Integration of a computer-based message priority system with mobile electronic devices

• US 6,714,967 B1
• Filed: 07/30/1999
• Issued: 03/30/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Horvitz, Eric
• Primary Examiner(s): Alam, Hosain
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, THU HA T
• Application Number:
  US09/365,293
• Time in Patent Office: 1,705 Days
• Field of Search: 709/232, 709/105, 709/101, 709/103, 709/204, 709/206-207, 705/9, 370/265, 370/466, 379/93.24, 379/142, 455/31.1, 455/38.1, 455/412, 455/26, 340/5, 706/47, 706/45
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/212 using filtering or selective blocking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/224 providing notification on incoming messages, e.g. pushed notifications of received messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/226 Delivery according to priorities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/234 for tracking messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/025 using location based information parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements

Abstract

Methods for integrating mobile electronic devices with computational methods for assigning priorities to documents are disclosed. In one embodiment, a computer-implemented method first receives a new document such as an electronic mail message. The method assigns a priority to the document, based on a text classifier such as a Bayesian classifier or a support-vector machine classifier. The method then alerts a user on an electronic device, such as a pager or a cellular phone, based on an alert criteria that can be made sensitive to information about the location, inferred task, and focus of attention of the user. Such information can be inferred under uncertainty or can be accessed directly from online information sources. One embodiment makes use of information from an online calendar to control the criteria used to make decisions about relaying information to a mobile device.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising;

receiving a text,

generating a priority of the text based on a text classifier; and

,

alerting a user on an electronic device based on an alert criteria, wherein alerting a user on an electronic device based on an alert criteria comprises;

determining whether the priority of the text is greater than a predetermined threshold; and

,

alerting the user upon determining that the priority of the text is greater than the predetermined threshold.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the alert criteria is sensitive to information about location, inferred task, and focus of attention of the user.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the information is inferred under uncertainty.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the information is accessed directly from online information sources.

5. The method of claim 4, where the online information sources comprises an online calendar.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving a text comprises receiving an email.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein alerting a user on an electronic device comprises alerting the user on the electronic device comprising a pager.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein alerting a user on an electronic device comprises alerting the user on the electronic device comprising a cellular phone.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein alerting a user on an electronic device based on an alert criteria comprises:

determining whether a current time is within a predetermined range of times; and

,

upon determining that the current time is within the predetermined range of times, alerting the user.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein alerting a user on an electronic device based on an alert criteria comprises:

determining whether the user is in a meeting;

upon determining that the user is in a meeting, determining whether the priority is greater than a predetermined meeting threshold; and

,

upon determining that the priority is greater than the predetermined meeting threshold, alerting the user.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 further comprising:

training the text classifier, the text classifier comprising one of a Bayesian classifier and a support-vector machine classifier.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein alerting a user on an electronic device comprises alerting the user on the electronic device comprising one of a pager and a cellular phone.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein alerting a user on an electronic device based on an alert criteria comprises:

determining whether the priority of the text is greater than a predetermined threshold;

determining whether the user has been away for more than a predetermined amount of time; and

,

upon determining that the priority of the text is greater than the predetermined threshold and that the user has been away for more than the predetermined amount of time, alerting the user.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein alerting a user on an electronic device based on an alert criteria comprises:

determining whether the priority of the text is greater than a predetermined threshold;

determining whether the user has been away for more than a predetermined amount of time;

determining whether a current time is within a predetermined range of times; and

,

upon determining that the priority of the text is greater than the predetermined threshold, that the user has been away for more than the predetermined amount of time, and that the current time is within the predetermined range of times, alerting the user.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein alerting a user on an electronic device based on an alert criteria comprises:

determining whether the user is in a meeting;

upon determining that the user is in a meeting, determining whether the priority is greater than a predetermined meeting threshold; and

,

upon determining that the priority is greater than the predetermined meeting threshold, alerting the user.

16. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving a text;

generating a priority of the text based on a text classifier; and

,

alerting a user on an electronic device based on an alert criteria, wherein alerting a user on an electronic device based on an alert criteria comprises;

determining whether the priority of the text is greater than a predetermined threshold;

determining whether tile user has been away for more than a predetermined amount of time; and

,

upon determining that the priority of the text is greater than the predetermnined threshold and that the user has been away for more than the predetermnined amount of time, alerting the user.

17. A machine-readable medium having instructions stored thereon for execution by a processor to perform a method comprising:

receiving a text;

generating a priority of the text based on a text classifier; and

,

alerting a user on an electronic device based on an alert criteria, wherein alerting a user on an electronic device based on an alert criteria comprises;

determining whether the priority of the text is greater than a predetermined threshold; and

,

alerting the user upon determining that the priority of the text is greater than the predetermined threshold.

18. The medium of claim 17, wherein receiving a text comprises receiving an email.

19. The medium of claim 17, wherein alerting a user on an electronic device comprises alerting the user on the electronic device comprising a pager.

20. The medium of claim 17, wherein alerting a user on an electronic device comprises alerting the user on the electronic device comprising a cellular phone.

21. The medium of claim 17, wherein alerting a user on an electronic device based on an alert criteria comprises:

determining whether a current time is within a predetermined range of times; and

,

upon determining that the current time is within the predetermined range of times, alerting the user.

22. The medium of claim 17, wherein alerting a user on an electronic device based on an alert criteria comprises:

determining whether the user is in a meeting;

upon determining that the user is in a meeting, determining whether the priority is greater than a predetermined meeting threshold; and

,

upon determining that the priority is greater than the predetermined meeting threshold, alerting the user.

23. A machine-readable medium having instructions stored thereon for execution by a processor to perform a method comprising:

receiving a text;

generating a priority of the text based on a text classifier; and

,

alerting a user on an electronic device based on an alert criteria, wherein alerting a user on an electronic device based on an alert criteria comprises;

determining whether the priority of the text is greater than a predetermnined threshold;

determining whether the user has been away for more than a predetermined amount of time; and

,

upon determining that the priority of the text is greater than the predetermined threshold and that the user has been away for more than the predetermined amount of time, alerting the user.

24. A computerized system comprising:

a program to generate a text;

a text classifier to generate a priority of the text; and

,

an alert mechanism to alert a user on an electronic device based on an alert criteria, wherein the alert criteria comprises a determination of whether the priority of the text is greater than a predetermined threshold and whether the user has been away for more than a predetermined amount of time.

25. A computerized system comprising:

a program to generate a text;

a text classifier to generate a priority of the text; and

,

an alert mechanism to alert a user on an electronic device based on an alert criteria, wherein the alert criteria comprises a determination of whether the priority of the text is greater than a predetermined threshold.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the program comprises an electronic mail program to receive an electronic mail as the text.

27. The system of claim 25, wherein the text classifier comprises a Bayesian text classifier.

28. The system of claim 25, wherein the text classifier comprises a support-vector-machine classifier.

29. The system of claim 25, wherein the electronic device comprises one of a pager and a cellular phone.

30. The system of claim 25, wherein the alert criteria comprises determination of whether a current time is within a predetermined range of times.

31. The system of claim 25, wherein the alert criteria comprises a determination of whether the user is in a meeting and whether the priority is greater than a predetermnined meeting threshold.

32. The system of claim 25, wherein at least one of the alert mechanism, the program and the text classifier comprise a computer program executed by a processor from a computer-readable medium.

33. The system of claim 25,

the text a classifier analyzes properties associated with a message, and generates a priority for the message; and

the alert mechanism initiates a message alerting action upon determination that the priority is greater than a predetermined threshold.

34. The system of claim 33, the classifier comprising a Bayesian text classifier.

35. The system of claim 33, the classifier comprising a support-vector-machine classifier.

36. The system of claim 33, the properties relating to text.

37. The system of claim 36, the properties comprising date and/or time information.

38. The system of claim 33, the properties relating to an urgency associated with the message.

39. The system of claim 38, the urgency being determined at least in part as a function of time.

40. The system of claim 33, the properties relating to identity of an individual.

41. The system of claim 40, the properties relating to hierarchical classification of the individual with respect to a group of individuals.

42. The system of claim 41, the hierarchical classification being based at least in part on an organization chart structure.

43. The system of claim 33, the properties comprising information regarding a relative relationship between a recipient and an individual sending the message.

44. The system of claim 33, the properties comprising information regarding a state relative to the message.

45. The system of claim 44, the state corresponding to a past event.

46. The system of claim 44, the state corresponding to a future event.

47. The system of claim 44, the properties comprising information relative to a likelihood that an event can occur.

48. The system of claim 44, the properties comprising information relative to time criticality.

49. The system of claim 33, the properties relating to indications of personal requests.

50. The system of claim 33, the threshold dynamically changing as a function of extrinsic information.

51. The system of claim 50, the threshold dynamically changing as a function of information on a user'"'"'s calendar.

52. The system of claim 50, the threshold dynamically changing as a function of a time of day.

53. The system of claim 50, the threshold dynamically changing as a function of sensed activity of a user.

54. The system of claim 50, the threshold dynamically changing as a function of a combination of at least two of:

information on a user'"'"'s calendar, a time of day, and sensed activity of a user.

55. The system of claim 33, the properties comprising a function of period of time until a date and/or time identified from a message is reached.

56. The system of claim 33, the priority interpreted as an urgency.

57. The system of claim 56, urgency interpreted as a cost of delayed review of the message.

58. The system of claim 56, urgency interpreted as an expected cost of delayed review under uncertainty of the message.

59. The system of claim 33, the priority being calculated at least in part based on a cost-benefit analysis.

60. The system of claim 33, the threshold being calculated at least in part based on a cost-benefit analysis.