IP Library Granted Patent US 10,534,520
Granted Patent B2
US 10,534,520 · App. 15/690,461 · Granted Jan 14, 2020

Smart email task reminders

Inventors: Mayank Kulkarni (Gainesville, FL); Adam Chow (Atlanta, GA)
Assignee: VMware, Inc.
G06F3/04842H04L51/22G06Q10/10
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,534,520
App. No.
15/690,461
Filed
Aug 30, 2017
Granted
Jan 14, 2020
Kind
B2
Art Unit
2173
USPC
715/752
Abstract

Systems and methods herein assist users by identifying actionable tasks in an email and providing reminders and other tracking mechanisms for those tasks. For example, a method can include extracting a portion of the email and assigning a number to each word of the extracted portion of the email according to a library. The method can further include determining, based on the assigned numbers, whether the extracted portion of the email includes at least one actionable portion. In response to determining that the extracted portion of the email includes at least one actionable portion, at least one actionable portion can be presented to the user on a GUI associated with the user's device.

Claims (42)

1. A method for presenting actionable tasks from a received email, comprising:

determining elements of a body of the email to be ignored and extracting a portion of the body excluding the determined elements;

determining the extracted portion of the email includes at least one actionable portion by:

assigning a number to each word of the extracted portion of the email;

grouping the assigned numbers into number sentences corresponding to sentences of the extracted portion of the email; and

processing the number sentences with a trained model;

converting a respective number sentence that includes the at least one actionable portion back to the corresponding words of the extracted portion of the email; and

presenting the at least one actionable portion in a graphical user interface (GUI).

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the respective number sentence is grouped into a list with other actionable number sentences associated with the email, and wherein presenting the at least one actionable portion in the GUI includes presenting additional actionable portions associated with the other actionable number sentences from the list.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein presenting the at least one actionable portion of the email in the GUI further comprises highlighting the at least one actionable portion.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein presenting the at least one actionable portion of the email in the GUI further comprises displaying the at least one actionable portion in a hero card.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the hero card includes a selectable GUI element that, when selected, marks the at least one actionable portion as completed.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein presenting the at least one actionable portion of the email in the GUI further comprises presenting the at least one actionable portion in association with a meeting invitation.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising presenting a graphical representation of actionable portions of emails completed by the user within a period of time relative to actionable portions of emails presented to the user within the period of time.

8. A system for identifying actionable tasks in a received email, comprising:

a user device comprising a processor, a display, and an email application, wherein the processor of the user device performs stages comprising:

determining elements of a body of the email to be ignored and extracting a portion of the body excluding the determined elements;

determining the extracted portion of the email includes at least one actionable portion by:

assigning a number to each word of the extracted portion of the email;

grouping the assigned numbers into number sentences corresponding to sentences of the extracted portion of the email; and

processing the number sentences with a trained model; and

converting a respective number sentence that includes the at least one actionable portion back to the corresponding words of the extracted portion of the email; and

presenting the at least one actionable portion in a graphical user interface (GUI) on the display.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the respective number sentence is grouped into a list with other actionable number sentences associated with the email, and wherein presenting the at least one actionable portion in the GUI includes presenting additional actionable portions associated with the other actionable number sentences from the list.

10. The system of claim 8 , wherein presenting the at least one actionable portion of the email in the GUI further comprises highlighting the at least one actionable portion.

11. The system of claim 8 , wherein presenting the at least one actionable portion of the email in the GUI further comprises displaying the at least one actionable portion in a hero card.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the hero card includes a selectable GUI element that, when selected, marks the at least one actionable portion as completed.

13. The system of claim 8 , wherein presenting the at least one actionable portion of the email in the GUI further comprises presenting the at least one actionable portion in association with a meeting invitation.

14. The system of claim 8 , the stages further comprising presenting a graphical representation of actionable portions of emails completed by the user within a period of time relative to actionable portions of emails presented to the user within the period of time.

15. A non-transitory, computer-readable medium including instructions that, when executed by a processor of a computing device, cause the processor to perform stages for identifying actionable tasks in a received email, the stages comprising:

determining elements of a body of the email to be ignored and extracting a portion of the body excluding the determined elements;

determining the extracted portion of the email includes at least one actionable portion by:

assigning a number to each word of the extracted portion of the email;

grouping the assigned numbers into number sentences corresponding to sentences of the extracted portion of the email; and

processing the number sentences with a trained model; and

converting a respective number sentence that includes the at least one actionable portion back to the corresponding words of the extracted portion of the email; and

presenting the at least one actionable portion in a graphical user interface (GUI).

16. The non-transitory, computer-readable medium of claim 15 , wherein the respective number sentence is grouped into a list with other actionable number sentences associated with the email, and wherein presenting the at least one actionable portion in the GUI includes presenting additional actionable portions associated with the other actionable number sentences from the list.

17. The non-transitory, computer-readable medium of claim 15 , wherein presenting the at least one actionable portion of the email in the GUI further comprises displaying the at least one actionable portion in a hero card.

18. The non-transitory, computer-readable medium of claim 17 , wherein the hero card includes a selectable GUI element that, when selected, marks the at least one actionable portion as completed.

19. The non-transitory, computer-readable medium of claim 15 , wherein presenting the at least one actionable portion of the email in the GUI further comprises presenting the at least one actionable portion in association with a meeting invitation.

20. The non-transitory, computer-readable medium of claim 15 , the stages further comprising presenting a graphical representation of actionable portions of emails completed by the user within a period of time relative to actionable portions of emails presented to the user within the period of time.

Assignments (4)
PATENT ASSIGNMENT Recorded Aug 5, 2024
From: VMWARE LLC
To: OMNISSA, LLC
Reel/Frame 068327/0365 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Jul 3, 2024
From: OMNISSA, LLC
To: UBS AG, STAMFORD BRANCH
Reel/Frame 068118/0004 →
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Apr 15, 2024
From: VMWARE, INC.
To: VMWARE LLC
Reel/Frame 067102/0395 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Aug 30, 2017
From: KULKARNI, MAYANK; CHOW, ADAM
To: VMWARE, INC.
Reel/Frame 043445/0881 →
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20190065033A1 · Feb 28, 2019