Hierarchical Message Thread Organization with Duplicate Removal
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Email threads become unwieldy due to duplication of content and chronological ordering, making it difficult for users to follow the conversational flow, especially when side threads branch off from main threads.
Innovation Solution
Organizing message threads by identifying root messages and reply groupings, ordering child reply messages chronologically, and displaying them hierarchically to reduce redundant content and enhance conversational flow, with options to collapse or block duplicate content and integrate inline responses directly into parent messages.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If email messages are displayed in chronological order with duplicate content included, then all message content is preserved for context, but the message thread becomes long and unwieldy
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes duplicate content from email messages in a thread. When displaying a message, the system identifies and omits repeated content from previous messages, keeping only the unique new information. This extraction principle directly reduces message thread length while preserving essential context.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent discards redundant duplicate content that has already been read or is unnecessary for understanding the current message's contribution to the conversation. The system recovers and retains only the essential new information, allowing users to follow the conversation flow without re-reading repeated content.
2Ease of operation
If all email messages are listed in chronological order, then messages are easy to retrieve by time, but it becomes confusing to follow related email threads
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the chronological list of emails into distinct thread groups. Messages that belong to the same conversation thread are grouped together and visually distinguished from other threads. This segmentation allows users to easily identify and follow related messages while maintaining chronological order within each thread.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent adds a thematic dimension to the chronological ordering by organizing messages into threads based on subject matter and conversation flow. This creates a two-dimensional organization: chronological within threads, and thematic across threads, making it easier to follow related conversations without losing time-based context.
3Adaptability or versatility
If side message threads branch off from main threads, then multiple conversation paths are supported, but duplicate content from the main thread is repeated in side threads
Solution Approach 1:
When a side thread branches from a main thread, the system extracts and removes the duplicate content from the main thread that would otherwise be repeated in the side thread. Only the unique responses and new information in the side thread are displayed, eliminating redundant repetition while maintaining the branched conversation structure.
4Loss of information
If readers must re-read the entire email thread to understand context, then complete context is available, but time efficiency is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts and displays only the essential new information from each message in the thread, removing content that has already been presented or is redundant for understanding the current message's contribution. This allows readers to grasp context efficiently without re-reading the entire thread, as each message stands alone with its unique value proposition.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for organizing a message thread containing one or more messages. A root message and reply groupings are identified, each reply grouping depending from the root message. Each reply grouping has one or more child reply messages depending from a common parent message. The child reply messages within each reply grouping are ordered in chronological order based on the time of each of the one or more child reply messages was received or sent. The reply groupings are hierarchically ordering based on a relationship between the reply grouping and its parent message. A single display allows a user to view the message thread and the content of all of the messages in accordance with the hierarchical ordering.