Automatic conversation techniques

• US 8,402,096 B2
• Filed: 06/24/2008
• Issued: 03/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Affronti, Michael, Brauninger, Andrew, Mccann, Robert Emmett, Edelen, James, Pereira, Jorge
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Ashok
• Assistant Examiner(s): Desrosiers, Evans
• Application Number:
  US12/144,642
• Publication Number:
  US 20090319619A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,729 Days
• Field of Search: 709204-207
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/216 Handling conversation history, e.g. grouping of messages in sessions or threads
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72436 for text messaging, e.g. short messaging services [SMS] or e-mails

Abstract

Automatic conversation techniques are described. An apparatus may comprise a computing device having an incoming message module operative to receive an incoming message, a conversation identification module communicatively coupled to the incoming message module, the conversation identification module operative to determine the incoming message is part of a conversation thread, and associate the incoming message with the conversation thread by setting a conversation identifier property of the incoming message to a conversation identifier for the conversation thread, and a conversation manager module communicatively coupled to the conversation identification module, the conversation manager module operative to determine a conversation rule is associated with the conversation thread, and apply the conversation rule to the incoming message. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving an incoming message;

determining the incoming message is part of a conversation thread comprising a plurality of stored messages;

associating the incoming message with the conversation thread by assigning the incoming message with a conversation identifier for the conversation thread;

creating a conversation rule for the conversation thread, the conversation rule being established once for the conversation thread;

storing the conversation rule for the conversation thread in a conversation action table, the conversation action table comprising a plurality of columns, the plurality of columns comprising at least a conversation identifier, a Boolean parameter to indicate whether the conversation rule is applied to the conversation identifier, information needed to implement the conversation rule, the information comprising at least a category name, and an expiration date and time to indicate when the conversation rule is to remain in force;

determining that the conversation rule is associated with the conversation thread;

applying the conversation rule to the incoming message; and

automatically applying the conversation rule to the plurality of stored messages in the conversation thread.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the incoming message as an e-mail message, a text message, a short message service message, a multimedia message server message, a voice message, or a video message.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein creating a conversation rule for the conversation thread, comprises creating an always delete conversation rule to automatically route the incoming message to a deleted items folder.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein creating a conversation rule for the conversation thread comprises creating an always move conversation rule to automatically route the incoming message to a target items folder.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein creating a conversation rule for the conversation thread comprises creating an always categorize conversation rule to automatically assign a category for the incoming message.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein associating the incoming message with the conversation thread further comprises at least one of:

determining that the incoming message includes an “

in-reply-to”

property specifying a value that corresponds to a value specified by a “

message identifier”

property of the at least one existing message in the conversation thread;

determining that the incoming message includes a “

references”

property specifying a value that corresponds to a value specified by the “

message identifier”

property of the at least one existing message in the conversation thread; and

determining that a normalized “

subject”

property of the incoming message corresponds to a normalized “

subject”

property of the at least one existing message in the conversation thread.

7. An article comprising a tangible computer-readable memory storage containing instructions that if executed by a computer system, enable the computer system to:

determine an incoming message is part of a conversation thread comprising a plurality of stored messages;

associate the incoming message with the conversation thread by assigning the incoming message with a conversation identifier for the conversation thread;

create a conversation rule for the conversation thread, the conversation rule being established once for the conversation thread;

store the conversation rule for the conversation thread in a conversation action table, the conversation action table comprising a plurality of columns, the plurality of columns comprising at least a conversation identifier, a Boolean parameter to indicate whether the conversation rule is applied to the conversation identifier, information needed to implement the conversation rule, the information comprising at least a category name, and an expiration date and time to indicate when the conversation rule is to remain in force;

retrieve a conversation rule associated with the conversation thread;

apply the conversation rule to the incoming message; and

automatically apply the conversation rule to the plurality of stored messages in the conversation thread.

8. The article of claim 7, wherein the conversation rule comprises an always delete conversation rule to automatically route the incoming message to a deleted items folder, an always move conversation rule to automatically route the incoming message to a target items folder, or an always categorize conversation rule to automatically assign a category for the incoming message.

9. An apparatus, comprising:

an incoming message module operative to receive an incoming message;

a conversation identification module communicatively coupled to the incoming message module, the conversation identification module operative to determine the incoming message is part of a conversation thread, and associate the incoming message with the conversation thread by setting a conversation identifier property of the incoming message to a conversation identifier, for the conversation thread, the conversation thread comprising a plurality of stored messages; and

a conversation manager module communicatively coupled to the conversation identification module, the conversation manager module operative to;

create a conversation rule for the conversation thread, the conversation rule being established once for the conversation thread;

store the conversation rule for the conversation thread in a conversation action table, the conversation action table comprising a plurality of columns, the plurality of columns comprising at least a conversation identifier, a Boolean parameter to indicate whether the conversation rule is applied to the conversation identifier, information needed to implement the conversation rule, the information comprising at least a category name, and an expiration date and time to indicate when the conversation rule is to remain in force;

determine that the conversation rule is associated with the conversation thread;

apply the conversation rule to the incoming message; and

automatically apply the conversation rule to the plurality of stored messages in the conversation thread.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, the messages comprising e-mail messages, text messages, short message service messages, multimedia message server messages, voice messages, or video messages.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the conversation rule comprises an always delete conversation rule to automatically route the incoming message to a deleted items folder, an always move conversation rule to automatically route the incoming message to a target items folder, or an always categorize conversation rule to automatically assign a category for the incoming message.

12. The apparatus of claim 9, comprising a message database communicatively coupled to the conversation manager module, the message database operative to store the plurality of messages for the conversation thread.