METHOD TO REFINE ADDRESSEES IN A GROUP ENVIRONMENT

• US 20160036754A1
• Filed: 08/01/2014
• Published: 02/04/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/01/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lenovo PC International Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Lenovo Singapore Pte Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: Mese, John Carl, Peterson, Nathan J., VanBlon, Russell Speight, Weksler, Arnold S.
• Granted Patent: US 10,063,511 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/026 using e-messaging for transporting management information, e.g. email, instant messaging or chat
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/00 User-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, transmitted according to store-and-forward or real-time protocols, e.g. e-mail
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/48 Message addressing, e.g. address format or anonymous messages, aliases
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/4025 where none of the additional parallel sessions is real time or time sensitive, e.g. downloading a file in a parallel FTP session, initiating an email or combinational services

Abstract

For an electronic communication environment, an apparatus for refining addresses in a group messaging environment is disclosed. The apparatus may include a processor and a memory that stores code executable by the processor, including code that identifies a message addressed to a group, resolves the group into a plurality of addressees, and sends the message to a subset of the addressees. The apparatus may notify the user that the message is addressed to the group. The apparatus may further receive user input defining the subset of the addressees, wherein the message is addressed based on the user input. Additionally, the apparatus may prompt for confirmation in response to the user selecting all addressees in the group. A method and computer program product also perform the functions of the apparatus.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a processor;

a memory that stores code executable by the processor, the code comprising;

code that identifies a message addressed to a group;

code that resolves the group into a plurality of addressees; and

code that sends the message to a subset of the addressees.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising code that receives user input defining the subset of the addressees.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, further comprising code that prompts for confirmation in response to the user selecting all of the addressees.

4. The apparatus of claim 2, further comprising code that addresses the message to additional recipients unassociated with the group in response to the user defining the subset of the addressees.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising code that presents, to a user, a list of addressees for user selection, wherein the list is ordered based on user activity.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, further comprising code that filters the list of addressees based on message history.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising code that suggests one or more addressees based on a user activity log.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising code that stores the subset of the addressees in a user activity log.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising code that notifies the user that the message is addressed to the group.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the user notification is a notification selected from the group consisting of:

an audible notification, a visual notification, and a haptic notification.

11. A method comprising:

identifying, by use of a processor, a message addressed to a group;

receiving a user selection of at least one addressee belonging to the group; and

addressing the message based on the user selection of at least one addressee belonging to the group.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

resolving the group into a plurality of group members; and

presenting, to the user, the plurality of group members, wherein the user selection of at least one addressee comprises a selection from the presented plurality of group members.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising suggesting, to the user, one or more addressees based on user activity.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising notifying the user that the message is addressed to the group.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the user notification comprises a visual notification selected from the group comprising:

an icon, text of a particular color, text of a particular size, text in bold, highlighted text, underlined text, and blinking text.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein identifying a message addressed to a group comprises:

determining a number of recipient addresses associated with the message;

comparing the number of addresses to a threshold amount; and

identifying the message as being addressed to a group in response to the number of recipient addresses exceeding the threshold amount.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein identifying a message addressed to a group comprises comparing a recipient alias of the message to a list of group aliases.

18. A program product comprising a computer readable storage medium that stores code executable by a processor to perform:

identifying a message addressed to a group;

resolving the group into a plurality of group members;

receiving a user selection of at least one addressee from among the plurality of group members; and

sending the message to the at least one user-selected addressee.

19. The program product of claim 18, the code further executable to perform notifying the user that the message is addressed to the group.

20. The program product of claim 18, the code further executable to perform suggesting, to the user, one or more addressees based on user activity.