Systems, methods and devices for extracting and visualizing user-centric communities from emails

• US 8,700,756 B2
• Filed: 05/03/2011
• Issued: 04/15/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/03/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Chidlovskii, Boris
• Primary Examiner(s): BOUTAH, ALINA A
• Application Number:
  US13/099,502
• Publication Number:
  US 20120284381A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,078 Days
• Field of Search: 709204-206, 709/223, 715/319
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/52 for supporting social networking services

Abstract

Embodiments generally relate to systems and methods for extracting and visualizing user-centric communities from emails. A set of email data comprising a set of users can be identified and a communication graph comprising a center node can be generated from the email data. The center node can be removed from the communication graph and a set of communities can be determined from the remaining data. The center node can be reconnected to a center of each of the set of communities to form a community graph. The links connecting the center node with the center of each of the set of communities can have a weight calculated according to a formula. The community graph can be visualized and provided to an administrator.

Claims

1. A method of processing data, the method comprising:

identifying, from email data, a set of users associated with the email data;

generating a communication graph between the set of users, wherein the communication graph comprises a single center node;

generating an obscured graph by removing the center node from the communication graph;

determining, by a processor, a set of communities of the obscured graph; and

generating a community graph by connecting the center node with a center of each of the set of communities,

wherein the center node is connected to the center of each of the set of communities via a set of links and wherein a set of weights associated with the set of links is generated using an equation

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the center node comprises a single user of the set of users.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the center node comprises multiple users of the set of users.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication graph further comprises an edge set indicating a set of weights between data of the communication graph.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of communities of the obscured graph is determined by one of a minimum cut algorithm, hierarchical clustering, Girvan-Newman algorithm, or modularity maximization.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

filtering the communication graph via one or more of a field, a keyword, or a time-span.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of users is identified from a set of metadata fields associated with the email data.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating a visualization of the community graph; and

providing the visualization of the community graph to an administrator.

9. A system for processing data, comprising:

an interface to a storage device configured to store email data; and

a processor, communicating with the storage device via the interface, the processor being configured to;

identify, from the email data, a set of users associated with the email data;

generate a communication graph between the set of users, wherein the communication graph comprises a single center node;

generate an obscured graph by removing the center node from the communication graph;

determine a set of communities of the obscured graph; and

generate a community graph by connecting the center node with a center of each of the set of communities,

wherein the center node is connected to the center of each of the set of communities via a set of links and wherein a set of weights associated with the set of links is generated using an equation

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the center node comprises a single user of the set of users.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the center node comprises multiple users of the set of users.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the communication graph further comprises an edge set indicating a set of weights between data of the communication graph.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the set of communities of the obscured graph is determined by one of a minimum cut algorithm, hierarchical clustering, Girvan-Newman algorithm, or modularity maximization.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the processor is further configured to:

filtering the communication graph via one or more of a field, a keyword, or a time-span.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein the set of users is identified from a set of metadata fields associated with the email data.

16. The system of claim 9, wherein the processor is further configured to:

generating a visualization of the community graph; and

providing the visualization of the community graph to an administrator.