Methods, apparatuses, and computer program products for analyzing communication relationships

• US 8,775,543 B2
• Filed: 05/13/2008
• Issued: 07/08/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: WSOU Investments, LLC (WSOU Holdings, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Jun, Guo, Zhanjiang, Song, Xia, Wang, Yibin, Zhang
• Primary Examiner(s): Hussain, Tauqir
• Assistant Examiner(s): WIDHALM, ANGELA M
• Application Number:
  US12/119,947
• Publication Number:
  US 20090287813A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,247 Days
• Field of Search: 709206-207
• US Class Current: 709/207
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34

Abstract

An apparatus may include a processor configured to store a record of communications with a remote device. The processor may be further configured to calculate one or more values representative of a communication relationship with the remote device over a period of time based at least in part upon the stored record of communications. The processor may be additionally configured to determine a communication relationship pattern based upon the one or more calculated values.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

calculating one or more values representative of a communication relationship with a remote device over a period of time based at least in part upon a stored record of communications with the remote device, wherein at least one of the one or more values comprises a length of time between the time of a rejected communication event received from the remote device and a time at which a return communication event is directed to the remote device;

determining, by a processor, a communication relationship pattern based at least in part upon the one or more calculated values;

determining whether the determined communication relationship pattern falls outside of a target communication relationship pattern defined for the remote device or a user of the remote device;

causing an indication to be provided in an instance in which it is determined that the determined communication relationship pattern falls outside of the target communication relationship pattern;

in an instance in which a communication is received from the remote device, determining an annunciation to provide based at least in part upon the determined communication relationship pattern and causing the determined annunciation to be provided as an annunciation of the communication received from the remote device, wherein the determined annunciation is provided even in an instance in which the determined communication pattern falls outside of the target communication relationship pattern; and

causing an indication of the determined communication relationship pattern to be displayed on a display, wherein causing an indication of the determined relationship pattern to be displayed comprises causing a contact representing the remote device to be displayed in a position in a contacts list defined based on the determined communication relationship pattern.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein calculating one or more values representative of a communication relationship comprises one or more of:

calculating an intensity value representative of an intensity of communications with the remote device over a period of time;

calculating a balance value between outgoing and incoming communications with the remote device over a period of time;

or

calculating a communication relationship behavior value based at least in part upon the intensity and balance values.

3. A method according to claim 2, wherein calculating an intensity value comprises calculating a length of time based at least in part upon a total length of phone calls with the remote device over the period of time added to a number of messages exchanged with the remote device over the period of time multiplied by a time constant.

4. A method according to claim 2, wherein calculating a balance value comprises adding a first ratio of outgoing to incoming phone calls with the remote device multiplied by a first constant to a second ratio of outgoing to incoming messages exchanged with the remote device multiplied by a second constant.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein the determined communication relationship pattern comprises one of equal and frequent communication, equal and infrequent communication, active and frequent communication, active and infrequent communication, passive and frequent communication, or passive and infrequent communication.

6. A method according to claim 1, wherein the communications with the remote device comprises phone calls, short message service (SMS) messages, multimedia messaging service (MMS) messages, instant messages(IM), e-mails, or file sharing.

7. A method according to claim 1, wherein the record of communications comprises a listing of communications with the remote device for each type of communication exchanged with the remote device, wherein each listing comprises one or more of records of communication events along with associated information about the communication events.

8. A method according to claim 1, wherein the record of communications comprises a database comprising indications of communication times and indications of whether communications were incoming or outgoing.

9. A method according to claim 1, wherein causing annunciation of the communication received from the remote device comprises causing annunciation of the communication received from the remote device with a ringing tone associated with the determined communication relationship pattern.

10. A method according to claim 1, wherein causing annunciation of the communication received from the remote device comprises causing display of an indication of the determined communication relationship pattern along with an identification of one or more of the remote device or a user of the remote device as a notification of the communication received from the remote device.

11. A method according to claim 1, further comprising, in an instance in which it is determined that the determined communication relationship pattern falls outside of the target communication relationship pattern:

determining an action that may be taken to help restore the determined communication relationship pattern to the target communication relationship pattern; and

causing the determined action to be provided as a suggestion.

12. A method according to claim 2, wherein determining the communication relationship pattern comprises determining the communication relationship pattern further based on a first value defined as the average intensity value for all contacts and at least one second value defined as an average balance value for a plurality of contacts in addition to the one or more calculated values representative of the communication relationship with the remote device.

13. A computer program product comprising at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable program code portions stored therein, the computer-readable program code portions comprising:

a program code portion configured to calculate one or more values representative of a communication relationship with a remote device over a period of time based at least in part upon a stored record of communications with the remote device, wherein at least one of the one or more values comprises a length of time between the time of a rejected communication event received from the remote device and a time at which a return communication event is directed to the remote device;

a program code portion configured to determine a communication relationship pattern based at least in part upon the one or more calculated values;

a program code portion configured to determine whether the determined communication relationship pattern falls outside of a target communication relationship pattern defined for the remote device or a user of the remote device;

a program code portion configured to cause an indication to be provided in an instance in which it is determined that the determined communication relationship pattern falls outside of the target communication relationship pattern;

a program code portion configured, in an instance in which a communication is received from the remote device, to determine an annunciation to provide based at least in part upon the determined communication relationship pattern and causing the determined annunciation to be provided as an annunciation of the communication received from the remote device, wherein the determined annunciation is provided even in an instance in which the determined communication pattern falls outside of the target communication relationship pattern; and

a program code portion configured to cause an indication of the determined communication relationship pattern to be displayed on a display, wherein the program code portion configured to cause an indication of the determined relationship pattern to be displayed comprises a program code portion configured to cause a contact representing the remote device to be displayed in a position in a contacts list defined based on the determined communication relationship pattern.

14. A computer program product according to claim 13, wherein the program code portion configured to calculate includes instructions configured to one or more of:

calculate an intensity value representative of an intensity of communications with the remote device over a period of time;

calculate a balance value between outgoing and incoming communications with the remote device over a period of time;

or

calculate a communication relationship behavior value based at least in part upon the intensity and balance values.

15. A computer program product according to claim 13, wherein the determined communication relationship pattern comprises one of equal and frequent communication, equal and infrequent communication, active and frequent communication, active and infrequent communication, passive and frequent communication, or passive and infrequent communication.

16. An apparatus comprising at least one processor and at least one memory storing computer program code, wherein the at least one memory and stored computer program code are configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus to at least:

calculate one or more values representative of a communication relationship with a remote device over a period of time based at least in part upon a stored record of communications with the remote device, wherein at least one of the one or more values comprises a length of time between the time of a rejected communication event received from the remote device and a time at which a return communication event is directed to the remote device;

determine a communication relationship pattern based at least in part upon the one or more calculated values;

determine whether the determined communication relationship pattern falls outside of a target communication relationship pattern defined for the remote device or a user of the remote device;

cause an indication to be provided in an instance in which it is determined that the determined communication relationship pattern falls outside of the target communication relationship pattern;

in an instance in which a communication is received from the remote device, cause annunciation of the communication received from the remote device based at least in part upon the determined communication relationship pattern; and

cause an indication of the determined communication relationship pattern to be displayed on a display, wherein causing an indication of the determined relationship pattern to be displayed comprises causing a contact representing the remote device to be displayed in a position in a contacts list defined based on the determined communication relationship pattern.

17. An apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the at least one memory and stored computer program code are configured, with the at least one processor to cause the apparatus to calculate one or more values by calculating one or more of:

an intensity value representative of an intensity of communications with the remote device over a period of time;

a balance value between outgoing and incoming communications with the remote device over a period of time;

or

calculating a communication relationship behavior value based at least in part upon the intensity and balance values.

18. An apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the at least one memory and stored computer program code are configured, with the at least one processor to cause the apparatus to calculate an intensity value by calculating a length of time based at least in part upon a total length of phone calls with the remote device over the period of time added to a number of messages exchanged with the remote device over the period of time multiplied by a time constant.

19. An apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the at least one memory and stored computer program code are configured, with the at least one processor to cause the apparatus to calculate a balance value by adding a first ratio of outgoing to incoming phone calls with the remote device multiplied by a first constant to a second ratio of outgoing to incoming messages exchanged with the remote device multiplied by a second constant.

20. An apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the determined communication relationship pattern comprises one of equal and frequent communication, equal and infrequent communication, active and frequent communication, active and infrequent communication, passive and frequent communication, or passive and infrequent communication.

21. An apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the communications with the remote device comprises phone calls, short message service (SMS) messages, multimedia messaging service (MMS) messages, instant messages(IM), e-mails, or file sharing.

22. An apparatus according to claim 16 wherein the record of communications comprises a listing of communications with the remote device for each type of communication exchanged with the remote device, wherein each listing comprises one or more of records of communication events along with associated information about the communication events.

23. An apparatus according to claim 16 wherein the record of communications comprises a database comprising indications of communication times and indications of whether communications were incoming or outgoing.

24. An apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the apparatus comprises or is embodied on a mobile phone, the mobile phone comprising a user interface configured to:

facilitate user control of at least some functions of the mobile phone through use of a display; and

cause at least a portion of a user interface of the mobile phone to be displayed on the display to facilitate user control of at least some functions of the mobile phone.

25. An apparatus comprising:

means for calculating one or more values representative of a communication relationship with a remote device over a period of time based at least in part upon a stored record of communications with the remote device, wherein at least one of the one or more values comprises a length of time between the time of a rejected communication event received from the remote device and a time at which a return communication event is directed to the remote device;

means for determining a communication relationship pattern based at least in part upon the one or more calculated values, wherein at least one of the one or more values comprises a length of time between the time of a rejected communication event received from the remote device and a time at which a return communication event is directed to the remote device;

means for determining whether the determined communication relationship pattern falls outside of a target communication relationship pattern defined for the remote device or a user of the remote device;

means for causing an indication to be provided in an instance in which it is determined that the determined communication relationship pattern falls outside of the target communication relationship pattern;

means for, in an instance in which a communication is received from the remote device, determining an annunciation to provide based at least in part upon the determined communication relationship pattern and causing the determined annunciation to be provided as an annunciation of the communication received from the remote device, wherein the determined annunciation is provided even in an instance in which the determined communication pattern falls outside of the target communication relationship pattern; and

means for causing an indication of the determined communication relationship pattern to be displayed on a display, wherein means for causing an indication of the determined relationship pattern to be displayed comprises means for causing a contact representing the remote device to be displayed in a position in a contacts list defined based on the determined communication relationship pattern.