TECHNIQUES FOR SUGGESTING RECIPIENTS BASED ON A CONTEXT OF A DEVICE

• US 20160357761A1
• Filed: 07/29/2015
• Published: 12/08/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/05/2015
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Cerioli, Rafael, Lacerda, Joao Pedro, Siracusa, Michael R., Godfrey, Edouard
• Application Number:
  US14/812,892
• Publication Number:
  US 20160357761A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/3322 using system suggestions G06F16/3325 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/334 Query execution G06F16/335 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 20/00 Machine learning
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 5/01 Dynamic search techniques; Heuristics; Dynamic trees; Branch-and-bound
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/48 Message addressing, e.g. address format or anonymous messages, aliases
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/56 Unified messaging, e.g. interactions between e-mail, instant messaging or converged IP messaging [CPM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2746 Sorting, e.g. according to history or frequency of use
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72436 for text messaging, e.g. short messaging services [SMS] or e-mails
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72451 according to schedules, e.g. using calendar applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72454 according to context-related or environment-related conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72457 according to geographic location
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/60 logging of communication history, e.g. outgoing or incoming calls, missed calls, messages or URLs

Abstract

Systems and methods are provided for suggesting recipients. After detecting user input at a device corresponding to a trigger for providing suggested recipients, contextual information of the device representing a current state of the device is determined, where the current state is defined by state variables. Tables corresponding to previous communications made using the device are populated, each of the tables corresponding to a different sub-state of the device and including contact measures of previous communications with different recipients. The state variables can be used to identify a set of the tables corresponding to the state variables. Contact measures for potential recipients are obtained from the set of tables. A total contact measure of previous communications is computed for each potential recipient. Predicted recipients to suggest are identified based on the total contact measures of the potential recipients and using criteria, and the predicted recipients are provided to the user.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of providing suggested recipients to contact with a user device of a user, the method comprising, at the user device:

detecting a user input at the user device;

determining that the user input corresponds to a trigger for providing a suggested recipient via a suggestion engine;

determining contextual information of the user device, the contextual information representing a current device state of the user device, wherein the current device state is defined by one or more state variables;

populating one or more tables corresponding to previous communications made using the user device, each of the one or more tables corresponding to a different device sub-state of the user device and including a plurality of recipient measures of previous communications with different recipients;

using the one or more state variables to identify a first set of the one or more tables that corresponds to the one or more state variables;

obtaining, from the first set of tables, contact measures for one or more potential recipients;

for each of the one or more potential recipients;

compute a total contact measure of previous communications using the obtained contact measures;

using the suggestion engine to identify one or more predicted recipients to suggest to the user based on the total contact measures of the one or more potential recipients and using one or more criteria; and

providing the one or more predicted recipients to the user.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the contextual information includes one or more recipients of an open communication in a communication application executing on the user device, the current device state including a current application state, the current application state including the one or more recipients.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the contextual information includes an account identifier corresponding to a communication application executing on the user device, the current device state including a current application state, the current application state including the account identifier.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising, at the user device:

determining a current location of the user device, wherein the contextual information includes the current location, the current device state including a current location state, the current location state including the current location.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the contextual information includes a current time and a current day, and wherein the one or more criteria includes a minimum number of predicted recipients to suggest.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more criteria includes a threshold confidence level, the method further comprising, at the user device:

determining how the one or more predicted recipients are to be provided to the user based on a respective confidence level of each of the one or more predicted recipients.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the contextual information includes a subject of an open communication in a communication application executing on the user device, the current device state including a current application state, the current application state including the subject.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the subject of the open communication is one or more of a subject of an email message, a subject of a calendar event, and a subject of a video conference.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein contextual information includes a scheduled time of an open calendar event in a calendar application executing on the user device, the current device state including a current application state, the current application state including the scheduled time.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein contextual information includes a location of an open calendar event in a calendar application executing on the user device, the current device state including a current application state, the current application state including the location.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein one of the one or more tables is a calendar table corresponding to a calendar sub-state of the user device, the calendar table including contact measures for recipients of calendar invitations for previous calendar events made using the user device.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein one of the one or more tables is an email table corresponding to an email sub-state of the user device, the email table including contact measures for recipients of previous email messages made using the user device, the contact measures including times when the previous email messages were made, email account identifiers associated with the previous email messages, other recipients copied on the previous email messages, and an a number of email messages sent to each recipient.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein computing the total contact measure of previous communications includes querying the one or more tables to compute a total number of previous communications sent to each of the one or more potential recipients.

14. A computer product comprising a non-transitory computer readable medium storing a plurality of instructions for providing suggested recipients to contact with a user device of a user, that when executed on one or more processors of the user device, perform operations comprising:

detecting a user input at the user device;

determining that the user input corresponds to a trigger for providing a suggested recipient via a suggestion engine;

determining contextual information of the user device, the contextual information representing a current device state of the user device, wherein the current device state is defined by one or more state variables;

populating one or more tables corresponding to previous communications made using the user device, each of the one or more tables corresponding to a different device sub-state of the user device and including a plurality of contact measures of previous communications with different recipients;

using the one or more state variables to identify a first set of the one or more tables that corresponds to the one or more state variables;

obtaining, from the first set of tables, contact measures for one or more potential recipients;

for each of the one or more potential recipients;

compute a total contact measure of previous communications using the obtained contact measures;

using the suggestion engine to identify one or more predicted recipients to suggest to the user based on the total contact measures of the one or more potential recipients and using one or more criteria; and

providing the one or more predicted recipients to the user.

15. The computer product of claim 14, wherein the contextual information includes one or more recipients of an open communication in a communication application executing on the user device, the current device state including a current application state, the current application state including the one or more recipients.

16. The computer product of claim 14, wherein the contextual information includes a current time and an account identifier corresponding to a communication application executing on the user device, the current device state including a current application state, the current application state including the current time and the account identifier.

17. A user device for providing suggested recipients to contact with the user device, the user device comprising:

an input device;

one or more processors configured to;

detect, at the input device, a user input;

determine that the user input corresponds to a trigger for providing a suggested recipient via a suggestion engine;

determine contextual information of the user device, the contextual information representing a current device state of the user device, wherein the current device state is defined by one or more state variables;

populate one or more tables corresponding to previous communications made using the user device, each of the one or more tables corresponding to a different device sub-state of the user device and including a plurality of contact measures of previous communications with different recipients;

use the one or more state variables to identify a first set of the one or more tables that corresponds to the one or more state variables;

obtain, from the first set of tables, contact measures for one or more potential recipients;

for each of the one or more potential recipients;

compute a total contact measure of previous communications using the obtained contact measures;

use the suggestion engine to identify one or more predicted recipients to suggest to a user based on the total contact measures of the one or more potential recipients and using one or more criteria; and

provide the one or more predicted recipients to the user.

18. The user device of claim 17, wherein the contextual information includes one or more recipients of an open communication in a communication application executing on the user device, the current device state including a current application state, the current application state including the one or more recipients.

19. The user device of claim 17, wherein one of the one or more tables is an email table corresponding to an email sub-state of the user device, the email table including contact measures for recipients of previous email messages made using the user device, the contact measures including times when the previous email messages were made, email account identifiers associated with the previous email messages, other recipients copied on the previous email messages, and an a number of email messages sent to each recipient.

20. The user device of claim 17, wherein the one or more criteria includes a threshold confidence level, the method further comprising, at the user device:

determining how the one or more predicted recipients are to be provided to the user based on a respective confidence level of each of the one or more predicted recipients.