Email Recipient Disambiguation via Domain Extraction

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional electronic devices lack a clear indication of which email address is selected from multiple addresses in the address book when composing an email, particularly important for distinguishing between personal and business email addresses when sending sensitive information.

Innovation Solution

A method is implemented to parse and display the domain information of email addresses in the recipient field, extracting and displaying the second-level domain label next to the recipient's name to disambiguate between personal and business email addresses, even on devices with limited screen real estate.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If multiple email addresses are stored for each contact in the address book, then the versatility of the address book application is improved, but the difficulty of detecting and measuring which address is selected worsens

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveversatility of address bookVSAvoiddifficulty of detecting selected address

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDifficulty of detecting and measuring

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts the domain portion from the complete email address and displays it separately next to the contact name. This extraction allows the user to see which specific email address is selected without displaying the entire address, thereby resolving the contradiction between supporting multiple addresses and making selection detection easy.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent applies local quality by displaying only the relevant portion (domain) of the email address in the recipient field, while keeping the full address available in the address book. This localized display of critical information makes it easy to detect which address is selected without cluttering the interface.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

2Loss of information

If the complete email address is displayed in the recipient field, then the clarity of indication is improved, but the screen real estate is reduced

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveclarity of address indicationVSAvoidscreen real estate

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of informationVSArea of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts only the domain portion from the complete email address for display in the recipient field. This extraction provides sufficient clarity to distinguish between multiple addresses while consuming minimal screen space, thus resolving the contradiction between information clarity and screen real estate.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent segments the email address into local part and domain, displaying only the domain in the recipient field. This segmentation allows the system to provide clear indication of the selected address without occupying excessive screen real estate.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Data Source

PatentUS8949355B2Method for disambiguating email recipient fields in an electronic device

Publication Date: 2015.02.03 MALIKIE INNOVATIONS LTD

AI summary

An electronic device and a method implemented within the electronic device for disambiguating email recipient fields by extracting sufficient information from the domain portion of an intended recipient's email address to disambiguate between a personal and a business email address. An exemplary method includes parsing at least one of said multiple addresses in a recipient field of the email to extract information capable of distinguishing the at least one of said multiple addresses from at least another of the multiple addresses, and displaying the information in the recipient field of the email.