Method and apparatus for message customization

• US 8,312,086 B2
• Filed: 06/29/2007
• Issued: 11/13/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Velusamy, Umashankar, Hughes, George Louis Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Backer, Firmin
• Assistant Examiner(s): ALGIBHAH, HAMZA N
• Application Number:
  US11/771,546
• Publication Number:
  US 20090006565A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,964 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/103 Formatting, i.e. changing of presentation of documents automatic justification G06F40/189; automatic line break hyphenation G06F40/191
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/186 Templates
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/289 Phrasal analysis, e.g. finite state techniques or chunking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]

Abstract

Disclosed is an apparatus for customizing messages. The apparatus includes a communications unit and a processing unit. The communications unit can be configured to receive a message from a sender and intended for one or more target recipients. The communications unit can also be configured to receive one or more message customization indicators that are from either or both of the sender and respective ones of the target recipients. The message customization indicators are respectively related to identifying characteristics of the respective target recipients and the sender when provided by the sender and respective ones of the target recipients. The processing unit can be configured to cause respective output versions of the message to be outputted to the target recipients, each respective output version being output in a format consistent with the message customization indicators and at least one of the respective output versions being different from another of the respective output versions. Also disclosed are corresponding methods and computer program products.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a communications unit to;

receive a message and one or more message customization indicators, the message being received from a sender and intended for one or more target recipients, and the one or more message customization indicators being received from the sender and at least one target recipient of the one or more target recipients, a first one of the one or more message customization indicators, received from the sender, identifying characteristics of the one or more target recipients, and a second one of the one or more message customization indicators, received from the at least one target recipient, identifying characteristics of the sender, and

receive a message request from respective ones of the one or more target recipients; and

a processing unit to;

generate, based on the one or more message customization indicators and based on the communications unit receiving the message request from the respective ones of the one or more target recipients, respective output versions of the message,

when generating the respective output versions of the message, the processing unit is to;

change language of text included in the message for the at least one target recipient, and

form a summary of a portion of text included in the message for at least another target recipient of the one or more target recipients, and

cause the communications unit to send the respective output versions of the message to the respective ones of the one or more target recipients, each of the respective output versions of the message including a displayable text portion comprising a visual appearance associated with a respective message customization indicator of the one or more message customization indicators, and the displayable text portion of at least one of the respective output versions of the message comprising a visual appearance that is different from a visual appearance of the displayable text portion of another one of the respective output versions of the message.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a memory unit in communication with the communications unit and the processing unit,

where the communications unit is to receive the one or more message customization indicators separately from the message, and

where the memory unit is to store the one or more message customization indicators.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, where, when generating the respective output versions of the message, the processing unit is configured further to one or more of:

hide a portion of text included in the message, highlight a portion of text included in the message, modify text font of text included in the message, or add a salutation to the message,

where, when forming the summary, the processing unit is to;

rearrange the portion of text included in the message to form the summary,

abbreviate the portion of text included in the message to form the summary, or

condense the portion of text included in the message to form the summary.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, where the communications unit is to receive the one or more message customization indicators with the message.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, where the characteristics of the at least one target recipient include one or more of:

information identifying an identity of the at least one target recipient, information identifying a group associated with the at least one target recipient, Internet Protocol address information associated with the at least one target recipient, or electronic mail address information associated with the at least one target recipient; and

where the characteristics of the sender include one or more of;

an identity of the sender, information identifying a group associated with the sender, Internet Protocol address information associated with the sender, or electronic mail address information associated with the sender.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, where the communications unit is to associate each of the one or more target recipients with a respective one of the one or more message customization indicators.

7. A method comprising:

receiving a message and one or more message customization indicators, the message being received from a sender device and intended for one or more target devices, and the one or more message customization indicators being received from the sender device and at least one target device of the one or more target devices, a first one of the one or more message customization indicators, received from the sender device, identifying characteristics of the one or more target devices, and a second one of the one or more message customization indicators, received from the at least one target device, identifying characteristics of the sender device;

receiving a message request from respective ones of the one or more target devices;

generating, based on the one or more message customization indicators and based on receiving the message request from the respective ones of the one or more target devices, respective output versions of the message for the respective ones of the one or more target devices,

generating the respective output versions of the message including at least one of;

changing language of text included in the message for at least another target device of the one or more target devices, or

forming a summary of a portion of text included in the message for the at least one target device; and

sending, to the respective ones of the one or more target devices, the respective output versions of the message, a displayable text portion, each of the respective output versions of the message, being in a format specified by a respective message customization indicator of the one or more message customization indicators, and the displayable text portion, of at least one of the respective output versions of the message, being in a format that differs from a format of the displayable text portion of at least another one of the respective output versions of the message.

8. The method according to claim 7, where receiving the message and the one or more message customization indicators comprises:

receiving the one or more message customization indicators separately from the message.

9. The method according to claim 7, where generating the respective output versions of the message further includes:

hiding a portion of the text included in the message, highlighting a portion of the text included in the message, modifying text font of the text included in the message, adding a salutation to the message, or adding attachments to the message, and

where forming the summary includes at least one of;

condensing the portion of the text included in the message to form the summary,

rearranging the portion of text included in the message to form the summary, or

abbreviating the portion of text included in the message to form the summary.

10. The method according to claim 7, where receiving the message and the one or more message customization indicators includes receiving the message with the one or more message customization indicators.

11. The method according to claim 7, where the characteristics of the at least one target device include one or more of:

information identifying a user of the at least one target device, information identifying a group associated with the user of the at least one target device, Internet Protocol address information associated with the at least one target device, or electronic mail address information associated with the user of the at least one target device; and

where the characteristics of the sender device include one or more of;

information identifying a user of the sender device, information identifying a group associated with the user of the sender device, Internet Protocol address information associated with the sender device, or electronic mail address information associated with the user of the sender device.

12. The method according to claim 7, where receiving the one or more message customization indicators includes:

associating each of the one or more target devices with a respective one of the one or more message customization indicators.

13. A memory device comprising:

a plurality of instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to;

receive a message and one or more message customization indicators, the message being received from a sender and intended for one or more target recipients, and the one or more message customization indicators being received from the sender and a target recipient of the one or more target recipients, a first one of the one or more message customization indicators, received from the sender, identifying characteristics of the one or more target recipients, and a second one of the one or more message customization indicators, received from the target recipient, identifying characteristics of the sender;

receive a message request from respective ones of the one or more target recipients;

generate, based on the one or more message customization indicators and based on receiving the message request from the respective ones of the one or more target devices, respective output versions of the message for the respective ones of the one or more target devices,

one or more instructions, of the plurality of instructions, to generate the respective output versions of the message including;

one or more instructions to change language of text included in the message for at least another target device of the one or more target devices, and

one or more instructions to form a summary of a portion of text included in the message for the at least one target device; and

send, to the respective ones of the one or more target recipients, the respective output versions of the message, each of the respective output versions of the message including a displayable text portion comprising a visual appearance in a format specified by a respective message customization indicator of the one or more message customization indicators, and the displayable text portion of at least one of the respective output versions of the message comprising a visual appearance that is different from a visual appearance of the displayable text portion of another one of the respective output versions of the message.

14. The memory device of claim 13, further comprising one or more instructions to:

receive the one or more message customization indicators separately from the message.

15. The memory device of claim 13, where the one or more instructions to generate the respective output versions of the message further include one or more instructions to one or more of:

hide a text portion of text included in the message, highlight a text portion of text included in the message, modify text font of text included in the message, or add a salutation to the message,

where the one or more instructions to form the summary include;

one or more instructions to rearrange the portion of text included in the message to form the summary,

one or more instructions to abbreviate the portion of text included in the message to form the summary, or

one or more instructions to condense the portion of text included in the message to form the summary.

16. The memory device of claim 13, further comprising one or instructions to:

receive the one or more message customization indicators with the message.

17. The memory device of claim 13, where the characteristics of the target recipient include one or more of:

information identifying the target recipient, information identifying a group associated with the target recipient, Internet Protocol address information associated with the target recipient, or electronic mail address information associated with the target recipient,

where the characteristics of the sender include one or more of;

information identifying the sender, information identifying a group associated with the sender, Internet Protocol address information associated with the sender, or electronic mail address information associated with the sender.

18. The memory device of claim 13, further comprising one or more instructions to associate each of the one or more target recipients with a respective one of the one or more message customization indicators.