Identifying contacts

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9767434-B2
Application number	US-50011009-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 9, 2009
Priority date	Jul 9, 2009
Publication date	Sep 19, 2017
Grant date	Sep 19, 2017

Abstract

The present disclosure may include receiving a query from a computing device at a server having a database, the query identifying a desired attribute. The present disclosure may also include searching the database to identify contact information for at least one individual having the attribute corresponding to the query. The attribute may include at least one of skills, expertise, product, organization, geography and language The contact information may be transmitted to the computing device via an electronic message identifying the contact information.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A computer-implemented method for transmitting an email, comprising:
presenting to a user, by an email client application, a plurality of pre-defined attributes of contacts associated with the user;
receiving, from the user and within the email client application, a selection of at least two of the plurality of pre-defined attributes;
receiving, from the user and within the email client application, a weight for each of the at least two selected pre-defined attributes;
forwarding, by the email client application and using the at least two selected pre-defined attributes and associated selected weights, a query to an email server;
receiving, from the email server and based upon the query, a plurality of contacts matching the query and associated contact email addresses of the plurality of contacts;
receiving, from the user and within the email client application, a selection of at least one of the plurality of contacts;
automatically populating, by the email client application, an address field of the email with an email address associated with the selected at least one contact; and
transmitting, to the selected at least one contact, by the mail client application, the email using the email address.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein
each of the received plurality of contacts includes a rating associated therewith, and
each rating is based upon the at least two selected pre-defined attributes and corresponding selected weights.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2 , wherein the address field of the email is automatically populated in the email client application with a highest-rated one of the received plurality of contacts.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the plurality of pre-defined attributes is, is skills, expertise, product, organization, geography, or language.

5. A computer hardware system for transmitting an email, comprising:
at least one hardware processor, wherein the at least one hardware processor is configured to perform:
presenting to a user, by an email client application, a plurality of pre-defined attributes of contacts associated with the user;
receiving, from the user and within the email client application, a selection of at least two of the plurality of pre-defined attributes;
receiving, from the user and within the email client application, a weight for each of the at least two selected pre-defined attributes;
forwarding, by the email client application and using the at least two selected pre-defined attributes and associated selected weights, a query to an email server;
receiving, from the email server and based upon the query, a plurality of contacts matching the query and associated contact email addresses of the plurality of contacts;
receiving, from the user and within the email client application, a selection of at least one of the plurality of contacts;
automatically populating, by the email client application, an address field of the email with an email address associated with the selected at least one contact; and
transmitting, to the selected at least one contact, by the mail client application, the email using the email address.

6. The computer hardware system of claim 5 , wherein
each of the received plurality of contacts includes a rating associated therewith, and
each rating is based upon the at least two selected pre-defined attributes and corresponding selected weights.

7. The computer hardware system of claim 6 , wherein an address field of the email is automatically populated in the email client application with a highest-rated one of the received plurality of contacts.

8. The computer hardware system of claim 5 , wherein at least one of the plurality of pre-defined attributes is skills, expertise, product, organization, geography, or language.

9. A computer program product, comprising a storage hardware device having stored therein computer usable instructions for transmitting an email, the computer usable instructions, which when executed by a computer hardware system, cause the computer hardware system to perform:
presenting to a user, by an email client application, a plurality of pre-defined attributes of contacts associated with the user;
receiving, from the user and within the email client application, a selection of at least two of the plurality of pre-defined attributes;
receiving, from the user and within the email client application, a weight for each of the at least two selected pre-defined attributes;
forwarding, by the email client application and using the at least two selected pre-defined attributes and associated selected weights, a query to an email server;
receiving, from the email server and based upon the query, a plurality of contacts matching the query and associated contact email addresses of the plurality of contacts;
receiving, from the user and within the email client application, a selection of at least one of the plurality of contacts;
automatically populating, by the email client application, an address field of the email with an email address associated with the selected at least one contact; and
transmitting, to the selected at least one contact, by the mail client application, the email using the email address.

10. The computer program product of claim 9 , wherein
each of the received plurality of contacts includes a rating associated therewith, and
each rating is based upon the at least two selected pre-defined attributes and corresponding selected weights.

11. The computer program product of claim 10 , wherein an address field of the email is automatically populated in the email client application with a highest-rated one of the received plurality of contacts.

12. The computer program product of claim 9 , wherein at least one of the plurality of pre-defined attributes is skills, expertise, product, organization, geography, or language.

Assignees

• Raguillat Fred
• Farrell Colm
• Harpur Liam
• O'Sullivan Patrick Joseph
• Srikanth Hema
• IBM

Inventors

• Raguillat Fred
• Farrell Colm
• Harpur Liam
• O'Sullivan Patrick Joseph
• Srikanth Hema

Classifications

• H04L51/28

  Electricity · mapped topic

• G06F17/30657

  Physics · mapped topic

• H04L51/32

  Electricity · mapped topic

• G06Q10/10 Primary

  Office automation; Time management · CPC title

• G06F16/3331

  Query processing · CPC title