Tracking conversation threads among electronic communications

• US 9,641,472 B2
• Filed: 10/20/2016
• Issued: 05/02/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/11/2015
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Ross, Martin A.
• Primary Examiner(s): BUI, JONATHAN A
• Application Number:
  US15/298,374
• Publication Number:
  US 20170034096A1
• Time in Patent Office: 194 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/214 using selective forwarding
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/216 Handling conversation history, e.g. grouping of messages in sessions or threads
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34

Abstract

A method for identifying a conversation thread among electronic communications. The method includes a computer processor identifying that a user is accessing a first electronic communication from a plurality of electronic communications. The method further includes a computer processor analyzing meta-data of the first electronic communication to identify a unique identifier included in the meta-data. The method further includes a computer processor determining that the unique identifier is associated with content included in the first electronic communication that was copied from a second electronic communication. The method further includes a computer processor providing the user that is accessing the first electronic communication access to the second electronic communication.

Claims

1. A computer system for identifying a conversation thread among electronic communications, the computer system comprising:

one or more computer processors;

one or more computer readable storage media; and

program instructions stored on the computer readable storage media for execution by at least one of the one or more processors, the program instructions comprising;

program instructions to identify that a user accesses a first electronic communication from a plurality of electronic communications, wherein the plurality of electronic communications include;

received electronic communications, sent electronic communications, filed electronic communications, drafted electronic communications, and stored electronic communications;

program instructions to analyze meta-data of the first electronic communication to identify at least one unique identifier included in the meta-data of the first electronic communication;

wherein a unique identifier is a universally unique identifier (UUID); and

wherein the UUID is further defined by a UUID specification that is identified by a variant value and a version value; and

wherein the at least one unique identifier includes a first UUID;

program instructions to determine that the first electronic communication includes a portion of content copied from at least one other electronic communication based on identifying one or more UUIDs within the meta-data of the first electronic communication, wherein UUIDs are included in a database that includes cross-references between the plurality of electronic communications, the copied content, and the identified UUIDs;

program instructions to identify at least one additional electronic communication from the plurality of electronic communications, wherein an electronic communication is identified for each identified UUID based on the cross-references within the database;

program instructions to display, to the user, a conversation thread that includes the at least one additional electronic communications respectively associated with a UUID identified within the meta-data of the first electronic communication;

program instructions to receive from the user, a selection of an electronic communication from the at least one additional electronic communications displayed as the conversation thread, wherein the selected electronic communication is a second electronic communication;

program instructions to determine whether the user has authority to access the selected second electronic communication, wherein determining that the user has authority to access the selected second electronic communication is based on a log file of an electronic communication program, wherein the log file identifies electronic communications accessed by the user; and

responsive to determining that the user accessing the first electronic communication has authority to access the selected second electronic communication, program instructions to access the selected second electronic communication.