Expressing statements in messages with personalized expression style

Many computing scenarios enable a user to send a message to a user expressing a statement, such as a “happy birthday” message or a “let's meet for lunch” message, and may seek assistance in composing the message. Some services may suggest stock messages, which the user may browse and select, but the generic, impersonal style of the messages may be apparent to the recipient. Presented herein are techniques for composing a message from a user to a recipient expressing a selected statement in the personalized style of the user. Such techniques involve evaluating an expression set (e.g., a mailbox or text message set) of the user to identify an expression style of the user when expressing such statements to such recipients, and composing a message that expressing the statement in the expression style of the user.

BACKGROUND

Within the field of computing, many scenarios involve the presentation by a device of a message to a recipient expressing a statement, such as a “happy birthday” statement included in an email message, a social network message, a text message, or a greeting card. Such messages are typically generated by allowing the user to specify the message through a text and/or voice interface, and/or by presenting to the user a collection of stock messages expressing the statement, such as a collection of sample birthday-related greeting cards, and allowing the user to select a greeting card. In some scenarios, a device may detect a message opportunity, such as an instance of the recipient's birthday, and may suggest such as stock message to the user, such as a randomly selected birthday card that the user may wish to send to the recipient. A combination of these techniques may enable a user to include a personalized message in a stock message, such as a personalized salutation included in a stock “happy birthday” message.

SUMMARY

The techniques available for the composition of messages to a user may exhibit various limitations. Messages authored by the user may express the statement from the user in a personalized manner, but may depend upon the time, attention, and creativity of the user in developing the message. Conversely, stock messages may be easier for the user to select, but may exhibit significantly diminished personalization; e.g., a generic “happy birthday” message may be less valuable to the recipient than a personalized message authored by the user. Moreover, a combination of a stock message and a personalized message authored by the user may express the statement in an inconsistent and disjointed tone, wherein part of the message exhibits the particular personality of the user and part of the message exhibits an impersonal tone that is related to neither the user nor the recipient.

The present disclosure provides techniques for automatically generating a message expressing a statement to a recipient that exhibits an expression style of an individual. For example, if the user requests a “happy birthday” message for a recipient in the expression style of an individual (e.g., in the expression style of the user or another individual), a server may examine an expression set of the individual, such as the individual's set of messages previously expressed by the individual, and may identify various expression styles of the individual, such as the individual's expression tone (e.g., formal, casual, warm, cool, religious, enthusiastic, or sardonic), and/or phrases that the individual frequently uses when expressing such statements to recipients (e.g., ways that the individual has expressed the statement “happy birthday” to the recipient and other individuals). A server may compose a message expressing the statement in the expression style of the individual (e.g., selecting a message template that matches the expression style of the individual, and/or re-using phrases from related expressions of the individual), and may present it to the user for approval and/or adjustment before transmitting the message to the recipient. In this manner, the server may automatically generate messages for statements that the user wishes to express, and that are personalized according to the expression style of the individual as determined from previous expressions of the individual, in accordance with the techniques presented herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following subject matter may be embodied in a variety of different forms, such as methods, devices, components, and systems. Accordingly, this subject matter is not intended to be construed as limited to any example embodiments set forth herein; example embodiments are provided merely to be illustrative. Such embodiments may, for example, take the form of hardware, software, firmware or any combination thereof (other than software per se). A reasonably broad scope for claimed or covered subject matter is intended.

1. Computing Scenario

The following disclosure provides a discussion of some types of computing scenarios in which the presently disclosed techniques may be utilized.

FIG. 1is an interaction diagram of a scenario100illustrating a service102provided by a set of servers104to a set of client devices110via various types of networks. The servers104and/or client devices110may be capable of transmitting, receiving, processing, and/or storing many types of signals, such as in memory as physical memory states.

The servers104of the service102may be internally connected via a local area network106(LAN), such as a wired network where network adapters on the respective servers104are interconnected via cables (e.g., coaxial and/or fiber optic cabling), and may be connected in various topologies (e.g., buses, token rings, meshes, and/or trees). The servers104may also be interconnected directly, or through one or more other networking devices, such as routers, switches, and repeaters. The servers104may utilize a variety of physical networking protocols (e.g., Ethernet and/or Fibre Channel) and/or logical networking protocols (e.g., variants of an Internet Protocol (IP), a Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), and/or a User Datagram Protocol (UDP). The local area network106may also include, e.g., analog telephone lines, such as a twisted wire pair, a coaxial cable, full or fractional digital lines including T1, T2, T3, or T4 type lines, Integrated Services Digital Networks (ISDNs), Digital Subscriber Lines (DSLs), wireless links including satellite links, or other communication links or channels, such as may be known to those skilled in the art. The local area network106may be organized according to one or more network architectures, such as server/client, peer-to-peer, and mesh architectures, and/or also a variety of roles, such as administrative servers, authentication servers, security monitor servers, data stores for objects such as files and databases, business logic servers, time synchronization servers, and front-end servers providing a user-facing interface to the service102.

Likewise, a local area network106may comprise one or more sub-networks, such as may employ differing architectures or may be compliant or compatible with differing protocols, may interoperate within the local area network106. Additionally, a variety of local area networks106may be interconnected; e.g., a router may provide a link between otherwise separate and independent local area networks106.

In the scenario100ofFIG. 1, the local area network106of the service102is connected to a wide area network108(WAN) that allows the service102to exchange data with other services102and client devices110. The wide area network108may encompass various combinations of devices with varying levels of distribution and exposure, such as a public wide-area network (e.g., the Internet), or a private network (e.g., a virtual private network (VPN) of a distributed enterprise).

In the scenario100ofFIG. 1, the service102may be accessed via the wide area network108by a user112of a set of client devices110, such as a portable media player (e.g., an electronic text reader, an audio device, or a portable gaming, exercise, or navigation device); a portable communication device (e.g., a camera, a phone, or a text chatting device); a workstation; and a laptop form factor computer. The respective client devices110may communicate with the service102via various connections to the wide area network108. As a first such example, one or more client devices110may comprise a cellular communicator, and may connect to the wide area network108via a wireless local area network106provided by a cellular provider. As a second such example, one or more client devices110may communicate with the service102by connecting to the wide area network108via a wireless local area network106provided by a location such as the user's home or workplace (e.g., a WiFi network or a Bluetooth personal area network). In this manner, the servers104and the client devices110may communicate over various types of networks. Other types of networks that may be accessed by the servers104and/or client devices110include mass storage, such as network attached storage (NAS), a storage area network (SAN), or other forms of computer or machine readable media.

1.2. Server Configuration

FIG. 2presents a schematic architecture diagram200of a server104that may utilize at least a portion of the techniques provided herein. Such servers104may vary widely in configuration or capabilities, alone or in conjunction with other servers104, in order to provide a service102.

A server104may comprise one or more processors210that process instructions. The one or more processors210may optionally include a plurality of cores; one or more coprocessors, such as a mathematics coprocessor or an integrated graphical processing unit (GPU); and/or one or more layers of local cache memory. A server104may also comprise a memory202storing various forms of applications, such as an operating system204; one or more server applications206, such as a hypertext transport protocol (HTTP) server, a file transfer protocol (FTP) server, or a simple mail transport protocol (SMTP) server; and/or various forms of data, such as a database208or a file system. The server104may also comprise a variety of peripheral components, such as a wired and/or wireless network adapter214connectible to a local area network106and/or wide area network108; one or more storage components216, such as a hard disk drive, a solid-state storage device (SSD), a flash memory device, and/or a magnetic and/or optical disk reader. The server104may also comprise a mainboard featuring one or more communication buses212that interconnect the processor210, the memory202, and various peripherals, using a variety of bus technologies, such as a variant of a serial or parallel AT Attachment (ATA) bus protocol; the Uniform Serial Bus (USB) protocol; and the Small Computer System Interface (SCI) bus protocol. In a multibus scenario, a communication bus212may interconnect the server104with at least one other server104. Other components that may optionally be included with the server104(though not shown in the schematic diagram200ofFIG. 2) include a display; a display adapter, such as a graphical processing unit (GPU); input peripherals, such as a keyboard and/or mouse; and a flash memory device that may store a basic input/output system (BIOS) routine that facilitates booting the server104to a state of readiness.

A server104may also operate in various physical enclosures, such as a desktop or tower, and/or may be integrated with a display as an “all-in-one” device. A server104may also be mounted horizontally and/or in a cabinet or rack, and/or may simply comprise an interconnected set of components. A server104may also comprise a dedicated and/or shared power supply218that supplies and regulates power for the other components. The server104may also provide power to and/or receive power from another server104and/or other devices. The server104may also comprise a shared and/or dedicated climate control unit220that regulates climate properties, such as temperature, humidity, and airflow. Many such servers104may be configured and/or adapted to utilize at least a portion of the techniques presented herein.

1.3. Client Device Configuration

FIG. 3presents a schematic architecture diagram300of a client device110operable by a user112, whereupon at least a portion of the techniques presented herein may be implemented. Such client devices110may vary widely in configuration or capabilities, in order to provide a variety of functionality to the user112. A client device110may be provided in a variety of form factors, such as a desktop or tower workstation; an “all-in-one” device integrated with a display308; a laptop, tablet, convertible tablet, or palmtop device; a wearable device mountable in a headset, eyeglass, earpiece, and/or wristwatch, and/or integrated with an article of clothing; and a component of a piece of furniture, such as a tabletop, and/or of another device, such as a vehicle or residence. A client device110may also serve the user112in a variety of roles, such as a workstation, kiosk, media player, gaming device, and/or appliance.

A client device110may comprise one or more processors210that process instructions. The one or more processors210may optionally include a plurality of cores; one or more coprocessors, such as a mathematics coprocessor or an integrated graphical processing unit (GPU); and/or one or more layers of local cache memory. A client device110may also comprise a memory202storing various forms of applications, such as an operating system204; one or more user applications302, such as document applications, media applications, file and data access applications, communication applications such as web browsers and email clients, utilities, and games; and drivers for various peripherals. A client device110may also comprise a variety of peripheral components, such as a wired and/or wireless network adapter214connectible to a local area network106and/or wide area network108; one or more output components, such as a display308coupled with a display adapter (optionally including a graphical processing unit (GPU)), a sound adapter coupled with a speaker, and a printer; input devices for receiving input from the user112, such as a keyboard310, a mouse, a microphone, a camera, and/or a touch-sensitive component of the display308; and/or environmental sensors, such as a global positioning system (GPS) receiver312that detects the location, velocity, and/or acceleration of the client device110, and/or an compass, accelerometer, and/or gyroscope that detects a physical orientation of the client device110. Other components that may optionally be included with the client device110(though not shown in the schematic diagram300ofFIG. 3) include one or more storage components216, such as a hard disk drive, a solid-state storage device (SSD), a flash memory device, and/or a magnetic and/or optical disk reader; and/or a flash memory device that may store a basic input/output system (BIOS) routine that facilitates booting the client device110to a state of readiness; and a climate control unit that regulates climate properties, such as temperature, humidity, and airflow.

A client device110may also comprise a mainboard featuring one or more communication buses212that interconnect the processor210, the memory202, and various peripherals, using a variety of bus technologies, such as a variant of a serial or parallel AT Attachment (ATA) bus protocol; the Uniform Serial Bus (USB) protocol; and the Small Computer System Interface (SCI) bus protocol. A client device110may also comprise a dedicated and/or shared power supply218that supplies and regulates power for the other components, and/or a battery304that stores power for use while the client device110is not connected to a power source via the power supply218. The client device110may also provide power to and/or receive power from other client devices110.

In some scenarios, as a user112interacts with a software application on a client device110(e.g., an instant messenger and/or electronic mail application), descriptive content in the form of signals or stored physical states within memory (e.g., an email address, instant messenger identifier, phone number, postal address, message content, date, and/or time) may be identified. Descriptive content may be stored, typically along with contextual content. For example, the source of a phone number (e.g., a communication received from another user112via an instant messenger application) may be stored as contextual content associated with the phone number. Contextual content, therefore, may identify circumstances surrounding receipt of a phone number (e.g., the date or time that the phone number was received), and may be associated with descriptive content. Contextual content, may, for example, be used to subsequently search for associated descriptive content. For example, a search for phone numbers received from specific individuals, received via an instant messenger application or at a given date or time, may be initiated. The client device110may also include one or more servers that may locally serve the client device110and/or other client devices110of the user112and other individuals. For example, a locally installed webserver may provide web content in response to locally submitted web requests. Many such client devices110may be configured and/or adapted to utilize at least a portion of the techniques presented herein.

1.4. Message Services and Message Providers

FIG. 4is an interaction diagram of a scenario400featuring a message provider408that stores and delivers messages406to a user112. In this scenario400, a set of message services402respectively comprise a message transmitter404that transmits messages406to the message provider408. Such messages406may include, e.g., email messages; simple message service (SMS) and/or media message service (MMS) messages; chat messages, such as in a forum or instant messaging scenario; and voice-based messages, such as in a telephony or voicemail scenario. Such messages406may also include various forms of content items, such as text, articles, pictures, video, audio, applications, data files, and output from devices such as cameras. A message provider408is provided, comprising a message server410that interacts with the message transmitters402over a wide area network108, such as the Internet, to receive, store, and provide the messages406transmitted thereby. The message provider408may be deployed in a distributed manner across at least two message servers410, which may be organized by role (e.g., a first message server410that receives and sores the messages406, and a second message server410that provides the messages406to the user112and/or client devices110) and/or geographically (e.g., various message servers410may be provided to service client devices110in different physical locations). Components may be duplicated within the message provider408; e.g., two or more message servers410may be provided to facilitate the reliability, response time, and/or scalability of the message provider408.

As further illustrated in the scenario400ofFIG. 4, a user112of a client device110may engage in an interaction416with the message provider408. For example, the message provider408may provide a message interface414to the client device110for presentation to the user112, such as a webmail interface that enables the user112to access email messages406through a web browser over the wide area network108. Through the message interface414, the user112may, through the client device110, initiate a message request418asking the message provider408to deliver messages406that have been stored for delivery to the user112. The message provider408may examine the message store412to retrieve any messages406stored for delivery to the user112, and may generate a message response420including the messages406to be delivered to the user112.

The user112may also be permitted to generate messages406for transmission to other users112, Many such message providers408may be devised, and may variously utilize the techniques presented herein. Such messages406may be generated by the user112in response to preceding messages406that were directed to the user112, or may be newly initiated by the user112. Such messages406may also be requested by the user112for delivery to a specific recipient or recipient set, such as any other participants in a particular forum or chat session, or may be broadcast for receipt by any other user112. The user112may also choose to format the message406in various ways (e.g., a text message, a voice message, or a gesture), and/or may attach many types of content to the message406(e.g., images, videos, uniform resource identifiers (URIs), documents, and files). The message provider408may receive the message406from the user112; may apply various forms of processing to the message406(e.g., translating an expression of the message406from a first language to a second language, or from a first modality to a second modality, such as translating a voice message to a text message; scanning attached objects for errors or malware; and compressing and/or digitally signing the object), and may, promptly or after a delay, transmit the message406to one or more other message services402(e.g., as an email message, simple message service (SMS) text message, or a media message service (MMS) message).

More particularly, some message providers408may assist users112in composing messages to other users112. For example, a message provider408may provide a set of stock messages406that may express various sentiments, such as electronic greeting cards that are created by a designer in association with an event, such as a holiday or a life event such as a birthday; in association with a context, such as a message exchanged between family members or colleagues; and/or in association with a sentiment, such as an optimistic message, an encouraging message, an apologetic message, or a sympathetic message. A user112wishing to express a message406may browse through the available stock messages406in order to select one that most closely expresses the user's feelings.

FIG. 5is an interaction diagram of a scenario500involving one such interaction416of a user112with the message provider408. In this scenario500, a user112seeks to send a message to a recipient512expressing a particular statement502, such as a “happy birthday” statement. The user112accesses a message provider408that stores a stock message set504of stock messages506expressing various statements502. The user112may browse the stock message set504, and may select508a stock message506that most closely expresses the statement502on behalf of the user112. The user112may also author a personalized message510to the recipient512, which may be appended to the selected stock message506. The resulting composite message514, comprising the selected stock message506and appending the personalized message510, may be stored by the message server410of the message provider408, and then delivered to the recipient512on behalf of the user112.

While the interaction depicted in the scenario500ofFIG. 5enables the user112to present a composite message514to the recipient512, it may be appreciated that the techniques utilized by the message provider408in this scenario500may present some disadvantages. As a first such example, the message provider408may provide stock messages506to the user112, but such stock messages506are necessarily generic, and are not particularly personalized to the user112, the recipient512, and the relationship there between. That is, while a robust stock message set504may include quite specific stock messages506, such as a happy birthday statement502that might be expressed by a prototypical older brother to a prototypical younger sister, the stock messages506are still necessarily impersonal. Moreover, such impersonal expressions of statements502may be readily apparent to the recipient512(as such stock messages506do not include anything personal beyond the prototypical relationship), and, accordingly, may have little or no value to the recipient512. As a second such example, the message provider408does not assist the user112in authoring the personalized message510, and it may be difficult for the user112to generate an expression of the statement502to the recipient512. As a third such example, the aggregation of the stock message506and the personalized message510may present an inconsistent, and perhaps jarring, change in tone in the composite message514; e.g., the transition between the stock message506and the personalized message510may be readily apparent as an abrupt shift in tone that may seem tacky to some recipients512. These and other disadvantages may arise from the generation of the composite message514as provided in the scenario500ofFIG. 5.

2. Presented Techniques

FIG. 6is an illustration of a scenario600featuring a technique for assisting a user112with the composition of a message406to a recipient512in accordance with the techniques presented herein.

In this scenario600, a user112seeks to express a statement502to the recipient512, such as a “happy birthday” message. However, the user112may not wish to send a stock or generic message to the recipient512, and may seek assistance in developing a personalized expression of the statement502to the recipient512in the style of a particular individual612, such as the user112or another individual612. Additionally, a message server may have access to an expression set602of expressions604authored by the individual612may be associated with a set of expressions604that the individual612, such as a set of email messages, text messages, or chat messages, has previously expressed to the recipient512, the user112, and/or other individuals.

Accordingly, a message provider408utilizing the techniques may generate a message406expressing the statement502from the user112to the recipient512in the expression style606of the individual612. The message server410may evaluate the expressions604of the expression set602to identify the expression style606of the individual612. For example, the message server410may determine that the individual612frequently utilizes a particular phrase when expressing the statement502, such as “Birthday Birthday!”, or may frequently use expressions604that include phrases from a particular source of material, such as a religious text, lyrics from songs of a particular musician, or quotes from a particular book, television show, or film. Having identified the expression style606of the individual612, the message server410may generate a message406that expresses the statement502requested by the user112in the expression style606of the individual612, such as a “happy birthday” statement502that both utilizes a phrase frequently included by the individual612in expressions604of the statement, and a quote from a favorite film that the individual612. The message406may be presented608to the user112for confirmation, and responsive to receiving such confirmation610from the user112, the message server410may transmit the message406to the recipient512. In this manner, the message provider408may facilitate the user112in generating a message406expressing the statement502to the recipient512in an expression style606selected by the user112in accordance with the techniques presented herein.

3. Technical effect

The techniques presented herein and illustrated in the scenario600ofFIG. 6may provide a variety of technical effects for the client device110and/or the message provider410.

As a first technical effect, an automated composition of messages406may enable a message server410to compose personalized messages406automatically for the user112, and may do so in a manner that reduces the input of the individual612involved in composing the personalized message406from the user112to the recipient512. For example, the user112does not have to browse through a set of stock messages506, many of which may not feature any appreciable degree of personalization on behalf of the user112. The techniques presented herein therefore enable a more convenient user experience for the user112than may achievable through techniques utilizing stock messages506.

As a second technical effect, an automated composition of messages406utilizing the expression set602of the individual612may enable the message server410to generate such messages without having to store and/or utilize a stock message set504. For example, message providers408may store an extensive stock message set504to express various types of statements502on behalf of the user112. However, the stock message set504may be expensive, time-consuming, and resource-intensive to generate and to access (e.g., if the user112has to browse dozens of pages of stock messages506to select508find an acceptable stock message506, the message server410may be extensively utilized in the browsing capability). Alternatively or additionally, storing the stock message set504on a comparatively resource-limited device, such as a mobile phone, may consume a significant amount of storage capacity. By contrast, the techniques presented herein may be achieved only by relying on an expression set602of the individual612that is already stored by the message server410(e.g., a device may already store a set of email messages of the user112simply as a mailbox, and evaluating the expression set602may utilize the mailbox instead of utilizing an ad hoc stock message set504). Similarly, a message provider408that services a large number of users112may scale more efficiently to a large number of users112if utilizing the expression sets602of the individuals612rather than a stock message set504. These and other technical effects may be achievable through the configuration of a message provider408in accordance with the techniques presented herein.

FIG. 7presents an illustration of a first example embodiment of the techniques presented herein, illustrated as an example method700of expressing a statement502to a recipient512on behalf of a user112on a device having a processor. The example method700may be implemented, e.g., as instructions stored in a memory (e.g., a hard disk drive, a solid-state storage device such as a flash memory device, or a magnetic or optical disc) that, when executed on a processor210of a computer such as a client device112and/or a server104, cause the computer to operate according to at least a portion of the techniques presented herein.

The example method700begins at702and comprises examining704an expression set602comprising at least one expression604authored by an individual612to identify an expression style606of the individual612. The example method600further comprises composing706a message406expressing the statement502in the expression style606of the individual612. The example method600further comprises presenting708the message406to the user112for confirmation610; and responsive to receiving the confirmation610of the message406from the user112, transmitting710the message406to the recipient512. In this manner, the example method700achieves the expression of the statement502from the user112to the recipient512in the expression style606of the individual612in accordance with the techniques presented herein, and so ends at712.

FIG. 8presents an illustration of a scenario800involving a second example embodiment of the techniques presented herein, comprising a server802that expresses a statement502to a recipient512according to an expression style606of an individual612. The server802may comprise a processor210and a memory202(e.g., a hard disk drive, a solid-state storage device such as a flash memory device, or a magnetic or optical disc) storing instructions that provide an example system804, e.g., as a set of components that interoperate according to the techniques presented herein.

In particular, the memory202comprises the components of an example system804featuring an expression set602, which comprises at least one expression604authored by an individual612. The example system804further comprises instructions that, when executed by the processor210, provide an expression style identifier806that examines the expression set602to identify the expression style606of the individual612; and a message composer808that composes a message406expressing the statement502in the expression style606of the individual612; presents the message406to the user112for confirmation610; and responsive to receiving the confirmation610of the message406from the user112, transmits the message406to the recipient512. In this manner, the system804causes the server802in the scenario800ofFIG. 8to operate in accordance with the techniques presented herein.

FIG. 9is an illustration of a scenario900involving a third example embodiment of the techniques presented herein, comprising an example nontransitory memory device902, such as a memory semiconductor (e.g., a semiconductor utilizing static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), and/or synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM) technologies), a platter of a hard disk drive, a flash memory device, or a magnetic or optical disc (such as a CD, DVD, or floppy disk). The example nontransitory memory device902stores computer-readable data904that, when subjected to reading906by a reader910of a device908(e.g., a read head of a hard disk drive, or a read operation invoked on a solid-state storage device), express processor-executable instructions912.

The execution of the processor-executable instructions912on the processor916causes the device908to express a statement502from a user112to a recipient512according to an expression style606of an individual612. In particular, the processor-executable instructions912cause the device908to examine704an expression set602comprising at least one expression604authored by an individual612to identify an expression style606of the individual612. The processor-executable instructions912also cause the device908to compose706a message406expressing the statement502in the expression style606of the individual612. The processor-executable instructions912also cause the device908to present708the message406to the user112for confirmation610. The processor-executable instructions912also cause the device908to, receiving the confirmation610of the message406from the user112, transmit710the message406to the recipient512. In this manner, the example nontransitory memory device902causes the device908to express the statement502present the content item406to the user112in accordance with the techniques presented herein.

The techniques discussed herein may be devised with variations in many aspects, and some variations may present additional advantages and/or reduce disadvantages with respect to other variations of these and other techniques. Moreover, some variations may be implemented in combination, and some combinations may feature additional advantages and/or reduced disadvantages through synergistic cooperation. The variations may be incorporated in various embodiments (e.g., the example method700ofFIG. 7; the example system804ofFIG. 8; and the example nontransitory memory device902ofFIG. 9) to confer individual and/or synergistic advantages upon such embodiments.

5.1. Identifying Expression Styles

A first aspect that may vary among embodiments of the techniques presented herein involves the manner of identifying the expression styles606from an expression set602of expressions604of an individual612.

As a first variation of this first aspect, the identity of the individual612may vary according to the request of the user112. As a first such example, the individual612may also be the user112; e.g., the user112may request that the message provider408compose a message in his or her own expression style606. As a second such example, the individual612may be the recipient512; e.g., the user112may request the message provider408to express a statement502to the recipient512in the recipient's own expression style606. As a third such example, the individual612may comprise a third party for whom an expression set602is available, such as a famous celebrity or author, or a character in a work of fiction.

As a second variation of this first aspect, the expression styles602may be identified from various types of expression sets602, such as email messages in a mailbox; chat messages written by the individual612in a chat context, such as an instant messaging context or a web forum; text messages sent by the individual612to other individuals, such as Simple Message Service (SMS) messages; spoken utterances of the individual612during various conversations with other individuals, such as a telephony and/or videoconferencing session; and/or a set of writings by the individual612, such as a set of news articles authored by a news reporter. Moreover, the message provider408may already store the expression set602of the individual612(e.g., a set of messages sent by the individual612to the recipient512, and/or a set of messages received by the user112from the individual612), and/or may have access to an expression set602stored elsewhere (e.g., a collection of statements made by a celebrity, or a set of quotes from a character in a work of fiction).

As a third variation of this first aspect, the expression style606may be extracted from the expressions604of the expression set602in a variety of ways.

As a first example of this third variation of this first aspect, the expression style606may further comprise a phrase that appears in the expressions604of the expression set602with a phrase frequency that exceeds a phrase frequency threshold (e.g., more than five instances of a phrase or variant thereof throughout the expression set602, and/or a phrase appearing in at least 10% of expressions604by the individual612in the context of a particular statement502). Alternatively or additionally, the expression style606may involve a particular type of content that the user individual612includes and/or references in such expressions604; e.g., the individual612may frequently send pictures of cats in messages406to other individuals.

As a second example of this third variation of this first aspect, the expression style may further comprise a tone of the expressions604authored by the individual612. The tone may comprise, e.g., the tone exhibited by the individual612while conveying a particular type of statement502(e.g., whether the individual612typically expresses “happy birthday” messages in a genuine, formal, religious, and/or sardonic tone), and/or the tone exhibited by the individual612while conversing particularly with the recipient512(e.g., whether the relationship between the individual612and the recipient512exhibits a formal, familial, romantic, and/or teasing tone).

As a third example of this third variation of this first aspect, a statement502may be associated with a statement context, such as an event that is associated with the statement502. For example, the user112may wish to express a statement502such as “thank you,” but depending on the context of the statement502, the user112may prefer a formal tone, a familial tone, or a romantic tone. One technique for utilizing the expression context involves mapping the respective expressions604in the expression set602with an expression context, such as the type of event (e.g., by examining only the expressions604of the expression set602that have an expression context matching the statement context) to identify the expression style604of the individual612when composing expressions604of statements502in a similar statement context. For example, where some expressions604are associated with instances of an event (e.g., expressions604that the individual612expresses to others during a particular holiday), a message provider408may fulfill a request to compose an expression604for the user112in a subsequent instance of the same event in view of the expression styles606used in the preceding expressions604having a similar expression context.

As a fourth variation of this first aspect, respective expressions604in the expression set602may be respectively associated with an expression recipient, such as the person to whom the expression604was directed; in whose presence the expression604was expressed; and/or to whom the expression604relates. Accordingly, responsive to the user112requesting the composition of a message406expressing a statement502to a particular recipient502, the message provider408may identify examine only the expressions602that are associated with the expression recipient matching the recipient512of the statement502, in order to identify an expression style606that the individual612frequently utilizes for expressions604associated with the recipient512.

FIG. 10presents an illustration of a scenario1000featuring several such variations in the identification of expression styles606in accordance with the techniques presented herein. In this scenario1000, an expression set602includes expressions604that exhibit a variety of expression styles606that may be utilized by an individual612in a variety of contexts. As a first such example, during various events1002(such as a birthday, a lunch meeting, and an illness of a friend), the expressions604used by the individual612as the expressions604of statements502may exhibit a variety of frequently used phrases1004(e.g., a first phrase1004that the individual612uses to express a “happy birthday” statement502; a second phrase1004that the individual612uses to express a “let's have lunch together” statement502; and a third phrase1004that the individual612uses to express a “get well soon” statement502). As a second such example, the individual612may utilize an expression style606that includes and/or references various forms of content in such expressions604, such as the use of movie quotes to express a “happy birthday” statement502. As a third such example, the individual612may utilize various tones in the expressions604of such statements502, such as a casual tone when communicating about a lunch meeting, and a formal tone when expressing a “get well soon” statement. As a fourth such example, the individual612may utilize different expression styles606when communicating with various recipients512, such as a religious expression style606when communicating with a grandmother, a casual expression style606when communicating with a colleague, and a sardonic expression style606when communicating with a friend. These and other variations in the types of expression styles606utilized in various expressions606of respective statements502may be identified in accordance with the techniques presented herein.

As a fifth variation of this first aspect, many techniques may be utilized by the message provider408identifies the expression styles606from the expressions604of the expression set602.

As a first example of this fifth variation of this first aspect, the expression set602may be preprocessed to identify the expression styles606of the individual612in order to facilitate a later request by the user112to compose a message406expressing a statement502in the expression style606of the individual612. For example, at a first time, responsive to receiving a selected expression from an individual612, the message provider408may evaluate the selected expression604to identify an expression style606of the individual612, and may store the expression style606; and at a second time that is after the first time, the message provider408may retrieve the expression style606of the individual612to compose the message406. Alternatively, the message provider408may evaluate the expression set602in an ad hoc manner, e.g., responsive to receiving the request from the user112to generate such a message406.

As a second example of this fifth variation of this first aspect, the identification of the expression styles606of respective expressions604may be achieved by an adaptive algorithm that is configured to, for respective expressions604, identify the expression style606of the expression604. For example, a neural network or Bayesian classifier may be devised that calculates the expression style606of the respective expressions604, based on either a supervised or an unsupervised learning model. The expression style606of a received expression604may thereafter be identified simply by invoking the adaptive algorithm. Alternatively, a developer may provide a set of rules or heuristics for determining the expression style606, such as the frequency of association of respective keywords and/or key phrases with respective expression styles606. Such adaptive algorithms may also be utilized for other aspects of the techniques presented herein, including the composition of messages406that express statements502by incorporating various forms of expression styles606.

FIG. 11is an illustration of a scenario1100featuring various forms of adaptive algorithms in various aspects of the techniques presented herein. Such adaptive algorithms may be generated, e.g., through an unsupervised or supervised training process. In this scenario1100, an expression set602featuring a variety of expressions604is provided to an expression evaluation neural network1102, which may identify phrases1004that frequently appear in such expressions604and/or an expression style606of such expressions604. For example, a service that is adapted to evaluate a content item (such as a news article) in order to identify the subjects, relationships, statements502, frequently arising expressions604including phrases and/or content that is utilized and/or referenced therein, and/or tone of the expressions604may be applicable to the expressions604of an expression set602in order to identify the expression styles606of the individual612expressing such expressions604. Additionally, a message composition neural network1104may be provided to compose a message406that expresses a statement502in a particular expression style606, optionally utilizing the output of the expression evaluation neural network1102. In this manner, adaptive algorithms such as neural networks may be provided and utilized in order to fulfill various aspects of the techniques presented herein.

A second aspect that may vary among embodiments of the techniques presented herein involves the manner of composing a message406that expresses a statement502in an expression style606of an individual612.

As a first variation of this second aspect, a message provider408may store a message template set, comprising at least one message template that is respectively associated with an expression style606. The message provider408may fulfill a request to compose a message406expressing a statement502by selecting, a message template from the message template set that is associated with the expression style606of the individual612, and composing the message406using the selected message template.

As a second variation of this second aspect, a message provider408may store at least two expression sets602that respectively comprise, for respective individuals612, at least one expression604expressed by the individual612. If the user112selects a particular individual612in whose expression style606a statement502is to be expressed, the message provider408may retrieve an expression604from the expression set602of the selected individual612, and may use such an expression604in the composition of the message406.

As a third variation of this second aspect, the statement502requested by the user112may be associated with a content item, such as a phrase, an image, a video, or a sound recording. Accordingly, a message provider408may compose the message406expressing the statement502by identifying a selected content item that is associated with the statement502, and composing a message406that includes and/or references the selected content item. For example, the user112may request to include in the message406an image of the user112and the recipient512together, and the message provider408may search for and retrieve such an image (e.g., from the photo albums of the user112, the recipient512, and/or other individuals612in a social network) and automatically attach and/or reference the image in the message406.

FIG. 12presents a scenario1200illustrating several such variations of this second aspect, wherein a message provider408stores a message template set1202, comprising at least one message template1206that is associated with an expression style606of at least one individual612. In order to fulfill a request to express a statement502in the expression style606of a particular individual612(e.g., in order to express a statement502regarding a particular event1204), the message provider408may identify the expression style606of the individual612, and may select message templates1206from the message template set1202in order to compose the message406in the expression style602. Some message templates1206may include one or more slots1208that allow the insertion of content to adapt the message template1206to the statement502requested by the user112, such as the name of the recipient512. Accordingly, the message provider408may compose the message406by selecting, from the message template set1202, a selected message template1206that us associated with the expression style606of the individual612, and composing the message406using the selected message template1206in accordance with the techniques presented herein.

5.3. User Interface

A third aspect that may vary among embodiments of the techniques presented herein involves the user interface that enables users112to request the composition of messages508expressing various statements502to a recipient512in the expression style606of an individual612.

As a first variation of this third aspect, the message provider408may be invokable by the user112to assist in the composition of messages508. For example, responsive to receiving a request from the user112to compose a message406expressing a statement502, the message provider408may compose a message406expressing the statement502in the expression style606of the individual612.

As a second variation of this third aspect, the statement502may be associated with an event1204involving the recipient512. Responsive to detecting the event1204involving the recipient512, a message provider408may present to the user112an offer to generate a message406expressing a statement502about the event1204to the recipient512(e.g., a “happy birthday” message during an instance of the recipient's birthday); and responsive to receiving an acceptance of the offer from the user112, the message provider408may compose the message406expressing the statement502in the expression style606of the individual612.

As a third variation of this third aspect, an opportunity to present a message406to a recipient512may be detected from an interaction between the user112and the recipient512. Accordingly, the message provider408may monitor the interaction between the user112and the recipient512to detect a statement opportunity, and may, responsive to detecting the statement opportunity, present to the user112an offer to compose a message406expressing a statement502associated with the statement opportunity. For example, if the recipient512indicates that he or she is experiencing an unpleasant health condition, the message provider408may suggest that the user112compose a “get well soon” message406to the recipient512, and may offer to facilitate the composition of the message406in the expression style606of an individual612.

As a fourth variation of this third aspect, the message provider408may permit the user112to indicate various properties of the message406to be composed that expresses the statement502to the recipient512. As a first such example, responsive to receiving from the user112a topic to be referenced in the message406, the message provider408may composing a message406that references the topic while also expressing the statement502in the expression style606of the individual612. For example, if the expression style606of the individual612includes quotes from literature, and if the user112requests a message406expressing a statement about a particular holiday and also referencing the recipient's cat, the message provider408may compose a message406that includes a quote from literature involving both the holiday and a cat (e.g., including the Charles Dickens quote: “what greater gift than the love of a cat?”)

As a fifth variation of this third aspect, upon composing a message406, the message provider408may present the message406to the user112for confirmation prior to sending the message406to the recipient512. If the user112requests an adjustment of the message406, the message provider508may receive and apply the adjustment to the message406. Additionally, if the user112requests that the message provider408to generate a second message406from the expression set602, the message provider508may reexamine the expression set602to identify a second expression style606of the individual612, and compose a second message406expressing the statement602in the second expression style606of the individual612. For example, if the message provider408utilizes an adaptive algorithm that composes messages508according to a composition property, the message provider408may adjust the composition property of the adaptive algorithm in order to generate a second message406that may be closer to the intent of the user112.

FIG. 13presents an illustration of a scenario1300featuring an example technique for composing messages406from an expression set602as requested by a user112. In this scenario1300, a detected instance1302of an event1204may prompt a message provider408to send to a user112a suggestion1304to send a message406to a recipient512, such as an expression of a “happy birthday” statement502upon detecting an imminent instance of the recipient's birthday. Alternatively, the user112may submit to the message provider408a request1306to generate a message406expressing a statement502. In either case, the message provider408may invoke a message composition neural network1104that is able to utilize a message property1308(such as a short message length) in combination with an expression style606to generate a first message406. If the user112is not satisfied with the first message406and requests a second message406, the message composition neural network1104may compose a second message406expressing the statement502, optionally by reevaluating the expression set602, and/or utilizing a different expression style606and/or message property1308as requested by the user112(e.g., fulfilling a request to generate a “shorter” message406, or a message406with a more formal tone). The message composition neural network1104may continue to generate messages406that express the statement502in the expression style606of the selected individual612until the user112is satisfied with a composed message406, at which time the message provider408may transmit the message406to the recipient512. Many such techniques may be utilized for interacting with the user112through a user interface to achieve the composition of messages406expressing statements502to recipients512in accordance with the techniques presented herein.

6. Usage of Terms