System and method for opportunistic image sharing

• US 8,606,854 B2
• Filed: 01/08/2008
• Issued: 12/10/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/08/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Serlet, Bertrand Philippe
• Primary Examiner(s): Ho, Andy
• Application Number:
  US11/970,644
• Publication Number:
  US 20080216092A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,163 Days
• Field of Search: 709/204, 709/206
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/02 using automatic reactions or user delegation, e.g. automatic replies or chatbot-generated messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/18 Commands or executable codes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/23 Reliability checks, e.g. acknowledgments or fault reporting

Abstract

A system for requesting data from another includes means for automatically appending a request for certain information to an outgoing message. In one embodiment, an e-mail editor provides the sender-user with an option for causing the email to include a request for missing or desired contact information, such as a picture. The appended request may be in the form of an added e-mail header, e.g. “I need your picture.” On the receiving side of the email, the incoming messages may be parsed for such requests. Any requests that are found in incoming email may be remembered by the receiving system using a dedicated data structure or some indications (e.g. flags) in an existing data structure. When email is composed on the receiving system, the “remembered” request information may be used to facilitate responses to pending requests. In this manner, email correspondents may opportunistically use their email traffic to maintain updated information regarding each other.

Claims

1. A process for obtaining certain data comprising:

displaying, during the composition by a user of a first message in an outgoing electronic communication, a request for user input concerning appending a request for certain data to the outgoing electronic communication; and

appending, in response to user selection, a second message comprising a pre-selected request for the certain data to the outgoing electronic communication.

2. A process as recited in claim 1 wherein the electronic communication is e-mail.

3. A process as recited in claim 2 wherein the pre-selected request is contained in the header of the e-mail communication.

4. A process as recited in claim 1 wherein the requested data is image data.

5. A process as recited in claim 4 wherein the image data is a photograph of the intended recipient of the outgoing electronic communication.

6. A process as recited in claim 1 further comprising automatically determining whether the intended recipient of the first message in the outgoing electronic communication has a pending request for data from the user.

7. A process as recited in claim 6 further comprising automatically adding the requested data to the outgoing electronic communication if the intended recipient of the outgoing electronic communication has a pending request for data from the user.

8. A process as recited in claim 6 further comprising prompting the user to add the requested data to the outgoing electronic communication if the intended recipient of the outgoing electronic communication has a pending request for data from the user.

9. A process as recited in claim 1 further comprising automatically determining whether data associated with the intended recipient of the outgoing electronic communication is stored in a data repository accessible by the user.

10. A process as recited in claim 9 further comprising automatically determining whether certain data associated with the intended recipient of the outgoing electronic communication is missing from data stored in a data repository accessible by the user.

11. A process as recited in claim 10 further comprising automatically adding a request for missing data to the outgoing electronic communication.

12. A process as recited in claim 10 further comprising prompting the user to add a request for missing data to the outgoing electronic communication.

13. A process as recited in claim 9 further comprising automatically determining whether certain data associated with the intended recipient of the outgoing electronic communication and stored in a data repository accessible by the user has been stored for more than a pre-selected time interval.

14. A process as recited in claim 13 further comprising automatically adding a request for data that has been stored for more than a pre-selected time interval to the outgoing electronic communication.

15. A process as recited in claim 13 further comprising prompting the user to add a request for data that has been stored for more than a pre-selected time interval to the outgoing electronic communication.

16. A process as recited in claim 15 further comprising automatically adding a pre-selected request for data to the outgoing electronic communication in response to user action.

17. A process as recited in claim 16 wherein the pre-selected request is in the form of an e-mail header.

18. A process as recited in claim 16 wherein the pre-selected request is determined by the type of data that has been stored for more than a pre-selected time interval.

19. A process as recited in claim 15 wherein prompting the user comprises displaying a dialog box on a display device.

20. A method for requesting data comprising the steps of:

providing an option for sender-user composing a first message in an email, the option allowing the sender-user to cause an information request to be included with the email;

automatically including a second message comprising the information request in the email, in response to an indication by the sender-user; and

sending the email containing the first message and the second message to a recipient indicated by the sender-user.

21. The method of claim 20 further comprising the step of examining a local data store in order to determine missing information regarding the recipient.

22. The method of claim 20 further comprising the step of examining a local data store in order to determine desirable information regarding the recipient.

23. The method of claim 20 wherein the option is a button.

24. The method of claim 20 wherein the information request is included in an email header.