IP Library Granted Patent US 10,834,029
Granted Patent B2
US 10,834,029 · App. 16/261,518 · Granted Nov 10, 2020

Automatic modification of message signatures using contextual data

Inventors: Laura Janet Rodriguez (Durham, NC); Stephanie Huston (Raleigh, NC); Corville O. Allen (Morrisville, NC)
Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
H04L51/04G06F16/24578H04L51/16
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,834,029
App. No.
16/261,518
Granted
Nov 10, 2020
Kind
B2
Abstract

In automatically modifying message signatures, a system extract message content from the message text from a sender to a recipient. Using at least the message content, the system determines: a relationship context capturing a nature of the relationship between the sender and the recipient, a temporal context capturing temporal features of the message content, a historical context capturing a nature of electronic interactions between the sender and the recipient over time, and a tone category capturing a primary tone and strength of the primary tone of the message content. The system selects a signature template associated with contextual data that includes the relationship, temporal, and historical contexts and the tone category. The signature template includes a set of sections where a signature is modified by inserting section values associated with the contextual data into the set of sections. The modified signature is inserted into the message text.

Claims (61)

1. A system comprising:

a processor; and

a computer readable storage medium having program instructions embodied therewith, the program instructions executable by the processor to cause the processor to:

receive message text for an electronic message from a sender to a recipient;

extract message content from the message text;

using at least the message content, determine a relationship context for the sender and the recipient, the relationship context capturing a nature of the relationship between the sender and the recipient;

using at least the message content, determine a temporal context for the message content, the temporal context capturing temporal features of the message content;

using at least the message content and a history of electronic conversations between the user and the recipient, determine a historical context for the sender and the recipient, the historical context capturing a nature of electronic interactions between the sender and the recipient over time;

using at least the message content, determine a tone category for the message content, the tone category capturing a primary tone and strength of the primary tone of the message content;

select a signature template of a plurality of signature templates in a template repository mapped to a combination of contextual data matching the relationship context, the temporal context, the historical context, and the tone category, the signature template comprising a set of sections;

for each section of the set of sections, search a mapping database for an entry matching the combination of the contextual data, the entry comprising a section value associated with the combination of the contextual data;

for each section of the set of sections, extract a corresponding section value from the entry;

modify a signature for the electronic message by inserting the section value corresponding to each section of the set of sections in the signature template; and

insert the modified signature into the message text.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the relationship context is determined using at least the message content and messages in a conversation thread to which the message content belong.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the historical context comprises a cultural context capturing a primary culture associated with the recipient.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further caused to:

refine the relationship context using the historical context or the tone category.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the message text is directed to a plurality of recipients, wherein the processor is further caused to:

determine a primary recipient of the message text;

determine the relationship context for the sender and the primary recipient; and

determine a historical context for the sender and the primary recipient.

6. A method for automatic modification of a signature for an electronic message using contextual data, implemented by a processor, comprising:

receiving, by a contextual analyzer from a conversation client, message text for the electronic message from a sender to a recipient;

extracting, by the contextual analyzer, message content from the message text;

using at least the message content, determining, by a relationship analyzer, a relationship context for the sender and the recipient, the relationship context capturing a nature of the relationship between the sender and the recipient;

using at least the message content, determining, by a temporal context analyzer, a temporal context for the message content, the temporal context capturing temporal features of the message content;

using at least the message content and a history of electronic conversations between the user and the recipient, determining, by a historical context analyzer, a historical context for the sender and the recipient, the historical context capturing a nature of electronic interactions between the sender and the recipient over time;

using at least the message content, determining, by a tone analyzer, a tone category for the message content, the tone category capturing a primary tone and strength of the primary tone of the message content;

selecting, by a signature producer, a signature template of a plurality of signature templates in a template repository mapped to a combination of contextual data matching the relationship context, the temporal context, the historical context, and the tone category, the signature template comprising a set of sections;

for each section of the set of sections, searching, by the signature producer, a mapping database for an entry matching the combination of the contextual data, the entry comprising a section value associated with the combination of the contextual data;

for each section of the set of sections, extracting, by the signature producer, a corresponding section value from the entry;

modifying, by the signature producer, a signature for the electronic message by inserting the section value corresponding to each section of the set of sections in the signature template; and

inserting, by the signature producer, the modified signature into the message text.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the relationship context is determined using at least the message content and messages in a conversation thread to which the message content belong.

8. The method of claim 6 , wherein the historical context comprises a cultural context capturing a primary culture associated with the recipient.

9. The method of claim 6 , further comprising:

refining, by the relationship analyzer, the relationship context using the historical context or the tone category.

10. The method of claim 6 , wherein the message text is directed to a plurality of recipients, wherein the method further comprises:

determining a primary recipient of the message text;

determining the relationship context for the sender and the primary recipient; and

determining a historical context for the sender and the primary recipient.

11. A computer program product for automatic modification of a signature for an electronic message using contextual data, the computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium having program instructions embodied therewith, the program instructions executable by a processor to cause the processor to:

receive message text for an electronic message from a sender to a recipient;

extract message content from the message text;

using at least the message content, determine a relationship context for the sender and the recipient, the relationship context capturing a nature of the relationship between the sender and the recipient;

using at least the message content, determine a temporal context for the message content, the temporal context capturing temporal features of the message content;

using at least the message content and a history of electronic conversations between the user and the recipient, determine a historical context for the sender and the recipient, the historical context capturing a nature of electronic interactions between the sender and the recipient over time;

using at least the message content, determine a tone category for the message content, the tone category capturing a primary tone and strength of the primary tone of the message content;

select a signature template of a plurality of signature templates in a template repository mapped to a combination of contextual data matching the relationship context, the temporal context, the historical context, and the tone category, the signature template comprising a set of sections;

for each section of the set of sections, search a mapping database for an entry matching the combination of the contextual data, the entry comprising a section value associated with the combination of the contextual data;

for each section of the set of sections, extract a corresponding section value from the entry;

modify a signature for the electronic message by inserting the section value corresponding to each section of the set of sections in the signature template; and

insert the modified signature into the message text.

12. The computer program product of claim 11 , wherein the relationship context is determined using at least the message content and messages in a conversation thread to which the message content belong.

13. The computer program product of claim 11 , wherein the processor is further caused to:

refine the relationship context using the historical context or the tone category.

14. The computer program product of claim 11 , wherein the message text is directed to a plurality of recipients, wherein the processor is further caused to:

determine a primary recipient of the message text;

determine the relationship context for the sender and the primary recipient; and

determine a historical context for the sender and the primary recipient.

Assignments (2)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Feb 8, 2019
From: RODRIGUEZ, LAURA JANET
To: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 048272/0101 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jan 29, 2019
From: RODRIGUEZ, LAURA JANET; HUSTON, STEPHANIE; ALLEN, CORVILLE O.
To: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 048181/0228 →
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20200244606A1 · Jul 30, 2020