SELECTIVE PUBLICATION OF E-MAIL ACCOUNT ACCESS FREQUENCY

• US 20100100595A1
• Filed: 10/16/2008
• Published: 04/22/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Snap, Inc.
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Lyle, Ruthie D.
• Granted Patent: US 8,082,310 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]

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention address deficiencies of the art in respect to e-mail account management and provide a method, system and computer program product for selective publication of e-mail account access frequency. In an embodiment of the invention, a method for selective publication of e-mail account access frequency can be provided. The method can include determining access frequency data for different e-mail accounts of a first e-mail user in a messaging data processing system, receiving a request from a second e-mail user in the messaging data processing system for the access frequency data, applying publication rules for the first e-mail user to the second e-mail user to determine whether or not to publish the access frequency data to the second e-mail user, and publishing at least part of the access frequency data to the second e-mail user if permitted by the application of the publication rules.

Claims

1. A method for selective publication of e-mail account access frequency, the method comprising:

determining access frequency data for different e-mail accounts of a first e-mail user in a messaging data processing system;

receiving a request from a second e-mail user in the messaging data processing system for the access frequency data;

applying publication rules for the first e-mail user to the second e-mail user to determine whether or not to publish the access frequency data to the second e-mail user; and

,

publishing at least part of the access frequency data to the second e-mail user if permitted by the application of the publication rules.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing the access frequency data in connection with an address book entry for the first e-mail user in an address book of the second e-mail user.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying the access frequency data in a tool tip activated in response to a mouse over associated with a reference to the first e-mail user in an e-mail client of the second e-mail user.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising managing an address book entry for an address book of the second e-mail user according to the access frequency data of the first e-mail user.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein publishing at least part of the access frequency data to the second e-mail user if permitted by the application of the publication rules, comprises publishing all of the access frequency data to the second e-mail user if the second e-mail user is referenced in an address book entry in an address book for the first e-mail user.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein publishing at least part of the access frequency data to the second e-mail user if permitted by the application of the publication rules, comprises publishing only a summary of the access frequency data to the second e-mail user if the second e-mail user is referenced in an e-mail recently composed by the first e-mail user for delivery to the second e-mail user.

7. A messaging data processing system configured for selective publication of e-mail account access frequency, the system comprising:

an instant messaging (IM) server configured for communicative coupling to different e-mail users each accessing multiple different e-mail accounts;

a set of publication rules for the different e-mail users; and

,

selective publication of access frequency data logic disposed in the IM server and coupled to the set of publication rules, the logic comprising program code enabled to respond to a request from a second e-mail user for the access frequency data of a first e-mail user, to apply a portion of the set of publication rules pertaining to the first e-mail user to the second e-mail user to determine whether or not to publish the access frequency data to the second e-mail user, and to publish at least part of the access frequency data to the second e-mail user if permitted by the application of the set of publication rules pertaining to the second e-mail user.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the publication rules permit publication of all access frequency data for the first e-mail user if the second e-mail user in associated with an address book entry for an address book of the first e-mail user.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the publication rules permit publication of only a portion of the access frequency data for the first e-mail user if the second e-mail user in an addressee for an e-mail previously composed by the first e-mail user.

10. A computer program product comprising a computer usable medium embodying computer usable program code for selective publication of e-mail account access frequency, the computer program product comprising:

computer usable program code for determining access frequency data for different e-mail accounts of a first e-mail user in a messaging data processing system;

computer usable program code for receiving a request from a second e-mail user in the messaging data processing system for the access frequency data;

computer usable program code for applying publication rules for the first e-mail user to the second e-mail user to determine whether or not to publish the access frequency data to the second e-mail user; and

,

computer usable program code for publishing at least part of the access frequency data to the second e-mail user if permitted by the application of the publication rules.

11. The computer program product of claim 10, further comprising computer usable program code for storing the access frequency data in connection with an address book entry for the first e-mail user in an address book of the second e-mail user.

12. The computer program product of claim 10, further comprising computer usable program code for displaying the access frequency data in a tool tip activated in response to a mouse over associated with a reference to the first e-mail user in an e-mail client of the second e-mail user.

13. The computer program product of claim 10, further comprising computer usable program code for managing an address book entry for an address book of the second e-mail user according to the access frequency data of the first e-mail user.

14. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the computer usable program code for publishing at least part of the access frequency data to the second e-mail user if permitted by the application of the publication rules, comprises computer usable program code for publishing all of the access frequency data to the second e-mail user if the second e-mail user is referenced in an address book entry in an address book for the first e-mail user.

15. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the computer usable program code for publishing at least part of the access frequency data to the second e-mail user if permitted by the application of the publication rules, comprises computer usable program code for publishing only a summary of the access frequency data to the second e-mail user if the second e-mail user is referenced in an e-mail recently composed by the first e-mail user for delivery to the second e-mail user.