Ad hoc message sharing between email and social networks

• US 9,929,999 B2
• Filed: 02/12/2015
• Issued: 03/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/05/2014
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Allen, Corville O., Helgeson, Lee N., Li, Jenny S., Sanders, Philip J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Park, Jeong S
• Application Number:
  US14/620,301
• Publication Number:
  US 20150319127A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,139 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/42 Mailbox-related aspects, e.g. synchronisation of mailboxes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/52 for supporting social networking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/56 Unified messaging, e.g. interactions between e-mail, instant messaging or converged IP messaging [CPM]

Abstract

There are provided a system, a method and a computer program product for sharing messages between an email client and a social network. The system prepares, based on an input from a sender, an email message by using the email client. The system identifies a portion of the email message to be shared with one or more users in the social network. The system tags the portion of the email message with identities of the one or more users in the social network. The system accesses the social network with credential of the sender. The system posts the portion of the email message on social network pages of the one or more users under a name of the sender.

Claims

1. A method for sharing messages between an email client and a social network, the method comprising:

preparing, based on an input from a sender, an email message by using the email client;

identifying a portion of the email message to be shared with users in the social network;

tagging the portion of the email message with identities of the users in the social network, the tagging comprising attaching a tag comprising a tag name representing a predefined set of social network users and a media type used for publishing the portion of the email message, the tagging further comprising selecting a plurality of templates into which the portion of the email message is pasted wherein at least two of the users in the social network receive a different template;

accessing the social network with credential of the sender;

posting the portion of the email message pasted on the plurality of templates on social network pages of the predefined set of social network users under a name of the sender,

wherein a processor connected to a memory device is configured to perform the preparing, the identifying, the tagging, the accessing and the posting,

wherein at least one of the predefined set of social network users whose social network pages receive the posting is different from the sender,

wherein the social network comprises a plurality of different social networks and the identities of the users tagged in the portion of the email message do not use a same social network,

wherein the email message comprises a plurality of tagged portions tagged with different sets of social network users,

wherein an untagged portion of the email message is sent by email to at least one of the recipients; and

sending the email message to the recipients; and

posting the portion of the email message on the social network pages,

wherein the sending the email message and the posting occur concurrently.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the tag further comprises:

a key phrase of the portion; and

a title of the portion.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

storing, in a server device, the portion of the email message with the tagging.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

accessing an instant messenger with credential of the sender;

determining whether users are currently logged in the instant messenger; and

sending, by using the instant messenger, an instant message that includes the portion of the email message to the users.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the posting on the social network pages includes at least one of:

a status message, a private message, and an event or activity message, which represent the portion of the email message.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

converting the portion of the email message to the posting on the social network pages.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

allowing the sender to select the portion of the email message displayed on an email client user interface;

responsive to the sender selecting the portion of the email message, displaying a menu comprising at least the tag name representing a predefined set of social network users, the media type used for publishing the portion of the email message, and an indication to find content determined to be similar by a text mining technique to the portion in a future email message.