Method for replying to related messages

• US 7,409,641 B2
• Filed: 12/29/2003
• Issued: 08/05/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Rohall, Steven L., Gruen, Daniel M., Moody, Paul B., Kerr, Bernard J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lo; Weilun
• Assistant Examiner(s): DAM, KIM LYNN
• Application Number:
  US10/745,495
• Publication Number:
  US 20050198143A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,681 Days
• Field of Search: 715/752, 709/206
• US Class Current: 715/752
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/02 using automatic reactions or user delegation, e.g. automatic replies or chatbot-generated messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/216 Handling conversation history, e.g. grouping of messages in sessions or threads

Abstract

A method is provided which utilizes a threading service to offer enhanced features for a document management system including an email system. Various enhanced email features may be provided through one or more of the following components: a delete module, a reply module, a profile module, and a search module. The delete module enables a user to delete a selected message, a set of related messages, or the whole set except for the selected message. The reply module enables a user to send a reply message to all addresses associated and involved with an entire set of related messages. The profile module enables a dynamic interest profile to contain all relevant information from an outgoing message and a set of messages related to the outgoing message. The search module enables search results to include documents which match the user'"'"'s query as well as documents related to the documents which match the user'"'"'s query.

Claims

1. A method for replying to messages comprising:

in response to a user selecting a message from a list of messages and subsequently selecting one of a plurality of reply options;

determining a name of a sender of the selected message;

determining a name of at least one recipient of the selected message;

determining one or more messages that are related to the selected message;

determining a name of at least one second recipient of the one or more related messages, said at least one second recipient being neither a sender of the selected message nor a recipient of the selected message;

automatically populating a reply message with the name of the sender of the selected message, the name of the at least one recipient of the selected message, and the name of the at least one second recipient; and

storing the name of the sender of the selected message, the name of the at least one recipient of the selected message, and the name of the at least one second recipient along with information regarding the field of the message from which each name originated,

wherein automatically populating the reply message comprises automatically populating at least one address field of the reply message with a message address of the sender, a message address of the at least one recipient, and a message address of the at least one second recipient.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising populating, by the user, the reply message with a name other than that of the sender, the at least one recipient, or the at least one second recipient.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the respective message addresses comprise email message addresses.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of reply options include an option to reply to the sender of the selected message.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the plurality of reply options include an option to reply to all recipients of the selected message.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the plurality of reply options include an option to reply to recipients of the selected message and messages related to the selected message.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising removing, by the user, an automatically populated name from the reply message.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining an appropriate address field of the reply message for the sender, the at least one recipient, and the at least one second recipient.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein automatically populating the reply message comprises automatically inserting the name of the sender of the selected message, the name of the at least one recipient of the selected message, and the name of the at least one second recipient into fields of the reply message corresponding to the fields from which the names originated.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the corresponding fields of the reply message are determined by a rule set that specifies which originating fields cause names to be inserted into which address fields of the reply message with priority information should the same name originate in more than one type of field.