Selecting email signatures

• US 7,865,562 B2
• Filed: 05/20/2008
• Issued: 01/04/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: LinkedIn Corporation (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Seacat, Lisa A., Nesbitt, Pamela A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chan; Wing F
• Assistant Examiner(s): WILLIS, JONATHAN U
• Application Number:
  US12/123,929
• Publication Number:
  US 20090292776A1
• Time in Patent Office: 959 Days
• Field of Search: 709204-207, 715/230, 715/232, 715/253, 715/268
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/166 Editing, e.g. inserting or deleting
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/063 Content adaptation, e.g. replacement of unsuitable content
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/214 using selective forwarding
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/123 received data contents, e.g. message integrity

Abstract

In some embodiments, a method comprises detecting a request to append a signature to an outgoing email, wherein the outgoing email is addressed from a sender to a recipient. A plurality of email signature rules for the sender is accessed. At least one of a condition and a property associated with the outgoing email are evaluated against the plurality of email signature rules. It is determined that at least two of the plurality of email signature rules are satisfied based on evaluating at least one of the condition and the property associated with the outgoing mail against the plurality of email signature rules. A plurality of email signatures is identified from a list of email signatures based, at least in part, on the at least two email signature rules that are satisfied. A composite signature is generated with the plurality of email signatures.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

detecting a request to append a signature to an outgoing email, wherein the outgoing email is addressed from a sender to a recipient;

accessing a plurality of email signature rules for the sender;

evaluating at least one of a condition and a property associated with the outgoing email against the plurality of email signature rules;

determining that at least two of the plurality of email signature rules are satisfied based on said evaluating the at least one of the condition and the property associated with the outgoing mail against the plurality of email signature rules;

identifying, from a list of email signatures, a plurality of email signatures based, at least in part, on the at least two email signature rules that are satisfied;

generating a composite signature with the plurality of email signatures; and

appending the composite signature to the outgoing email.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said evaluating the at least one of the condition and the property associated with the outgoing email against the plurality of email signature rules comprises comparing text in the outgoing email to text included in the plurality of email signature rules.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said evaluating the at least one of the condition and the property associated with the outgoing email against the plurality of email signature rules comprises at least one of:

determining one or more temporal conditions associated with the outgoing email; and

determining one or more social relationships associated with the recipient.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein:

said evaluating the at least one of the condition and the property associated with the outgoing email against the plurality of email signature rules comprises comparing the plurality of email signature rules to the one or more temporal conditions and the one or more social relationships, and

said determining that the at least two of the plurality of email signature rules are satisfied is based, at least in part, on said comparing the plurality of email signature rules to the one or more temporal conditions and the one or more social relationships.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the condition associated with the outgoing email comprises the one or more temporal conditions associated with the outgoing email including one or more of a date and time at which the email is sent, holidays, seasons, time of day, meeting times, and events in a calendar associated with the sender.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the property associated with the outgoing email comprises the one or more social relationships associated with the recipient including one or more of the recipient'"'"'s relationship to the sender, and a social group with which the recipient is involved.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising identifying a first signature from the list of signatures that corresponds to a second recipient of the outgoing email and appending the first signature to the outgoing email for the second recipient, wherein the outgoing email is also addressed to the second recipient, wherein the first signature is different than the plurality of signatures.

8. An apparatus for determining and appending an appropriate email signature, the apparatus comprising:

a processor;

an email client configured to send and receive messages; and

an email signature agent configured to;

detect a request to append a signature to an outgoing email, wherein the outgoing email is addressed from a sender to a recipient,

access a plurality of email signature rules for the sender;

evaluate at least one of a condition and a property associated with the outgoing email against the plurality of email signature rules;

determine that at least two of the plurality of email signature rules are satisfied based on the email signature agent evaluating the at least one of the condition and the property associated with the outgoing mail against the plurality of email signature rules;

identify, from a list of email signatures, a plurality of email signatures based, at least in part, on the at least two email signature rules that are satisfied;

generate a composite signature with the plurality of email signatures; and

append the composite signature to the outgoing email.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the email signature agent being configured to evaluate the at least one of the condition and the property associated with the outgoing email against the plurality of email signature rules comprises the email signature agent being configured to compare text in the outgoing email to text included in the plurality of email signature rules.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the email signature agent configured to evaluate the at least one of the condition and the property associated with the outgoing email against the plurality of email signature rules comprises at least one of:

the email signature agent being configured to determine one or more temporal conditions associated with the outgoing email; and

the email signature agent being configured to determine one or more social relationships associated with the recipient.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the property associated with the outgoing email comprises the one or more social relationships associated with the recipient including one or more of the recipient'"'"'s relationship to the sender, and a social group with which the recipient is involved.

12. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the email signature agent is further configured to identify a first signature, from the list of signatures, that corresponds to a second recipient of the outgoing email and to append the first signature to the outgoing email for the second recipient, wherein the outgoing email is also addressed to the second recipient, wherein the first signature is different than the plurality of signatures.

13. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the condition associated with the outgoing email comprises the one or more temporal conditions associated with the outgoing email including one or more of a date and time at which the email is sent, holidays, seasons, time of day, meeting times, and events in a calendar associated with the sender.

14. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein:

the email signature agent configured to evaluate the at least one of the condition and the property associated with the outgoing email against the plurality of email signature rules comprises the email signature agent configured to compare the plurality of email signature rules to the one or more temporal conditions and the one or more social relationships, and

the email signature agent configured to determine that the at least two of the plurality of email signature rules are satisfied is based, at least in part, on the email signature agent comparing the plurality of email signature rules to the one or more temporal conditions and the one or more social relationships.

15. One or more non-transitory machine-readable storage media having stored therein a program product, which when executed a set of one or more processor units causes the set of one or more processor units to perform operations that comprise:

detecting a request to append a signature to an outgoing email, wherein the outgoing email is addressed from a sender to a recipient;

accessing a plurality of email signature rules for the sender;

evaluating at least one of a condition and a property associated with the outgoing email against the plurality of email signature rules;

determining that at least two of the plurality of email signature rules are satisfied based on said evaluating the at least one of the condition and the property associated with the outgoing mail against the plurality of email signature rules;

identifying, from a list of email signatures, a plurality of email signatures based, at least in part, on the at least two email signature rules that are satisfied;

generating a composite signature with the plurality of email signatures; and

appending the composite signature to the outgoing email.

16. The one or more non-transitory machine-readable storage media of claim 15, wherein said operation of evaluating the at least one of the condition and the property associated with the outgoing email against the plurality of email signature rule comprises:

comparing text in the outgoing email to text included in the plurality of email signature rules.

17. The one or more non-transitory machine-readable storage media of claim 15, wherein said operation of evaluating the at least one of the condition and the property associated with the outgoing email against the plurality of email signature rules further comprises at least one of:

determining one or more temporal conditions associated with the outgoing email; and

determining one or more social relationships associated with the recipient.

18. The one or more non-transitory machine-readable storage media of claim 17, wherein the condition associated with the outgoing email comprises the one or more temporal conditions associated with the outgoing email including one or more of a date and time at which the email is sent, holidays, seasons, time of day, meeting times, and events in a calendar associated with the sender.

19. The one or more non-transitory machine-readable storage media of claim 17, wherein the property associated with the outgoing email comprises the one or more social relationships associated with the recipient including one or more of the recipient'"'"'s relationship to the sender, and a social group with which the recipient is involved.

20. The one or more non-transitory machine-readable storage media of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise identifying a first signature, from the list of signatures, that corresponds to a second recipient of the outgoing email and appending the first signature to the outgoing email for the second recipient, wherein the outgoing email is also addressed to the second recipient, wherein the first signature is different than the plurality of signatures.