ELECTRONIC DEVICE AND METHOD FOR UPDATING MESSAGE RECIPIENTS BASED ON MESSAGE BODY INDICATORS

• US 20130290436A1
• Filed: 04/26/2012
• Published: 10/31/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: MARTIN, Daryl Joseph, O'NEILL, Conor Michael
• Granted Patent: US 9,406,049 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

A method, device and system are provided for automated updating of message recipients designated for a reply message based on a declaration or notification in a body of the message. Once a reply message is initiated at a first device and an initial recipient set defined for the reply message based on the participants of a previous message of the thread, a declaration or instruction may be inserted in the message body identifying a change to be made to the initial recipient set. In response to a trigger detected at the device, any such declarations are identified and a determination is made whether the current recipient set is consistent with them. If not, changes are made to the current recipient set to render it consistent.

Claims

1. A method implemented at an electronic device, the method comprising:

initiating a reply message for editing and sending in response to a previous message, the initiating including specifying an initial recipient set comprising one or more recipients obtained from a set of participants specified for the previous message;

receiving input content for at least a message body of the reply message;

in response to a trigger detected at the electronic device, the electronic device;

detecting, in the input content, at least one notification of a change to the initial recipient set;

determining whether a recipient set currently specified for the message is consistent with the at least one notification; and

if the currently specified recipient set is not consistent, altering the currently specified recipient set to be consistent with the at least one notification; and

initiating sending of the message.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the reply message and previous message are both email messages.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the specifying of the initial recipient set occurs prior to receipt of either input content for the message body or input identifying a recipient for the reply message.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein initiating includes:

displaying a message composition screen including a message body entry field adapted to receive the input content for the message body, and one or more recipient identifier entry fields adapted to receive input content specifying recipients of the reply message; and

specifying the initial recipient set comprises populating at least one of the one or more recipient identifier entry fields with the identifiers for the one or more recipients obtained from the set of participants specified for the previous message, prior to receipt of any input content.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the change to the initial recipient set comprises an addition of a recipient to the initial recipient set, and altering the currently specified recipient set comprises adding the recipient to currently specified recipient set.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the change to the initial recipient set comprises a removal of a recipient from the initial recipient set, and altering the currently specified recipient set comprises removing the recipient from the currently specified recipient set.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one notification is located at a beginning of the input content.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one notification comprises at least one token indicating addition or removal and at least one recipient identifier associated with each at least one token.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the currently specified recipient set is consistent with the at least one notification when a difference between the currently specified recipient set and the initial recipient set comprises an addition or a removal of a recipient, and the addition or removal corresponds to one of the at least one notification.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the currently specified recipient set is consistent with the at least one notification when:

the change to the initial recipient set comprises addition of at least one further recipient and the currently specified recipient set includes the at least one further recipient;

the change to the initial recipient set comprises removal of at least one of the recipients of the initial recipient set and the currently specified recipient set excludes said at least one of the recipients;

or both.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein when the change comprises removal of at least one of the recipients of the initial recipient set as a direct recipient or carbon copy recipient, altering the currently specified recipient set comprises removing said at least one of the recipients from the currently specified recipient set as a direct recipient or carbon copy recipient and adding said at least one of the recipients as a blind carbon copy recipient.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the trigger comprises either a received command to validate addresses for recipients of the currently specified recipient set;

a received command to send the reply message;

or both.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the altering is carried out upon receipt of a confirmation instruction.

14. An electronic device, comprising:

a display interface;

at least one communications subsystem;

at least one user interface input mechanism; and

a processor in communication with the display interface, the at least one communications subsystem, and the at least one user interface input mechanism, the processor being capable of;

initiating a reply message for editing and sending in response to a previous message, the initiating including specifying an initial recipient set comprising one or more recipients obtained from a set of participants specified for the previous message;

receiving input content via the at least one user interface input mechanism for at least a message body of the reply message;

detecting a trigger;

in response to detecting the trigger,

detecting, in the input content, at least one notification of a change to the initial recipient set;

determining whether a recipient set currently specified for the message is consistent with the at least one notification; and

if the currently specified recipient set is not consistent, altering the currently specified recipient set to be consistent with the at least one notification; and

initiating sending of the message.

15. The electronic device of claim 14, wherein the reply message and previous message are both email messages.

16. The electronic device of claim 14, wherein the specifying of the initial recipient set occurs prior to receipt of either input content for the message body or input identifying a recipient for the reply message.

17. The electronic device of claim 14, wherein initiating includes:

displaying, via the display interface, a message composition screen including a message body entry field adapted to receive the input content for the message body, and one or more recipient identifier entry fields adapted to receive input content specifying recipients of the reply message; and

specifying the initial recipient set comprises populating at least one of the one or more recipient identifier entry fields with the identifiers for the one or more recipients obtained from the set of participants specified for the previous message, prior to receipt of any input content.

18. The electronic device of claim 14, wherein the change to the initial recipient set comprises an addition of a recipient to the initial recipient set, and altering the currently specified recipient set comprises adding the recipient to currently specified recipient set.

19. The electronic device of claim 14, wherein the change to the initial recipient set comprises a removal of a recipient from the initial recipient set, and altering the currently specified recipient set comprises removing the recipient from the currently specified recipient set.

20. The electronic device of claim 14, wherein the at least one notification is located at a beginning of the input content.

21. The electronic device of claim 14, wherein the at least one notification comprises at least one token indicating addition or removal and at least one recipient identifier associated with each at least one token.

22. The electronic device of claim 14, wherein the currently specified recipient set is consistent with the at least one notification when a difference between the currently specified recipient set and the initial recipient set comprises an addition or a removal of a recipient, and the addition or removal corresponds to one of the at least one notification.

23. The electronic device of claim 14, wherein the currently specified recipient set is consistent with the at least one notification when:

the change to the initial recipient set comprises addition of at least one further recipient and the currently specified recipient set includes the at least one further recipient;

the change to the initial recipient set comprises removal of at least one of the recipients of the initial recipient set and the currently specified recipient set excludes said at least one of the recipients;

or both.

24. The electronic device of claim 14, wherein when the change comprises removal of at least one of the recipients of the initial recipient set as a direct recipient or carbon copy recipient, altering the currently specified recipient set comprises removing said at least one of the recipients from the currently specified recipient set as a direct recipient or carbon copy recipient and adding said at least one of the recipients as a blind carbon copy recipient.

25. The electronic device of claim 14, wherein the trigger comprises either a received command to validate addresses for recipients of the currently specified recipient set;

a received command to send the reply message;

or both.

26. The electronic device of claim 14, wherein the altering is carried out upon receipt of a confirmation instruction.

27. A non-transitory electronic device-readable medium bearing code which, when executed by an electronic device, causes the electronic device to implement the method of:

initiating a reply message for editing and sending in response to a previous message, the initiating including specifying an initial recipient set comprising one or more recipients obtained from a set of participants specified for the previous message;

receiving input content for at least a message body of the reply message;

in response to a trigger detected at the electronic device, the electronic device;

detecting, in the input content, at least one notification of a change to the initial recipient set;

determining whether a recipient set currently specified for the message is consistent with the at least one notification; and

if the currently specified recipient set is not consistent, altering the currently specified recipient set to be consistent with the at least one notification; and

initiating sending of the message.