MARKING OUTGOING COMMUNICATIONS FOR FOLLOW-UP

• US 20150200895A1
• Filed: 03/13/2013
• Published: 07/16/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/10/2012
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: DING, Yiyang Joy, Collins, Alexander
• Application Number:
  US13/801,673
• Publication Number:
  US 20150200895A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/234 for tracking messages

Abstract

Responsiveness for outbound communications is monitored. An outbound communication initiated by a sender via a communications system is identified. Content of the outbound communication is analyzed to determine, using a processor of a computer, whether to monitor for a response to the outbound communication. Inbound communications to the sender are monitored for the response to the outbound communication, and a reminder is generated when a response to the outbound communication is not identified.

Claims

1. A system including:

a processor; and

a processor-readable memory having instructions stored thereon which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to carry out a method of monitoring responsiveness for outbound communications, the method comprising

identifying an outbound communication initiated by a sender via a communications system;

analyzing a content of the identified outbound communication, where content includes a message body and a message subject of the identified outbound communication;

determining, based on a result of said analyzing, whether a response is expected to the identified outbound communication;

in response to a determination that a response is expected, monitoring inbound communications to the sender via the communications system for a certain time period to detect the expected response to the outbound communication; and

in response to an indication that the expected response was not detected within the certain time period during said monitoring, generating a reminder indicating that the expected response has not yet been received by the communications system.

2. The system of claim 1, the method further comprising analyzing information about one or more recipients of the identified outbound communication;

and

the step of determining further including determining, based on a result of analyzing the content and based on a result of analyzing information about one or more recipients, whether a response is expected to the identified outbound communication.

3. The system of claim 1, the step analyzing the content of the identified outbound communication including executing a processor-implemented algorithm to recognize predetermined terminology within the content.

4. The system of claim 1, the method further comprising establishing the certain time period based on a result of analyzing the content.

5. The system of claim 1, the method further comprising providing a selectable option to the sender to specify whether to monitor for an expected response;

and determining that a response is not expected to the identified outbound communication in response a selection by the sender specifying not to monitor for the expected response.

6. The system of claim 1, the method further comprising analyzing information about one or more recipients of the identified outbound communication;

and

the step of analyzing a content of the identified outbound communication includes analyzing the content of the identified outbound communication based on a result of analyzing information about one or more recipients.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the certain time period is established by the sender.

8. The system of claim 3, the algorithm being configured to identify a requested response date in the content;

and

the method further comprising establishing the certain time period based on the identified requested response date.

9. The system of claim 1, the step of monitoring further comprising:

setting a flag for the identified outbound communication; and

recognizing the set flag in the expected response.

10. The system of claim 1, the step of monitoring including:

analyzing an inbound communication to the sender via the communications system; and

determining, based on an outcome of said analyzing, whether the inbound communication is the expected response.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the reminder is provided as a new window identifying the outbound communication and indicating that an expected response has not been identified.

12. The system of claim 1, the step of generating a reminder including:

on an information display that enables the sender to interact with the communications system, presenting a window that includes therein information about one or more previously sent outbound communications for which an expected response has not been received.

13. The system of claim 12, the step of presenting being performed in response to a successful log-in event associated with the sender'"'"'s account in the communications system.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the identified outbound communication is a response to an inbound communication.

15. The system of claim 1, the method further comprising:

storing the identified outbound communication along with indication data to indicate that a response to the identified outbound communication is expected.

16. The system of claim 1, the step of determining being performed by the processor before the identified outbound communication is sent via the communications system.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the communications system comprises an email client.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is included in an email server.

19. A non-transitory computer readable medium that stores a set of executable instructions for monitoring responsiveness for outbound communications, the executable instructions, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to carry out a method of monitoring responsiveness for outbound communications, the method comprising the steps of:

identifying an outbound communication initiated by a sender via a communications system;

analyzing a content of the identified outbound communication;

determining, based on a result of said analyzing, whether to monitor inbound communications to the sender for an expected response to the identified outbound communication;

in response to a determination to monitor inbound communications, monitoring inbound communications to the sender via the communications system for a predetermined time period to detect the expected response to the outbound communication; and

in response to an indication that the expected response was not detected within the predetermined time period during said monitoring, generating a reminder indicating that the expected response has not yet been received by the communications system.

20. A method of monitoring responsiveness for outbound communications, the method comprising the steps of:

identifying an outbound communication initiated by a sender via a communications system;

analyzing a content of the identified outbound communication with the communications system;

determining, based on a result of said analyzing, whether to monitor inbound communications to the sender for an expected response to the identified outbound communication;

in response to a determination to monitor inbound communications, monitoring, with the communications system, inbound communications to the sender for a predetermined time period to detect the expected response to the outbound communication; and

in response to an indication that the expected response was not detected within the predetermined time period during said monitoring, generating a reminder, with the communications system, indicating that the expected response has not yet been received by the communications system.