Automatic conversation techniques

• US 9,338,114 B2
• Filed: 02/18/2013
• Issued: 05/10/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Affronti, Michael, Brauninger, Andrew, McCann, Robert Emmett, Edelen, James, Pereira, Jorge
• Primary Examiner(s): Desrosiers, Evans
• Application Number:
  US13/769,598
• Publication Number:
  US 20130159879A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,177 Days
• Field of Search: 709204-207
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/216 Handling conversation history, e.g. grouping of messages in sessions or threads
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72436 for text messaging, e.g. short messaging services [SMS] or e-mails

Abstract

Automatic conversation techniques are described. An apparatus may comprise a computing device having an incoming message module operative to receive an incoming message, a conversation identification module communicatively coupled to the incoming message module, the conversation identification module operative to determine the incoming message is part of a conversation thread, and associate the incoming message with the conversation thread by setting a conversation identifier property of the incoming message to a conversation identifier for the conversation thread, and a conversation manager module communicatively coupled to the conversation identification module, the conversation manager module operative to determine a conversation rule is associated with the conversation thread, and apply the conversation rule to the incoming message. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Claims

1. An article comprising a tangible computer-readable memory storage containing instructions that, when executed by a computer system, cause the computer system to:

display a ribbon user interface comprising a first dialog box, the first dialog box having a first option button for ignoring a conversation comprising a plurality of stored e-mail messages, the plurality of stored e-mail messages being stored across a plurality of storage locations;

receive a selection of the first option button;

move the plurality of stored email messages from the plurality of storage locations to a specified folder in response to receiving the selection of the first option button; and

display, on the computing device, the ribbon user interface comprising a second dialog box, the second dialog box having a second option button to stop ignoring the conversation, wherein selecting the second option button to stop ignoring the conversation stops ignoring the plurality of stored conversation items that were moved to the specified folder by removing the plurality of stored conversation items from the specified folder and returning the plurality of stored conversation items to the plurality of storage locations.

2. The article of claim 1, wherein the instructions further cause the computer system to create an entry in a conversation action table for the conversation using a conversation ID.

3. The article of claim 2, wherein the instructions further cause the computer system to:

receive one or more new e-mail messages for the conversation; and

automatically move the one or more new e-mail messages to the selected folder when the one or more new e-mail messages matches the conversation ID.

4. The article of claim 2, wherein the instructions further cause the computer system to remove an entry for an always delete conversation rule from a conversation action table.

5. An apparatus comprising:

a memory for storing executable program code; and

a processor, functionally coupled to the memory, the processor being responsive to computer-executable instructions contained in the program code and operative to;

display a ribbon user interface comprising a first dialog box, the first dialog box having a first option button for ignoring a plurality of conversations, each of the plurality of conversations comprising one or more stored conversation items, the one or more stored conversation items being stored across a plurality of storage locations;

receive a selection of the first option button;

move the one or more stored conversation items in each of the plurality of conversations from the plurality of storage locations to a selected folder in response to receiving the selection of the first option button; and

display, on the computing device, the ribbon user interface comprising a second dialog box, the second dialog box having a second option button to stop ignoring the conversation, wherein selecting the second option button to stop ignoring the conversation stops ignoring the plurality of stored conversation items that were moved to the selected folder by removing the plurality of stored conversation items from the selected folder and returning the plurality of stored conversation items to the plurality of storage locations.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the processor is further operative to create an entry in a conversation action table for each of the plurality of conversations using a conversation ID.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the processor is further operative to:

receive one or more new conversation items for one or more of the plurality of conversations; and

automatically move the one or more new conversation items for the one or more of the plurality of conversations to the selected folder when the one or more new conversation items matches the conversation ID.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the one or more new conversation items comprises one or more new e-mail messages.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the one or more stored conversation items comprises one or more stored e-mail messages.

10. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the processor is further operative to remove one or more corresponding entries for always delete conversation rules from a conversation action table.

11. A method implemented on a computing device, comprising:

displaying a ribbon user interface comprising a first option for ignoring a conversation, the conversation comprising a plurality of stored conversation items, the plurality of stored conversation items being stored across a plurality of storage locations;

receiving, from a user, a selection of the first option to ignore the conversation;

moving, by the computing device, the plurality of stored conversation items associated with the conversation from the plurality of storage locations to a specified folder in response to receiving the user selection to ignore the conversation;

displaying the ribbon user interface further comprising a second option and receiving, from the user, a selection of the second option to stop ignoring the conversation; and

moving, by the computing device, the plurality of stored conversation items from the specified folder back to the plurality of storage locations in response to receiving the selection to stop ignoring the conversation.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising creating an entry in a conversation action table for the conversation using a conversation ID.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

receiving one or more new conversation items for the conversation; and

automatically moving the one or more new conversation items to the specified folder when the one or more new conversation items matches the conversation ID.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein receiving one or more new conversation items for the conversation comprises receiving one or more new e-mail messages for the conversation.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein moving, by the computing device, the plurality of stored conversation items to the specified folder in response to receiving the selection to ignore the conversation comprises moving a plurality of stored e-mail messages to a deleted items folder.

16. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

moving the plurality of conversation items in the conversation to an inbox folder in response to receiving the selection to stop ignoring the conversation.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising removing an entry for an always delete conversation rule from a conversation action table.