Establishing an ad-hoc group based on addresses in an e-mail

• US 20060173962A1
• Filed: 01/31/2005
• Published: 08/03/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Ylonen, Otso
• Granted Patent: US 9,609,116 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1818 Conference organisation arrangements, e.g. handling schedules, setting up parameters needed by nodes to attend a conference, booking network resources, notifying involved parties
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/046 Interoperability with other network applications or services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/48 Message addressing, e.g. address format or anonymous messages, aliases
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72436 for text messaging, e.g. short messaging services [SMS] or e-mails

Abstract

This invention describes a method for establishing an ad-hoc group based on addresses of users in a message (e.g., an e-mail) received or sent using a pre-selected communication method (e.g., an e-mail communication) by an electronic device. Any recipient or a sender of the e-mail message can use the e-mail addresses in the message in order to establish a permanent (stored in the device) or a temporary (used immediately in a context of another communication application) ad-hoc group. The user may select all or only a part of the people (other users) into the ad-hoc group. The group-data can have several types of addresses of users such as phone numbers, SIP addresses, wireless village IDs, etc. needed in conjunction with desired applications. Creating the ad-hoc group from the e-mail message can utilize information that already exists in the electronic device and, if needed, acquired additional information from a remote service.

Claims

1. A method for establishing an ad-hoc group based on addresses in a message received or sent using a pre-selected communication method by an electronic device, comprising the steps of:

receiving or sending said message containing addresses of a group of multiple users by said electronic device, wherein said addresses of said multiple users are used for delivering said message using said pre-selected communication method to said multiple users;

creating by said electronic device group-data for said ad-hoc group of users out of said group of said multiple users with said addresses contained in said message, wherein a number of said users is equal or less than the number of said multiple users,

wherein said group-data contains parameters for each of said users for applying at least one further communication method, different from said pre-selected communication method, for communicating of said electronic device with at least one of said each of said users using at least one of said parameters, said parameters being different than said addresses.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said message is an e-mail message.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said message is an instant message.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said group-data is stored in said electronic device permanently for any future use.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said ad-doc group is a temporary group and said group-data is used immediately by said electronic device after being generated and said group-data is not stored in said electronic device permanently.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said electronic device has capabilities to acquire additional information regarding said parameters from a remote service.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein after the step of receiving or sending said message, the method comprises the step of:

providing automatically by said electronic device an option to a user of said electronic device for creating said group-data for said ad-doc group of said users.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein after the step of creating said group-data for said ad-doc group, the method comprises the step of:

providing automatically by said electronic device an option to a user of said electronic device for said applying said at least one further communication method using said at least one of said parameters.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said creating said group-data and said applying said at least one further communication method is based on instructions from a user of said electronic device.

10. A computer program product comprising:

a computer readable storage structure embodying computer program code thereon for execution by a computer processor with said computer program code characterized in that it includes instructions for performing the steps of the method of claim 1 indicated as being performed by the electronic device.

11. An electronic device capable of establishing an ad-hoc group based on addresses in a message received or sent using a pre-selected communication method by said electronic device, comprising:

a receiving/sending module, for receiving or sending said message containing addresses of a group of multiple users by said electronic device, wherein said addresses of said multiple users are used for delivering said message using said pre-selected communication method to said multiple users;

a message control module, for creating group-data for said ad-hoc group of users out of said group of said multiple users with said addresses contained in said message, wherein a number of said users is equal or less than the number of said multiple users,

wherein said group-data contains parameters for each of said users for applying at least one further communication method, different from said pre-selected communication method, for communicating of said electronic device with at least one of said each of said users using at least one of said parameters, said parameters being different than said addresses.

12. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein said message is an e-mail message.

13. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein said message is an instant message.

14. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein said electronic device further comprises:

a user and group storage module, for storing said group-data permanently in said electronic device for any future use.

15. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein said ad-doc group is a temporary group and said group-data is used immediately by said electronic device after being generated and said group-data is not stored in said electronic device permanently.

16. The electronic device of claim 11 wherein said message control module has capabilities to acquire additional information regarding said parameters from a remote service.

17. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein said message control module provides automatically an option to a user of said electronic device for creating said group-data for said ad-doc group of said users.

18. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein said message control module provides automatically an option to a user of said electronic device for said applying said at least one further communication method using said at least one of said parameters.

19. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein said creating said group-data and said applying said at least one further communication method is based on instructions from a user of said electronic device.

20. A system capable of sending and receiving a message between multiple users using a pre-selected communication method, wherein said message is sent from one of said multiple users to other multiple users from said multiple users and wherein each of said multiple users for facilitating said sending or said receiving utilizes an electronic device capable of establishing an ad-hoc group based on addresses in said message received or sent using said pre-selected communication method by said electronic device, and wherein said electronic device comprises:

a receiving/sending module, for receiving or sending said message containing addresses of a group of said multiple users by said electronic device, wherein said addresses of said multiple users are used for delivering said message using said pre-selected communication method to said multiple users;

a message control module, for creating group-data for said ad-hoc group of users out of said group of said multiple users with said addresses contained in said message, wherein a number of said users is equal or less than the number of said multiple users,

wherein said group-data contains parameters for each of said users for applying at least one further communication method different from said pre-selected communication method for communicating of said electronic device with at least one of said each of said users using at least one of said parameters, said parameters being different than said addresses.