Auto-resolve recipients cache

• US 8,122,092 B2
• Filed: 11/10/2008
• Issued: 02/21/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Tousignant, Patrick, Nalliah, Selvaraj, Seetharaman, Shivakumar, Zafar, Salman, Atwood, John Allen, Bolles, Gregory, Esteve Balducci, Juan Vicente, Resnick, Kevin
• Primary Examiner(s): Avellino, Joseph E.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Park, Jeong S
• Application Number:
  US12/268,322
• Publication Number:
  US 20100121922A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,198 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]

Abstract

In embodiments, mobile devices request and utilize recipient caches. Recipient caches store information regarding previous recipients of communications. The information on recipients includes when the recipient was last contacted and the frequency with which a recipient is contacted. In embodiments, a mobile device requests a recipient cache from a server. When a user types a string of text, the mobile device then uses the recipient cache as well as the contacts and emails on the mobile device and resolves a recipient list. In other embodiments, a recipient cache on a server is updated when a mobile device sends a message with new recipient information. In another embodiment, a server resolves conflicting messages by using recipient information.

Claims

1. A method of managing updates to a recipient cache on a server, the method comprising:

sending from a mobile device to a server a request for a first recipient source, wherein the recipient source includes a priority value and identifies a plurality of recipients, wherein each of the plurality of recipients is associated with a weight, and wherein the first recipient source comprises a recipient cache that includes a list of previously contacted recipients by an email application on the server;

receiving, at the mobile device, the recipient cache from the server;

receiving a string of text; and

retrieving a second recipient source comprised of local contact recipients and a third recipient source comprised of local email recipients stored at the mobile device;

based on the string of text, resolving the recipient list stored at the mobile device based on a combination of the weight, the priority value, and a marking factor, wherein the marking factor corresponds to a user input at the mobile device indicating that a marked recipient is ranked higher than a non-marked recipient, and wherein resolving further comprises;

prioritizing the first recipient source, the second recipient source, and the third recipient source based on the priority value associated with each of the recipient sources;

ranking the plurality of recipients for each recipient source based on the weight associated with each recipient; and

ranking the marked recipient based on the marking factor.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the recipient cache comprises an XML document listing the previously contacted recipients and information associated with the previously contacted recipients.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the recipient list can be restricted to allow for a limited number of recipients.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the recipients on the list are ranked based on weights assigned to each recipient in the list.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the recipients on the recipient list are prioritized based on the following order of preference:

from the recipient cache, recipients contacted by an email application on the mobile device, and contacts stored on the mobile device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the recipients on the recipient list are presented as aliases, formal names, or email addresses.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving the string of text comprises receiving the string of text from a user entering text into the mobile device.

8. A computer storage medium not consisting of a propagated data signal and encoding computer-executable instructions that, when executed, perform a method of managing updates to a recipient cache on a server, the method comprising:

sending from a mobile device to a server a request for a first recipient source, wherein the recipient source includes a priority value and identifies a plurality of recipients, wherein each of the plurality of recipients is associated with a weight, and wherein the first recipient source comprises a recipient cache that includes a list of previously contacted recipients by an email application on the server;

receiving, at the mobile device, the recipient cache from the server;

receiving a string of text; and

retrieving a second recipient source comprised of local contact recipients and a third recipient source comprised of local email recipients stored at the mobile device;

based on the string of text, resolving the recipient list stored at the mobile device based on a combination of the weight, the priority value, and a marking factor, wherein the marking factor corresponds to a user input at the mobile device indicating that a marked recipient is ranked higher than a non-marked recipient, and wherein resolving further comprises;

prioritizing the first recipient source, the second recipient source, and the third recipient source based on the priority value associated with each of the recipient sources;

ranking the plurality of recipients for each recipient source based on the weight associated with each recipient; and

ranking the marked recipient based on the marking factor.

9. The computer storage medium of claim 8, wherein the recipient cache comprises an XML document listing the previously contacted recipients and information associated with the previously contacted recipients.

10. The computer storage medium of claim 8, wherein the recipient list can be restricted to allow for a limited number of recipients.

11. The computer storage medium of claim 8, wherein the recipients on the list are ranked based on weights assigned to each recipient in the list.

12. The computer storage medium of claim 8, wherein the recipients on the recipient list are prioritized based on the following order of preference:

from the recipient cache, recipients contacted by an email application on the mobile device, and contacts stored on the mobile device.

13. The computer storage medium of claim 8, wherein the recipients on the recipient list are presented as aliases, formal names, or email addresses.

14. The computer storage medium of claim 8, wherein the receiving the string of text comprises receiving the string of text from a user entering text into the mobile device.

15. A computer system comprising:

a processor; and

a memory communicatively coupled to the processor, the memory having computer-executable instructions that when executed by the processor, provide a method of managing updates to a recipient cache on a server, the method comprising;

sending from a mobile device to a server a request for a first recipient source, wherein the recipient source includes a priority value and identifies a plurality of recipients, wherein each of the plurality of recipients is associated with a weight, and wherein the first recipient source comprises a recipient cache that includes a list of previously contacted recipients by an email application on the server;

receiving, at the mobile device, the recipient cache from the server;

receiving a string of text; and

retrieving a second recipient source comprised of local contact recipients and a third recipient source comprised of local email recipients stored at the mobile device;

based on the string of text, resolving the recipient list stored at the mobile device based on a combination of the weight, the priority value, and a marking factor, wherein the marking factor corresponds to a user input at the mobile device indicating that a marked recipient is ranked higher than a non-marked recipient, and wherein resolving further comprises;

prioritizing the first recipient source, the second recipient source, and the third recipient source based on the priority value associated with each of the recipient sources;

ranking the plurality of recipients for each recipient source based on the weight associated with each recipient; and

ranking the marked recipient based on the marking factor.

16. The computer system of claim 15, wherein the recipient cache comprises an XML document listing the previously contacted recipients and information associated with the previously contacted recipients.

17. The computer system of claim 15, wherein the recipient list can be restricted to allow for a limited number of recipients.

18. The computer system of claim 15, wherein the recipients on the list are ranked based on weights assigned to each recipient in the list.

19. The computer system of claim 15, wherein the recipients on the recipient list are prioritized based on the following order of preference:

from the recipient cache, recipients contacted by an email application on the mobile device, and contacts stored on the mobile device.