification of another user on the thread;

receiving, from the requesting user, identification of another user on the thread;

receiving a “

Request Thread”

request; and

conveying the thread to the requesting user.

18. The system of claim 17 further comprising a “

further comprising the step of conveying the “

Request Thread”

UI element request to others in the thread.

19. The system of claim 18 further comprising a UI element to allow other users in the thread to review the thread and select “

I agree”

, “

I agree with comments”

, “

I decline”

, “

I decline with comments”

, “

Ignore”

, and “

Return the complete thread”

.

20. The system of claim 19 wherein the system receives a response from at least one of the others in the thread an agreement with comments, mines data on the mail server and parses out the complete thread from the requesting user'"'"'s mail box.