Generating contact suggestions

• US 9,934,286 B2
• Filed: 03/02/2016
• Issued: 04/03/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 02/05/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Roth, Maayan, Merom, Ron, Ben-David, Assaf, Leichtberg, Ari J., Leiser, Natan, Horn, Ilan M., Deutscher, David, Flysher, Guy, Matias, Yossi
• Primary Examiner(s): Hoang, Son T
• Application Number:
  US15/059,223
• Publication Number:
  US 20160179820A1
• Time in Patent Office: 762 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24578 using ranking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/248 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/90324 using system suggestions
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/42 Mailbox-related aspects, e.g. synchronisation of mailboxes

Abstract

Systems and method for generating contact suggestions are provided in which one or more suggested contacts are identified from a set of contacts associated with a user. This includes identifying in historical communications in a user account associated with the user, one or more groups of contacts. Scores are generated for contacts in the identified groups of contacts, including generating a contact score for a respective contact by accumulating score contributions for a plurality of the identified groups of contacts that include the respective contact. One or more suggested contacts are identified in accordance with the generated scores. A contact suggestion is sent based on the suggested contacts for display to the user. The contact suggestion includes a suggested contact with a generated score that is above a predefined threshold.

Claims

1. A method of generating contact suggestions, comprising:

at a computer system having one or more processors and memory storing one or more programs to be executed by the one of more processors to perform the method of;

identifying one or more suggested contacts from a set of contacts associated with a user for a draft electronic communication prepared by the user, wherein the user has identified one or more first contacts for the draft electronic communication, including;

identifying in historical communications in a user account associated with the user, one or more groups of contacts that intersect any contact in the one or more first contacts identified by the user for the draft communication to generate one or more identified second contacts;

generating a respective score for each respective second contact in the one or more identified second contacts, wherein

each respective second contact in the one or more identified second contacts is included in the one or more identified groups of contacts, and

the generating the respective score for the respective second contact in the one or more identified second contacts comprises accumulating score contributions for a plurality of the one or more identified groups of contacts that include the respective second contact; and

identifying the one or more suggested contacts from the one or more identified second contacts in accordance with the generated score of each respective second contact; and

sending a contact suggestion based on the one or more suggested contacts for display to the user, wherein the contact suggestion includes a single second contact in the one or more identified second contacts with a generated score that is above a predefined threshold and wherein the contact suggestion excludes the one or more first contacts.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the draft electronic communication is one of:

an email message, a chat message, a voicemail message, a calendar invitation, a document sharing invitation, a document sharing communication, a video communication, a social network communication.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the contact suggestion is to suggest a connection to a social network.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein each respective group of contacts in the one or more groups of contacts comprises one or more contacts associated with a particular communication.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein a respective group of contacts in the one or more groups of contacts is implicitly formed by communicating of messages between contacts in the respective group of contacts.

6. A computing device for generating a contact suggestion, comprising:

one or more processors and memory, wherein at least one of the one or more processors and the memory is implemented at least partially by hardware;

one or more programs stored in the memory, the one or more programs comprising instructions, executed by the one or more processors, for performing the method comprising;

identifying one or more suggested contacts from a set of contacts associated with a user for a draft electronic communication prepared by the user, wherein the user has identified one or more first contacts for the draft electronic communication, including;

identifying in historical communications in a user account associated with the user, one or more groups of contacts that intersect any contact in the one or more first contacts identified by the user for the draft communication to generate one or more identified second contacts;

generating a respective score for each respective second contact in the one or more identified second contacts, wherein

each respective second contact in the one or more identified second contacts is included in the one or more identified groups of contacts, and

the generating the respective score for the respective second contact in the one or more identified second contacts comprises accumulating score contributions for a plurality of the one or more identified groups of contacts that include the respective second contact; and

identifying the one or more suggested contacts from the one or more identified second contacts in accordance with the generated score of each respective second contact; and

sending a contact suggestion based on the one or more suggested contacts for display to the user, wherein the contact suggestion includes a single second contact in the one or more identified second contacts with a generated score that is above a predefined threshold and wherein the contact suggestion excludes the one or more first contacts.

7. The computing device of claim 6, wherein the draft electronic communication is one of:

an email message, a chat message, a voicemail message, a calendar invitation, a document sharing invitation, a document sharing communication, a video communication, a social network communication.

8. The computing device of claim 6, wherein the contact suggestion is to suggest a connection to a social network.

9. The computing device of claim 6, wherein each respective group of contacts in the one or more groups of contacts comprises one or more contacts associated with a particular communication.

10. The computing device of claim 6, wherein a respective group of contacts in the one or more groups of contacts is implicitly formed by communicating of messages between contacts in the respective group of contacts.

11. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing one or more programs configured for execution by one or more processors of a computing device, the one or more programs comprising instructions to be executed by the one or more processors so as to perform a method of:

identifying one or more suggested contacts from a set of contacts associated with a user for a draft electronic communication prepared by the user, wherein the user has identified one or more first contacts for the draft electronic communication, including;

identifying in historical communications in a user account associated with the user, one or more groups of contacts that intersect any contact in the one or more first contacts identified by the user for the draft communication to generate one or more identified second contacts;

generating a respective score for each respective second contact in the one or more identified second contacts, wherein

each respective second contact in the one or more identified second contacts is included in the one or more identified groups of contacts, and

the generating the respective score for the respective second contact in the one or more identified second contacts comprises accumulating score contributions for a plurality of the one or more identified groups of contacts that include the respective second contact; and

identifying the one or more suggested contacts from the one or more identified second contacts in accordance with the generated score of each respective second contact; and

sending a contact suggestion based on the one or more suggested contacts for display to the user, wherein the contact suggestion includes a single second contact in the one or more identified second contacts with a generated score that is above a predefined threshold and wherein the contact suggestion excludes the one or more first contacts.

12. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the draft electronic communication is one of:

an email message, a chat message, a voicemail message, a calendar invitation, a document sharing invitation, a document sharing communication, a video communication, a social network communication.

13. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the contact suggestion is to suggest a connection to a social network.

14. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein each respective group of contacts in the one or more groups of contacts comprises one or more contacts associated with a particular communication.

15. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein a respective group of contacts in the one or more groups of contacts is implicitly formed by communicating of messages between contacts in the respective group of contacts.