METHODS, APPARATUSES, AND COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCTS FOR ANALYZING COMMUNICATION RELATIONSHIPS

• US 20090287813A1
• Filed: 05/13/2008
• Published: 11/19/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: WSOU Investments, LLC (WSOU Holdings, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Jun, Guo, Yibin, Zhang, Zhanjiang, Song, Xia, Wang
• Granted Patent: US 8,775,543 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34

Abstract

An apparatus may include a processor configured to store a record of communications with a remote device. The processor may be further configured to calculate one or more values representative of a communication relationship with the remote device over a period of time based at least in part upon the stored record of communications. The processor may be additionally configured to determine a communication relationship pattern based upon the one or more calculated values.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

storing a record of communications with a remote device;

calculating one or more values representative of a communication relationship with the remote device over a period of time based at least in part upon the stored record of communications; and

determining a communication relationship pattern based upon the one or more calculated values.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein calculating one or more values representative of a communication relationship comprises:

calculating an intensity value representative of an intensity of communications with the remote device over a period of time;

calculating a balance value representative of a balance between outgoing and incoming communications with the remote device over a period of time;

or

calculating a communication relationship behavior value based at least in part upon the intensity and balance values.

3. A method according to claim 2, wherein calculating an intensity value comprises calculating a length of time based at least in part upon a total length of phone calls with the remote device over the period of time added to a number of messages exchanged with the remote device over the period of time multiplied by a time constant.

4. A method according to claim 2, wherein calculating a balance value comprises adding a first ratio of outgoing to incoming phone calls with the remote device multiplied by a first constant to a second ratio of outgoing to incoming messages exchanged with the remote device multiplied by a second constant.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein the communication relationship pattern may be equal and frequent communication, equal and infrequent communication, active and frequent communication, active and infrequent communication, passive and frequent communication, or passive and infrequent communication.

6. A method according to claim 1, wherein communications comprises phone calls, short message service (SMS) messages, multimedia messaging service (MMS) messages, instant messages (IM), e-mails, and file sharing.

7. A method according to claim 1, wherein storing a record of communications comprises storing a listing of communications with the remote device for each type of communication exchanged with the remote device, wherein each listing comprises a plurality of records of communication events along with associated information about the communication events.

8. A method according to claim 1, wherein storing a record of communications comprises storing a record in a database comprising indications of communication times and indications of whether communications were incoming or outgoing.

9. A method according to claim 1, further comprising providing an indication of the determined communication relationship pattern.

10. A method according to claim 9, wherein providing an indication of the determined communication relationship pattern comprises one or more of providing an indication of the determined communication relationship pattern on a display or providing a communication annunciation for communications received from the remote device based upon the determined communication relationship pattern.

11. A computer program product comprising at least one computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable program code portions stored therein, the computer-readable program code portions comprising:

a first program code portion for storing a record of communications with a device;

a second program code portion for calculating one or more values representative of a communication relationship with the remote device over a period of time based at least in part upon the stored record of communications; and

a third program code portion for determining a communication relationship pattern based upon the one or more calculated values.

12. A computer program product according to claim 11, wherein the second program code portion includes instructions for:

calculating an intensity value representative of an intensity of communications with the remote device over a period of time;

calculating a balance value representative of a balance between outgoing and incoming communications with the remote device over a period of time;

or

calculating a communication relationship behavior value based at least in part upon the intensity and balance values.

13. A computer program product according to claim 11, wherein the communication relationship pattern may be equal and frequent communication, equal and infrequent communication, active and frequent communication, active and infrequent communication, passive and frequent communication, or passive and infrequent communication.

14. A computer program product according to claim 11, wherein communications comprises phone calls, short service (SMS) messages, multimedia messaging service (MMS) messages, instant messages (IM), e-mails, and file sharing.

15. A computer program product according to claim 11, wherein the first program code portion includes instructions for storing a listing of communications with the remote device for each type of communication exchanged with the remote device, wherein each listing comprises a plurality of records of communication events along with associated information about the communication events.

16. A computer program product according to claim 11, wherein the first program code portion includes instructions for storing a record in a database comprising indications of communication times and indications of whether communications were incoming or outgoing.

17. A computer program product according to claim 11, further comprising a fourth program code portion for providing an indication of the determined communication relationship pattern.

18. A computer program product according to claim 17, wherein the fourth program code portion includes instructions for one or more of providing an indication of the determined communication relationship pattern on a display or providing a communication annunciation for communications received from the remote device based upon the determined communication relationship pattern.

19. An apparatus comprising a processor configured to:

store a record of communications with a remote device;

calculate one or more values representative of a communication relationship with the remote device over a period of time based at least in part upon the stored record of communications; and

determine a communication relationship pattern based upon the one or more calculated values.

20. An apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the processor is further configured to calculate one or more values by:

calculating an intensity value representative of an intensity of communications with the remote device over a period of time;

calculating a balance value representative of a balance between outgoing and incoming communications with the remote device over a period of time;

or

calculating a communication relationship behavior value based at least in part upon the intensity and balance values.

21. An apparatus according to claim 20, wherein the processor is further configured to calculate an intensity value by calculating a length of time based at least in part upon a total length of phone calls with the remote device over the period of time added to a number of messages exchanged with the remote device over the period of time multiplied by a time constant.

22. An apparatus according to claim 20, wherein the processor is further configured to calculate a balance value by adding a first ratio of outgoing to incoming phone calls with the remote device multiplied by a first constant to a second ratio of outgoing to incoming messages exchanged with the remote device multiplied by a second constant.

23. An apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the communication relationship pattern may be equal and frequent communication, equal and infrequent communication, active and frequent communication, active and infrequent communication, passive and frequent communication, or passive and infrequent communication.

24. An apparatus according to claim 19, wherein communications comprises phone calls, short message service (SMS) messages, multimedia messaging service (MMS) messages, instant messages (IM), e-mails, and file sharing.

25. An apparatus according to claim 19 wherein the processor is further configured to store a record of communications by storing a listing of communications with the remote device for each type of communication exchanged with the remote device, wherein each listing comprises a plurality of records of communication events along with associated information about the communication events.

26. An apparatus comprising according to claim 19 wherein the processor is further configured to store a record of communications by storing a record in a database comprising indications of communication times and indications of whether communications were incoming of outgoing.

27. An apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the processor is further configured to provide an indication of the determined communication relationship pattern.

28. An apparatus according to claim 27, further comprising at least one of a display responsive to the processor for providing an indication of the determined communication relationship pattern or a user interface responsive to the processor for annunciating communications received from the remote device based upon the determined communication relationship pattern.

29. An apparatus comprising:

means for storing a record of communications with a remote device;

means for calculating one or more values representative of a communication relationship with the remote device over a period of time based at least in part upon the stored record of communications; and

means for determining a communication relationship pattern based upon the one or more calculated values.