System for facilitating thread-based message prioritization

• US 7,752,279 B2
• Filed: 05/29/2007
• Issued: 07/06/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Research In Motion Limited (Blackberry Limited)
• Inventors: Tysowski, Piotr Konrad, Hardy, Michael Thomas, Khan, Atif
• Primary Examiner(s): LUU, LE HIEN
• Application Number:
  US11/754,542
• Publication Number:
  US 20080301250A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,134 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206, 709/207, 709/223, 379/88.13, 707/3, 719/313, 713/171
• US Class Current: 709/207
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/40163 by assigning priority to messages according to a message field
• 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 51/214 using selective forwarding
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/216 Handling conversation history, e.g. grouping of messages in sessions or threads
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/224 providing notification on incoming messages, e.g. pushed notifications of received messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/226 Delivery according to priorities

Abstract

To perform thread-based message prioritization, metadata may be extracted from a received electronic message. Based on the extracted message metadata and accumulated metadata extracted from previously received messages, a message thread to which the received electronic message belongs may be identified. Based on a set of thread priority assessment criteria, a priority level for the message thread may be determined. At least part of the message thread may be processed according to the priority level. The processing may be altering a notification behavior of an electronic messaging client for electronic messages of the message thread. Thread priority assessment may be based on user-configurable criteria that may be set via a graphical user interface. Message thread identification may also be based on user-configurable criteria that may be set via a graphical user interface.

Claims

1. A computing device comprising:

a processor; and

memory storing executable instructions which, upon execution by said processor, cause said computing device to;

receive an electronic message;

identify a message thread to which said received electronic message belongs;

based on a set of thread priority assessment criteria and in view of said receiving, change a priority level for the message thread; and

process at least part of the message thread according to said changed priority level.

2. The computing device of claim 1 wherein said processing at least part of the message thread comprises altering a notification behavior of an electronic messaging client, executing at said computing device, for previously received electronic messages of said message thread.

3. The computing device of claim 1 wherein said processing at least part of the message thread comprises:

assigning said changed priority level to the received electronic message; and

forwarding said received electronic message and assigned priority level to a remote computing device for processing in accordance with said priority level.

4. The computing device of claim 3 wherein said forwarding is conditional upon said changed priority level.

5. The computing device of claim 1 wherein said electronic message and said previously received electronic messages comprise any of electronic mail (email) messages, short message service (SMS) messages, multimedia message service (MMS) messages, or peer-to-peer messages.

6. The computing device of claim 1 wherein said identifying said message thread comprises determining that the received electronic message is responsive to a previously received electronic message of said message thread.

7. The computing device of claim 6 wherein said determining comprises comparing a subject line of said received electronic message to a subject line of said previously received electronic message.

8. The computing device of claim 6 wherein said determining comprises ascertaining that said received electronic message contains at least a portion of a body of said previously received electronic message.

9. The computing device of claim 6 wherein said determining comprises ascertaining that a duration between a time of said receiving said electronic message and a time of receiving said previously received electronic message is less than a predetermined duration.

10. The computing device of claim 6 wherein said determining comprises ascertaining that a unique identifier associated with said previously received electronic message forms part of said received electronic message.

11. The computing device of claim 1 wherein said set of thread priority assessment criteria cause said changing the priority level for the message thread to comprise setting an escalated or lowered priority level when the number of messages in said message thread exceeds a threshold.

12. The computing device of claim 11 wherein said number is a number of messages that have been received within a predetermined time period.

13. The computing device of claim 12 wherein, when the number of messages that have been received within said predetermined time period exceeds said threshold, said setting of said escalated or lowered priority level is conditional upon said time period not having occurred more than a predetermined duration since the current time.

14. The computing device of claim 1 wherein said set of thread priority assessment criteria cause said changing the priority level for the message thread to comprise setting an escalated or lowered priority level if any message of said message thread is addressed to a predetermined recipient.

15. The computing device of claim 1 wherein said set of thread priority assessment criteria cause said changing the priority level for the message thread to comprise setting an escalated or lowered priority level if any message of said message thread is addressed to a predetermined distribution list, said distribution list identifying multiple recipients.

16. The computing device of claim 1 wherein said set of thread priority assessment criteria cause said changing the priority level for the message thread to comprise setting an escalated or lowered priority level if a total number of recipients of at least one message of said message thread exceeds a threshold.

17. The computing device of claim 1 wherein said set of thread priority assessment criteria cause said changing the priority level for the message thread to comprise setting an escalated or lowered priority level if a total number of distribution lists to which at least one message of said message thread has been sent exceeds a threshold, each distribution list identifying multiple recipients.

18. The computing device of claim 1 wherein said set of thread priority assessment criteria cause said changing the priority level for the message thread to comprise setting an escalated or lowered priority level if a particular individual has participated in said message thread.

19. The computing device of claim 1 wherein said set of thread priority assessment criteria cause said changing the priority level for the message thread to comprise setting an escalated or lowered priority level if one or more keywords appear in any portion of any message of said thread.

20. The computing device of claim 1 wherein said processing comprises applying said changed priority level to each message of the message thread.

21. A computing device comprising:

a processor; and

memory storing executable instructions which, upon execution by said processor, cause said computing device to;

display a graphical user interface for configuring message thread identification criteria, said criteria for use in conjunction with metadata extracted from a received electronic message and accumulated metadata extracted from previously received electronic messages for identifying a message thread to which said received electronic message belongs.

22. A machine-readable medium containing executable instructions that, when executed by a processor in a computing device, cause said computing device to:

receive an electronic message;

identify a message thread to which said received electronic message belongs;

based on a set of thread priority assessment criteria and in view of said receiving, change a priority level for the message thread; and

process at least part of the message thread according to said priority level, wherein said processing of said at least part of the message thread comprises;

altering a notification behavior of an electronic messaging client, executing at said computing device, for previously received electronic messages of said message thread;

or

assigning said changed priority level to the received electronic message and forwarding said received electronic message and assigned priority level to a remote computing device for processing in accordance with said priority level.

23. The machine-readable medium of claim 22 wherein said processing comprises applying said changed priority level to each message of the message thread.

24. A machine-readable medium containing executable instructions that, when executed by a processor in a computing device, cause said computing device to display a graphical user interface for configuring message thread identification criteria, said criteria for use in conjunction with metadata extracted from a received electronic message and accumulated metadata extracted from previously received electronic messages for identifying a message thread to which said received electronic message belongs.

25. A machine-readable medium containing executable instructions that, when executed by a processor in a computing device, cause said computing device to display a graphical user interface for configuring message thread priority assessment criteria, said criteria for use in conjunction with information regarding a message thread comprised of a plurality of electronic messages for determining a priority level of said message thread.