System and method for displaying message-related relationships

• US 8,400,944 B2
• Filed: 07/23/2012
• Issued: 03/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/28/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nuix North America Inc. (Nuix Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: FTI Consulting Technology LLC (FTI Consulting Incorporated)
• Inventors: Robinson, Eric M., Walter, Edward L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Zhou, Yong
• Application Number:
  US13/556,181
• Publication Number:
  US 20120290672A1
• Time in Patent Office: 239 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/254
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/234 for tracking messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/52 for supporting social networking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/104 Peer-to-peer [P2P] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface

Abstract

A system and method for displaying message-related relationships is provided. Messages are analyzed by identifying entities associated with each message, wherein the entities include senders and recipients of the messages and by accumulating a number of messages communicated between each sender and each recipient. A social network is created by connecting one or more of the senders and recipients via a link based on the number of messages communicated between that sender and that recipient. A semantic network is generated from concepts of the messages. The social network and the semantic network are simultaneously displayed.

Claims

1. A system for displaying message-related relationships, comprising:

an analysis module to analyze messages, comprising;

an entity identification module to identify entities associated with each message, wherein the entities comprise senders and recipients of the messages; and

a communication module to accumulate a number of messages communicated between each sender and each recipient;

a social network generator to create a social network by connecting one or more of the senders and recipients via a link based on the number of messages communicated between that sender and that recipient;

a semantic network generator to generate a semantic network comprising concepts of the messages; and

a display module to simultaneously display the social network and the semantic network.

2. A system according to claim 1, further comprising:

an association module to associate all known addresses for each entity; and

an identification module to identify the messages with the known addresses as associated with that entity.

3. A system according to claim 1, wherein each entity comprises one of an individual and a corporation.

4. A system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a reduction module to reduce the social network based on one or more of the concepts selected from the semantic network by a user.

5. A system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a representation module to represent each entity as a node in the social network; and

a determination module to determine a size of the node for each entity based on a number of different concepts contained in at least one of the messages sent by that entity and received by that entity.

6. A system according to claim 1, further comprising:

an indicator module to assign to each link, a visual indicator representing the number of messages.

7. A system according to claim 1, further comprising at least one of:

a visual indicator module to increase a size of the link as the number of messages communicated increases and to decrease the size of the link as the number of messages decreases.

8. A system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a visual indicator module to assign a color to at least one of the links representing a flow of one or more messages from the sender to the recipient and to assign a further color to the at least one link representing a flow of one or more messages from the recipient to the sender.

9. A system according to claim 1, further comprising:

an identification module to identify one of the links selected by a user; and

to present at least one of the messages that is communicated between the sender and the recipient connected by the identified link.

10. A system according to claim 9, further comprising:

a presentation module to present the concepts included in the identified messages.

11. A method for displaying message-related relationships, comprising:

analyzing messages, comprising;

identifying entities associated with each message, wherein the entities comprise senders and recipients of the messages; and

accumulating a number of messages communicated between each sender and each recipient;

creating a social network by connecting one or more of the senders and recipients via a link based on the number of messages communicated between that sender and that recipient;

generating a semantic network comprising concepts of the messages; and

simultaneously displaying the social network and the semantic network.

12. A method according to claim 11, further comprising:

associating all known addresses for each entity; and

identifying the messages with the known addresses as associated with that entity.

13. A method according to claim 11, wherein each entity comprises one of an individual and a corporation.

14. A method according to claim 11, further comprising:

reducing the social network based on one or more of the concepts selected from the semantic network by a user.

15. A method according to claim 11, further comprising:

representing each entity as a node in the social network; and

determining a size of the node for each entity based on a number of different concepts contained in at least one of the messages sent by that entity and received by that entity.

16. A method according to claim 11, further comprising:

assigning to each link, a visual indicator representing the number of messages.

17. A method according to claim 11, further comprising at least one of:

increasing a size of the link as the number of messages communicated increases; and

decreasing the size of the link as the number of messages decreases.

18. A method according to claim 11, further comprising:

assigning a color to at least one of the links representing a flow of one or more messages from the sender to the recipient; and

assigning a further color to the at least one link representing a flow of one or more messages from the recipient to the sender.

19. A method according to claim 11, further comprising:

identifying one of the links selected by a user; and

presenting at least one of the messages that is communicated between the sender and the recipient connected by the identified link.

20. A method according to claim 19, further comprising:

presenting the concepts included in the identified messages.