Draft Message Thread Management for Reducing Redundancy

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Solution Overview

Problem

In active message threads, participants often send redundant responses due to non-real-time message flow, leading to confusion and increased resource consumption, as they may not be aware of incoming messages while composing replies, resulting in 'forking' of the thread and inefficient use of computing and network resources.

Innovation Solution

A method and system for managing draft messages in a message thread, where draft message content is retained and updated to reflect new messages in the thread, allowing users to seamlessly transition to new child messages without losing composed content, thereby reducing redundant responses and improving conversation coherence.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If users compose messages in reply to earlier messages in an active thread, then they can participate in the conversation, but they may send redundant responses and trigger additional responses leading to confusion and increased number of messages

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemessage compositionVSAvoidconversation coherence
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The system provides real-time feedback to users by displaying notifications about new messages received in the thread while they are composing a reply. This feedback mechanism allows users to adjust their composition behavior based on current thread state, preventing redundant responses that would harm conversation coherence.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The system performs preliminary actions by automatically saving draft message content before the user finishes composing. This preliminary saving action ensures that if the user decides to respond to a different message based on new information, their composed content is preserved and can be transferred to the new target message, maintaining information utility while preventing redundancy.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Productivity

If users send frequent responses in active threads, then conversation participation is maintained, but computing and network resources are unnecessarily consumed

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveconversation participationVSAvoidcomputing and network resources
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The system enables users to self-manage their message composition by providing visible feedback about thread state and allowing easy transfer of draft content between different message targets. This self-service approach empowers users to make informed decisions about whether to send a message, reducing unnecessary transmissions and conserving network resources while maintaining productive participation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

3Adaptability or versatility

If draft message content is discarded when new messages are received, then users can respond to the most recent messages, but previously composed content is lost

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveresponse relevanceVSAvoiddrafted content
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary saving of draft content to persistent storage before the user completes composition. This preliminary action ensures content preservation while allowing the user to later decide whether to transfer the draft to a different message target, thus adapting to new thread conditions without losing information.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system implements a recoverable draft mechanism where composed content is temporarily set aside but can be recovered and transferred to new message targets. This allows the system to adaptively respond to new messages in the thread while preserving and recovering previously composed content for potential reuse, preventing both redundancy and information loss.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #34Discarding and recovering

Data Source

PatentEP3355529B1Enhanced message composition and management on a communication device
Publication Date: 2021.05.19 BLACKBERRY LTD
  • EP3355529B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3355529B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3355529B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A system and method for management of message composition and message drafting on a communication device provides for storage of draft child message content in a data store association with a thread identifier or other data associating the draft content with a message thread. When a message in the thread is subsequently received and an insturction is received to initiate a child message based on the subsequently received message, a determination is made whether the subsequently received message is associated with the same thread as the draft content. If subsequently received message and draft content belong to the same thread, the user is presented with an option to use the draft content in the new child message.