Apparatus, program products and methods utilizing intelligent contact management
US6247043A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jun 11, 1998 |
| Grant date | Jun 12, 2001 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jun 11, 2018 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06F16/335
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
Apparatus, program products, and methods implement various intelligent contact management operations to improve the productivity of users of electronic messaging systems and the like. To perform an intelligent name lookup, for example, a subset of the users in a contact database that meet a predetermined search criteria is identified, and a favored user is selected therefrom based upon a predetermined affinity criteria. Also, the automated addition of new entries to a contact database is supported by accumulating the number of contacts between a first user and a second user, with a new entry associated with the second user added to the contact database associated with the first user in response to the number of contacts between the first and second users exceeding a predetermined threshold. The automated addressing of electronic messages is also supported by determining, in response to a first user addressing an electronic message to a second user, whether the second user is a member of an electronic messaging group that defines a plurality of member users, and if so, to address the electronic message to at least one additional member user in the electronic messaging group. The aut…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.