System and method for analyzing communications

• US 9,749,279 B2
• Filed: 09/18/2015
• 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:
  US14/858,166
• Publication Number:
  US 20160012141A1
• Time in Patent Office: 711 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:

analyzing, by a processor, a plurality of communications between a user and a plurality of contacts;

identifying a mentioning of a contact within a communication of the plurality of communications, wherein identifying the mentioning of the contact comprises analyzing a content portion of the communication of the plurality of communications to determine the contact is mentioned in the content portion of the communication;

assigning a relative priority ranking to each of the plurality of contacts based at least on response times for reciprocal communications between the user and each of the plurality of contacts; and

assigning a higher relative priority ranking to the contact based on the mentioning of the contact.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein assigning the relative priority ranking to each of the plurality of contacts comprises assigning higher relative priority rankings to contacts from the plurality of contacts based on shorter response times for reciprocal communications between the user and the contacts.

3. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein assigning the relative priority ranking to each of the plurality of contacts further comprises assigning lower relative priority rankings to other contacts from the plurality of contacts based on longer response times for reciprocal communications between the user and the other contacts.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

determining, based on analyzing the plurality of communications between the user and the plurality of contacts, a frequency at which each of the plurality of contacts engages in reciprocal communications with the user; and

wherein assigning the relative priority ranking to each of the plurality of contacts is further based on the frequency at which each of the plurality of contacts engages in reciprocal communications with the user.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

determining, based on analyzing the plurality of communications between the user and the plurality of contacts, temporal durations for reciprocal communication interactions between the user and each of the plurality of contacts; and

wherein assigning the relative priority ranking to each of the plurality of contacts is further based on the temporal durations for reciprocal communication interactions between the user and each of the plurality of contacts.

6. The method as recited in claim 5, wherein assigning the relative priority ranking to each of the plurality of contacts comprises assigning higher relative priority rankings to contacts from the plurality of contacts based on longer temporal durations for reciprocal communication interactions between the user and the contacts.

7. The method as recited in claim 6, wherein assigning the relative priority ranking to each of the plurality of contacts further comprises assigning lower relative priority rankings to other contacts from the plurality of contacts based on shorter temporal durations for reciprocal communication interactions between the user and the other contacts.

8. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein assigning the relative priority ranking to each of the plurality of contacts further comprises assigning higher relative priority rankings to contacts that engage in more recent communications with the user and assigning lower relative priority rankings to contacts that engage in less recent communications with the user.

9. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein identifying the mentioning of the contact further comprises analyzing text within the content portion of the communication of the plurality of communications to determine the contact is mentioned in the content portion of the communication.

10. A system comprising:

at least one processor; and

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

analyze a plurality of communications between a user and a plurality of contacts;

identify a mentioning of a contact within a communication of the plurality of communications, wherein identifying the mentioning of the contact comprises analyzing a content portion of the communication of the plurality of communications to determine the contact is mentioned in the content portion of the communication;

assign a relative priority ranking to each of the plurality of contacts based at least on response times for reciprocal communications between the user and each of the plurality of contacts; and

assign a higher relative priority ranking to the contact based on the mentioning of the contact.

11. The system as recited in claim 10, wherein assigning the relative priority ranking to each of the plurality of contacts comprises assigning higher relative priority rankings to contacts from the plurality of contacts based on shorter response times for reciprocal communications between the user and the contacts.

12. The system as recited in claim 11, wherein assigning the relative priority ranking to each of the plurality of contacts further comprises assigning lower relative priority rankings to other contacts from the plurality of contacts based on longer response times for reciprocal communications between the user and the other contacts.

13. The system as recited in claim 12, further comprising instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to:

determine a frequency at which each of the plurality of contacts engages in reciprocal communications with the user; and

wherein assigning the relative priority ranking to each of the plurality of contacts is further based on the frequency at which each of the plurality of contacts engages in reciprocal communications with the user.

14. The system as recited in claim 13, further comprising instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to:

determine temporal durations for reciprocal communication interactions between the user and each of the plurality of contacts; and

wherein assigning the relative priority ranking to each of the plurality of contacts is further based on the temporal durations for reciprocal communication interactions between the user and each of the plurality of contacts.

15. The system as recited in claim 14, wherein identifying the mentioning of the contact further comprises analyzing text within the content portion of the communication of the plurality of communications to determine the contact is mentioned in the content portion of the communication.

16. A non-transitory computer readable storage media storing instructions thereon that, when executed by a processor, cause a computer system to:

analyze a plurality of communications between a user and a plurality of contacts;

identify a mentioning of a contact within a communication of the plurality of communications, wherein identifying the mentioning of the contact comprises analyzing a content portion of the communication of the plurality of communications to determine the contact is mentioned in the content portion of the communication;

assign a relative priority ranking to each of the plurality of contacts based at least on response times for reciprocal communications between the user and each of the plurality of contacts; and

assign a higher relative priority ranking to the contact based on the mentioning of the contact.

17. The non-transitory computer readable storage media recited in claim 16, wherein assigning the relative priority ranking to each of the plurality of contacts comprises:

assigning higher relative priority rankings to contacts from the plurality of contacts based on shorter response times for reciprocal communications between the user and the contacts; and

assigning lower relative priority rankings to other contacts from the plurality of contacts based on longer response times for reciprocal communications between the user and the other contacts.

18. The non-transitory computer readable storage media recited in claim 16, further comprising instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the computer system to:

determine a frequency at which each of the plurality of contacts engages in reciprocal communications with the user; and

wherein assigning the relative priority ranking to each of the plurality of contacts is further based on the frequency at which each of the plurality of contacts engages in reciprocal communications with the user.

19. The non-transitory computer readable storage media recited in claim 16, further comprising instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the computer system to:

determine temporal durations for reciprocal communication interactions between the user and each of the plurality of contacts; and

wherein assigning the relative priority ranking to each of the plurality of contacts is further based on the temporal durations for reciprocal communication interactions between the user and each of the plurality of contacts.

20. The non-transitory computer readable storage media recited in claim 16, wherein identifying the mentioning of the contact further comprises analyzing text within the content portion of the communication of the plurality of communications to determine the contact is mentioned in the content portion of the communication.