Method, system and program product for transmitting electronic communications using automatically formed contact groups

• US 8,825,681 B2
• Filed: 12/18/2002
• Issued: 09/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Gruen, Daniel M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Trujillo, James
• Assistant Examiner(s): Black, Linh
• Application Number:
  US10/323,106
• Publication Number:
  US 20040122838A1
• Time in Patent Office: 4,276 Days
• Field of Search: 707 1-1041, 707/758, 707/782
• US Class Current: 707/758
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/214 using selective forwarding
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/48 Message addressing, e.g. address format or anonymous messages, aliases

Abstract

Under the present invention, one or more groups of contacts are implicitly formed based on a history of electronic communications that involve the contacts. When one or more contacts in a particular group is identified as an intended recipient of a (current) electronic communication, the entire group will be identified to the sender. If the sender then selects group, the contacts therein will be made additional recipients of the current electronic communication.

Claims

1. A method for transmitting an electronic communication from a sender to a plurality of contacts using automatically formed contact groups, comprising:

first, identifying using a processor a set of recipients to which the sender will send a current electronic communication;

second, using the processor, identifying based on the identified set of recipients, a group of contacts to which the sender has sent communications, the group of contacts including at least one recipient of the identified set of recipients,

wherein the group of contacts is automatically formed and updated based on a predefined standard and a history of electronic communications that involve the contacts and the at least one recipient of the current electronic communication,

such that the group of contacts is automatically formed if the history of electronic communications meets the predefined standard,

wherein the history of electronic communications is stored in a database;

selecting the group to add the contacts to the set of recipients of the current electronic communication; and

after adding the contacts to the set of recipients, transmitting the current electronic communication to the set of recipients.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing information pertaining to the group of contacts, prior to the selecting step.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the predefined standard is based on a keyword included in the contents of the electronic communications that involve the contacts.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the group of contacts is formed by:

examining the history of electronic communications that involve the contacts for a pattern that defines the group of contacts;

forming the group of contacts if the pattern meets the predefined standard.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the predefined standard is based on a quantity of the electronic communications that involve the contacts.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the predefined standard is based on a percentage of electronic communications that involve the contacts.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein the predefined standard is based on a temporal proximity of electronic communications that involve the contacts.

8. A method for automatically forming a group of contacts based on a history of electronic communications that involve the contacts, comprising:

firstly identifying using a processor a set of recipients for a current electronic communication;

secondly examining using the processor the history of electronic communications between the contacts including at least one recipient of the identified set of recipients for a pattern that defines the contacts, wherein the history of electronic communications is stored in a database;

thirdly automatically forming and updating the group of contacts if the pattern, based on the examination of the history of electronic communications, meets a predefined standard; and

after adding the group of contacts to the set of recipients for the current electronic communication, transmitting the current electronic communication to the set of recipients.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the predefined standard is based on a keyword included in the contents of the electronic communications that involve the contacts.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the predefined standard is based on one of a quantity of electronic communications that involve the contacts and a percentage of electronic communications that involve the contacts.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the predefined standard is based on a temporal proximity of electronic communications that involve the contacts.

12. A system for transmitting an electronic communication from a sender to a plurality of contacts using automatically formed contact groups, comprising:

a system for receiving an identified set of recipients of the current electronic communication;

a grouping system stored in a memory for automatically forming and updating a group of contacts to which the sender has sent communications,

the automatic forming and updating being based on a predefined standard and a history of electronic communications that involve the contacts and at least one recipient of the identified set of recipients of the current electronic communication,

such that the group of contacts is automatically formed if the history of electronic communications meets the predefined standard,

wherein the history of electronic communications is stored in a database;

a reference system stored in the memory for identifying the group when one of the plurality of contacts in the group of contacts is identified as an intended recipient of a current electronic communication;

a selection system stored in the memory for selecting the group, wherein upon selection of the group, the plurality of contacts in the group of contacts are made additional recipients of the current electronic message and

a transmission system stored in the memory for transmitting the current electronic communication to the intended recipient and the additional recipients.

13. The system of claim 12, further comprising an information system for providing information pertaining to the group of contacts.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the predefined standard is based on a keyword included in the contents of the electronic communications that involve the contacts.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the grouping system examines the history of electronic communications that involve the contacts for a pattern that defines the group of contacts, and forms the group of contacts if the pattern meets the predefined standard.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the predefined standard is based on a quantity of electronic communications that involve the contacts.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the predefined standard is based on a percentage of electronic communications that involve the contacts.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the predefined standard is based on a temporal proximity of electronic communications that involve the contacts.

19. A program product stored on a recordable storage medium for transmitting an electronic communication from a sender to a plurality of contacts using automatically formed contact groups, which when executed, comprises:

program code for receiving a identified set of recipients;

program code for automatically forming and updating a group of contacts to which the sender sends communications, the automatic forming and updating being based on a predefined standard and a history of electronic communications that involve the contacts and at least one recipient of the identified set of recipients of the current electronic communication,

such that the group of contacts is automatically formed if the history of electronic communications meets the predefined standard,

wherein the history of electronic communications is stored in a database;

program code for identifying the group when one of the plurality of contacts in the group is identified as an intended recipient of a current electronic communication;

program code for selecting the group, wherein upon selection of the group, the plurality of contacts in the group are made additional recipients of the current electronic message; and

program code for transmitting the current electronic communication to the intended recipient and the additional recipients.

20. The program product of claim 19, further comprising program code for providing information pertaining to the group of contacts.

21. The program product of claim 19, wherein the predefined standard is based on a keyword included in the contents of the electronic communications that involve the contacts.

22. The program product of claim 19, wherein program code for forming examines the history of electronic communications that involve the contacts for a pattern that defines the group of contacts, and forms the group of contacts if the pattern meets a predefined standard.

23. The program product of claim 22, wherein the predefined standard is based on a quantity of electronic communications that involve the contacts.

24. The program product of claim 22, wherein the predefined standard is based on a percentage of electronic communications that involve the contacts.

25. The program product of claim 22, wherein the predefined standard is based on a temporal proximity of electronic communications that involve the contacts.