SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR CHAT MESSAGE PRIORITIZATION AND HIGHLIGHTING

• US 20120023113A1
• Filed: 07/23/2010
• Published: 01/26/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/23/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Applied Minds LLC
• Original Assignee: Applied Minds LLC
• Inventors: FERREN, Bran, NEGROPONTE, Dimitri
• Granted Patent: US 9,262,531 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/751
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/60 Network streaming of media packets

Abstract

A system and method is provided for chat message prioritization that uses a combination of machine-derived and user-supplied relevancy criteria to present a filtered, annotated, and/or highlighted chat stream.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of prioritizing and highlighting chat messages, comprising the steps of:

providing a processor configured for collecting user identification, comprising at least one of user identity, position title, organization, or machine identification;

providing a processor configured for receiving a chat message from a sender;

scanning, by said processor, said chat message for at least one of;

keywords;

reference to said user identification;

said sender information;

providing a processor configured for computing one or more scores based on at least one of;

said keywords;

said reference to said user'"'"'s identification; and

based on said sender information, said user identification, and organizational data, priority of said sender derived from relationship of said user and said sender; and

providing a processor configured for highlighting said chat message based on said one or more scores, wherein said highlighting reflects importance and relevance of said chat message to said user.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

providing a processor configured for adding particular data, upon said receiving a chat message, from said chat message to a chat history stored in permanent memory; and

in response to said user sending an outgoing chat message, adding particular data from said outgoing chat message to said chat history;

wherein said particular data comprises at least one of;

said sender information;

content of said chat message;

destination chat room;

timestamp of receipt of said chat message; and

timestamp of transmission of said outgoing chat message; and

wherein data from said chat history are used for at least one of;

inferring keywords by correlating content of said chat message with occurrence of immediately subsequent said outgoing chat message, constituting a reply from said user; and

inferring priority of said sender by correlating said sender information with occurrence of immediately subsequent said outgoing chat message, constituting a reply from said user.

3. A computer-implemented method, comprising the steps of:

providing a processor configured for collecting user identification, comprising at least one of user identity, position title, organization, or machine identification;

providing a processor configured for receiving a chat message from a sender;

based on said user identification, computing and assigning, by said processor, at least one priority score of said chat message; and

based on said at least one priority score, highlighting, by said processor, said chat message for presentation to said user, wherein said highlighting comprises at least one of;

an audible signal that is actuated by the chat message and is intended to be heard by the user; and

at least one visual indication displayed on a computer monitor and visible to the user.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein at least one of the following are used to compute said at least one priority score:

historical data;

message content;

sender identity;

sender position title;

sender organization; and

organizational data including hierarchy.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, wherein said historical data comprises at least one of the following data associated with received and sent chat messages:

sender identity and organization;

message content;

destination chat room;

timestamp of receipt of incoming said chat messages; and

timestamp of transmission of outgoing chat messages.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, wherein said message content is analyzed against at least one keyword list to detect presence of keywords, wherein said keywords are defined by at least one of:

manual entry by said user;

designation by said user'"'"'s organization; and

automatically inferred based on said historical data.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, wherein an analysis is performed on at least one of:

said historical data;

said sender identity;

said sender position title;

said sender organization;

said organizational data; and

said message content;

for at least one of;

relationship of said sender and said user in an organizational hierarchy;

the frequency with which said user responds to said sender'"'"'s chat messages; and

reference to at least one of said user'"'"'s identity, position title, or organization.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, wherein a priority senders list is generated for future reference.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, wherein said at least one priority score comprises a keyword score based on presence of said keywords.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, wherein said at least one priority score comprises an organizational relevance score based on said analysis.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein said at least one visual indication comprises at least one of the following:

a text color that contrasts a predetermined color;

a font size that contrasts at least one predetermined font size;

pulsing or flashing text;

a graphical symbol adjacent to said chat message; and

a bar graph adjacent to said chat message.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, wherein the color of said bar graph corresponds to the organization or group of the sender of said chat message.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, wherein the length of said bar graph corresponds to presence of keywords.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein particular chat messages that have higher priority than other chat messages are displayed in a separate chat window on said computer monitor.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein user selection of at least one filter associated with a chat window causes a subset of chat messages to be displayed in a separate portion of said chat window on said computer monitor.

16. A system for prioritizing and highlighting chat messages, comprising:

one or more processors; and

memory associated with said one or more processors to carry out the steps of;

collecting user identification, comprising at least one of user identity, position title, organization, or machine identification;

receiving a chat message from a sender;

based on said user identification, computing and assigning at least one priority score of said chat message; and

based on said at least one priority score, highlighting said chat message for presentation to said user, wherein said highlighting comprises at least one of;

an audible signal that is actuated by the chat message and is intended to be heard by the user; and

at least one visual indication displayed on a computer monitor and visible to the user.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein at least one of the following are used to compute said at least one priority score:

historical data;

message content;

sender identity;

sender position title;

sender organization; and

organizational data including hierarchy.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein said historical data comprises at least one of the following information about received and sent chat messages:

sender identity and organization;

message content;

destination chat room;

timestamp of receipt of incoming said chat messages; and

timestamp of transmission of outgoing chat messages.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein said message content is analyzed against at least one keyword list to detect presence of keywords, wherein said keywords are defined by at least one of:

manual entry by said user;

designation by said user'"'"'s organization; and

automatically inferred based on said historical data.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein an analysis is performed on at least one of:

said historical data;

said sender identity;

said sender position title;

said sender organization;

said organizational data; and

said message content;

for at least one of;

relationship of said sender and said user in an organizational hierarchy;

the frequency with which said user responds to said sender'"'"'s chat messages; and

reference to at least one of said user'"'"'s identity, position title, or organization.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein a priority senders list is generated for future reference.

22. The system of claim 19, wherein said at least one priority score comprises a keyword score based on presence of said keywords.

23. The system of claim 20, wherein said at least one priority score comprises an organizational relevance score based on said analysis.

24. The computer-implemented method of claim 16, wherein said at least one visual indication comprises at least one of the following:

a text color that contrasts a predetermined color;

a font size that contrasts at least one predetermined font size;

pulsing or flashing text;

a graphical symbol adjacent to said chat message; and

a bar graph adjacent to said chat message.

25. The computer-implemented method of claim 24, wherein the color of said bar graph corresponds to the organization or group of the sender of said chat message.

26. The computer-implemented method of claim 24, wherein the length of said bar graph corresponds to presence of said keywords.

27. The system of claim 16, wherein particular chat messages that have higher priority than other chat messages are displayed in a separate chat window on said computer monitor.

28. The system of claim 16, wherein user selection of at least one filter associated with a chat window causes a subset of chat messages to be displayed in a separate portion of said chat window on said computer monitor.