Generate and display contextual hints in a message

In providing contextual hints in an electronic message, a mail client receives a command to create a reply message to an original electronic message with original text. Topic(s) that summarize context(s) in the original text are determined and displayed in a body of the reply message as temporary text. The mail client receives response text corresponding to the topics entered into the body of the reply message. When displayed, the topics function as contextual hints for the original text. The user may use these contextual hints while composing the reply message, reducing the need for the user to scroll or jump to the original text in order to view the content to which the user is replying. When a command to send the reply message is received, the display of the topics is removed, and the reply message is sent with the response text and without the topics.

BACKGROUND

When composing a response to an electronic message on a computer, such as a desktop or laptop, sufficient screen real estate typically exists such that the response text can be displayed on the screen at the same time as the original text being responded to. The user is able view the original text while composing the response text to guide his or her response.

However, many mobile devices often lack the screen real estate to view the original text while composing the response text. This forces the user to scroll or jump between the response area of a message and the original text in order to be reminded of the context and the points to address in the response.

SUMMARY

According to one embodiment of the present invention, in providing contextual hints in an electronic message, a mail client receives a command to create a reply message to an original electronic message with original text. Topic(s) that summarize context(s) in the original text are determined and displayed in a body of the reply message as temporary text. The mail client receives response text corresponding to the topics entered into the body of the reply message. When displayed, the topics function as contextual hints for the original text. The user may use these contextual hints while composing the reply message, reducing the need for the user to scroll or jump to the original text in order to view the content to which the user is replying. When a command to send the reply message is received, the display of the topics is removed, and the reply message is sent with the response text and without the topics.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1illustrates a system for generating and displaying contextual hints in a message according to embodiments of the present invention. The system includes a mobile device101with a mail client102and coupled to a display104. The mail client102is an application residing at the mobile device101used to access and manage electronic messages. The mail client102includes a topic spotting engine103, described further below. The mail client102communicates with a mail server105over a network106. The mail server105is an application that receives incoming electronic messages and forwards outgoing electronic messages for delivery.

FIG. 2is a flowchart illustrating a method for generating and displaying contextual hints in a message according to embodiments of the present invention. Referring to bothFIGS. 1 and 2, the mail client102receives an electronic message from the mail server105, with the electronic message comprising original text (201). The mail client102displays the electronic message on the display104(202). The mail client102receives a command to create a reply message to the electronic message (203). For example, a user may interact with a touch-enabled display104and touch a ‘reply’ graphic user interface (GUI) element on the display104. In response to the command, the topic spotting engine103scans the original text of the electronic message and identifies one or more topics (204) that summarize the context(s) in the original text. Various methods of identifying topics from a scan of text may be used, such as keyword matching, semantic analysis, etc. These methods are known in the art and not described in detail here. In one embodiment, each block of original text is scanned as a unit, and one or more topics are identified for each block. Once the topics are identified, the mail client102displays the topics in the body of the reply message as temporary text (205). In this embodiment, the topics are displayed as “ghost text”, such as with a lighter coloring than the response text and/or as semi-translucent text. Other manners of displaying the topics to distinguish the topics from the response text may be used without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. The mail client102may be configured to accept commands from the user to reorganize the topics displayed, such as by selecting topic(s) to remove, join, etc. A prompt may be displayed for the user to confirm or deny one or more of the topics as appropriate. Constraints on the display of the topics may be configured, such as a maximum length, font, size, etc. The mail client102receives the response text corresponding to the topics entered into the body of the reply message (206). The mail client102may also be configured to remove the display of a topic once response text corresponding to the topic is received. When a command to send the reply message is received (207), the mail client102removes the display of the topics from the body of the reply message (208) and sends the reply message with the response text and without the topics (209). When displayed in the body of the reply message, the topics function as contextual hints for the original text. The user may use these contextual hints while composing the reply message, reducing the need for the user to scroll or jump to the original text in order to view the content to which the user is replying.

FIG. 3Aillustrates an example display of contextual hints in the body of a reply message according to embodiments of the present invention. Assume here that Topic_1and Topic_2are topics identified from a scan of the original text of an electronic message. A first ghost text302(“Topic_1”) and a second ghost text303(“Topic_2”) are displayed in the body301of the reply message. A user, using the displayed keyboard304, enters the response text305“(Sure, I can help you today.”) corresponding to Topic_1302into the reply message. In this example, the ghost texts302-303are displayed as grey text and with a space after each. The user may enter the response text305corresponding to the first ghost text302in the space after the first ghost text302. The user may then enter response text corresponding to the second ghost text303in the space after the second ghost text303. (FIG. 3Aillustrates a cursor306placed in the space after the second ghost text303, prior to the corresponding response text being entered.) Note that the original text of the electronic message is not visible in the reply message window. To view the original text, the user would be required to scroll or jump to the original text of the electronic message, and then scroll or jump back to the body of the reply message to enter the response text. However, because the ghost texts302-303are displayed in the body of the reply message, the user need not move away from the reply message to be reminded of the contexts of the original text. Once the mail client102receives a command to send the reply message, the mail client102removes the display of the first and second ghost texts302-303and sends the reply message with the response texts and without the ghost texts302-303.FIG. 3Billustrates an example display of the reply message as received by a recipient according to embodiments of the present invention. The response text305that corresponded to the first ghost text302and a response text311(not shown inFIG. 3A) that corresponded to the second ghost text303are in the body of the reply message, but the first and second ghost texts302-303are not included.

FIG. 4illustrates an alternative system for generating and displaying contextual hints in a message according to embodiments of the present invention. The alternative system includes the mobile device101with the mail client102and coupled to the display104. The mail client102communicates with a mail server105over a network106. In this embodiment, the topic spotting engine103resides at the mail server105.FIG. 5is a flowchart illustrating an alternative method for generating and displaying contextual hints in a message according to embodiments of the present invention. Referring to bothFIGS. 4 and 5, the mail server105receives an electronic message, comprising original text, to be delivered (501). The topic spotting engine103at the mail server105scans the original text of the electronic message, identifies one or more topics, and associates the topics with the electronic message (502). For example, the topics may be associated with the electronic message by including the topics in the electronic message's metadata. The mail server105then sends the electronic message and its associated topics to the mail client102(503). After the mail client102receives the electronic message and its associated topics (504), the mail client102displays the electronic message on the display104(505). When the mail client102receives a command to create a reply message to the electronic message (506), the mail client102retrieves the topics associated with the electronic message and displays the topics in the body of the reply message as temporary text (507). The mail client102receives the response text corresponding to the topics entered into the body of the reply message (508). When a command to send the reply message is received (509), the mail client102removes the display of the topics from the body of the reply message (510) and sends the reply message with the response text and without the topics (511).

The mobile device101and/or the mail server105may be a computer system, as illustrated inFIG. 6, according to embodiments of the present invention. The computer system600is operationally coupled to a processor or processing units606, a memory601, and a bus609that couples various system components, including the memory601to the processor606. The bus609represents one or more of any of several types of bus structure, including a memory bus or memory controller, a peripheral bus, an accelerated graphics port, and a processor or local bus using any of a variety of bus architectures. The memory601may include computer readable media in the form of volatile memory, such as random access memory (RAM)602or cache memory603, or non-volatile storage media604. The memory601may include at least one program product having a set of at least one program code module605that are configured to carry out the functions of embodiment of the present invention when executed by the processor606. The computer system600may also communicate with one or more external devices611, such as a display610, via I/O interfaces607. The computer system600may communicate with one or more networks via network adapter608.

Although embodiments of the present invention are described above in the context of a mobile device, the present invention may be used with any device that lacks display real estate to simultaneously display both the original text and the reply message. In addition to electronic messages accessible or managed by a mail client, embodiments of the present invention may also be used with other types of messages and message applications, such as messages viewed through a web browser, where the functionalities described above may be provided through a plug-in, script, HTML, or other forms executable by the web browser. Embodiments of the present invention may also be used with social media messages viewed through a social media application, where the functionalities described above may be provided as part of the social media application.