Systems and methods to automatically generate a signature block

• US 9,087,323 B2
• Filed: 10/14/2009
• Issued: 07/21/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/14/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Yahoo Assets LLC
• Original Assignee: Yahoo! Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hein, Brian, Brezina, Matthew
• Primary Examiner(s): Ng, Amy
• Assistant Examiner(s): Muhebbullah, Sajeda
• Application Number:
  US12/579,321
• Publication Number:
  US 20110087969A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,106 Days
• Field of Search: 715/745, 715/752, 715/736, 709/206
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]

Abstract

Systems and methods for automated signature generation. In one aspect, a method implemented in a computer includes: storing information relating to a plurality of persons on a computer readable medium; and generating a signature block applied to a message composed in a user interface, based on one or more addresses in an address field of the user interface used to compose the message and the information relating to the plurality of persons.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method, comprising:

storing, in a computer, information relating to a plurality of persons on a computer readable medium of the computer, the information including statistical data of message communications between the plurality of persons and a user; and

in response to an input of one or more addresses from the user in an address field of a user interface configured to compose a message,

identifying, by the computer for each respective address specified in the address field, a respective person of the plurality of persons that corresponds to the respective address,

retrieving, by the computer, statistical data of message communications between the respective person and the user,

generating, by the computer, a signature block to include content generated based on the statistical data of message communications between the respective person and the user, and

applying, by the computer, the signature block to the message in the user interface;

receiving, by the computer, at least one customization to the signature block presented in the user interface configured to compose the message; and

saving, by the computer, the at least one customization to the signature block to the computer readable medium in association with the user of the user interface, wherein when one or more messages having the one or more addresses in the address field are composed, the at least one customization is used in generating signature blocks for the one or more messages.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the address field has a single address;

one of the plurality of persons corresponds to the single address; and

at least some of the stored information relating to the one of the plurality of persons is included in the signature block.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the information relating to the plurality of persons is profile information, collected via:

scanning, by the computer, a set of messages of a user to identify a plurality of addresses;

identifying, by the computer, names of persons at the plurality of addresses to generate profiles for the persons at the plurality of addresses;

collecting, by the computer, profile information of the persons at the plurality of addresses; and

updating, by the computer, profiles of the persons with the profile information of the persons at the plurality of addresses.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the collecting profile information of the persons at the plurality of addresses comprises retrieving information relating to the persons at the plurality of addresses from at least one external source.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the at least one external source is a social networking website.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein a common characteristic of each of the plurality of persons is used to customize the signature block.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the signature block additionally comprises at least one dynamic field whose respective value is drawn from at least one external source.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the at least one external source is a social networking website.

9. A computing device, comprising:

a memory;

a processor coupled with the memory storing instructions configured to instruct the processor to;

store information relating to a plurality of persons on a computer readable medium, the information including statistical data of message communications between the plurality of persons and a user;

in response to an input of one or more addresses from the user in an address field of a user interface configured to compose a message,

identify, for each respective address specified in the address field, a respective person of the plurality of persons that corresponds to the respective address,

retrieve, statistical data of message communications between the respective person and the user,

generate a signature block to include content generated based on the statistical data of message communications between the respective person and the user, and

apply the signature block to the message in the user interface;

receive at least one customization to the signature block presented in the user interface configured to compose the message; and

save the at least one customization to the signature block to the computer readable medium in association with the user of the user interface, wherein when one or more messages having the one or more addresses in the address field are composed, the at least one customization is used in generating signature blocks for the one or more messages.

10. The computing device of claim 9, wherein at least a portion of the information relating to the plurality of persons is profile information, collected via:

scanning, by the computer, a set of messages of a user to identify a plurality of addresses;

identifying, by the computer, names of persons at the plurality of addresses to generate profiles for the persons at the plurality of addresses;

collecting, by the computer, profile information of the persons at the plurality of addresses; and

updating, by the computer, profiles of the persons with the profile information of the persons at the plurality of addresses.

11. The computing device of claim 10, wherein the collecting profile information of the persons at the plurality of addresses comprises retrieving information relating to the persons at the plurality of addresses from at least one external source.

12. The computing device of claim 11, wherein the at least one external source is a social networking website.

13. The computing device of claim 9, wherein a common characteristic of each of the plurality of persons is used to customize the signature block.

14. The computing device of claim 9, wherein the signature block additionally comprises at least one dynamic field whose respective value is drawn from at least one external source.

15. The computing device of claim 14, wherein the at least one external source is a social networking website.

16. A non-transitory computer readable storage media storing a set of instructions, the instructions causing a computer to perform a method, the method comprising:

storing, in the computer, information relating to a plurality of persons on a computer readable medium of the computer, the information including statistical data of message communications between the plurality of persons and a user; and

in response to an input of one or more addresses from the user in an address field of a user interface configured to compose a message,

identifying, by the computer for each respective address specified in the address field, a respective person of the plurality of persons that corresponds to the respective address,

retrieving, by the computer, statistical data of message communications between the respective person and the user,

generating, by the computer, a signature block to include content generated based on the statistical data of message communications between the respective person and the user, and

applying, by the computer, the signature block to the message in the user interface;

receiving, by the computer, at least one customization to the signature block presented in the user interface configured to compose the message; and

saving, by the computer, the at least one customization to the signature block to the computer readable medium in association with the user of the user interface, wherein when one or more messages having the one or more of addresses in the address field are composed, the at least one customization is used in generating signature blocks for the one or more messages.

17. The non-transitory computer readable storage media of claim 16, wherein the address field has a single address;

one of the plurality of persons corresponds to the single address; and

at least some of the stored information relating to the one of the plurality of persons is included in the signature block.

18. The non-transitory computer readable storage media of claim 16, wherein at least a portion of the information relating to the plurality of persons is profile information, collected via:

scanning, by the computer, a set of messages of a user to identify a plurality of addresses;

identifying, by the computer, names of persons at the plurality of addresses to generate profiles for the persons at the plurality of addresses;

collecting, by the computer, profile information of the persons at the plurality of addresses; and

updating, by the computer, profiles of the persons with the profile information of the persons at the plurality of addresses.

19. The non-transitory computer readable storage media of claim 16, wherein a common characteristic of each of the plurality of persons is used to customize the signature block.

20. The non-transitory computer readable storage media of claim 16, wherein the signature block additionally comprises at least one dynamic field whose respective value is drawn from at least one external source.