Method for probabilistic analysis of most frequently occurring electronic message addresses within personal store (.PST) files to determine owner with confidence factor based on relative weight and set of user-specified factors

• US 7,636,734 B2
• Filed: 06/23/2005
• Issued: 12/22/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Johnson, Christopher L., Webb, Richard Dean, Kearney, David Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): CHANNAVAJJALA, SRIRAMA T
• Application Number:
  US11/159,449
• Publication Number:
  US 20060294090A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,643 Days
• Field of Search: 707 1- 2, 707 7- 8, 707/10, 707/100, 707/102, 707/104.1, 707/200, 709/203, 709/206, 709219-220, 709/241, 715/752, 455/418, 455/466, 379/93.24, 379/100.08
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/604 Tools and structures for managing or administering access control systems
• 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 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99937 Sorting
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99948 Application of database or data structure, e.g. distributed, multimedia, or image

Abstract

A probabilistic process to determine the owner of an electronic file, such as a Personal Store (.pst). A weighted analysis of multiple factors is performed including the operating system file owner, a user running the process, a “top Y most frequently occurring addresses” when analyzing “X number of sent then received messages,” and a number of occurrences of each “top Y most frequently occurring address.” Other factors, such as the ability to resolve against a directory service may be used. Each of the “top Y most frequently occurring addresses” is analyzed to calculate its weight according to a predetermined relationship and the address is compared to the operating system file owner and a logged-on user value. If there is a match, that value is returned as the probable owner of the file.

Claims

1. A method of determining a probable owner of a personal store file in a computer, the method comprising:

receiving a set of user-specified factors including a first number of most frequently occurring addresses and a second number of sent-then-received electronic messages to be analyzed for said first number of most frequently occurring addresses;

determining the first number of most frequently occurring addresses among the second number of sent-then-received electronic messages within said personal store file;

applying a weight to each of said first number of determined most frequently occurring addresses based on a number of occurrences of each of said first number of determined most frequently occurring addresses and one or more user-specified factors of the set of user-specified factors;

determining a relative weight of each of said first number of determined most frequently occurring addresses;

determining if any of said first number of determined most frequently occurring addresses are duplicate addresses;

summing the relative weights of duplicate addresses to create a combined relative weight and setting the relative weight of one of the duplicate address to the combined relative weight;

returning a top weighted address of said first number of determined most frequently occurring addresses as said probable owner of said personal store file with a confidence factor derived from the relative weight and the set of user-specified factors.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining an operating system file owner of said personal store file;

applying a first weighted value to said operating system file owner; and

using said first weighted value to determine said relative weight of each said frequently occurring address.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining if each said frequently occurring address resolves against a directory service;

applying a second weighted value if said frequently occurring address resolves against the directory service; and

using said second weighted value to determine said relative weight of each said frequently occurring address.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining an identity of a user who is performing said method;

applying a third weighted value to said identity; and

using said third weighted value to determine said relative weight of each said frequently occurring address.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of determining said relative weights further comprises applying the following relationship:

$\mathrm{Weight}=\left(\frac{\mathrm{Yn}+F}{Y<br><br><br><br>1+Y<br><br><br><br>2+Y<br><br><br><br>3<br><br>\mathrm{\dots <br><br>}}\right)-\left(G+W\right)$

where;

W=a configurable weight based on an operating system file owner;

G=a configurable weight set by a user performing said method;

Y1+Y2+Y3 . . . = configurable weights based on said predetermined number of most frequently occurring addresses;

Yn=number of occurrences of each said frequently occurring address; and

F=a configurable weight based on the ability to resolve against a directory service.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising performing said method without a user viewing the contents of said personal store file.

7. A method of determining an owner of an electronic file in a computer, the method comprising:

receiving a set of one or more user-specified factors associated with said electronic file, wherein said user-specified factors include a first number of most frequently occurring addresses among a second number of sent-then-received electronic messages within said electronic file to be analyzed for said first number of most frequently occurring addresses;

determining the first number of most frequently occurring addresses among the second number of sent-then-received electronic messages within said personal store file;

applying weights to said user-specified factors;

defining a first factor that is to be compared to others of said user-specified factors, wherein the first factor is defined as a number of occurrences of each of said first number of determined most frequently occurring addresses;

determining a relative weight for each of said first number of determined most frequently occurring addresses;

determining if any of said first number of determined most frequently occurring addresses are duplicate addresses;

summing the relative weights of duplicate addresses to create a combined relative weight and setting the relative weight of one of the duplicate address to the combined relative weight; and

returning a top weighted address of said first number of determined most frequently occurring addresses as said owner of said electronic file with a confidence factor derived from the relative weight and the set of user-specified factors.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

defining an operating system file owner of said electronic file as a second factor;

applying a second weighted value to said second factor; and

using said second weighted value to determine said relative weight of each of said frequently occurring addresses.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

determining if each said most frequently occurring address resolves against a directory service;

applying a third weighted value to each said frequently occurring address that resolves against the directory service; and

using said third weighted value to determine said relative weight of each said frequently occurring address.

10. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

defining an identity of a user who is performing said method as a fourth factor;

applying a fourth weighted value to said fourth factor; and

using said fourth weighted value to determine said relative weight of each of said most frequently occurring addresses.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein said step of determining said relative weight further comprising applying the following relationship:

$\mathrm{Weight}=\left(\frac{\mathrm{Yn}+F}{Y<br><br><br><br>1+Y<br><br><br><br>2+Y<br><br><br><br>3<br><br>\mathrm{\dots <br><br>}}\right)-\left(G+W\right)$

where;

W=a configurable weight based on an operating system file owner;

G=a configurable weight set by a user performing said method;

Y1+Y2+Y3 . . . = configurable weights based on said first factor of said several factors;

Yn=number of occurrences of each said candidate; and

F=a configurable weight based on the ability to resolve against a directory service.

12. The method of claim 7, further comprising performing said method without a user viewing the contents of said electronic file.

13. A method of determining ownership of an electronic file containing e-mail messages in a computer, the method comprising:

receiving a set of user-specified factors including a first number of most frequently occurring addresses and a second number of sent-then-received e-mail messages to be analyzed for said first number of most frequently occurring addresses;

determining a the first number of most frequently occurring addresses among the-second number of sent-then-received e-mail messages within said electronic file, applying a weight to each of said first number of determined most frequently occurring addresses based on a number of occurrences of each of said first number of determined most frequently occurring addresses and one or more user-specified factors of the set of user-specified factors;

determining a relative weight of each of said first number of determined most frequently occurring addresses;

determining if any of said first number of determined most frequently occurring addresses are duplicate addresses;

summing the relative weights of duplicate addresses to create a combined relative weight and setting the relative weight of one of the duplicate address to the combined relative weight; and

determining said ownership of said electronic file in accordance with the relative weight of each of said first number of determined most frequently occurring addresses with a confidence factor derived from the relative weight and the set of user-specified factors.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

determining if each of said most frequently occurring addresses resolves against a directory service;

weighting each of said most frequently occurring addresses in accordance with whether said each of said most frequently occurring addresses resolves against the directory service; and

determining said ownership further in accordance with said weighting.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

determining an operating system owner of said electronic file;

applying a weight to said operating system owner; and

determining said ownership further in accordance with said weighting.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising;

determining an identity of a user who is performing said method;

weighting said identity; and

determining said ownership further in accordance with said weighting.