System and method for presenting message threads

• US 20070300153A1
• Filed: 07/09/2007
• Published: 12/27/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Michelle Baldonado, Paula Newman
• Original Assignee: Michelle Baldonado, Paula Newman
• Inventors: Baldonado, Michelle, Newman, Paula
• Granted Patent: US 8,161,381 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/234
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/00 User-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, transmitted according to store-and-forward or real-time protocols, e.g. e-mail
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/216 Handling conversation history, e.g. grouping of messages in sessions or threads
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A system and method for presenting message threads is provided. A main body and one or more excerpts are parsed from each of a plurality of messages into nodes structured to form a message tree through a procedural top-down recursive descent. The nodes in the message tree are related by determining line-group types for the main body and the excerpts of each message, which are enumerated into partitions for each of the line-group types. An output network of alternative paths through the messages is created based upon the partitions of the message tree. A document is formed from the output network to identify and remove redundant components in each message.

Claims

1. A system for presenting message threads, comprising:

an analysis module to form a message tree comprising nodes, which divides a main body and one or more excerpts from each of a plurality of messages and decomposes each of the main body and the excerpts into a line-group type;

a relationship module to relate the messages comprising, for each message, matching the excerpts with a source message and identifying one or more predecessor message; and

a presentation module to collate the messages as related into a conversational document form.

2. A system according to claim 1, further comprising at least one of:

a parser module to perform a procedural top-down recursive descent to parse features from the message;

an extractor module to extract header information from the message, which is stored into one such node; and

a concatenation module to logically concatenate the main body of the message into a single extent.

3. A system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a finite state machine to partition the main body and the excerpts into the line-group types through a weighted finite state grammar; and

an output network of alternative paths comprising arcs that simultaneously correspond to a line of the message and an arc of the weighted finite state grammar.

4. A system according to claim 1, further comprising at least one of:

a thread formatter to create a compressed form of each message; and

a block formatter to provide each message that is in reply to another such message as an annotation.

6. A method according to claim 1, further comprising at least one of:

performing a procedural top-down recursive descent to parse features from the message;

extracting header information from the message, which is stored into one such node; and

logically concatenating the main body of the message into a single extent.

7. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

partitioning the main body and the excerpts into the line-group types through a weighted finite state grammar; and

creating an output network of alternative paths comprising arcs that simultaneously correspond to a line of the message and an arc of the weighted finite state grammar.

8. A method according to claim 1, further comprising at least one of:

creating a compressed form of each message; and

providing each message that is in reply to another such message as an annotation.

5. A method for presenting message threads, comprising:

forming a message tree comprising nodes, which divides a main body and one or more excerpts from each of a plurality of messages and decomposes each of the main body and the excerpts into a line-group type;

relating the messages comprising, for each message, matching the excerpts with a source message and identifying one or more predecessor message; and

collating the messages as related into a conversational document form.

9. A system for presenting message threads, comprising:

a parser module to parse a main body and one or more excerpts from each of a plurality of messages into nodes structured to form a message tree through a procedural top-down recursive descent;

a relationship module to relate the nodes in the message tree by determining line-group types for the main body and the excerpts of each message, which are enumerated into partitions for each of the line-group types;

a network module to create an output network of alternative paths through the messages based upon the partitions of the message tree; and

a document formed from the output network to identify and remove redundant components in each message.

10. A system according to claim 9, further comprising at least one of:

a extraction module to store header information from each message into one such node; and

a concatenation module to logically concatenate the main body of the message into a single extent.

11. A system according to claim 9, wherein the partitions of the line-group types are formed through a weighted finite state grammar.

12. A system according to claim 9, wherein the alternative paths of the output network comprise arcs that simultaneously correspond to a line of the message and an arc of a weighted finite state grammar.

13. A system according to claim 9, comprising:

a compressed presenter to present the document as a compressed form of each message in a semi-linear sequence; and

a block presenter to present the document as a block that provides each message that is in reply to another such message as an annotation.

14. A system according to claim 9, wherein the messages are selected from the group comprising email and documents.

15. A method for presenting message threads, comprising:

parsing a main body and one or more excerpts from each of a plurality of messages into nodes structured to form a message tree through a procedural top-down recursive descent;

relating the nodes in the message tree by determining line-group types for the main body and the excerpts of each message, which are enumerated into partitions for each of the line-group types;

creating an output network of alternative paths through the messages based upon the partitions of the message tree; and

forming a document from the output network to identify and remove redundant components in each message.

16. A method according to claim 15, further comprising at least one of:

storing header information from each message into one such node; and

logically concatenating the main body of the message into a single extent.

17. A method according to claim 15, further comprising:

forming the partitions of the line-group types through a weighted finite state grammar.

18. A method according to claim 15, wherein the alternative paths of the output network comprise arcs that simultaneously correspond to a line of the message and an arc of a weighted finite state grammar.

19. A method according to claim 15, comprising:

presenting the document as a compressed form of each message in a semi-linear sequence; and

presenting the document as a block that provides each message that is in reply to another such message as an annotation.

20. A method according to claim 15, wherein the messages are selected from the group comprising email and documents.