Creation and suggestion of contact distribution lists

• US 8,677,251 B2
• Filed: 05/30/2008
• Issued: 03/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Kwok, Alton, Sisk, Stephen DeWitt, Czeisler, Adam C., Abrahams, Steven Karl
• Primary Examiner(s): England, Sara
• Assistant Examiner(s): BADAWI, ANGIE M
• Application Number:
  US12/130,896
• Publication Number:
  US 20090300546A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,118 Days
• Field of Search: 715/752
• US Class Current: 715/752
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]

Abstract

Techniques described herein allow for suggesting creation of distribution lists and suggesting use of distribution lists once they have been created. For instance, these techniques may track a frequency with which contacts (e.g., email addresses, phone numbers, screen names, etc.) are used with one another. The techniques may then suggest that a user create a distribution list that includes those contacts. Furthermore, once a contact has been associated with a particular distribution list, these techniques may suggest that a user send a message to this distribution list in response to the user selecting the contact (rather than the list) as a destination of the message.

Claims

1. One or more computer-readable devices storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed on one or more processors, perform acts comprising:

tracking, for each email address of a group of email addresses, a frequency with which a user exchanges messages with a respective email address and each other email address of the group of email addresses;

responsive to tactilely selecting a pictorial icon associated with the respective email address;

entering the respective email address into an address well of a message window;

determining a previously-created email distribution list that includes the respective email address;

causing display of a menu that includes corresponding pictorial icons associated with at least;

a portion of the email addresses of the group of email addresses, the portion being selected based at least in part on the tracked frequency between the respective email address and each email address of the portion; and

the previously-created email distribution list that includes the respective email address; and

responsive to tactilely selecting one or more of the corresponding pictorial icons associated with one or more email addresses of the portion of the email addresses;

determining one or more previously-created email distribution lists that include both the respective email address and the one or more email addresses of the portion of the email addresses; and

causing display of the menu or a different menu that includes one or more pictorial icons associated with a corresponding one of the one or more previously-created email distribution lists that include both the respective email address and the one or more email addresses of the portion of the email addresses.

2. One or more computer-readable devices as recited in claim 1, further storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed on the one or more processors, perform an act comprising:

responsive to the tactilely selecting the one or more of the corresponding pictorial icons associated with the one or more email addresses of the portion of the email addresses;

determining at least one additional email address of the group of email addresses based in part on a determined frequency with which the user exchanges messages with the combination of the respective email address, the one or more email addresses of the portion of the email addresses and the at least one additional email address; and

causing display of the menu or the different menu that includes at least one pictorial icon associated with the at least one additional email address.

3. One or more computer-readable devices as recited in claim 1, further storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed on the one or more processors, perform an act comprising:

responsive to tactilely selecting the pictorial icon associated with the previously-created email distribution list, entering the previously-created email distribution list or each email address of the previously-created email distribution list into the address well of the message window.

4. One or more computer-readable devices as recited in claim 1, wherein the previously-created email distribution list is a first distribution list, and further storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed on the one or more processors, perform an act comprising:

suggesting creation of a second distribution list by displaying an icon that, when selected, displays corresponding pictorial icons associated with a list of email addresses to select to include in the second distribution list, the list of email addresses being populated based on the tracked frequency with which the user exchanges messages with the respective email address and each other email address of the group of email addresses.

5. One or more computer-readable devices storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed on one or more processors, perform acts comprising:

tracking, for a first contact of a group of contacts, a frequency that the first contact is used together in a communication with each other contact of the group of contacts;

responsive to tactilely selecting a pictorial icon associated with the first contact;

entering an email address of the first contact into an address well of a message window;

determining one or more previously-created distribution lists having the first contact as a member;

causing display of a menu that includes corresponding pictorial icons associated with at least;

a portion of contacts of the group of contacts, the portion being selected based at least in part on the tracked frequency between the first contact and each contact of the group of contacts; and

the one or more previously-created distribution lists having the first contact as a member;

suggesting creation of a distribution list that includes the first contact and the portion of contacts of the group of contacts;

responsive to tactilely selecting at least one pictorial icon associated with at least one contact of the portion of contacts;

determining a previously-created joint distribution list having as members both the first contact and the at least one contact of the portion of contacts; and

causing display of the menu or a different menu that includes a pictorial icon associated with the previously-created joint distribution list.

6. One or more computer-readable devices as recited in claim 5, further storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed on the one or more processors, perform an act comprising:

responsive to tactilely selecting the pictorial icon associated with the first contact for use in a communication, suggesting for inclusion in the communication a second contact of the group of contacts at least in part based on the tracked frequency between the first contact and the second contact.

7. One or more computer-readable devices as recited in claim 5, wherein the suggesting the creation of the distribution list comprises displaying an icon that, when selected, displays pictorial icons associated with a list of contacts to select to include in the distribution list, the list of contacts being determined based on the tracked frequency between the first contact and each other contact on the list of contacts.

8. One or more computer-readable devices as recited in claim 5, wherein the first contact is represented by a first email address and each of the other contacts being represented by an email address, the tracking of the frequency comprises tracking a frequency that emails are exchanged with the first email address and each other email address of the group of contacts.

9. One or more computer-readable devices as recited in claim 5, further storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed on the one or more processors, perform acts comprising:

tracking, for each other contact of the group of contacts, a frequency that the respective contact is used together in a communication with each other contact of the group of contacts; and

responsive to the respective contact being selected for use in a communication, suggesting creation of a distribution list that includes the respective contact and one or more other contacts of the group of contacts determined, at least in part, on the tracked frequency between the respective contact and each other contact of the group of contacts.

10. One or more computer-readable devices as recited in claim 5, further storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed on the one or more processors, perform acts comprising:

tracking, for a second contact of the group of contacts, a frequency that the second contact is used together in a communication with each other contact of the group of contacts; and

responsive to the first contact and the second contact being selected for use in a communication, suggesting for inclusion in the communication a third contact of the group of contacts at least in part based on the tracked frequency between the first contact and the third contact and the tracked frequency between the second contact and the third contact.

11. One or more computer-readable devices as recited in claim 5, further storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed on the one or more processors, perform acts comprising:

creating a distribution list that includes the first contact and one or more other contacts of the group of contacts;

receiving a selection of the first contact as a destination for a communication;

determining one or more previously-created distribution lists having the first contact and a second contact as members; and

suggesting the one or more previously-created distribution lists that includes the first contact, the second contact and one or more other contacts of the group of contacts as a destination for the communication responsive to the receiving of the selection of the first contact.

12. One or more computing devices comprising:

one or more processors; and

the one or more computer-readable devices storing the computer-executable instructions as recited in claim 5.

13. A method comprising:

tracking, for each email address of a group of email addresses, a frequency with which messages are exchanged with a respective email address and each other email address of the group of email addresses;

responsive to tactilely selecting a pictorial icon associated with the respective email address;

entering the respective email address into an address well of a message window;

determining a previously-created email distribution list that includes the respective email address;

causing display of a menu that includes corresponding pictorial icons associated with at least;

a portion of the email addresses of the group of email addresses, the portion being selected based at least in part on the tracked frequency between the respective email address and each email address of the portion; and

the previously-created email distribution list that includes the respective email address; and

responsive to tactilely selecting one or more of the corresponding pictorial icons associated with one or more email addresses of the portion of the email addresses;

determining one or more previously-created email distribution lists that include both the respective email address and the one or more email addresses of the portion of the email addresses; and

causing display of the menu or a different menu that includes one or more pictorial icons associated with a corresponding one of the one or more previously-created email distribution lists that include both the respective email address and the one or more email addresses of the portion of the email addresses.

14. The method as recited in claim 13, further comprising:

responsive to the tactilely selecting the one or more of the corresponding pictorial icons associated with the one or more email addresses of the portion of the email addresses;

determining at least one additional email address of the group of email addresses based in part on a determined frequency with which messages are exchanged with the combination of the respective email address, the one or more email addresses of the portion of the email addresses and the at least one additional email address; and

causing display of the menu or the different menu that includes at least one pictorial icon associated with the at least one additional email address.

15. The method as recited in claim 13, further comprising:

responsive to tactilely selecting the pictorial icon associated with the previously-created email distribution list, entering the previously-created email distribution list or each email address of the previously-created email distribution list into the address well of the message window.

16. The method as recited in claim 13, wherein the previously-created email distribution list is a first distribution list, and the method further comprising suggesting creation of a second distribution list by displaying an icon that, when selected, displays corresponding pictorial icons associated with a list of email addresses to select to include in the second distribution list, the list of email addresses being populated based on the tracked frequency with which messages are exchanged with the respective email address and each other email address of the group of email addresses.

17. One or more computing devices comprising:

one or more processors; and

one or more computer-readable devices storing computer-executable instructions to implement the method as recited in claim 13.