Erroneous addressing prevention for electronic messaging

• US 9,560,003 B2
• Filed: 02/17/2009
• Issued: 01/31/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/14/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gary S. Shuster
• Original Assignee: Gary S. Shuster
• Inventors: Shuster, Gary Stephen
• Primary Examiner(s): Fan, Hua
• Application Number:
  US12/372,647
• Publication Number:
  US 20090210504A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,905 Days
• Field of Search: 709204-207
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/23 Reliability checks, e.g. acknowledgments or fault reporting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/48 Message addressing, e.g. address format or anonymous messages, aliases

Abstract

An electronic mail client includes features for preventing addressing errors in electronic messaging such as those caused by predictive text features. A messaging client tracks addressing parameters including the length of time since each previous addressee has been messaged, the quantity of times selected addressees have been co-addressees on messages, if any, whether the addressees are designated as sensitive and whether the messages contain sensitive subject matter. If a high risk of addressing error is determined, the client delays transmission of the message to permit the user to review the message recipient addresses and correct any erroneous addressees.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a processor;

a memory in communication with the processor, the memory holding executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to;

generate valid addressees to electronic messages, in response to input by a user of an input device;

in response to transmissions of outgoing electronic messages having valid addressees, record the valid addressees and associated chronological message data;

determine a numerical risk that at least one of first valid addressees of a first outgoing electronic message containing at least two addressees authored by the user is unintended, based at least in part on (i) whether or not a keyword in the first outgoing electronic message is designated as sensitive or is inconsistent with a category assigned to the at least one of the first valid addressees, and (ii) on first associated chronological message data;

if the numerical risk exceeds a predetermined threshold, then for one or more combinations of the at least two addressees, query a database to determine a time period T representing the amount of time between when a past message was last sent from the user to the one or more combinations of the at least two addressees and the present;

determine whether T exceeds a predetermined amount of time; and

in response to determining that T exceeds the predetermined amount of time, delay transmission of the first outgoing electronic message to permit review of the at least two addressees by the user.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to generate a confirmation message, in response to determining that T exceeds the predetermined amount of time.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the instructions further cause to the processor to suggest at least one alternative addressee in response to determining that T exceeds the predetermined amount of time.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to delay transmission of the first outgoing electronic message until input is received from the user of the input device indicating confirmation of the at least one of the first valid addressees.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to query the database to determine a frequency with which the user of the input device has sent electronic messages addressed to both of the at least two addressees, and generating a confirmation message if the frequency does not exceed a predetermined frequency.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to delay transmission of the first outgoing electronic message based on a weighted multi-factor analysis.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the multi-factor analysis is implemented by a programmed analysis algorithm.

8. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the multi-factor analysis is based upon two or more of:

the length of time since each of the at least two addressees has been emailed;

the quantity of times each of the at least two addressees have been addressees on the same electronic mail;

the similarity of one or more of the at least two addressees to other addressees in the database; and

the presence of designated keywords in the message.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the executable instructions further cause the processor to update an activity score for each of the at least two addressees of the first outgoing electronic message after the message is sent.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the activity score is a measure of the number of times each of the at least two addressees has been in an outgoing message.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the activity score is weighted by a measure of how recent each of the at least two addressees has been included in an outgoing message.

12. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the activity score comprises a measure of how many times one or more of the at least two addressees has been co-addressed with another one of the at least two addressees.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the activity score is weighted inversely with an age of the co-addressed addressee.