Computer program product and system for merging topically related e-mail in a collaborative work environment

• US 7,809,743 B2
• Filed: 03/20/2008
• Issued: 10/05/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/24/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Truty, Gregory Louis
• Primary Examiner(s): Wassum; Luke S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Badawi; Sherief
• Application Number:
  US12/051,920
• Publication Number:
  US 20080168060A1
• Time in Patent Office: 929 Days
• Field of Search: 707/758, 709/206, 709/217
• US Class Current: 707/758
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]

Abstract

A mechanism is presented for merging e-mail messages into a collated file. An e-mail message and its associated responses may be accessed and collated based on a selected pattern for responses. The set of e-mails may be collated into a single document with the responses associated with the particular message to which the response is directed. Using pattern matching operations in an iterative fashion, a response may be associated with the message that elicited the response whether the original message or a previous response. The form of association may be user selectable.

Claims

1. A computer program product tangibly embodied on a computer readable medium, the program product for collating e-mail comprising programming instructions for:

(a) differencing at least one first e-mail message and a second e-mail message wherein said at least one first e-mail message is prior to said second e-mail message, said differencing generating a set of unmatched text and a set of matched text;

(b) matching said set of matched text against a collated message file, said matching step identifying a position in said collated message file at an end of a portion of said collated message file corresponding to said set of matched text; and

(c) inserting said set of unmatched text in said collated message file at said position;

wherein said at least one first e-mail message and said second e-mail message comprise a set of topically-related e-mail selected in response to a preselected pattern in a header portion of each e-mail of said set of topically-related e-mail;

(d) searching each e-mail message of said set of topically-related e-mail for at least one member of a preselected set of prepended identifiers;

(e) if said at least one at least one member of a preselected set of prepended identifiers matches a portion of said message of said set of topically-related messages;

(i) selecting a portion of said message not having said prepended identifier;

(ii) inserting said portion from (i) into said collated message file at a position following a portion matching a set of text having said at least one member of a preselected set of prepended identifiers; and

(iii) bypassing (a)-(c).

2. The program product of claim 1 further comprising programming instructions for:

(f) extracting said set of text having said at least one member of a preselected set of prepended identifiers;

(g) stripping said at least one member of a preselected set of prepended identifiers from said set of text; and

(h) matching a set of text from (g) against said collated message file, wherein said position in (e)(ii) comprises a position at an end of a portion of said collated message file matching a set of text from (g).

3. The program product of claim 1 wherein said programming instructions for searching each e-mail message of said set of topically-related e-mail comprises programming instructions for searching each e-mail in chronological order of said set of topically-related e-mail.

4. A data processing system for collating e-mail comprising:

(a) circuitry operable for differencing at least one first e-mail message and a second e-mail message wherein said at least one first e-mail message is prior to said second e-mail message, said differencing generating a set of unmatched text and a set of matched text;

(b) circuitry operable for matching said set of matched text against a collated message file, said matching step identifying a position in said collated message file at an end of a portion of said collated message file corresponding to said set of matched text; and

(c) circuitry operable for inserting said set of unmatched text in said collated message file at said position;

wherein said at least one first e-mail message and said second e-mail message comprise a set of topically-related e-mail selected in response to a preselected pattern in a header portion of each e-mail of said set of topically-related e-mail;

(d) circuitry operable for searching each e-mail message of said set of topically-related e-mail for at least one member of a preselected set of prepended identifiers;

(e) circuitry operable for, if said at least one at least one member of a preselected set of prepended identifiers matches a portion of said message of said set of topically-related messages;

(i) selecting a portion of said message not having said prepended identifier;

(ii) inserting said portion from (i) into said collated message file at a position following a portion matching a set of text having said at least one member of a preselected set of prepended identifiers; and

(iii) bypassing (a)-(c).

5. The data processing system of claim 4 further comprising:

(f) circuitry operable for extracting said set of text having said at least one member of a preselected set of prepended identifiers;

(g) circuitry operable for stripping said at least one member of a preselected set of prepended identifiers from said set of text; and

(h) circuitry operable for matching a set of text from (g) against said collated message file, wherein said position in (e)(ii) comprises a position at an end of a portion of said collated message file matching a set of text from (g).