Applying tags from communication files to users

• US 8,589,497 B2
• Filed: 12/08/2009
• Issued: 11/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kyndryl Incorporated
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Balasubramanian, Swaminathan, D'Amora, Bruce D., Handy-Bosma, John, Jones, Andrew R., Keller, Neal M., O'Connell, Brian M., Pickover, Clifford A., Walker, Keith R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Tammy
• Application Number:
  US12/633,467
• Publication Number:
  US 20110138000A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,442 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206, 709/220, 707/3, 726/23
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]

Abstract

A method, data processing system, and computer program product for associating tags with a person or user. A computer receives a communication file. The computer determines a tag for the communication file to form a communication file association of the tag with the communication file. The computer identifies contact information for a user from the communication file. The computer forms a user association between the user and the tag.

Claims

1. A method for associating tags with a person, the method comprising:

receiving a communication file;

receiving a specification of a tag for the communication file;

identifying, by one or more processors, from the communication file contact information for a person associated with the communication file;

associating the person with the tag based on the contact information in the communication file and the step of determining the tag for the communication file; and

receiving a request to search, based on the tag, for users associated with the tag and in response, based on the association of the person with the tag, displaying the contact information for the person associated with the tag.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a user request to add the contact information to a contact database, wherein forming the association between the person and the tag is responsive to receiving the user request and further comprises associating an email address to the person.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the user association is a criteria for subscribing the person to an electronic communications having at least one matching tag.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

receiving an email satisfying the criteria, responsive to a sender entering the tag into the email;

responsive to receiving the email satisfying the criteria, adding an indication in the email to form a tag-sourced email for a user to which the email is directed that the user is subscribed to the email on the basis of the communication file association; and

dispatching the tag-sourced email to the user.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein receiving an email further comprises removing a redundant email address from the email.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein determining a tag for the communication file comprises:

assigning at least one draft tag to the communication file, wherein the at least one draft tag is provided by a first user;

soliciting at least one additional user to negotiate a tag set for the communication file, wherein the second user is the person, responsive to identifying contact information for the person; and

concluding negotiations between the first user and the at least one additional user to form at least one of a tag set selected from the group consisting of an agreed tag set, or a disputed tag set.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein soliciting the at least one additional user further comprises:

presenting draft tags to the second user, each draft tag having at least two selectable agreement levels; and

receiving a selection of at least one selectable agreement level for each draft tag from the at least one additional user.

8. The method of claim 7, the method further comprising;

responsive to a determination of an agreed tag set, forming the agreed tag set; and

presenting the agreed tag set as an agreed tag set to the first user and the at least one additional user, wherein the agreed tag set is determined based on the first user and the at least one additional user placing selectable agreement levels for a subset of an agreed tag set above a threshold for some tags.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein agreed tag set is determined based on the user placing selectable agreement levels for tags other than the subset below the threshold.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the agreed tag set comprises tags that each correspond to votes of the first user and the at least one additional user, wherein the vote of the first user and the vote of the second user do not diverge.

11. The method of claim 7, further comprising receiving an additional draft tag from a second user to add to the draft tag set.

12. The method of claim 7, further comprising ranking the tags in the draft tag set to show an order to which tags have accrued agreement from users as a whole, wherein the users comprise at least an email author and the second user.

13. A method for associating tags with a person, the method comprising:

receiving a communication file, wherein the communication file is an email;

identifying contact information for a person from the communication file;

determining a tag for the communication file to form a communication file association of the tag with the communication file, wherein determining comprises;

assigning at least one draft tag to the communication file, wherein the at least one draft tag is provided by a first user;

soliciting at least one additional user to negotiate a tag set for the communication file, wherein the second user is the person, responsive to identifying contact information for a user; and

concluding negotiations among the first user and the at least one additional user to form at least one of a tag set selected from the group consisting of an agreed tag set, or a disputed tag set; and

forming a user association between the person and the tag.

14. A computer program product for associating tags with a person, the computer program product comprising:

a computer readable storage device having computer readable program code stored thereon, the computer readable program code comprising;

computer readable program code to receive a communication file;

computer readable program code to receive a specification of a tag for the communication file;

computer readable program code to identify contact information for a person from the communication file contact information for a person associated with the communication file;

computer readable program code associate the person with the tag based on the contact information in the communication file and determining the tag for the communication file; and

computer readable program code to receive, based on the tag, for users associated with the tag and in response, based on the association, displaying the contact information for the person associated with the tag.

15. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the user association is recorded to a contact card suitable for rendering to a computer output device,

and

computer readable program code to receive a user request to add the contact information to a contact database, wherein forming the association between the person and the tag is responsive to receiving the user request and further comprises associating an email address to the person.

16. The computer program product of claim 14, further comprising:

computer readable program code to receive an email satisfying the criteria, responsive to a sender entering the tag into the email, wherein receiving an email further comprises removing a redundant email address from the email;

computer readable program code to add an indication in the email to form a tag-sourced email for a user to which the email is directed that the user is subscribed to the email on the basis of the communication file association, responsive to receiving the email satisfying the criteria; and

computer readable program code to dispatch the tag-sourced email to the user, wherein the user association is a criteria for subscribing the person to an electronic communications having at least one matching tag.

17. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein computer readable program code to determine a tag for the communication file comprises:

computer readable program code to assign at least one draft tag to the communication file, wherein the at least one draft tag is provided by a first user;

computer readable program code to solicit at least one additional user to negotiate a tag set for the communication file, wherein the second user is the user, responsive to identifying contact information for a user; and

computer readable program code to conclude negotiations among the first user and the at least one additional user to form at least one of a tag set selected from the group consisting of an agreed tag set, or a disputed tag set.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein computer readable program code to solicit the at least one additional user further comprises:

computer readable program code to present draft tags to the additional user each draft tag having at least two selectable agreement levels; and

computer readable program code to receive a selection of at least one selectable agreement level for each draft tag from the at least one additional user, wherein the agreed tag set is determined based on the user placing selectable agreement levels for tags other than the subset below the threshold;

computer readable program code to rendering a user-selectable button to submit tags for negotiation.

19. The computer program product of claim 18, the method further comprising;

computer readable program code to form the agreed tag set, responsive to a determination of an agreed tag set; and

computer readable program code to present the agreed tag set as an agreed tag set to the users, wherein the agreed tag set is determined based on the user and the at least one additional user placing selectable agreement levels for a subset of an agreed tag set above a threshold for some tags.

20. A computer system for associating tags with a person, the system comprising:

a central processing unit;

a computer readable memory;

a computer readable storage device and program instructions stored on the storage device for execution by the processing unit via the memory, the program instructions comprising;

first program instructions to receive a communication file;

second program instructions to receive a specification of a tag for the communication file; and

third program instructions to identify contact information for a person from the communication file identify contact information for a person from the communication file contact information for a person associated with the communication file;

fourth program instructions to associate the person with the tag based on the contact information in the communication file and determining the tag for the communication file;

fifth program instructions to receive, based on the tag, for users associated with the to and in response, based on the association, displaying the contact information for the person associated with the tag; and

wherein

the first, second, third, fourth, and fifth program instructions are stored on the computer readable storage device for execution by the central processing unit via the computer readable memory.

21. The computer system of claim 20, wherein the user association is recorded to a contact card suitable for rendering to a computer output device, the computer system further comprising:

sixth program instructions to receive a user request to add the contact information to a contact database, wherein forming the association between the person and the tag is responsive to receiving the user request and further comprises associating an email address to the person; and

wherein

the sixth program instructions are stored on the computer readable storage device for execution by the central processing unit via the computer readable memory.

22. The computer system of claim 20, the computer system further comprising:

sixth program instructions to receive an email satisfying the criteria, responsive to a sender entering the tag into the email, wherein receiving an email further comprises removing a redundant email address from the email;

seventh program instructions to add an indication in the email to form a tag-sourced email for a user to which the email is directed that the user is subscribed to the email on the basis of the communication file association, responsive to receiving the email satisfying the criteria; and

eighth program instructions to dispatch the tag-sourced email to the user, wherein the user association is a criteria for subscribing the person to an electronic communications having at least one matching tag; and

wherein

the sixth, seventh, and eighth program instructions are stored on the computer readable storage device for execution by the central processing unit via the computer readable memory.

23. The computer system of claim 20, wherein the second program instructions to determine a tag for the communication file comprises:

sixth program instructions to assign at least one draft tag to the communication file, wherein the at least one draft tag is provided by a first user;

seventh program instructions to solicit at least one additional user to negotiate a tag set for the communication file, wherein the second user is the user, responsive to identifying contact information for a user; and

eighth program instructions to conclude negotiations among the first user and the at least one additional user to form at least one of a tag set selected from the group consisting of an agreed tag set, or a disputed tag set; and

wherein

the sixth, seventh, and eighth program instructions are stored on the computer readable storage device for execution by the central processing unit via the computer readable memory.

24. The computer system of claim 23, wherein the sixth program instructions to solicit the at least one additional user further comprises:

ninth program instructions to present draft tags to the additional user each draft tag having at least two selectable agreement levels;

tenth program instructions to receive a selection of at least one selectable agreement level for each draft tag from the at least one additional user, wherein the agreed tag set is determined based on the user placing selectable agreement levels for tags other than the subset below the threshold; and

eleventh program instructions to render a user-selectable button to submit tags for negotiation; and

wherein

the ninth, tenth, and eleventh program instructions are stored on the computer readable storage device for execution by the central processing unit via the computer readable memory.