Method and system for identifying and distinguishing words contained within an electronic message in order to convey significance

• US 20040205451A1
• Filed: 08/13/2001
• Published: 10/14/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 08/13/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Kowalski, Lee Anne
• Application Number:
  US09/928,599
• Publication Number:
  US 20040205451A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/500
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/279 Recognition of textual entities
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]

Abstract

The invention discloses an method, apparatus and article of manufacture for identifying and distinguishing words contained within an electronic message, including the steps of scanning and comparing message terms in an electronic message to significant terms from an online registry to identify any matched significant message terms and making distinct the matched significant message term to indicate significance to a reader.

Claims

1. A method for identifying and distinguishing words contained within an electronic message, comprising the steps of:

scanning and comparing message terms in an electronic message to significant terms from an online registry to identify any matched significant message terms; and

making distinct the matched significant message term to indicate significance to a reader.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic message is an authored electronic message.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic message is a received electronic message.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the significant terms are determined based upon a reader profile.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the significant terms are determined based upon an author profile.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the matched significant message terms are made distinct based upon a reader profile.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the matched significant message terms are made distinct based upon an author profile.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of collecting and storing significant terms in the online registry.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the step of collecting and storing comprises a user selecting significant terms.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the step of collecting and storing comprises importing significant terms.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein significant terms are imported from an address book.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein significant terms are imported from a database.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the significant terms are selected from the group comprising names of people, product terms and key words in a user'"'"'s field.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein making the matched significant message term distinct comprises making the matched significant message term a different color.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein making the matched significant message term distinct comprises making the matched significant message term a different font effect.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein making the matched significant message term distinct comprises making the matched significant message term a different font type.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein making the matched significant message term distinct comprises inserting an object near the matched significant message term.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the object is selected from the group comprising an image, a sound file, an icon, a link and a video.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein making the matched significant message term distinct is performed according to a user setting.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the significant terms are categorized and the user setting is based upon a category of the significant term.

21. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of displaying the electronic message if the end of the electronic message has been reached.

22. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of querying a user whether to make the matched term distinct.

23. An apparatus for identifying and distinguishing words contained within an electronic message, comprising:

an electronic message processor for scanning and comparing message terms in an electronic message to significant terms in an online registry to identify any matched significant message terms; and

an electronic message editor for making distinct the matched significant message term to indicate significance to a reader.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the electronic message is an authored electronic message.

25. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the electronic message is a received electronic message.

26. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the significant terms are determined based upon a reader profile.

27. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the significant terms are determined based upon author profile.

28. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the matched significant message terms are made distinct based upon a reader profile.

29. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the matched significant message terms are made distinct based upon an author profile.

30. The apparatus of claim 23, further comprising a term collection module for collecting and storing the significant terms in the online registry.

31. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein collecting and storing comprises a user selecting significant terms.

32. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein collecting and storing comprises importing significant terms.

33. The apparatus of claim 32, wherein significant terms are imported from an address book.

34. The apparatus of claim 32, wherein significant terms are imported from a database.

35. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the significant terms are selected from the group comprising names of people, product terms and key words in a user'"'"'s field.

36. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein making the matched significant message term distinct comprises making the matched significant message term a different color.

37. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein making the matched significant message term distinct comprises making the matched significant message term a different font effect.

38. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein making the matched significant message term distinct comprises making the matched significant message term a different font type.

39. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein making the matched significant message term distinct comprises inserting an object near the matched significant message term.

40. The apparatus of claim 39, wherein the object is selected from the group comprising an image, a sound file, an icon, a link and a video.

41. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein making the matched significant message term distinct is performed according to a user setting.

42. The apparatus of claim 41, wherein the significant terms are categorized and the user setting is based upon a category of the significant term.

43. The apparatus of claim 23, further comprising the step of displaying the electronic message if the end of the electronic message has been reached.

44. The apparatus of claim 23, further comprising the step of querying a user whether to make the matched term distinct.

45. An article of manufacture embodying logic for identifying and distinguishing words contained within an electronic message, comprising the steps of:

scanning and comparing message terms in an electronic message to significant terms from an online registry to identify any matched significant message terms; and

making distinct the matched significant message term to indicate significance to a reader.

46. The article of claim 45, wherein the electronic message is an authored electronic message.

47. The article of claim 45, wherein the electronic message is a received electronic message.

48. The article of claim 45, wherein the significant terms are determined based upon a reader profile.

49. The article of claim 45, wherein the significant terms are determined based upon an author profile.

50. The article of claim 45, wherein the matched significant message terms are made distinct based upon a reader profile.

51. The article of claim 45, wherein the matched significant message terms are made distinct based upon an author profile.

52. The article of claim 45, further comprising the step of collecting and storing significant terms in the online registry.

53. The article of claim 52, wherein the step of collecting and storing comprises a user selecting significant terms.

54. The article of claim 52, wherein the step of collecting and storing comprises importing significant terms.

55. The article of claim 54, wherein significant terms are imported from an address book.

56. The article of claim 54, wherein significant terms are imported from a database.

57. The article of claim 45, wherein the significant terms are selected from the group comprising names of people, product terms and key words in a user'"'"'s field.

58. The article of claim 45, wherein making the matched significant message term distinct comprises making the matched significant message term a different color.

59. The article of claim 45, wherein making the matched significant message term distinct comprises making the matched significant message term a different font effect.

60. The article of claim 45, wherein making the matched significant message term distinct comprises making the matched significant message term a different font type.

61. The article of claim 45, wherein making the matched significant message term distinct comprises inserting an object near the matched significant message term.

62. The article of claim 61, wherein the object is selected from the group comprising an image, a sound file, an icon, a link and a video.

63. The article of claim 45, wherein making the matched significant message term distinct is performed according to a user setting.

64. The article of claim 63, wherein the significant terms are categorized and the user setting is based upon a category of the significant term.

65. The article of claim 45, further comprising the step of displaying the electronic message if the end of the electronic message has been reached.

66. The article of claim 45, further comprising the step of querying a user whether to make the matched term distinct.