Electronic communication reminder technology

• US 8,046,418 B1
• Filed: 03/24/2011
• Issued: 10/25/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/24/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Denise, Jason Adam
• Primary Examiner(s): SHINGLES, KRISTIE D
• Application Number:
  US13/071,468
• Time in Patent Office: 215 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206, 709/207, 709/224
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/02 using automatic reactions or user delegation, e.g. automatic replies or chatbot-generated messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/224 providing notification on incoming messages, e.g. pushed notifications of received messages

Abstract

Techniques are described for providing reminders for electronic communications. For instance, response patterns of a user are determined by communication type based on monitoring past response behavior of the user and the response pattern data is stored for the user by communication type. After storing the response pattern data for the user by communication type, a particular communication that is for the user and that is initiated by a first sender is received. A type of the particular communication is determined and response pattern data associated with the determined type of the particular communication is accessed. A response reminder time for the particular communication is set based on the accessed response pattern data associated with the determined type of the particular communication.

Claims

1. An electronic messaging system comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium encoded with executable instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, causes the at least one processor to perform operations comprising;

receiving first and second electronic messages that are addressed to a particular user and that are from a first sender and a second sender, respectively, the first sender being different than the second sender;

accessing stored response pattern data for the particular user, the stored response pattern data having been generated based on past responses sent by the particular user to electronic messages previously received from the first and second senders;

determining to alert the particular user to the first electronic message to which the particular user has not yet responded based on the stored response pattern data for the particular user suggesting that the particular user has viewed electronic messages previously received from the first sender as being important, the stored response pattern data indicating that the particular user has responded to electronic messages previously received from the first sender at a first rate;

determining not to alert the particular user to the second electronic message to which the particular user has not yet responded based on the stored response pattern data for the particular user suggesting that the particular user has viewed electronic messages previously received from the second sender as being unimportant, the stored response pattern data indicating that the articular user has responded to electronic messages previously received from the second sender at a second rate that is lower than the first rate;

including the first electronic message in a first list displayed by the electronic messaging system based on the determination to alert the particular user to the first electronic message to which the particular user has not yet responded, the first list only including electronic messages determined to be important to the particular user;

including the second electronic message in a second list displayed by the electronic messaging system, but not the first list displayed by the electronic messaging system based on the determination not to alert the particular user to the second electronic message to which the particular user has not yet responded, the second list being separate from the first list; and

when the particular user begins using the electronic messaging system, causing display of the first list and the second list, and

enabling the particular user to delete, from the first list, the first electronic message and adjusting at least one criterion used in determining which electronic messages to include in the first list based on the particular user deleting the first electronic message from the first list.

2. The electronic messaging system of claim 1, wherein causing display of the first list and the second list comprises causing display of the first list separate from an electronic message inbox associated with the particular user that includes representations of the first electronic message and the second electronic message ordered based on a time of receipt of the first electronic message and the second electronic message.

3. The electronic messaging system of claim 1, wherein causing display of the first list and the second list comprises causing display of the first list that alerts the particular user to the first electronic message concurrently with the second list that includes the second electronic message.

4. The electronic messaging system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

after including the first electronic message in the first list displayed by the electronic messaging system, receiving a third electronic message that is addressed to the particular user, that is from the first sender, and that relates to a same subject as the first electronic message; and

causing display, in the first list, of a single entry for the first and third electronic messages from the first sender that relate to the same subject, the single entry including an indication of the first sender, an indication of the same subject, and an indication of a number of electronic messages corresponding to the single entry in the first list.

5. The electronic messaging system of claim 1, wherein the first list only includes electronic messages to which the particular user has not responded.

6. The electronic messaging system of claim 5, wherein the operations further comprise:

after including the first electronic message in the first list displayed by the electronic messaging system, receiving a third electronic message that is addressed to the particular user, that is from the first sender, and that relates to a same subject as the first electronic message; and

causing display of the first list without an entry for the first electronic message based on processing a response by the particular user to the third electronic message even though the particular user has not responded directly to the first electronic message and the first electronic message otherwise would be included in the first list that only includes electronic messages to which the particular user has not yet responded.

7. The electronic messaging system of claim 5, wherein the operations further comprise removing, from a display of the first list, the first electronic message included the first list based on processing a response by the particular user to the first electronic message.

8. The electronic messaging system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

after including the first electronic message in the first list displayed by the electronic messaging system, receiving a third electronic message that is addressed to the particular user, that is from the first sender, and that relates to a same subject as the first electronic message; and

advancing, in the first list, an entry corresponding to the first electronic message based on receiving the third electronic message from the first sender that relates to the same subject.

9. The electronic messaging system of claim 1:

wherein determining to alert the particular user to the first electronic message to which the particular user has not yet responded based on the stored response pattern data for the particular user suggesting that the particular user has viewed electronic messages previously received from the first sender as being relatively important comprises determining to alert the particular user to the first electronic message to which the particular user has not yet responded based on the first rate meeting a response rate threshold; and

wherein determining not to alert the particular user to the second electronic message to which the particular user has not yet responded based on the stored response pattern data for the particular user suggesting that the particular user has viewed electronic messages previously received from the second sender as being relatively unimportant comprises determining not to alert the particular user to the second electronic message to which the particular user has not yet responded based on the second rate not meeting the response rate threshold.

10. The electronic messaging system of claim 1:

wherein determining to alert the particular user to the first electronic message to which the particular user has not yet responded based on the stored response pattern data for the particular user suggesting that the particular user has viewed electronic messages previously received from the first sender as being relatively important comprises determining to alert the particular user to the first electronic message to which the particular user has not yet responded based on the first rate being higher than a response rate threshold; and

wherein determining not to alert the particular user to the second electronic message to which the particular user has not yet responded based on the stored response pattern data for the particular user suggesting that the particular user has viewed electronic messages previously received from the second sender as being relatively unimportant comprises determining not to alert the particular user to the second electronic message to which the particular user has not yet responded based on the second rate being lower than the response rate threshold.

11. A method comprising:

receiving, at a communication system that includes at least one hardware processor, first and second electronic messages that are addressed to a particular user and that are from a first sender and a second sender, respectively, the first sender being different than the second sender;

accessing, by the communication system, stored response pattern data for the particular user, the stored response pattern data having been generated based on past responses sent by the particular user to electronic messages previously received from the first and second senders;

determining, by the communication system, to alert the particular user to the first electronic message to which the particular user has not yet responded based on the stored response pattern data for the particular user suggesting that the particular user has viewed electronic messages previously received from the first sender as being important, the stored response pattern data indicating that the particular user has responded to electronic messages previously received from the first sender at a first rate;

determining, by the communication system, not to alert the particular user to the second electronic message to which the particular user has not yet responded based on the stored response pattern data for the particular user suggesting that the particular user has viewed electronic messages previously received from the second sender as being unimportant, the stored response pattern data indicating that the particular user has responded to electronic messages previously received from the second sender at a second rate that is lower than the first rate;

including, by the communication system, the first electronic message in a first list displayed by the electronic messaging system based on the determination to alert the particular user to the first electronic message to which the particular user has not yet responded, the first list only including electronic messages determined to be important to the particular user;

including, by the communication system, the second electronic message in a second list displayed by the electronic messaging system, but not the first list displayed by the electronic messaging system based on the determination not to alert the particular user to the second electronic message to which the particular user has not yet responded, the second list being separate from the first list;

when the particular user begins using the electronic messaging system, causing, by the communication system, display of the first list and the second list, and

enabling the particular user to delete, from the first list, the first electronic message and adjusting at least one criterion used in determining which electronic messages to include in the first list based on the particular user deleting the first electronic message from the first list.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein causing display of the first list and the second list comprises causing display of the first list separate from an electronic message inbox associated with the particular user that includes representations of the first electronic message and the second electronic message ordered based on a time of receipt of the first electronic message and the second electronic message.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein causing display of the first list and the second list comprises causing display of the first list that alerts the particular user to the first electronic message concurrently with the second list that includes the second electronic message.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the operations further comprise:

after including the first electronic message in the first list displayed by the electronic messaging system, receiving a third electronic message that is addressed to the particular user, that is from the first sender, and that relates to a same subject as the first electronic message; and

causing display, in the first list, of a single entry for the first and third electronic messages from the first sender that relate to the same subject, the single entry including an indication of the first sender, an indication of the same subject, and an indication of a number of electronic messages corresponding to the single entry in the first list.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the first list only includes electronic messages to which the particular user has not responded.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

after including the first electronic message in the first list displayed by the electronic messaging system, receiving a third electronic message that is addressed to the particular user, that is from the first sender, and that relates to a same subject as the first electronic message; and

causing display of the first list without an entry for the first electronic message based on processing a response by the particular user to the third electronic message even though the particular user has not responded directly to the first electronic message and the first electronic message otherwise would be included in the first list that only includes electronic messages to which the particular user has not yet responded.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising removing, from a display of the first list, the first electronic message included the first list based on processing a response by the particular user to the first electronic message.

18. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

after including the first electronic message in the first list displayed by the electronic messaging system, receiving a third electronic message that is addressed to the particular user, that is from the first sender, and that relates to a same subject as the first electronic message; and

advancing, in the first list, an entry corresponding to the first electronic message based on receiving the third electronic message from the first sender that relates to the same subject.

19. The method of claim 11:

wherein determining to alert the particular user to the first electronic message to which the particular user has not yet responded based on the stored response pattern data for the particular user suggesting that the particular user has viewed electronic messages previously received from the first sender as being relatively important comprises determining to alert the particular user to the first electronic message to which the particular user has not yet responded based on the first rate meeting a response rate threshold; and

wherein determining not to alert the particular user to the second electronic message to which the particular user has not yet responded based on the stored response pattern data for the particular user suggesting that the particular user has viewed electronic messages previously received from the second sender as being relatively unimportant comprises determining not to alert the particular user to the second electronic message to which the particular user has not yet responded based on the second rate not meeting the response rate threshold.

20. The method of claim 11:

wherein determining to alert the particular user to the first electronic message to which the particular user has not yet responded based on the stored response pattern data for the particular user suggesting that the particular user has viewed electronic messages previously received from the first sender as being relatively important comprises determining to alert the particular user to the first electronic message to which the particular user has not yet responded based on the first rate being higher than a response rate threshold; and

wherein determining not to alert the particular user to the second electronic message to which the particular user has not yet responded based on the stored response pattern data for the particular user suggesting that the particular user has viewed electronic messages previously received from the second sender as being relatively unimportant comprises determining not to alert the particular user to the second electronic message to which the particular user has not yet responded based on the second rate being lower than the response rate threshold.