Message generation using organizational data

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11271885-B2
Application number	US-201916656746-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 18, 2019
Priority date	Oct 18, 2019
Publication date	Mar 8, 2022
Grant date	Mar 8, 2022

Abstract

Techniques of electronic message generation using organizational data are disclosed herein. One example technique includes recognizing a contact a user previously communicated with in an input to an address field of a draft email in the email client. The technique can then include determining whether the input also contains a preset keyword or key phrase indicating an intention of the user to send the draft email to a related entity of the contact. In response to determining that the input also contains a preset keyword or key phrase, the technique includes querying a relationship map corresponding to the contact for an identity and email address of the related entity of the contact and surface the identity and email address in the email client as a suggested destination address for selection by the user.

First claim

We claim:

1. A method of facilitating email composition in a computing device, the method comprising:
detecting, from a user, an input in an address field of a draft email in an email client on the computing device, the user input including a text string comprising a name of a contact and at least one of a preset keyword or a preset key phrase, wherein the text string does not include an email address of the contact; and
in response to detecting the user input, parsing the text string of the user input to recognize the name of the contact with whom the user previously communicated, based at least in part on contact data associated with the user;
determining whether the parsed text string contains the preset keyword or the preset key phrase indicating an intention of the user to send the draft email to a related entity of the contact; and
in response to determining that the parsed text string contains the preset keyword or the preset key phrase,
querying, via a computer network, a server containing a relationship map corresponding to the contact for an identity and an email address of the related entity of the contact; and
responsive to receiving a query result from the server, surfacing the identity and the email address of the related entity in the email client as a suggested destination address for selection by the user.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising responsive to receiving, from the user, a selection of the suggested destination address, inserting the email address in the query result into the address field of the draft email in the email client.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
detecting a second user input in an address field of a second draft email in the email client on the computing device, the second user input containing a second text string comprising a name of a second contact;
in response to determining that the second text string does not contain a preset keyword or a preset key phrase,
searching cached contact data of the second contact for an email address of the second contact; and
surfacing the email address of the second contact in the email client as a second suggested destination address for selection by the user.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein:
determining whether the parsed text string also contains the preset keyword or the preset key phrase includes determining whether the parsed text string also contains the preset keyword or the preset key phrase indicating an intention of the user to send the draft email to a report, a manager, a co-worker, or a support staff of the contact in an organization; and
querying the server includes querying, via the computer network, the server containing an organization chart of the organization corresponding to the contact for an identity and an email address of the report, the manager, the co-worker, or the support staff of the contact.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein:
determining whether the parsed text string also contains the preset keyword or the preset key phrase includes determining whether the parsed text string also contains the preset keyword or the preset key phrase indicating an intention of the user to send the draft email to a friend, a follower, or a subscriber of the contact in a social network; and
querying the server includes querying, via the computer network, the server containing a connection map of the social network for an identity and an email address of the friend, the follower, or the subscriber of the contact.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein:
the email client is a standalone email client executed on the computing device; and
querying the server includes querying, by the email client and via the computer network, the server containing the relationship map corresponding to the contact for the identity and the email address of the related entity of the contact.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein:
the email client is a web-based email client outputted on the computing device in a web browser executed on the computing device; and
querying the server includes querying, by an email server supporting the web-based email client, the server containing the relationship map corresponding to the contact for the identity and the email address of the related entity of the contact.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein:
querying the server includes querying the server searching the relationship map on the server using the name of the contact as a searching criterion to locate the identity and the email address of the related entity of the contact.

9. The computing device of claim 1 , wherein the memory includes additional instructions executable by the processor to cause the computing device to:
determine whether the input also contains a second preset keyword or a second preset key phrase indicating an intention of the user to send the draft email to a second related entity of the contact different than the first related entity of the contact;
in response to determining that the input contains the second preset keyword or the second preset key phrase, query the relationship map corresponding to the contact for an identity and an email address of the second related entity of the contact; and
surface the identity and the email address of the second related entity in the email client as another suggested destination address for selection by the user.

10. A computing device, comprising:
a processor; and
a memory operatively coupled to the processor, the memory containing instructions executable by the processor to cause the computing device to provide an email client and to:
detect, from a user, an input to an address field of a draft email in the email client, the input including a text string comprising a name of a contact and at least one of a preset keyword or a preset key phrase, wherein the text string does not include an email address of the contact;
determine whether the input contains a first preset keyword or a first preset key phrase indicating an intention of the user to send the draft email to a first related entity of the contact; and
in response to determining that the input contains the first preset keyword or the first preset key phrase, query a relationship map corresponding to the contact for an identity and an email address of the first related entity of the contact and surface the identity and the email address of the first related entity in the email client as a suggested destination address for selection by the user.

11. The computing device of claim 10 wherein the memory includes additional instructions executable by the processor to cause the computing device to:
receive, from the user, a selection of the suggested destination address; and
responsive to receiving the selection of the suggested destination address, insert the email address of the first related entity into the address field of the draft email in the email client.

12. The computing device of claim 10 wherein the memory includes additional instructions executable by the processor to cause the computing device to:
detect a second user input in an address field of a second draft email in the email client on the computing device, the second user input containing a second text string comprising a name of a second contact;
in response to determining that the second text string does not contain a preset keyword or a preset key phrase,
search cached contact data of the second contact for an email address of the second contact; and
surface the email address of the second contact in the email client as a second suggested destination address for selection by the user.

13. The computing device of claim 10 wherein:
to determine whether t

Assignees

• Microsoft Technology Licensing Llc

Inventors

• Meling Jon
• Grubaugh Jeremy
• Lopez Alexander Primo
• Pillay Livani
• Maker Reid
• Harris David Dupree
• Eide Andreas
• Duarte Daniel

Classifications

• H04L51/48 Primary

  Message addressing, e.g. address format or anonymous messages, aliases · CPC title

• H04L51/52

  for supporting social networking services · CPC title

• G06F40/274 Primary

  Converting codes to words; Guess-ahead of partial word inputs · CPC title

• G06F3/0481

  based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance · CPC title

• G06F40/205

  Parsing · CPC title