# US 2013/0159425 A1 · Display of user relationships

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- Number: US 2013/0159425 A1
- Document ID: US20130159425A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 13/326,074
- Filed: 2011-12-14
- Published: 2013-06-20
- Earliest claimed: 2011-12-14
- Assignees: International Business Machines Corporation
- Inventors: Patricia S. Hogan; Susan W. Brosnan
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20130159425A1

## CPC

- G06Q 10/06: Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
- G06Q 10/10: Office automation; Time management
- G06Q 10/107: Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
- G06Q: INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR

## Abstract

Information regarding each recipient of a selected group of users is retrieved, such as each recipient of a number of recipients of an email, and such as responsive to a request made in relation to the email. One or more relationships among the users are determined, based on the information retrieved regarding each user. Such relationships can include job groups, job titles, locations, and/or family relationships, among other types of relationships. The one or more relationships among the users are displayed.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A computer program product comprising a computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable code embodied therein and executable by a processor to perform a method comprising, responsive to a request from a user in relation to an email:
retrieving information regarding each recipient of a plurality of recipients of the email;
determining one or more relationships among the recipients of the email, based on the information retrieved regarding each recipient of the email; and,
displaying the one or more relationships among the recipients of the email to the user from whom the request has been received.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises receiving the request from the user in relation to the email.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The computer program product of claim 2, wherein receiving the request from the user in relation to the email comprises:
receiving user selection of a graphical user interface element of a graphical user interface in conjunction with which the email has been displayed and exposed by an email messaging computer program.

### Claim 4 (depends on 2)

The computer program product of claim 2, wherein receiving the request from the user in relation to the email comprises:
receiving user entry of a list of the recipients of the email within a graphical user interface element of a graphical user interface of a computer program other than an email messaging computer program exposing another graphical user interface in conjunction with which the email has been displayed.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The computer program product of claim 1, wherein retrieving the information regarding each recipient of the email comprises:
looking up each recipient of the email, by an email address thereof included in the email, within a database.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The computer program product of claim 1, wherein determining the relationships among the recipients of the email comprises:
organizing the recipients of the email over a plurality of job groups, each recipient of the email belonging to one or more of the job groups.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The computer program product of claim 1, wherein determining the relationships among the recipients of the email comprises:
organizing the recipients of the email in accordance with job titles of the recipients.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The computer program product of claim 1, wherein determining the relationships among the recipients of the email comprises:
organizing the recipients of the email over a plurality of locations, each recipient of the email associated with one of the locations.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The computer program product of claim 1, wherein determining the relationships among the recipients of the email comprises:
organizing the recipients of the email in accordance with family relationships of the recipients.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The computer program product of claim 1, wherein displaying the relationships among the recipients of the email to the user comprises:
permitting a user to dynamically interact with a display of the relationships among the recipients of the email such that the display changes in accordance with user input related thereto.

### Claim 11

A method comprising:
receiving, by a processor, identification of a selected group of users;
retrieving, by the processor, information regarding each user;
determining, by the processor, one or more relationships among the users, based on the information retrieved regarding each user; and,
displaying, by the processor, the one or more relationships among the users.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The method of claim 11, further comprising receiving identification of the users.

### Claim 13 (depends on 11)

The method of claim 11, wherein retrieving the information regarding each user comprises looking up each user within a database.

### Claim 14 (depends on 11)

The method of claim 11, wherein determining the relationships among the users comprises one or more of:
organizing the users over a plurality of job groups, where each user belongs to one or more of the job groups;
organizing the users in accordance with job titles of the users;
organizing the users over a plurality of locations, where each user is associated with one of the locations;
organizing the users in accordance with family relationships of the users.

### Claim 15 (depends on 11)

The method of claim 11, wherein displaying the relationships among the users comprises permitting user interaction with a display of the relationships among the users such that the display changes in accordance with user input related thereto.

### Claim 16

A system comprising:
a processor;
network hardware to communicatively connect to a storage device over a network, the storage device storing a database of information regarding a plurality of users; and,
a computer-readable data storage medium storing a computer program executable by the processor to retrieve from the database information regarding a plurality of given users selected from the plurality of users, and to determine and display on a display device one or more relationships among the given users.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The system of claim 16, wherein the computer program is to determine the relationships among the users by one or more of:
organizing the users over a plurality of job groups, where each user belongs to one or more of the job groups;
organizing the users in accordance with job titles of the users;
organizing the users over a plurality of locations, where each user is associated with one of the locations;
organizing the users in accordance with family relationships of the users.

### Claim 18 (depends on 16)

The system of claim 16, wherein the computer program is to display the relationships among the users by permitting user interaction with a display of the relationships among the users, via an input device, such that the display changes in accordance with user input related thereto.