Automatic categorization of entries in a contact list

• US 7,774,711 B2
• Filed: 09/29/2005
• Issued: 08/10/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AOL Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Valeski, Judson
• Primary Examiner(s): Pitaro; Ryan F
• Application Number:
  US11/237,718
• Publication Number:
  US 20060031772A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,776 Days
• Field of Search: 715/752
• US Class Current: 715/752
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24575 using context
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/285 Clustering or classification
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]

Abstract

Entries within a participant list of an electronic communications system may be categorized automatically into one or more groups based on attributes of users represented in the participant list. Categorizing users includes maintaining a list of identifiers that are selected by a first user and for which online presence information is made perceivable through the list. The list includes one or more categories into which the identifiers are categorized. At least one attribute associated with an identifier for which online presence information is to be made perceivable through the list and attributes stored relative to at least one of the categories are accessed. The attributes associated with the identifier are compared to the stored attributes. Based on results of the comparison, at least one category within the list that corresponds to the identifier is identified, and the identifier is categorized into the identified category.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method performed by a processor for categorizing users of a communication system, the method comprising:

maintaining, in a storage device and on behalf of a first user, a list of identifiers representing users of the communication system and for which online presence information is made perceivable through the list, the list including two or more categories into which listed identifiers are categorized based on attributes associated with the listed identifiers, each of the two or more categories reflecting attributes other than online presence;

accessing, from the storage device, at least one attribute associated with an identifier, wherein the identifier is included within the list but not categorized within either of the two categories, and online presence information for the identifier is made perceivable through the list;

accessing attributes stored relative to at least one of the two or more categories included within the list;

comparing the at least one attribute associated with the identifier to the stored attributes;

automatically identifying, based on results of the comparison and without user input, at least one of the two or more categories included within the list as corresponding to the identifier; and

categorizing the identifier into the identified category.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein accessing at least one attribute associated with the identifier comprises accessing an attribute associated with the identifier from a profile associated with the identifier.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein accessing an attribute associated with the identifier from a profile associated with the identifier comprises accessing an attribute of a user associated with the identifier from a profile of the user.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein accessing at least one attribute associated with the identifier comprises accessing at least one indication of communications between the first user and the identifier or a user corresponding to the identifier.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein accessing at least one indication comprises accessing at least one indication from a group of indications comprising one or more instant messages sent between the first user and the identifier or a user corresponding to the identifier, e-mail messages sent between the first user and the identifier or a user corresponding to the identifier, and voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) telephone calls between the first user and the identifier or a user corresponding to the identifier.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein:

accessing at least one attribute associated with the identifier comprises accessing a time at which the first user exchanges messages with the identifier or a user corresponding to the identifier; and

identifying at least one of the two or more categories included within the list as corresponding to the identifier comprises identifying at least one of the two or more categories included within the list as reflecting identifiers of users with which the first user communicated within a period of time that includes the accessed time.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein identifying at least one of the two or more categories included within the list as corresponding to the identifier comprises identifying at least one of the two or more categories included within the list as reflecting identifiers of users with which the first user communicated during a current day, a previous day, a previous week, or a previous month.

8. The method of claim 4 wherein:

accessing at least one attribute associated with the identifier comprises accessing a frequency with which the first user exchanges messages with the identifier or a user corresponding to the identifier; and

identifying at least one of the two or more categories included within the list as corresponding to the identifier comprises identifying at least one of the two or more categories included within the list as reflecting identifiers of users with which the first user communicated at a frequency within a range of frequencies that includes the accessed frequency.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein identifying at least one of the two or more categories included within the list as corresponding to the identifier comprises identifying at least one category reflecting identifiers of users with which the first user communicated at least a particular number of times a day, at least a particular number of times a week, or at least a particular number of times a month.

10. The method of claim 4 wherein:

accessing at least one attribute associated with the identifier comprises accessing a length of one or more messages sent between the first user and the identifier or a user corresponding to the identifier; and

identifying at least one of the two or more categories included within the list as corresponding to the identifier comprises identifying at least one of the two or more categories included within the list as reflecting identifiers with which the first user exchanged messages of lengths within a range of lengths that includes the accessed length.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein identifying at least one of the two or more categories included within the list as corresponding to the identifier comprises identifying at least one of the two or more categories included within the list as reflecting identifiers with which the first user exchanged messages of at least a threshold length.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein identifying at least one of the two or more categories included within the list as corresponding to the identifier comprises identifying at least one of the two or more categories included within the list as reflecting identifiers with which the first user exchanged messages of at most a threshold length.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein:

accessing at least one attribute associated with the identifier comprises accessing a location of a user corresponding to the identifier; and

identifying at least one of the two or more categories included within the list as corresponding to the identifier comprises identifying at least one of the two or more categories included within the list as reflecting identifiers of users that are located at the accessed location.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein:

accessing at least one attribute associated with the identifier comprises accessing at least one group within a second list of identifiers, the at least one accessed group including the identifier; and

identifying at least one of the two or more categories included within the list as corresponding to the identifier comprises identifying at least one group within the list that corresponds to the at least one accessed group within the second list as the category.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein:

accessing at least one group within the second list comprises accessing at least one group within an address book of an e-mail system; and

identifying at least one group comprises identifying at least one group within a list of users of an instant messaging system for which presence is monitored that corresponds to the at least one accessed group within the address book.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein:

accessing at least one group within the second list comprises accessing at least one group within a list of users of an instant messaging system for which presence is monitored; and

identifying at least one group comprises identifying at least one group within an address book of an e-mail system that corresponds to the at least one accessed group within the list of users of the instant messaging system.

17. The method of claim 1 further comprising receiving a request to categorize the identifier into at least one category based on at least one attribute associated with the identifier.

18. The method of claim 1 wherein the list of users is an address book of an e-mail system.

19. The method of claim 1 wherein the identifier is at least one from a group including an online identity, a name, or an alias for an online identity.

20. The method of claim 1 wherein the two or more categories are mutually exclusive such that each of the identifiers is categorized into at most one of the two or more categories, and categorizing the identifier into the identified category comprises categorizing the identifier only into the identified category.

21. The method of claim 1 further comprising prompting the first user to accept categorization of the identifier into the identified category, wherein categorizing the identifier comprises categorizing the identifier in response to an indication that the first user accepts the categorization of the identifier into the identified category.

22. The method of claim 21 further comprising enabling the first user to manually categorize the identifier when the first user does not accept the categorization of the identifier into the identified category.

29. The method of claim 1 wherein categorizing the identifier into the identified category includes:

removing the identifier from a previous location within the list of identifiers, and

replacing the identifier at a new location within the list of identifiers, the new location of the identifier within the list of identifiers reflecting that the identifier has been categorized into the identified category.

23. A tangible machine-accessible storage medium that when accessed, results in a machine performing operations for categorizing users of a communication system, comprising:

maintaining, in a storage device and on behalf of a first user, a list of identifiers representing users of the communication system and for which online presence information is made perceivable through the list, the list including two or more categories into which listed identifiers are categorized based on attributes associated with the listed identifiers, each of the two or more categories reflecting attributes other than online presence;

accessing at least one attribute associated with an identifier, wherein the identifier is included within the list but not categorized within either of the two categories and online presence information for the identifier is made perceivable through the list;

accessing, from the storage device, attributes stored relative to at least one of the two or more categories included within the list;

comparing the at least one attribute associated with the identifier to the stored attributes;

automatically identifying, based on results of the comparison and without user input, at least one of the two or more categories included within the list as corresponding to the identifier; and

categorizing the identifier into the identified category.

24. A computer-implemented method performed by a processor for categorizing users of an instant messaging system, the method comprising:

maintaining, in a storage device and for a first user of the instant messaging system, an instant messaging participant list that is configured to reflect online presence information for other users of the instant messaging system;

accessing electronic content maintained for the other users of the instant messaging system, the electronic content including one or more personal attributes that are descriptive of the user for which the electronic content is maintained, wherein the other users of the instant messaging system for whom electronic content is accessed are not already included within the instant messaging participant list;

automatically identifying, based on results of accessing the electronic content and without user input, a subset of the other users of the instant messaging system that have at least one personal attribute in common; and

automatically adding, in response to identifying the subset of the other users that have at least one personal attribute in common and without user input, at least one of the subset of other users that have at least one personal attribute in common to the instant messaging participant list maintained for the first user of the instant messaging system.

25. The method of claim 24 wherein automatically adding at least one of the subset of other users further comprises:

categorizing the at least one of the subset of other users into a category within the instant messaging participant list for the first user of the instant messaging system;

visually distinguishing the at least one of the subset of other users from other instant messaging participants included within the instant message participant list who are not categorized into the category, and

making perceivable that the at least one of the subset of other users has been categorized into the category.

26. The method of claim 24 wherein:

the electronic content maintained for the other users of the instant messaging system includes hometown attributes for one or more of the other users of the instant messaging system, the hometown attributes indicating the hometowns of the users for which the hometown attributes are maintained;

identifying a subset of the other users of the instant messaging system that have at least one personal attribute in common includes identifying a subset of the other users of the instant messaging system that have hometown attributes in common, the common hometown attributes indicating that the subset of the other users of the instant messaging system share the same particular hometown;

maintaining the instant messaging participant list includes;

maintaining a group of users from the particular hometown within the instant messaging participant list,

visually distinguishing the group of users from the particular hometown maintained within the instant messaging participant list from other instant messaging participants included within the instant message participant list, and

making perceivable that the group of users from the particular hometown belong to a group of users from a common hometown; and

adding at least one of the subset of other users that have at least one personal attribute in common to the instant messaging participant list for the particular user of the instant messaging system includes adding at least one of the subset of other users that share the same particular hometown to the group of users from the particular hometown within the instant messaging participant list.

27. The method of claim 24 wherein:

the electronic content maintained for the other users of the instant messaging system includes occupation attributes for one or more of the other users of the instant messaging system, the occupation attributes indicating the occupations of the users for which the occupation attributes are maintained;

identifying a subset of the other users of the instant messaging system that have at least one personal attribute in common includes identifying a subset of the other users of the instant messaging system that have occupation attributes in common, the common occupation attributes indicating that the subset of the other users of the instant messaging system share the particular occupation;

maintaining the instant messaging participant list includes;

maintaining a group of users that share the particular occupation within the instant messaging participant list,

visually distinguishing the group of users that share the particular occupation maintained within the instant messaging participant list from other instant messaging participants included within the instant message participant list, and

making perceivable that the group of users that share the particular occupation belong to a group of users who share a common occupation; and

adding at least one of the subset of other users that have at least one personal attribute in common to the instant messaging participant list for the particular user of the instant messaging system includes adding at least one of the subset of other users that share the particular occupation to the group of users that share the particular occupation within the instant messaging participant list.

28. The method of claim 24 wherein:

the electronic content maintained for the other users of the instant messaging system includes interest attributes for one or more of the other users of the instant messaging system, the interest attributes indicating interests of the users for which the interest attributes are maintained;

identifying a subset of the other users of the instant messaging system that have at least one personal attribute in common includes identifying a subset of the other users of the instant messaging system that have interest attributes in common, the common interest attributes indicating that the subset of the other users of the instant messaging system share a particular interest;

maintaining the instant messaging participant list includes;

maintaining a group of users that share the particular interest within the instant messaging participant list,

visually distinguishing the group of users that share the particular interest from other instant messaging participants included within the instant message participant list, and

making perceivable that the group of users that share the particular interest belong to a group of users who share a common interest; and

adding at least one of the subset of other users that have at least one personal attribute in common to the instant messaging participant list for the particular user of the instant messaging system includes adding at least one of the subset of other users that share the particular interest to the group of users that share the particular interest within the instant messaging participant list.

30. The method of claim 24 wherein:

maintaining an instant messaging participant list includes maintaining an instant messaging participant list that includes two or more categories into which instant messaging participants included within the instant messaging participant list are categorized, each of the two or more categories associated with attributes other than online presence;

identifying a subset of the other users of the instant messaging system that have at least one personal attribute in common includes identifying a subset of the other users of the instant messaging system that have at least one personal attribute in common that is different from the attributes associated with the two or more categories already included within the instant messaging participant list; and

adding at least one of the subset of other users that have at least one attribute in common to the instant messaging participant list maintained for the particular user of the instant messaging system includes;

creating a new category within the instant messaging participant list, the new category being associated with the at least one attribute that the subset of other users have in common,

categorizing the at least one of the subset of other users that have the attribute in common into the new category,

visually distinguishing the at least one of the subset of other users that have the attribute in common from other instant messaging participants categorized into the two or more other categories, and

making perceivable that the at least one of the subset of other users that have the attribute in common have been categorized into the new category.

31. A computer-implemented method for categorizing a user of a communication system, the method comprising:

maintaining, in a storage device and on behalf of a first user, a list of identifiers representing users of the communication system and for which online presence information is made perceivable through the list, the list including two or more categories into which listed identifiers are categorized, each of the two or more categories reflecting attributes other than online presence;

receiving a request from the first user to add a particular new identifier not already included within the list of identifiers to the list of identifiers maintained on behalf of the first user;

accessing at least one attribute associated with the new identifier;

accessing, from the storage device, attributes stored relative to at least one of the two or more categories included within the list;

comparing the at least one attribute associated with the new identifier to the stored attributes;

identifying, based on results of the comparison and without user input, at least one of the two or more categories included within the list as corresponding to the new identifier;

categorizing the new identifier into the identified category;

adding the new identifier to the list of participant identifiers; and

making perceivable that the new identifier is categorized within the identified category.

32. A computer-implemented method performed by a processor for categorizing users of a communication system, the method comprising:

maintaining, in a storage device and on behalf of a first user, a list of identifiers representing users of the communication system;

displaying the list of identifiers on a display device, the displayed list of identifiers comprising two or more categories into which identifiers are categorized based on attributes associated with the identifiers, each of the two or more categories reflecting attributes other than online presence;

receiving a communication from a second user, wherein an identifier representing the second user is not included in the list of identifiers;

determining, from a profile associated with the identifier of the second user, at least one attribute associated with the identifier of the second user;

accessing attributes stored relative to at least one of the two or more categories included within the displayed list;

comparing the at least one attribute associated with the identifier of the second user to the stored attributes;

automatically identifying, based on results of the comparison and without user input, at least one of the two or more categories included within the list as corresponding to the identifier of the second user;

displaying, on the display device, an indication of the identified category;

receiving, from the first user, a notification that the first user accepts the identified category; and

categorizing, based on the received notification, the identifier of the second user into the identified category.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein the at least one attribute associated with the identifier of the second user includes at least one of a location of the second user, an age of the second user, an activity of the second user, and an employer of the second user.

34. The method of claim 32, wherein the at least one attribute associated with the identifier of the second user includes at least one of a frequency with which the first user and the second user exchange communications using the communication system, the number of communications exchanged between the first user and the second user, and a length of messages exchanged between the first user and the second user.