Methods and apparatuses for dynamically recognizing terms utilized within electronic mail messages

• US 8,571,187 B2
• Filed: 10/13/2006
• Issued: 10/29/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Chu, Wilson, Vitorino, Elena, Huang, Jimmy, Iijima, Richard
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Hemant
• Application Number:
  US11/549,549
• Publication Number:
  US 20080089496A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,573 Days
• Field of Search: 707/602, 707/603, 707706-757, 707769-780, 715/259, 455/556.2, 709217-219, 709201-203, 379 671- 8828, 37910001-10013, 37914204-14206, 37914213-14215, 379/201.01, 704270-278, 706 45- 61
• US Class Current: 379/88.23
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/42 Mailbox-related aspects, e.g. synchronisation of mailboxes

Abstract

In one embodiment, the methods and apparatuses detect a message; detect a message term within the message; search for a match between the message term and a stored term; and display a description based on the match wherein the description is utilized for describing the message term and the description corresponds with the stored term.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

detecting an electronic message;

detecting a message term within the electronic message;

searching for a match between the message term and a stored term in a database, wherein the database stores a plurality of stored terms and corresponding definitions;

in response to finding a match between the message term and the stored term in the database, displaying a definition from the database that corresponds to the stored term, wherein the definition defines the message term;

in response to not finding a match between the message term and the stored term in the database, determining whether a new definition corresponding to the message term should be added to the database based on whether the message term appears a threshold number of times in one or more electronic messages;

in response to determining that the new definition should be added based on the message term appearing a threshold number of times in the one or more electronic messages, forming the new definition based on analysis of a context of the message term within the electronic message and of a context of the message term when used within one or more electronic messages other than the message; and

, adding the new definition corresponding to the message term to the database.

2. The method according to claim 1 further comprising selecting the message term based on an input.

3. The method according to claim 2 wherein the input further comprises a cursor near the message term.

4. The method according to claim 2 wherein the input further comprises highlighting the message term.

5. The method according to claim 1 further comprising displaying a marked version of the message term based on the match between the message term and the stored term.

6. The method according to claim 5 wherein the marked version is the message term displayed as a highlighted term.

7. The method according to claim 5 wherein the marked version is the message term displayed as an underlined term.

8. The method according to claim 5 wherein the marked version is the message term displayed with as a different color than the electronic message.

9. The method according to claim 1 wherein the electronic message is an electronic mail message.

10. The method according to claim 1 wherein the electronic message is a textual message.

11. The method according to claim 1 wherein the message term is a textual representation.

12. The method according to claim 1 wherein the message term is a graphical representation.

19. The method according to claim 1, wherein the adding further comprises:

receiving approval of the new definition by a person reviewing the new definition.

13. A method comprising:

detecting a message term within an electronic message;

searching for an existing stored description associated with the message term;

determining the existing stored description is unavailable;

determining the message term appears a threshold number of times in one or more electronic messages;

in response to the message term appearing a threshold number of times in one or more electronic messages, forming a stored description associated with the message term based on analysis of a context of the message term within the electronic message and of a context of the message term when used within one or more electronic messages other than the message; and

storing the stored description in a profile.

14. The method according to claim 13 wherein the forming further comprises defining the stored description based, also, on analyzing one or more other electronic messages other than the electronic message that include the message term.

15. The method according to claim 13 wherein the forming further comprises defining the stored description based, also, on a database containing the message term.

16. A system, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory configured to store a plurality of software modules executable by the processor, the software modules including,

a message detection module configured to detect an electronic message,

a term detection module configured to detect a term within the electronic message,

a search term processor module configured to match the term with a stored term in a database, wherein the database stores a plurality of stored terms and corresponding definitions, and

an interface module configured to display a definition corresponding to the stored term, in response to a match being found between the term and the stored term in the database, the interface module further configured to determine a new definition of the term based on analysis of a context of the message term within the electronic message and of a context of the message term when used within one or more electronic messages other than the message and add the new definition to the database, in response to a match not being found between the term within the electronic message and the stored term and the term appearing a threshold number of times in one or more electronic mail messages.

17. The system according to claim 16 further comprising a storage module configured to store the stored term.

18. The system according to claim 16 further comprising a profile module configured to store the electronic message, the term, and the definition.