Systems and methods for the discovery and presentation of electronic messages that are related to an electronic message

• US 7,035,903 B1
• Filed: 11/22/2000
• Issued: 04/25/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/22/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Baldonado, Michelle Q. Wang
• Primary Examiner(s): SALAD, ABDULLAHI ELMI
• Application Number:
  US09/717,298
• Time in Patent Office: 1,980 Days
• Field of Search: 709205-207, 709/204, 709/226, 707/102, 707/10, 707/7, 707/3, 345/752, 345/753, 715/534, 715/526, 715/726
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/234 for tracking messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34

Abstract

The systems and methods of this invention nondisruptively provide the author of an electronic message with conversationally-related messages. Initially, a background search for conversationally-related messages is performed. Next, the conversationally-related messages are made available for viewing by the author. The conversationally-related messages can be displayed in such a way that the author is not required to view any of the related messages during the composition of the new message.

Claims

1. An electronic message management system comprising:

an electronic message composition device that detects that a new electronic message is being composed by a user;

a related message determination device that, while the new electronic message is being composed and prior to completion, non-interactively collects information pertaining to the new electronic message as message composition progresses and continuously determines whether one or more electronic messages are related to the new electronic message based on the collected information;

a message control device that assembles one or more of the electronic messages determined to be related to the new electronic message; and

a message display device that nondisruptively and automatically displays a portion of the one or more related electronic messages without requiring user action to request the display.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

an electronic message composition device that allows a user to at least one of create or update the new electronic message, wherein the related message determination device non-interactively collects the information pertaining to the new electronic message as message creating or updating progresses and continuously determines whether the electronic messages are related to the new electronic message based on the collected information.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the related message determination device automatically determines the one or more related electronic messages after commencement of the creating or updating of the new electronic message.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein upon selection of a portion of one of the one or more related messages, the related message is displayed.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the related message determination is based on at least one of:

a statistical analysis;

a comparison of the new electronic message to at least one of the one or more related electronic messages;

a keyword search;

an address field search;

a recipient search;

a sender search;

a subject field search;

a date search; and

a recency search.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more related electronic messages are at least one of:

displayed in a new user interface;

assembled into a digest; and

stored.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the related message determination device determines the one or more related electronic messages during a creation of the new electronic message and the message display device nondisruptively displays the portion of the one or more related electronic messages during the creation of the new electronic message.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the related message determination device determines the one or more related electronic messages to the new electronic message based on one or more rules and further comprising an interface device used to enter in the one or more rules into the related message determination device prior to message composition.

9. An electronic message management method comprising:

detecting that a new electronic message is being composed by a user;

while the new electronic message is being composed and prior to completion, non-interactively collecting information pertaining to the new electronic message as message composition progresses and continuously determining whether one or more electronic messages are related to the new electronic message based on the collected information;

assembling one or more of the electronic messages determined to be related to the new electronic message; and

nondisruptively and automatically displaying a portion of the one or more related electronic messages without requiring user action to request the display.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

creating or updating the new electronic message; and

non-interactively collecting the information pertaining to the new electronic message as message creating or updating progresses and continuously determining whether the electronic messages are related to the new electronic message based on the collected information.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein determining the one or more related electronic messages automatically occurs after commencement of creating or updating of the new electronic message.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein upon selection of a portion of one of the one or more related messages, the related message is displayed.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the related message determination is based on at least one of:

a statistical analysis;

a comparison of the new message to at least one of the one or more related electronic messages;

a keyword search;

an address field search;

a recipient search;

a sender search;

a subject field search;

a date search; and

a recency search.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the one or more related electronic messages are at least one of:

displayed in a new user interface;

assembled into a digest; and

stored.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein the determining the one or more related electronic messages is performed during a creation of the new electronic message and the nondisruptively displaying the portion of the one or more related electronic messages is during the creation of the new electronic message.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein the determining the one or more related electronic messages is performed based on one or more rules and further comprising entering the one or more rules before the determining and prior to message composition.

17. A computer readable medium having instructions stored thereon for managing electronic messages, which when executed by at least one processor, causes the processor to perform the steps of:

detecting that a new electronic message is being composed by a user;

while the new electronic message is being composed and prior to completion, non-interactively collecting information pertaining to the new electronic message as message composition progresses and continuously determining whether one or more electronic messages are related to the new electronic message based on the collected information;

assembling one or more of the electronic messages determined to be related to the new electronic message; and

nondisruptively and automatically displaying a portion of the one or more related electronic messages without requiring user action to request the display.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 17, further comprising instructions for creating or updating the new electronic message and non-interactively collecting the information pertaining to the new electronic message as message creating or updating progresses and continuously determining whether the electronic messages are related to the new electronic message based on the collected information.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 18, wherein determining the one or more related electronic messages automatically occurs after commencement of the creating or updating of the new electronic message.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein upon selection of a portion of one of the one or more related messages, the related message is displayed.

21. The computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the related message determination is based on at least one of:

a statistical analysis;

a comparison of the new electronic message and at least one of the one or more related electronic messages;

a keyword search;

an address field search;

a recipient search;

a sender search;

a subject field search;

a date search; and

a recency search.

22. The computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the one or more related electronic messages are at least one of:

displayed in a new user interface;

assembled into a digest; and

stored.

23. The computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the information that determines the one or more related electronic messages is generated during a creation of the new electronic message and the information that nondisruptively displays the portion of the one or more related electronic messages is performed during the creation of the new electronic message.

24. The computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the information that determines the one or more related electronic messages is based on one or more rules and further comprising information for entering the one or more rules before the determining and prior to message composition.

25. An electronic message management system comprising:

a data system for non-interactively identifying data in electronic messages as message composition progresses, the data system adapted to continuously identify electronic messages related to a new electronic message based on the identified information while the new electronic message is being composed and prior to completion;

a message control system associated with the data system, the message control system adapted to assemble the related electronic messages; and

an output device adapted to nondisruptively and automatically communicate the related electronic messages without requiring user action to request the display.

26. The electronic message management system of claim 25 wherein the data system further includes a rule and the data system identifies related electronic messages according to the rule.

27. The electronic message management system of claim 25 wherein the output device communicates in at least one of a human readable and computer readable format.

28. The system of claim 25, wherein the data system identifies the electronic messages related to the new electronic message during a creation of the new electronic message and the output device nondisruptively displays the portion of the one or more related electronic messages during the creation of the new electronic message.

29. The system of claim 25, wherein the data system identifies the electronic messages related to the new electronic message based on one or more rules and further comprising an interface device used to enter in the one or more rules into the data system.