METHODS AND DEVICES FOR GENERATING ACTION ITEM FROM EMAIL

• US 20140052797A1
• Filed: 12/20/2012
• Published: 02/20/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/20/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: LESSARD, Joshua Roland, LOGAN, Adrian Michael, MAGE, Peter Henry, WONG, Stephen Kwok Sun
• Granted Patent: US 9,300,615 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: G06Q 10/109 Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/18 Commands or executable codes

Abstract

Methods and devices for generating an action item based on an email message are described. In one embodiment, a processor-implemented method is described. The method includes: receiving an email message via a communication subsystem; determining that the received email message includes a follow up flag that indicates that an action is required regarding the email message; and in response to determining that the received email message includes a follow up flag that indicates that an action is required regarding the email message, creating an action item based on the received email message.

Claims

1. A processor-implemented method comprising:

receiving an email message via a communication subsystem;

determining that the received email message includes a follow up flag that indicates that an action is required regarding the email message; and

in response to determining that the received email message includes a follow up flag that indicates that an action is required regarding the email message, creating an action item based on the received email message.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying the created action item together with one or more manually created action items.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the follow up flag is an action required indicator associated with the received email message that may be set to indicate that an action is required regarding the email message.

4. The method of claim 1, where the action required indicator is set by a sender of the received email message.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving an instruction to add content to the created action item; and

in response to receiving the instruction to add the content to the created action item, adding the content to the action item.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising, after creating the action item:

determining that a predetermined event associated with the email message has occurred; and

in response, performing a predetermined action associated with the action item.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein determining that a predetermined event associated with the email message has occurred comprises determining that a completion indicator associated with the email message has been set to a state that indicates that an action associated with the email message has been completed,

and wherein performing a predetermined action associated with the action item comprises setting a completion indicator associated with the action item to a completed state.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein determining that a predetermined event associated with the email message has occurred comprises determining that a reply to the email message has been sent,

and wherein performing a predetermined action associated with the action item comprises generating a prompt to set a completion indicator associated with the action item to a completed state.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising, after creating the action item:

determining that a predetermined event associated with the action item has occurred; and

in response to determining that the predetermined event associated with the action item has occurred, performing a predetermined action associated with the email message.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein determining that a predetermined event associated with the action item has occurred comprises determining that a completion indicator associated with the action item has been set to a state that indicates that an action associated with the action item has been completed,

and wherein performing a predetermined action associated with the action item comprises setting a completion indicator associated with email message to a completed state.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising, after creating the action item:

when the action item is accessed, providing a selectable option to reply to the email message.

12. An electronic device comprising:

a processor;

a communication subsystem coupled with the processor; and

a memory coupled with the processor, the memory comprising processor-executable instructions which, when executed, cause the processor to;

receive an email message via the communication subsystem;

determine that the received email message includes a follow up flag that indicates that an action is required regarding the email message; and

in response to determining that the received email message includes a follow up flag that indicates that an action is required regarding the email message, create an action item based on the received email message.

13. The electronic device of claim 12, wherein the processor-executable instructions further cause the processor to:

display the created action item together with one or more manually created action items.

14. The electronic device of claim 12, wherein the follow up flag is an action required indicator associated with the received email message that may be set to indicate that an action is required regarding the email message.

15. The electronic device of claim 12, where the action required indicator is set by a sender of the received email message.

16. The electronic device of claim 12, wherein the processor-executable instructions further cause the processor to:

receive an instruction to add content to the created action item; and

in response to receiving the instruction to add the content to the created action item, add the content to the action item.

17. The electronic device of claim 12, wherein the processor-executable instructions further cause the processor to, after creating the action item:

determine that a predetermined event associated with the email message has occurred; and

in response, perform a predetermined action associated with the action item.

18. The electronic device of claim 17, wherein determining that a predetermined event associated with the email message has occurred comprises determining that a completion indicator associated with the email message has been set to a state that indicates that an action associated with the email message has been completed,

and wherein performing a predetermined action associated with the action item comprises setting a completion indicator associated with the action item to a completed state.

19. The electronic device of claim 18, wherein determining that a predetermined event associated with the email message has occurred comprises determining that a reply to the email message has been sent,

and wherein performing a predetermined action associated with the action item comprises generating a prompt to set a completion indicator associated with the action item to a completed state.

20. A computer readable storage medium comprising computer executable instructions including:

instructions for receiving an email message via the communication subsystem;

instructions for determining that the received email message includes a follow up flag that indicates that an action is required regarding the email message; and

instructions for creating an action item based on the received email message in response to determining that the received email message includes a follow up flag that indicates that an action is required regarding the email message.