System and method for analyzing communications

• US 9,749,276 B2
• Filed: 07/09/2014
• Issued: 08/29/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/01/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Inventors: Isaacs, Ellen, Nardi, Bonnie A., Whittaker, Stephen
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Jimmy H
• Application Number:
  US14/327,183
• Publication Number:
  US 20140324855A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,147 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2071/0666 worn on the head or face, e.g. combined with goggles or glasses
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 33/004 comprising two separate lenses joined by a flexible bridge
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24578 using ranking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/26 Visual data mining; Browsing structured data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/284 Relational databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/955 using information identifiers, e.g. uniform resource locators [URL]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/226 Delivery according to priorities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/42 Mailbox-related aspects, e.g. synchronisation of mailboxes

Abstract

The invention provides a system and method for analyzing a collection of communication messages. The communication messages may be any one of a collection of electronic mail messages, voicemail messages, instant messaging dialogs and other forms of communications. The collections of communications, such as electronic mail messages, may be selected by a user and then subsequently processed to determine the identity of any of the user'"'"'s contacts within the communications. The contacts may then be arranged in a relative priority arrangement whereby contacts which have been identified as engaging in prior reciprocal communications with the user are given higher priority. Higher priority may also be given to contacts which engage in more recent communications with the user. Specific contact relationships may be inferred from the communications depending on whether specific contacts are repeatedly mentioned within the communication messages.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

accessing, by at least one computing device comprising a processor, a plurality of electronic communications associated with a user;

analyzing, by the at least one computing device, the plurality of electronic communications to determine a reciprocity for each contact of a plurality of contacts by identifying a number of previous reciprocal electronic communications between the user and each contact, wherein a reciprocal electronic communication comprises one of;

an electronic communication reply sent by a contact of the plurality of contacts in response to a prior electronic communication initiated by the user;

or

an electronic communication reply sent by the user in response to a prior electronic communication initiated by a contact of the plurality of contacts; and

ranking, based on the reciprocity for each contact, the plurality of contacts relative to one another.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein analyzing the plurality of electronic communications to determine a reciprocity for each contact of the plurality of contacts comprises:

analyzing each of the plurality of electronic communications to determine whether the electronic communication is a reciprocal electronic communication; and

determining the number of previous reciprocal electronic communications between the user and each contact based on the analysis of each of the plurality of electronic communications.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein determining a reciprocity for each contact of the plurality of contacts comprises determining a frequency of reciprocal electronic communications between the user and each contact of the plurality of contacts.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising assigning a score to each of the plurality of electronic communications based on whether the electronic communication is a reciprocal electronic communication.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein assigning the score to each of the plurality of electronic communications comprises assigning a higher score to an electronic communication if the electronic communication is a reciprocal electronic communication, and assigning a lower score to an electronic communication if the electronic communication is not a reciprocal electronic communication;

and

determining the reciprocity for each contact of the plurality of contacts based on the score and the number of previous reciprocal electronic communications between the user and the contact.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising, for each contact of the plurality of contacts, identifying electronic communications from the plurality of electronic communications that are specific to the contact.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising, for each contact of the plurality of contacts, calculating an importance score based on the identified electronic communications specific to the contact.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the identified electronic communications specific to the contact each mention the contact or include the contact as a party to the electronic communication.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising ranking the plurality of contacts relative to one another based on one or more additional factors.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising assigning a greater weight to the reciprocity for each contact than to the one or more additional factors.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein ranking the plurality of contacts relative to one another comprises:

identifying one or more contacts that have participated in reciprocal electronic communications with the user;

identifying one or more contacts that have not participated in reciprocal electronic communications with the user; and

ranking the one or more contacts that have participated in reciprocal electronic communications with the user higher than the one or more contacts that have not participated in reciprocal electronic communications with the user.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing a listing of the ranked plurality of contacts for presentation to the user.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying one or more additional electronic communications; and

updating the ranking of the plurality of contacts based on an analysis of the one or more additional electronic communications.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein updating the ranking comprises:

identifying, from the one or more additional electronic communications, one or more additional contacts; and

ranking, based on an analysis of the plurality of communications and the one or more additional communications, the plurality of contacts and the one or more additional contacts relative to one another, wherein the analysis of the one or more additional communications comprises determining a reciprocity for each of the one or more additional contacts, wherein the reciprocity for each of the one or more additional contacts is based on identifying a number of previous reciprocal electronic communications between the user and the contact.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein ranking the plurality of contacts relative to one another comprises ranking the plurality of contacts relative to one another with specific respect to the user.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing, for each of the plurality of contacts, a selectable option to add the contact to or remove the contact from a contact network for the user.

17. A system comprising:

at least one processor; and

a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to;

access a plurality of electronic communications associated with a user;

analyze the plurality of communications to determine a reciprocity for each contact of a plurality of contacts by identifying a number of previous reciprocal electronic communications between the user and each contact, wherein a reciprocal electronic communication comprises one of;

an electronic communication reply sent by a contact of the plurality of contacts in response to a prior electronic communication initiated by the user;

or

an electronic communication reply sent by the user in response to a prior electronic communication initiated by a contact of the plurality of contacts; and

rank, based on the reciprocity for each contact, the plurality of contacts relative to one another.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein analyzing the plurality of electronic communications to determine a reciprocity of the plurality of electronic communications comprises:

analyzing each of the plurality of electronic communications to determine whether the electronic communication is a reciprocal electronic communication; and

determining the number of previous reciprocal electronic communications between the user and each contact based on the analysis of each of the plurality of electronic communications.

19. The system of claim 18, further comprising instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the system to:

assign a score to each of the plurality of electronic communications based on whether the electronic communication is a reciprocal electronic communication;

for each of the plurality of contacts, identify electronic communications from the plurality of electronic communications that are specific to the contact; and

for each of the plurality of contacts, calculate an importance score based on the identified electronic communications specific to the contact.

20. The system of claim 17, further comprising instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the system to:

rank the plurality of contacts relative to one another based on one or more additional factors; and

assign a greater weight to the reciprocity for each contact than to the one or more additional factors.

21. The system of claim 17, further comprising instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the system to:

identify one or more contacts that have participated in reciprocal electronic communications with the user;

identify one or more contacts that have not participated in reciprocal electronic communications with the user; and

rank the one or more contacts that have participated in reciprocal electronic communications with the user higher than the one or more contacts that have not participated in reciprocal electronic communications with the user.