# US 7,613,776 B1 · Identifying and using identities deemed to be known to a user

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- Number: US 7,613,776 B1
- Document ID: US7613776B1
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B1
- Application number: 10/747,678
- Filed: 2003-12-30
- Granted: 2009-11-03
- Earliest claimed: 2003-03-26
- Assignees: AOL Inc.
- Inventors: Roy Ben-Yoseph
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US7613776B1

## CPC

- H04L 67/54: Presence management, e.g. monitoring or registration for receipt of user log-on information, or the connection status of the users
- H04L 51/043: using or handling presence information
- H04L 67/75: Indicating network or usage conditions on the user display
- H04L 51/212: using filtering or selective blocking
- H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M)

## Abstract

The people a user is presumed to know or be associated with may be determined using a number of techniques. This information about people that the user knows is used in relation to the user's communications. For example, a display of e-mail may only show the user e-mails from known people.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method of controlling aspects of communications between a user and senders:
maintaining, on one or more computers, a list of identities associated with a user;
receiving, at the one or more computers, one or more e-mails from an entity and directed to the user;
detecting, at the one or more computers, one or more actions performed by the user on the received one or more e-mails from the entity, the actions supporting an inference that the entity is associated with the user and including at least one of moving at least one of the received e-mails from a first folder to a second folder or leaving at least one of the received e-mails open for a predetermined period of time;
determining, at the one or more computers, that the entity is associated with the user based, at least in part, on the detected actions performed by the user on the received one or more e-mails that support an inference that the entity is associated with the user, wherein determining that the entity is associated with the user includes:
associating, at the one or more computers, a score with each of the detected actions performed by the user on the received one or more e-mails from the entity, the score indicating a strength of the action in supporting an inference that the entity is associated with the user;
aggregating, at the one or more computers, the associated scores of detected actions performed by the user on the received one or more e-mails from the entity;
comparing, at the one or more computers, the aggregated score with a threshold score; and
determining, at the one or more computers, that the entity is associated with the user when the aggregated score exceeds the threshold score;
adding, at the one or more computers, the entity to the maintained list when the entity is determined to be associated with the user based, at least in part, on the detected actions performed on the received one or more e-mails that support an inference that the entity is associated with the user;
receiving, at the one or more computers, one or more e-mails directed to the user;
identifying, at the one or more computers, senders of the received e-mails;
comparing, at the one or more computers, the identified senders to the maintained list of identities associated with the user to determine which of the senders are included in the maintained list;
controlling, using the one or more computers, aspects of communications between the user and the senders based on which of the senders are included in the maintained list.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1 wherein the detected actions performed by the user on the received one or more e-mails that supports an inference that the entity is associated with the user include replying to, forwarding, saving, or printing an e-mail received from the entity.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1 wherein the detected actions performed by the user on the received one or more e-mails that support an inference that the entity is associated with the user include moving an e-mail from a first folder to a second folder.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The method of claim 3 wherein the first folder is an inbox folder and the second folder is a folder other than a delete folder or a spam folder.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1 wherein the detected actions performed by the user on the received one or more e-mails that supports an inference that the entity is associated with the user include leaving an e-mail from the entity open for a predetermined period of time.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1 further comprising:
determining that a second entity is associated with the user based, at least in part, on detecting a communication between the user and the second entity;
adding the second entity to the maintained list when the second entity is determined to be associated with the user.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The method of claim 6 wherein the communication is an instant messaging communication.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1 further comprising adding a second entity to the maintained list when the second entity is determined to be associated with the user based, at least in part, on:
accessing a contact list of the user to determine a first contact on the user's contact list; and
accessing a contact list of the first contact to determine a second contact on the first contact's contact list.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1 further comprising determining that a second entity is not associated with the user based, at least in part, on detecting user actions that negate an inference that the second entity is associated with the user.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The method of claim 9 wherein the detected actions comprise moving a communication from the entity to either of a spam folder or a delete folder.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1 further comprising:
enabling the user to expressly designate a person as associated with the user; and adding the designated person to the list.

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1 wherein the identities associated with the user are identities known to the user.

### Claim 13

A computer-usable medium having a computer program embodied thereon for displaying e-mail, the computer program comprising instructions for causing a computer to perform the following operations:
maintain a list of identities associated with a user;
receive one or more emails from an entity and directed to the user;
detect one or more actions performed by the user on the received one or more emails from the entity, the actions supporting an inference that the entity is associated with the user and including at least one of moving at least one of the received e-mails from a first folder to a second folder or leaving at least one of the received e-mails open for a predetermined period of time;
determine that an entity is associated with the user based, at least in part, on detected actions performed by the user on the received one or more emails, wherein determining that the entity is associated with the user includes:
associating a score with each of the detected actions performed by the user on the received one or more e-mails from the entity, the score indicating a strength of the action in supporting an inference that the entity is associated with the user;
aggregating the associated scores of detected actions performed by the user on the received one or more e-mails from the entity;
comparing the aggregated score with a threshold score; and
determining that the entity is associated with the user when the aggregated score exceeds the threshold score;
add the person to the maintained list when the entity is determined to be associated with the user based, at least in part, on the detected actions performed by the user on the received one or more emails that support an inference that the entity is associated with the user;
receive one or more e-mails directed to the user;
identify senders of the received e-mail;
compare the identified senders to the maintained list of people associated with the user to determine which of the senders are included on the list; and
control aspects of communications between the user and the identified senders based on the determination of which identified senders are included on the list.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

The medium of claim 13 wherein the detected actions performed by the user supporting an inference that the entity is associated with the user include replying to, forwarding, saving, or printing an e-mail received from the entity.

### Claim 15 (depends on 13)

The medium of claim 13 wherein the detected actions performed by the user supporting an inference that the entity is associated with the user include moving an e-mail from a first folder to a second folder.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The medium of claim 15 wherein the first folder is an inbox folder and the second folder is a folder other than a delete folder or a spam folder.

### Claim 17 (depends on 13)

The medium of claim 13 wherein the detected-actions performed by the user supporting an inference that the entity is associated with the user include leaving an e-mail from the entity open for a predetermined period of time.

### Claim 18 (depends on 13)

The medium of claim 13 wherein the computer program further comprises instructions for causing a computer to:
determine that a second entity is associated with the user based, at least in part, on detecting a communication between the user and the second entity;
add the second entity to the maintained list when the second entity is determined to be associated with the user.

### Claim 19 (depends on 18)

The medium of claim 18 wherein the communication is an instant messaging communication.

### Claim 20 (depends on 13)

The medium of claim 13 further comprises instructions for causing a computer to:
access a contact list of the user to determine a first contact on the user's contact list; and
access a contact list of the first contact to determine a second contact on the first contact's contact list.

### Claim 21 (depends on 13)

The medium of claim 13 wherein the computer program further comprises instructions for causing a computer to determine that a second entity is not associated with the user based, at least in part, on detecting user actions that negate an inference that a person is associated with the user.

### Claim 22 (depends on 21)

The medium of claim 21 wherein the detected actions performed by the user comprise moving a communication from the person to either of a spam folder or a delete folder.

### Claim 23 (depends on 13)

The medium of claim 13 wherein the computer program further comprises instructions for causing a computer to:
enable the user to expressly designate a person as associated with the user; and
add the designated person to the list.

### Claim 24 (depends on 13)

The medium of claim 13 wherein the identities associated with the user are identities known to the user.

### Claim 25

An apparatus for controlling aspects of communications between a user and senders:
means for maintaining a list of identities associated with a user;
means for receiving one or more emails from an entity and directed to the user;
means for detecting one or more actions performed by the user on the received one or more emails from the entity, the user actions supporting an inference that the entity is associated with the user and including at least one of moving at least one of the received e-mails from a first folder to a second folder or leaving at least one of the received e-mails open for a predetermined period of time;
means for determining that the entity is associated with the user based, at least in part, on detected user actions performed on the received one or more emails that support an inference that the entity is associated with the user, wherein the means for determining that the entity is associated with the user includes:
means for associating a score with each of the detected actions performed by the user on the received one or more e-mails from the entity, the score indicating a strength of the action in supporting an inference that the entity is associated with the user;
means for aggregating the associated scores of detected actions performed by the user on the received one or more e-mails from the entity;
means for comparing the aggregated score with a threshold score; and
means for determining that the entity is associated with the user when the aggregated score exceeds the threshold score;
means for adding the entity to the maintained list when the entity is determined to be associated with the use based, at least in part, on detected actions performed on the received one or more emails that support an inference that the entity is associated with the user;
means for receiving one or more e-mails directed to the user;
means for identifying senders of the received e-mail;
means for comparing the identified senders to the maintained list of people associated with the user to determine which of the senders are included on the list; and
means for controlling aspects of communications between the user and each identified sender based on the determination whether that identified sender is included in the maintained list.

### Claim 26 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1 wherein detecting one or more actions performed by the user on the one or more emails from the entity includes detecting a combination of user actions performed on the one or more emails from the entity.

### Claim 27 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1 further comprising:
detecting one or more actions performed by the user on the received one or more e-mails from the entity, the user actions supporting an inference that the entity is not associated with the user;
wherein determining that the entity is associated with the user includes determining that the entity is associated with the user based at least in part, on the detected actions performed by the user on the received one or more e-mails that supports an inference that the entity is not associated with the user; and the detected actions performed by the user on the received one or more e-mails that support an inference that the entity is associated with the user.

### Claim 28 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1 further comprising:
associating a negative score to an action performed by the user on the received one or more e-mails from the entity, the action supporting an inference that the entity is not associated with the user.

### Claim 29 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1 wherein controlling aspects of communications between the user and senders based on which of the senders are included in the maintained list includes:
displaying a list of the e-mails directed to the user; and
sorting the displayed list of e-mails based on which of the senders are included in the maintained list.

### Claim 30 (depends on 13)

The computer-usable medium of claim 13 wherein, to control aspects of communications between the user and senders based on which of the senders are included in the maintained list, the computer program further comprises instructions for causing the computer to:
display a list of the e-mails directed to the user; and
sort the displayed list of e-mails based on which of the senders are included in the maintained list.

### Claim 31 (depends on 29)

The method of claim 29 wherein sorting the display based on which of the senders are included in the list comprises sorting the display such that e-mails from senders on the list are grouped in one position of the display.

### Claim 32 (depends on 29)

The method of claim 29 wherein sorting the display based on which of the senders are included in the list comprises sorting the display such that e-mails from senders on the list are displayed and e-mails from senders not on the list are not displayed.

### Claim 33 (depends on 30)

The medium of claim 30 wherein, to sort the display based on which of the senders are included in the list, the computer program further comprises instructions for causing a computer to sort display such that e-mails from senders on the list are grouped in one position of the display.

### Claim 34 (depends on 30)

The medium of claim 30 wherein, to sort the display based on which of the senders are included in the list, the computer program further comprises instructions for causing a computer to sort the display such that e-mails from senders on the list are displayed and e-mails from identities not on the list are not displayed.

### Claim 35 (depends on 30)

The medium of claim 30 wherein, to sort the display based on which of the senders are included in the list, the computer program further comprises instructions for causing a computer to sort the display such that e-mails from senders on the list are not displayed and e-mails from identities on the list are not displayed.