Message organization and spam filtering based on user interaction

• US 8,725,811 B2
• Filed: 12/29/2005
• Issued: 05/13/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Srivastava, Kumar S
• Primary Examiner(s): LIN, KENNY S
• Application Number:
  US11/275,412
• Publication Number:
  US 20070156886A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,057 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206, 709/207
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/109 Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/08 Annexed information, e.g. attachments
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/212 using filtering or selective blocking

Abstract

Embodiments of message organization and spam filtering based on user interaction are presented herein. In an implementation, user interaction with a plurality of messages in a user interface is monitored, which includes analyzing an amount of time spent by a user in interacting with each message. Subsequent messages may then be filtered based on the monitored user interaction. In another implementation, messages are processed that are received via a network using a spam filter that was generated based on monitored interaction of a user with previous messages. The processing results in a value describing a relative likelihood of importance of each of the processed message to the user. The processed messages are then arranged for display in an order, one to another, in a user interface based on respective values.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

monitoring, by a client device, a plurality of different user interactions in a user interface with a plurality of messages, wherein the monitoring includes analyzing an amount of time spent by a user in interacting with at least one message of the plurality of messages using the plurality of different user interactions over a lifetime of the at least one message;

determining, by the client device, a reputation value associated with a sender of the at least one message of the plurality of messages based at least in part on the monitoring, wherein the reputation value is used to identify subsequent messages that are likely spam;

publishing, by the client device, the reputation value to a reputation service;

receiving, by the client device, an aggregate of reputation values from the reputation service; and

filtering, by the client device, subsequent messages based at least in part on the aggregate of reputation values, wherein the filtering includes processing the subsequent messages using a spam filter generated based at least in part on the aggregate of reputation values to indicate whether the subsequent messages are likely sent by a spammer or a legitimate sender, wherein the spam filter is leveraged utilizing the aggregate of reputation values to determine an arrangement in an inbox folder such that a first subsequent message having a first reputation value indicating that the first subsequent message having a threshold level of importance is displayed before a second subsequent message having a second reputation value indicating that the second subsequent message is likely to be spam.

2. The method as described in claim 1, wherein the monitoring includes monitoring which folder is specified by the user for storing one or more of the plurality of messages.

3. The method as described in claim 1, wherein the monitoring includes monitoring whether network routing is specified by the user to communicate one or more of the plurality of messages.

4. The method as described in claim 3, wherein the network routing includes forwarding the at least one message or replying to the at least one message.

5. The method as described in claim 1, wherein the monitoring includes monitoring whether a follow-up indication is specified by the user for the at least one message.

6. The method as described in claim 5, wherein the follow-up indication is a flag that is selectable to cause the at least one message to be accessible using a particular folder in the user interface.

7. The method as described in claim 1, wherein the monitoring includes monitoring at least one rule specified by the user for processing the plurality of messages.

8. The method as described in claim 7, wherein the rule specifies criteria and an action to be performed on the at least one message that has the criteria.

9. The method as described in claim 1, wherein the filtering includes:

processing the subsequent messages to determine a relative likelihood of importance of each processed subsequent message to the user, wherein the first reputation value obtained from processing the subsequent messages indicates the relative likelihood of importance;

marking at least one of the processed subsequent messages with the first reputation value that describes a relative likelihood of importance and marking at least one of the processed subsequent messages with the second reputation value that indicates the processed subsequent message is spam; and

organizing the processed subsequent messages for display in the user interface based at least in part on the respective reputation values that describe the relative likelihood of importance of the processed subsequent messages and the respective reputation values that indicate the processed subsequent messages are spam.

10. The method as described in claim 9, wherein the organizing includes storing the processed subsequent messages in particular folders in the user interface, wherein storing includes placing at least one processed subsequent message marked as being spam in a folder for spam and placing at least one processed subsequent message in a questionable message folder, wherein the questionable message folder is configured to store processed subsequent messages which have not been identified as spam and have a low relative likelihood of importance.

11. The method as described in claim 9, wherein the organizing includes arranging the processed subsequent messages for display in an order, one to another, in the user interface based at least in part on the respective reputation values that describe the relative likelihood of importance of the processed subsequent messages and the respective reputation values that indicate the processed subsequent messages are spam.

12. A method comprising:

processing, by a client device, voicemail messages received through a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) network and email messages received through an additional network using a spam filter that was generated based at least in part on a plurality of different monitored interactions of a user in a user interface with previous voicemail messages and email messages, wherein the processing results in a reputation value associated with a sender of each of the voicemail messages and email messages, wherein the reputation value is used to identify subsequent voicemail messages and email messages that are likely spam and the reputation value is based at least in part on the plurality of different monitored interactions including a monitored amount of time spent interacting with at least one message;

publishing, by the client device, the reputation value to a reputation service;

receiving, by the client device, an aggregate of reputation values from the reputation service; and

arranging, by the client device, the processed voicemail messages and email messages for display in an order, one to another, in an inbox display pane of the user interface based at least in part on respective reputation values of the aggregate of reputation values, the arranging includes storing the processed voicemail messages and email messages in particular folders in the user interface, wherein the storing includes placing at least one processed voicemail message or one processed email message marked as being spam in a folder for spam and placing at least one processed voicemail message or one processed email message in a questionable message folder, wherein the questionable message folder stores processed voicemail messages and processed email messages which have not been identified as spam and have a low relative likelihood of importance.

13. The method as described in claim 12, wherein the processing is also performed by another spam filter that employs a reputation of the sender of a particular email message or voicemail message.

14. The method client device as described in claim 12, wherein the reputation value is associated with a scale bounded by a likelihood that a respective voicemail message or a respective email message is considered important to the user and a likelihood that the respective voicemail message or the respective email message is considered spam to the user.

15. The method as described in claim 12, wherein the plurality of different monitored interactions of the user with the previous voicemail messages and email messages is associated with:

an amount of time spent with at least one of the previous voicemail messages and email messages in one or more folders in the user interface;

the one or more folders in the user interface that is specified by the user for storing the at least one of the previous voicemail messages and email messages;

network routing that has been specified by the user to communicate the at least one of the previous voicemail messages and email messages;

a follow-up indication that has been specified by the user for the at least one of the previous voicemail messages and email messages; and

at least one rule specified by the user to process the at least one of the previous voicemail messages and email messages, wherein the rule specifies criteria and at least one action to be performed on the at least one of the previous voicemail messages and email messages having the criteria.

16. The method as described in claim 12, wherein the reputation value is based at least in part on the monitored amount of time spent interacting with the at least one message relative to a monitored amount of time spent interacting with at least one other message.

17. One or more computer-readable memory devices comprising computer executable instruction that, when executed by one or more processors, direct the one or more processors of a client device to perform acts comprising:

monitoring a plurality of different user interactions in a user interface with a plurality of email messages and a plurality of voicemail messages, wherein monitoring the user interactions includes analyzing an amount of time spent by each of the plurality of email messages and each of the plurality of voicemail messages in one or more folders in the user interface;

processing the plurality of email messages and the plurality of voicemail messages based at least in part on the monitoring to determine a reputation value associated with a sender of each of the plurality of email messages and each of the plurality of voicemail messages, wherein the reputation value is used to identify subsequent email messages and voicemail messages that are likely spam;

publishing the reputation value to a reputation service; and

responsive to receiving an aggregate of reputation values from the reputation service, filtering the plurality of email messages and the plurality of voicemail messages with a spam filter, generated based at least in part on the aggregate of reputation values, to determine one or more email messages and voicemail messages that are likely sent by a spammer or a legitimate sender, the aggregate of reputation values being utilized to determine an arrangement in an inbox folder such that a first message likely sent by the legitimate sender is displayed before a second message likely sent by the spammer.

18. The one or more computer-readable memory devices as described in claim 17, wherein monitoring the plurality of different user interactions further include monitoring:

a particular folder that is specified by the user for storing a respective email message or voicemail message;

whether network routing is specified by the user to communicate the respective email message or voicemail message;

whether a follow-up indication is specified by the user for the respective email message or voicemail message; and

at least one rule specified by the user for processing messages, wherein the rule specifies criteria and an action to be performed on the respective email message or voicemail message having the criteria.

19. The one or more computer-readable memory devices as described in claim 17, wherein at least one folder is configured as an inbox and another folder is configured to store email messages or voicemail messages for deletion.

20. The one or more computer-readable memory devices as described in claim 17, wherein the acts further comprise processing the subsequent email messages and voicemail messages based at least in part on the plurality of different user interactions and organizing the subsequent email messages and voicemail messages for display in the user interface.