Email Traffic Analysis for Business Relationship Identification

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Solution Overview

Problem

Traditional computer and email systems are ineffective in identifying, organizing, and leveraging business relationships as organizations grow, leading to stagnation of external business contacts and potential negative repercussions from multiple internal contacts.

Innovation Solution

A method that receives and filters email data to correlate sender and recipient information, generates filtered email data, and determines relationships based on email traffic, allowing for the identification and classification of relationships between individuals and target individuals, both within and outside the organization, using statistical data to generate potential email addresses and prioritize relationships.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If traditional computer and email systems are used to manage business contacts, then system simplicity is maintained, but the ability to identify and organize business relationships deteriorates as organizations grow

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveability to identify and organize business relationshipsVSAvoidsystem complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces an intermediary system (relationship identification system) that sits between traditional email systems and business relationship management. This intermediary automatically analyzes email traffic, extracts relationship information, and organizes contacts without requiring changes to existing email infrastructure, thus improving adaptability while managing complexity

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The system enables self-service by automatically analyzing email traffic and identifying relationships without requiring manual intervention. The system autonomously processes email data, extracts relationship patterns, and maintains contact databases, allowing the organization to benefit from relationship intelligence without additional operational complexity

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

2Measurement precision

If manual tracking of business contacts is used, then implementation simplicity is maintained, but relationship identification accuracy deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improverelationship identification accuracyVSAvoidtime for relationship identification

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces manual mechanical tracking methods with automated electronic analysis of email traffic. The system uses computer algorithms to analyze email patterns, extract relationship information, and identify contacts automatically, significantly improving accuracy while reducing the time required compared to manual tracking

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Solution Approach 2:

The system provides continuous analysis of email traffic to maintain up-to-date relationship information. By continuously processing email data as it flows through the organization, the system maintains high accuracy of relationship identification without requiring periodic manual updates, thus reducing time loss

Inventive Principle:

Principle #20Continuity of useful action

3Productivity

If email traffic data is not analyzed, then system simplicity is maintained, but business relationship stagnation occurs

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvebusiness relationship management effectivenessVSAvoidemail traffic data utilization

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements feedback by analyzing email traffic data and using this information to improve business relationship management. The system continuously monitors email patterns, extracts relationship intelligence, and feeds this information back to the organization to enable better contact management, preventing relationship stagnation while maximizing the value of existing email data

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

Data Source

PatentUS8341232B2Relationship identification based on email traffic

Publication Date: 2012.12.25 BANK OF AMERICA CORP

AI summary

A method comprises identifying one or more relationships between a target individual and one or more persons based at least in part on a plurality of emails. The plurality of emails comprise one or more outbound emails, which may comprise emails sent to the target individual from the one or more persons. The plurality of emails further comprise one or more inbound emails, which may comprise emails sent from the target individual to the one or more persons. The method further comprises, for each of the one or more relationships, calculating an amount of outbound emails and an amount of inbound emails. The method further comprises assigning a classification to each of the one or more relationships based at least in part on the amount of outbound emails and the amount of inbound emails. The method further comprises sorting the one or more relationships based at least in part on the classification assigned to each of the one or more relationships. The method may further comprise storing information regarding the sorted relationships.