Facilitating retrieval of information within a messaging environment

• US 9,111,260 B2
• Filed: 05/07/2008
• Issued: 08/18/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/05/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Yahoo! Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Zhang, Chen, Cort, Frank J., Torgemane, Henri P. J., Ramakrishnan, Thyagarajapuram S
• Primary Examiner(s): Parry, Chris
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chou, Alan S
• Application Number:
  US12/116,881
• Publication Number:
  US 20080209309A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,659 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]

Abstract

Techniques and mechanisms are provided that allow participants in an electronic messaging conversation (e.g. email or instant message) to retrieve information related to words and phrases in the electronic messaging conversation without leaving the electronic messaging environment. An electronic messaging environment is provided that includes user interface tools that allow a user to (1) select text within the EM conversation, (2) submit the text to an information retrieval service, such as a search engine, and (3) display the results generated by the information retrieval service. To facilitate the selection of relevant text, certain “suggested words” within the conversation may automatically be highlighted by the instant messaging client. Various techniques are provided for customizing which words are suggested, which sources are searched, and which search terms are used.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

causing, to be displayed to a user, data that identifies a plurality of packages to which the user may subscribe;

receiving, from the user, input that indicates a subscription, by the user, to one or more packages of the plurality of packages, each of which includes a plurality of pre-defined suggested words that were not selected for inclusion in the package by the user;

sending, to a server over a network, a list that identifies each of the one or more packages for which the user has indicated a subscription;

after sending the list to the server, receiving, from the server, the plurality of pre-defined suggested words associated with each package identified in the list;

after receiving the plurality of pre-defined suggested words associated with each package in the list, determining whether any text within an electronic messaging (EM) conversation qualifies as a suggested word for the user in the EM conversation based, at least in part, on whether the text matches any of the plurality of pre-defined suggested words of the one or more packages;

causing text within the EM conversation that qualifies as a suggested word to be displayed in a manner that visually distinguishes the suggested word from text of the EM conversation that does not qualify as a suggested word;

in response to receiving, from the user, second input relative to the suggested word in the EM conversation, causing, to be initiated, an operation to retrieve information related to the suggested word;

in response to receiving results of said operation, causing a display that reflects the results to be generated;

wherein the one or more packages includes a first package that is associated with a first set of suggested words;

after causing the display that reflects the results to be generated, receiving a second set of suggested words that are different than the first set of suggested words and that are to be associated with the first package;

wherein the method is performed by one or more computing devices.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the second input is received after first input; and

the method further comprising prior to receiving the second input, receiving the first input that selects one or more words from unhighlighted text of the EM conversation.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein one of the one or more packages includes words that are established by a third party that is different than the user and the party that provides an EM environment for the EM conversation.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more packages is a user-customized package that contains at least one word established by the user.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein:

at least one of the one or more packages contains at least one regular expression used to specify a pattern;

words within the EM conversation are treated as suggested words when the words match the pattern specified by the regular expression.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the operation to retrieve information is based, at least in part, on the package that includes said suggested word;

the package is associated with a search source; and

the operation to retrieve information includes retrieving information from said search source.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the operation to retrieve information is based, at least in part, on one or more words, of the EM conversation, other than the suggested word.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the EM conversation is one of an instant messaging conversation or an email conversation.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the one or more packages include a first package and a second package that is different than the first package;

the text within the EM conversation that qualifies as a suggested word qualifies as a suggested word based on the first package including the suggested word;

the first package is associated with a first search source;

the second package is associated with a second search source that is different than the first search source; and

the information is retrieved from the first search source based on the first package being associated with the first search source.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein sending is performed in response to a launch of an EM client that displays the EM conversation.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, from the user, second input that indicates a degree of interest in a particular package of the one or more packages, wherein the degree of interest is one of a first degree of interest or a second degree of interest that is different than the first degree of interest;

wherein the plurality of suggested words associated with the particular package if the degree of interest is the first degree of interest is more than the plurality of suggested words associated with the particular package if the degree of interest is the second degree of interest.

12. A system for retrieving information in an electronic messaging (EM) environment, the system comprising:

one or more processors;

memory, operatively coupled to the one or more processors, storing instructions;

wherein said instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause;

causing, to be displayed to a user, data that indicates a plurality of categories;

wherein the plurality of categories is organized into a hierarchy that includes a parent category that is associated with a set of suggested words, a first child category of the parent category, and a second child category of the parent category;

wherein the first child category is associated with a first subset of the set of suggested words,

wherein the first subset is less than all the words in the set of suggested words of the parent category;

wherein the second child category is associated with a second subset of the set of suggested words,

wherein the second subset is different than the first subset and is less than all the words in the set of suggested words of the parent category;

wherein the parent category includes multiple suggested words that are not included in the first child category;

wherein the parent category includes at least one suggested word that was not selected for inclusion in the parent category by the user;

receiving, from the user, first input that selects a category from among the plurality of categories;

determining whether any text within an EM conversation qualifies as a suggested word for the user in the EM conversation based, at least in part, on whether the text belongs to the set of suggested words;

causing any text within the EM conversation that qualifies as a suggested word to be displayed in a manner that visually distinguishes the suggested word from text of the EM conversation that does not qualify as a suggested word;

in response to receiving, from the user, second input relative to the suggested word in the EM conversation, causing, to be initiated, an operation to retrieve information related to the suggested word;

in response to receiving results of said operation, causing a display that reflects the results to be generated.

13. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause:

causing, to be displayed to a user, data that identifies a plurality of packages to which the user may subscribe;

receiving, from the user, input that indicates a subscription, by the user, to one or more packages of the plurality of packages, each of which includes a plurality of pre-defined suggested words that were not selected for inclusion in the package by the user;

sending, to a server over a network, a list that identifies each of the one or more packages for which the user has indicated a subscription;

after sending the list to the server, receiving, from the server, the plurality of pre-defined suggested words associated with each package identified in the list;

after receiving the plurality of pre-defined suggested words associated with each package in the list, determining whether any text within an electronic messaging (EM) conversation qualifies as a suggested word for the user in the EM conversation based, at least in part, on whether the text matches any of the plurality of pre-defined suggested words of the one or more packages;

causing text within the EM conversation that qualifies as a suggested word to be displayed in a manner that visually distinguishes the suggested word from text of the EM conversation that does not qualify as a suggested word;

in response to receiving, from the user, second input relative to the suggested word in the EM conversation, causing, to be initiated, an operation to retrieve information related to the suggested word;

in response to receiving results of said operation, causing a display that reflects the results to be generated;

wherein the one or more packages includes a first package that is associated with a first set of suggested words; and

after causing the display that reflects the results to be generated, receiving a second set of suggested words that are different than the first set of suggested words and that are to be associated with the first package.

14. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 13, wherein:

the second input is received after first input; and

the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause, prior to receiving the second input, receiving the first input that selects one or more words from unhighlighted text of the EM conversation.

15. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 13, wherein one of the one or more packages includes words that are established by a third party that is different than the user and the party that provides an EM environment for the EM conversation.

16. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 13, wherein at least one of the one or more packages is a user-customized package that contains at least one word established by the user.

17. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 13, wherein:

at least one of the one or more packages contains at least one regular expression used to specify a pattern;

words within the EM conversation are treated as suggested words when the words match the pattern specified by the regular expression.

18. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 13, wherein:

the operation to retrieve information is based, at least in part, on the package that includes said suggested word;

the package is associated with a search source; and

the operation to retrieve information includes retrieving information from said search source.

19. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 13, wherein the operation to retrieve information is based, at least in part, on one or more words, of the EM conversation, other than the suggested word.

20. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 13, wherein:

the EM conversation is one of an instant messaging conversation or an email conversation.

21. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 13, wherein:

the one or more packages include a first package and a second package that is different than the first package;

the text within the EM conversation that qualifies as a suggested word qualifies as a suggested word based on the first package including the suggested word;

the first package is associated with a first search source;

the second package is associated with a second search source that is different than the first search source; and

the information is retrieved from the first search source based on the first package being associated with the first search source.

22. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 13, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause:

receiving, from the user, second input that indicates a degree of interest in a particular package of the one or more packages, wherein the degree of interest is one of a first degree of interest or a second degree of interest that is different than the first degree of interest;

wherein the plurality of suggested words associated with the particular package if the degree of interest is the first degree of interest is more than the plurality of suggested words associated with the particular package if the degree of interest is the second degree of interest.