Analyzing messages and/or documents to provide suggestions to modify messages and/or documents to be more suitable for intended recipients

• US 9,367,538 B2
• Filed: 01/26/2015
• Issued: 06/14/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/01/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Dua, Saurabh, Maldari, Mario A., Smith, Paul A., Stein, Jarett, Zala, Sahdevsinh P.
• Primary Examiner(s): AZAD, ABUL K
• Application Number:
  US14/605,308
• Publication Number:
  US 20150278196A1
• Time in Patent Office: 505 Days
• Field of Search: 704 1- 10
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/30 Semantic analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/40 Processing or translation of natural language natural language analysis G06F40/20; semantic analysis G06F40/30

Abstract

A method, system and computer program product for assisting authors in composing suitable messages or documents for intended recipients. A profile to be used in analyzing the message/document is obtained, where the profile contains a set of corrections and correlations to be applied to the message/document for the intended recipients of the message/document. The content of the message/document is analyzed using the obtained profile to assess for any language that may be misunderstood or offensive to the intended recipients. Upon identifying words, phrases, sentences or images in the message/document as being potentially misunderstood or offensive to the recipients, suggestions are provided to modify such language. In this manner, the author of the message/document is able to assess the content and context of the message/document based on the intended recipients prior to sending the message/document thereby reducing the likelihood that the recipients will interpret the message/document in an untoward manner.

Claims

1. A method for assisting authors in composing suitable messages or documents for intended recipients, the method comprising:

identifying one or more recipients to receive a message or document;

obtaining a profile to be used in analyzing said message or document to be sent to said one or more recipients, wherein said profile comprises a set of corrections and correlations to be applied to said message or document;

analyzing, by a processor, content of said message or document using said obtained profile;

identifying one or more words, phrases, sentences or images in said message or document that are potentially misunderstood or offensive to said one or more recipients; and

providing one or more suggestions to modify said identified one or more words, phrases, sentences or images in said message or document to no longer be misunderstood or offensive to said one or more recipients.

2. The method as recited in claim 1 further comprising:

obtaining a role of said one or more recipients;

retrieving said profile associated with said role to be used in analyzing said message or document to be sent to said one or more recipients.

3. The method as recited in claim 1 further comprising:

determining whether said message or document is in response to a received message or document; and

analyzing said content of said message or document using said obtained profile and in light of a context of said received message or document in response to said message or document being in response to said received message or document.

4. The method as recited in claim 1 further comprising:

determining whether a geographical area associated with said one or more recipients is obtained; and

analyzing said content of said message or document using said obtained profile and in light of said geographical area associated with said one or more recipients in response to obtaining said geographical area associated with said one or more recipients.

5. The method as recited in claim 1 further comprising:

determining whether a culture associated with said one or more recipients is obtained; and

analyzing said content of said message or document using said obtained profile and in light of said culture associated with said one or more recipients in response to obtaining said culture associated with said one or more recipients.

6. The method as recited in claim 1 further comprising:

receiving a response from an author of said message or document to accept or reject said one or more suggestions; and

modifying said message or document based on said response from said author.

7. The method as recited in claim 6 further comprising:

updating said profile to reflect said author'"'"'s response.