Message categorization

• US 9,087,324 B2
• Filed: 07/12/2011
• Issued: 07/21/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/12/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Osipkov, Ivan, Jiang, Wei, Davis, Malcolm Hollis, Hines, Douglas, Korb, Joshua
• Primary Examiner(s): Baturay, Alicia
• Application Number:
  US13/180,838
• Publication Number:
  US 20130018964A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,470 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/42 Mailbox-related aspects, e.g. synchronisation of mailboxes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles

Abstract

One or more techniques and/or systems are provided for defining a message behavior profile for a sender, which may be used to categorize messages from the sender. A message behavior profile may be defined based upon, for example, message distribution behavior of the sender (e.g., volume, frequency, variance in content amongst messages sent to recipients, etc.); recipient interactions with messages from the sender (e.g., message read rates, message response rates, etc.); unsubscription options comprised within messages from the sender; and/or other factors. In this way, the message behavior profile and/or features extracted from a message may be used to categorize a message from the sender (e.g., newsletter, commercial advertisements, alert, social network etc.). Categorized messages may be organized into folders, displayed or hidden within views, and/or processed based upon their respective categorizations.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

defining a message behavior profile for a sender, the message behavior profile comprising;

a message read rate corresponding to a ratio of a number of messages sent by the sender relative to a number of the messages read by recipients;

a message response rate corresponding to a number of recipients that respond to one or more messages sent by the sender; and

a message distribution pattern corresponding to a number of messages sent by the sender to multiple recipients.

2. The method of claim 1, comprising associating the sender with an IP address and categorizing a message from the IP address based upon the message behavior profile.

3. The method of claim 1, comprising associating the sender with a domain and categorizing a message from the domain based upon the message behavior profile.

4. The method of claim 1, comprising associating the sender with an email address and categorizing a message from the email address based upon the message behavior profile.

5. The method of claim 1, comprising associating the sender with a user account and categorizing a message from the user account based upon the message behavior profile.

6. The method of claim 1, comprising associating the sender with a digital certificate and categorizing a message associated with the digital certificate based upon the message behavior profile.

7. The method of claim 1, comprising associating the sender with a phone number and categorizing a message from the phone number based upon the message behavior profile.

8. A system, comprising:

one or more processing units; and

memory comprising instructions that when executed by at least one of the one or more processing units perform a method comprising;

categorizing a message received from a sender based upon a message behavior profile associated with the sender, the message behavior profile comprising;

a message read rate corresponding to a ratio of a number of messages sent by the sender relative to a number of the messages read by recipients;

a message response rate corresponding to a number of recipients that respond to one or more messages sent by the sender; and

a message distribution pattern corresponding to a number of messages sent by the sender to multiple recipients.

9. The system of claim 8, the method comprising identifying the sender based upon an IP address.

10. The system of claim 8, the method comprising identifying the sender based upon a domain.

11. The system of claim 8, the method comprising identifying the sender based upon an email address.

12. The system of claim 8, the method comprising identifying the sender based upon a user account.

13. The system of claim 8, the method comprising identifying the sender based upon a digital certificate.

14. The system of claim 8, the method comprising identifying the sender based upon a phone number.

15. A computer readable device comprising instructions that when executed perform a method, comprising:

defining a message behavior profile for a sender, the message behavior profile comprising at least one of;

a message read rate corresponding to a ratio of a number of messages sent by the sender relative to a number of the messages read by recipients;

a message response rate corresponding to a number of recipients that respond to one or more messages sent by the sender;

or

a message distribution pattern corresponding to a number of messages sent by the sender to multiple recipients.

16. The computer readable device of claim 15, the method comprising associating the sender with an IP address and categorizing a message from the IP address based upon the message behavior profile.

17. The computer readable device of claim 15, the method comprising associating the sender with a domain and categorizing a message from the domain based upon the message behavior profile.

18. The computer readable device of claim 15, the method comprising associating the sender with an email address and categorizing a message from the email address based upon the message behavior profile.

19. The computer readable device of claim 15, the method comprising associating the sender with a user account and categorizing a message from the user account based upon the message behavior profile.

20. The computer readable device of claim 15, the method comprising associating the sender with a digital certificate and categorizing a message associated with the digital certificate based upon the message behavior profile.