Method and device for predicting message recipients

• US 7,853,656 B2
• Filed: 09/01/2005
• Issued: 12/14/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/01/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Research In Motion Limited (Blackberry Limited)
• Inventors: Yach, David, Zinn, Ronald Scotte, Major, Harry
• Primary Examiner(s): Bruckart; Benjamin R
• Assistant Examiner(s): PFIZENMAYER, MARK C
• Application Number:
  US11/216,119
• Publication Number:
  US 20070050455A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,930 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/109 Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/48 Message addressing, e.g. address format or anonymous messages, aliases

Abstract

A method and communications device is provided for determining a list of possible additional recipients to add to an electronic message that is composed by a user of the communications device for transmission to another communications device. Once the user indicates that there is an additional recipient for the distribution list of the electronic message, the device employs the method to create the list of possible additional recipients. The method may be implemented on a computer program product.

Claims

1. A computer program product for predicting possible additional recipients to add to a distribution list of a current electronic message composed on a communications device, the computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable medium embodying program code means executable by a processor of the communications device for implementing a method for predicting the possible additional recipients, wherein the method comprises:

displaying a menu comprising a plurality of menu options;

when the distribution list of the current electronic message has at least one known recipient and a user selection of a menu option to add an additional recipient to the distribution list of the current electronic message from the plurality of menu options is received;

scanning one or more data stores for previously sent or received messages;

for each of said previously sent or received messages, determining if the at least one known recipient is listed in the distribution list of said previously sent or received message, and if the at least one known recipient is listed in the distribution list of said previously sent or received message, creating a possible recipient list that comprises the at least one known recipient and all other recipients listed in the distribution list of said previously sent or received message;

generating a list of possible additional recipients from at least one possible recipient list based on occurrences of recipients that are in the at least one possible recipient list and are not already in the distribution list of the current electronic message; and

providing at least one entry from the list of possible additional recipients to allow selection of the additional recipient to add to the distribution list of the current electronic message if any possible additional recipients exist, and if no possible additional recipients exist, allowing manual entry of the additional recipient;

wherein said scanning, generating and providing are performed in response to the user selection of the menu option.

2. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises generating a set of possible recipient lists comprising the at least one possible recipient list, from a master set of recipient lists by selecting the recipient lists in the master set that comprise the at least one known recipient.

3. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises, for each of the at least one possible recipient list, removing the at least one known recipient from the possible recipient list.

4. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein each of the at least one possible recipient list is created according to filter input data provided in the current electronic message, such that the possible recipient list is created only if the current electronic messages comprises said filter input data.

5. The computer program product of claim 4, wherein the method further comprises obtaining the filter input data from at least one of the subject of the current electronic message, and a portion of the body of the current electronic message.

6. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises generating the list of possible additional recipients from the at least one possible recipient list based on counting the occurrences of recipients that are in the at least one possible recipient list and are not already in the distribution list of the current electronic message, and generating an ordered list in which the counted recipients are listed in a decreasing manner.

7. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises generating the list of possible additional recipients from the at least one possible recipient list based on weighting the occurrences of recipients that are in the at least one possible recipient list and are not already in the distribution list of the current electronic message, and generating an ordered list in which the weighted recipients are listed in a decreasing manner.

8. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein the method further comprises, for a given possible recipient list, noting the address field of a given recipient in the given possible recipient list that is not already in the distribution list of the current electronic message, and generating the weight according to the address field.

9. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the method further comprises providing the highest weight to the address field that matches the address field to which the additional recipient is intended to be added.

10. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises applying a threshold to the list of possible additional recipients to limit the number of possible additional recipients that are provided.

11. The computer program product of claim 2, wherein a given possible recipient list in the master set of recipient lists is generated by including at least one recipient in a previous electronic message that has been sent or received, and optionally a sender of the previous electronic message.

12. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the previous electronic message is stored on at least one of the communications device and a remote data store.

13. The computer program product of claim 2, wherein the method further comprises updating the master set of recipient lists when the current electronic message is sent, by adding the distribution list of the current electronic message.

14. A method of predicting possible additional recipients to add to a distribution list of a current electronic message composed on a communications device, wherein the method comprises:

displaying a menu comprising a plurality of menu options;

when the distribution list of the current electronic message has at least one known recipient and a user selection of a menu option to add an additional recipient to the distribution list from the plurality of menu options is received;

scanning one or more data stores for previously sent or received messages;

for each of said previously sent or received messages, determining if the at least one known recipient is listed in the distribution list of said previously sent or received message, and if the at least one known recipient is listed in the distribution list of said previously sent or received message, creating a possible recipient list that comprises the at least one known recipient and all other recipients listed in the distribution list of said previously sent or received message;

generating a list of possible additional recipients from at least one possible recipient list based on occurrences of recipients that are in the at least one possible recipient list and are not already in the distribution list of the current electronic message; and

providing at least one entry from the list of possible additional recipients to allow selection of the additional recipient to add to the distribution list of the current electronic message if any possible additional recipients exist, and if no possible additional recipients exist, allowing manual entry of the additional recipient;

wherein said scanning, generating and providing are performed in response to the user selection of the menu option.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the method further comprises generating a set of possible recipient lists comprising the at least one possible recipient list, from a master set of recipient lists by selecting the recipient lists in the master set that comprise the at least one known recipient.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the method further comprises generating the list of possible additional recipients from the at least one possible recipient list based on counting the occurrences of recipients that are in the at least one possible recipient lists and are not already in the distribution list of the current electronic message, and generating an ordered list in which the counted recipients are listed in a decreasing manner.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the method further comprises generating the list of possible additional recipients from the at least one possible recipient list based on weighting the occurrences of recipients that are in the at least one of possible recipient list and are not already in the distribution list of the current electronic message, and generating an ordered list in which the weighted recipients are listed in a decreasing manner.

18. A communications device comprising:

a microprocessor that controls the operation of the communications device;

a communication subsystem connected to the microprocessor, the communication subsystem sends and receives data;

a message application executable by the microprocessor, the message application allows sending of electronic messages to two or more recipients, and is configured to display a menu comprising a plurality of menu options; and

,

a recipient prediction module executable by the microprocessor, the recipient prediction module predicts possible additional recipients to add to a distribution list of a current electronic message composed on the communications device, the distribution list having at least one known recipient, wherein when a user selection of a menu option to add an additional recipient to the distribution list from the plurality of menu options is received, the recipient prediction module predicts the possible additional recipients by;

scanning one or more data stores for previously sent or received messages;

for each of said previously sent or received messages, determining if the at least one known recipient is listed in the distribution list of said previously sent or received message, and if the at least one known recipient is listed in the distribution list of said previously sent or received message, creating a possible recipient list that comprises the at least one known recipient and all other recipients listed in the distribution list of said previously sent or received message;

generating a list of possible additional recipients from at least one possible recipient list based on occurrences of recipients that are in the at least one possible recipient list and are not already in the distribution list of the current electronic message; and

providing at least one entry from the list of possible additional recipients to allow selection of the additional recipient to add to the distribution list of the current electronic message if any possible additional recipients exist, and if no possible additional recipients exist, allowing manual entry of the additional recipient;

wherein said scanning, generating and providing are performed in response to the user selection of the menu option.

19. The communications device of claim 18, wherein the recipient prediction module is adapted to generate the list of possible additional recipients from the at least one possible recipient list based on counting the occurrences of recipients that are in the at least one possible recipient list and are not already in the distribution list of the current electronic message, and generating an ordered list in which the counted recipients are listed in a decreasing manner.

20. The communications device of claim 18, wherein the recipient prediction module is adapted to generate the list of possible additional recipients from the at least one possible recipient list based on weighting the occurrences of recipients that are in the at least one possible recipient list and are not already in the distribution list of the current electronic message, and generating an ordered list in which the weighted recipients are listed in a decreasing manner.