Abstract:
Among other disclosures, a method may include collecting historical communication data, personal data and usage statistics relating to a portion of a plurality of communications, a sender of one or more of the communications or one or more recipients of the communications. The method may include depositing the collected data into a repository. The method may include presenting the usage statistics in response to user behavior.

Description:
PRIORITY APPLICATION 
     This patent application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/951,880, filed on Jul. 25, 2007, entitled, “Presentation of Personal and Public Data Queried Through Implicit Actions”, the contents of which are incorporated by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     Electronic communications between persons for both business and personal use have increased substantially in recent years. In addition to the number of communications increasing, the number of available communication mediums has also increased. In addition to e-mail communications and telephone communications, additional forms of communication have become common in recent years, including instant messaging, social network messaging and commenting, message board posting, text messaging, and Voice Over Internet Protocol communications. 
     These additional forms of communication have led to individuals exchanging communications with more people than ever before, which leads to an even higher increase in the number of communications sent and received by an individual. 
     SUMMARY 
     The present disclosure relates to collecting and presenting historical communication data personal data and usage statistics. 
     In a first aspect, a computer implemented method for presenting information related to historical communication and personal data can include collecting historical communication data, personal data and usage statistics relating to a portion of a plurality of communications, a sender of one or more of the communications or one or more recipients of the communications. The method can further include depositing the collected data into a repository of historical communication data, personal data and usage statistics. The method can further include presenting one or more items in the repository, in response to user behavior selected from the group comprising opening a communication, viewing a communication, reading a communication, writing a communication, performing a search, selecting a person&#39;s name, selecting a communication summary, and selecting an attribute associated with the one or more items. 
     The method can further include querying one or more sources of information to derive the historical communication data, the personal data and usage statistics. The method can further include requesting information from a sender of a communication or one or more recipients of the communication. The method can further include displaying the one or more items in an additional portion of a user interface (e.g., in a panel) within an e-mail client, web browser, or instant message window. The method can further include displaying the one or more items integrated with a body of the communication using one or more display methods selected from the group comprising highlighting, underlining, adding hyper links, adding text, adding images, adding video, and adding attachments. 
     The method can further include tracking mouse movements, mouse locations, keyboard strokes, mouse clicks, or active windows in order to determine if the user has made an implicit request to view one or more items in the repository. The method can further include sharing some or all of the data in the repository among a network of participants. The method can further include sharing different amounts of data from the repository with each participant based on preference settings. The method can further include allowing a user to select one or more of the one or more presented items and automatically generating a communication in response to the user selection. 
    
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1A  shows an example e-mail client with a profile side bar. 
         FIG. 1B  shows an example of a profile. 
         FIG. 1C  shows an example of a conversation thread profile. 
         FIGS. 2A and 2B  show example summaries of communications sent/received. 
         FIG. 3  is a block diagram of an example communication delivery system. 
         FIG. 4  is a flow diagram of an example process  300  for collecting and presenting historical communication and personal data. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       FIG. 1A  shows an example system  100  for displaying a profile containing information about communications to, from, and involving an individual. The system  100  includes an e-mail client  102  which can include an inbox viewing panel  104  and an e-mail viewing panel  106 . The e-mail client  102  can be a standard stand alone e-mail client such as Microsoft Outlook or Eudora. In an alternate implementation the e-mail client  102  can be a web based e-mail client such as Yahoo! mail or Gmail that is viewed using a web browser. The e-mail client  102  can allow a user to view a list of e-mails in the inbox viewing panel  104 . The user can select an e-mail in the inbox viewing panel  104  causing the e-mail client  102  to display the selected e-mail in the e-mail viewing panel  106 . 
     In some implementations, in stead of an e-mail client, the system  100  can include an instant messaging client, a social network client, a text message client, or another communication viewing client. It is to be understood that while portions of this description describe systems and methods involving e-mail communications, these same systems and methods can be implemented using other forms of communication, including instant messages, phone calls, text messages, internet message board postings, social network messages or comments, or voice over IP communications. 
     The e-mail client  102  also includes a profile  108 . In the example depicted, the profile  108  is displayed as an additional panel within the e-mail client  102  positioned to the right of the inbox viewing panel  104  and the e-mail viewing panel  106 . This additional panel is sometimes referred to as a side bar. In some implementations, the profile  108  can be located at the top, bottom, left side, or any other location within the e-mail client  102 . In some implementations, the profile  108  can be displayed in a stand alone window, in a pop-up bubble displayed over a portion of the e-mail client  102 , or integrated as part of one of the other viewing panels displayed by the e-mail client  102 . For example, a pop up bubble containing a profile  108  could appear when an e-mail is selected in the inbox viewing panel  104 , when an e-mail address or portion of text in the e-mail viewing panel  106  is selected, or when a mouse icon is moved over an e-mail address, name, icon, or portion of text. In another example, information can be integrated as part of the body of an e-mail, such as inserting a picture next to a person&#39;s name in the body of an e-mail, or inserting a person&#39;s name next to a phone number in an e-mail or attachment. 
     The profile  108  can contain information relating to a sender of an e-mail, a recipient of an e-mail, the body of an e-mail, an attachment to an e-mail, or a person or topic mentioned in an e-mail. In alternate implementations, the profile  108  can contain information related to a sender, recipient, body, attachment or topic of another communication medium such as an instant message, a phone call, a text message, an internet message board, a social network message or comment, or a voice over IP communication. The user can implicitly request information to be displayed in the profile  108  by selecting an e-mail in the inbox viewing panel  104  or selecting text within a header or body of an e-mail in the e-mail viewing panel  106 . In some implementations, the profile can include additional information (e.g., derived information such as search results derived from a topic mentioned in a communication). 
     In some implementations, the profile  108  can display information about an entity other than a person. For example, a communication may be received from an automated system, such as from a travel website, on-line retailer, an advertising service, or a mailing list. The profile  108  can display information related to the sender of the communication. For example, if the communication received has been sent from a travel website, information related to the travel website, or other communications from the travel website can be displayed. In another example, if the communication received has been sent from an mailing list, information related to the mailing list, or other communications received from the mailing list can be displayed. As yet another example, if the communication received has been sent from a business entity, information about the business entity (e.g., address, telephone number, contact person name) can be included in the profile. 
     For example, the user can select an e-mail  110  in the inbox viewing panel  104  causing the profile  108  to display information related to a sender  112  of the e-mail  110 . In another example, the user can select an e-mail address  114  or name of a recipient of the e-mail  110  in order to display information related to the recipient in the profile  108 . In another example, the user can select an attachment to the e-mail  110  in order to display information related to the attachment in the profile  108 . In yet another example, the user can select the name of a person, a user name of a person, or a particular topic listed in a header, a body, or an attachment of the e-mail  110  in order to display information related to the person or topic in the profile  108 . 
     In some implementations, the system  100  can determine if the user has made an implicit request to view information in the profile  108  by tracking, for example, user input of the form of mouse movements, mouse locations, keyboard strokes, mouse clicks, or active windows. Implicit requests to view information in the profile  108  can include opening, viewing, reading or writing an e-mail or other communication medium. For example, if the user starts to compose an instant message, the profile  108  can display information related to the recipient of the instant message. In another example, if the user views a social network profile, either within the e-mail client  102  or in a separate web browser, the profile  108  can display information related to a person associated with the social network profile. 
     In some implementations, the user can make a specific request to view information in the profile  108  by performing a search or clicking on a person&#39;s name. 
     In some implementations, the system  100  can be linked to a phone (e.g., voice over IP phone) used by the user. For example, the system  100  can include means for detecting when the user makes or receives a phone call or text message using the phone and display information related to a recipient or initiator of the phone call or text message in the profile  108 . 
     In the example depicted in  FIG. 1A , the user has selected the e-mail  110  in the inbox viewing panel  104  and header information and a portion of the body of the e-mail  110  is displayed in the e-mail viewing panel  106 . The e-mail  110  was received from the sender  112 . The system  100  has determined that the user has made an implicit request to view information related to the sender  112  by selecting the e-mail  110 . In response to this implicit request, the system  100  displays in the profile  108  information related to the sender  112 . 
     In the example, the information displayed in the profile  108  includes an e-mail address  116 , a phone number  118 , communication statistics  120  (also known as usage statistics), a contact network  122 , a conversation list  124 , and a files exchanged list  126 . In some implementations, the profile  108  can display additional contact information such as name, screen names, social network profile names, social network profile URLs, physical addresses, website URLs, additional e-mail addresses, or additional telephone numbers. 
     In the example, the communication statistics  120  include any type of message usage statistics, such as the number of e-mails received from the sender  112  and the number of e-mails sent to the sender  112 . In some implementations, additional communication statistics  120  can be displayed, including times of communications, dates of communications, types of communications, volume of communications, length of communications, or speed of responses. For example, a statistic for the average amount of time it takes the sender  112  to respond to e-mails sent by the user can be displayed. In another example, the times of day that the sender  112  is most likely to respond to an e-mail or other form of communication can be displayed as a communication statistic  120 . In another example, a statistic can be displayed that lists the percentage of communications between the user and the sender  112  that occur using a telephone, the percentage of communications that occur using instant messaging, the percentage of communications that occur using e-mails, or the percentage of communications that occur using a social network website as a percentage of all communications between the user and the sender  112 . In another example, the number of communications sent or received on which the sender  112  has been copied can be displayed as a communication statistic  120 . In another example, the number of communications received by the user on which the sender  112  has also been listed as a recipient can be displayed as a communication statistic  120 . 
     In some implementations, the communication statistics  120  that are displayed can be chosen by the user. The user can choose to have a default set of communication statistics displayed, or the user can select which individual communication statistics  120  are to be displayed. The user can choose to have the same set of communication statistics  120  displayed for each profile  108  or the user can choose to have a different set of communication statistics  120  displayed depending on which person or topic the currently displayed profile  108  is associated with. 
     The contact network  122  displayed in the profile  108  shows a list of contacts  128  that are associated with the sender  112 . In the example depicted, the contacts  128  are shown as e-mail addresses. In some implementations, the contacts  128  can be listed as names, screen names, nick names, employee numbers, social network profile names, social network profile URLs, telephone numbers, website URLs, or any combination of these. 
     In some implementations, details about a contact  128  can be displayed adjacent to the contact  128  in the contact network  122 . These details can include time since last communication, last form of communication, frequency of communications, total numbers of communications, or other related data. 
     The contacts  128  listed in the contact network  122  are contacts that are associated with the sender  112 . The contacts  128  can include recipients of communications from the sender  112 , recipients of communications of which the sender  112  is also a recipient, individuals named in a body or header of a communication with the sender  112 , or individuals named in a document that is attached to a communication with the sender  112 . For example, a person who was copied on an e-mail between the user and the sender  112  can be listed as a contact  128  in the contact network  122 . In the example depicted, the header of the e-mail  110  as shown in the e-mail viewing panel  106  lists all.houston@enron.com as a recipient of the e-mail  110 . The contact network  122  lists all.houston@enron.com as a contact  128  of the sender  112 . In another example, if the user receives an e-mail from the sender  112  with the subject line “Matt Smith&#39;s birthday party”, Matt Smith can be listed as a contact  128  in the contact network  122  even if Matt Smith has never been included in or been the recipient of any communications between the user and the sender  112 . In another example, if the user posts a comment to a social network profile page belonging to the sender  112  and a person named Eric Johnson has also posted a comment to the social network profile page, or is listed as a friend of the sender  112  on the social network profile page, Eric Johnson can be listed as a contact  128  in the contact network  122 . 
     In some implementations, the contacts  128  listed in the contact network  122  can be collected from sources other than communications between the user and the sender  112 . In one implementation, the sender  112  can provide a list of contacts to the user to include in the contact network  122  for the sender  112 . The sender  112  can provide the list of contacts to the user through sharing the list of contacts on a shared network, or by sending a communication to the user with, for example, the list of contacts in a body of the communication or in an attachment to the communication. 
     In another implementation, the system  100  can collect data from outside sources in order to determine contacts  128  to be listed in the contact network  122 . The system  100  can query various sources to extract information on contacts that can be associated with the sender  112  and listed in the contact network  122 . Sources of information that can be queried to derive contacts associated with the sender  112  can include web search engines, people search engines, social networks, personal web pages, telephone directories, scanned business card data or company website profiles. 
     For example, the system  100  can perform a search of a social network based on the sender  112 &#39;s name, e-mail address, screen names or other information about the sender  112 . The system can then identify a profile page on the social network belonging to the sender  112 . Any contacts that are publicly listed on the social network profile page can be listed in the contact network  122  of the sender  112  even if the user has never communicated with the sender  112  using the social network or viewed the profile page of the sender  112  on this social network. In some implementations, the system  100  can access and extract contacts listed on a private social network profile page belonging to the sender  112  if the user has proper access information or authorization to view the private social network profile page of the sender  112 . 
     In another example, the system  100  can use a search engine to perform a search based on the sender  112 &#39;s name, e-mail address, screen names or other information about the sender  112  in order to identify web pages that may contain contacts that can be associated with the sender  112 . For example, the system  100  can use a search engine to perform a search based on the sender  112 &#39;s name. If one of the search results returned is for a blog written by a person named Mark Adams that mentions the sender  112 , then Mark Adams can be listed as a contact  128  in the contact network  122 . In another example, the system  100  can determine that the sender  112  works for the same company as a person who has sent a different communication to the user. This person can then be listed as a contact  128  of the sender  112 . In some implementations, the system  100  can collect data using a peer to peer network. 
     Information that can be used to collect information about contacts  128  or other information displayed in the profile  108  can include e-mail addresses, names, screen names, social network profile names, phone numbers, personal website URLs, social network profile URLs, or physical addresses. 
     The contacts  128  displayed in the contact network  122  can be listed in order based on a ranking system. Criteria used to rank the contacts  128  can include total volume of communication, volume of communication over a period of time, length of communications, importance level of communications, types of communications, contents of communications, time of communications; methods by which the contacts  128  were determined to be associated with the sender  112 , or any combination of these. For example, the contacts  128  can be ranked based on the total number of communications between the user and the sender  112  for which a contact is also a recipient of the communication. In another example, the contacts  128  can be ranked based on the number of communications between the user and the sender  112  for which a contact is also a recipient of the communication over the course of the last three weeks. In another example, the contacts  128  can be ranked based on the number of communications between the user and a contact for which the sender  112  is also a recipient of the communication. 
     In another example, the contacts  128  can be ranked based on the length of communications between the user and the sender  112  for which a contact is also a recipient of the communication with longer communications being ranked higher than shorter communications. In another example, contacts that are listed on communications flagged as urgent or important can be ranked higher than other contacts. In another example, the user can choose to have contacts who mainly communicate with the user or sender  112  using e-mail ranked higher than contacts who mainly communicate with the user or sender  112  using instant message or social networks. In another example, the system  100  can use the contents of communications involving each contact  128  and the sender  112  to determine if communications involving the contact  128  and the sender  112  are primarily business related or social related communications. The system  100  can then give a higher ranking to contacts associated with business communications than contacts associated with social communications. 
     In another example, contacts who are associated with more recent communications between the user and the sender  112  can be ranked higher than contacts associated with older communications between the user and the sender  112 . In another example, contacts that have been determined to be associated with the sender  112  based on e-mail communication can be ranked higher than contacts that have been determined to be associated with the sender  112  based on web searches. 
     In some implementations, each contact  128  listed in the contact network  122  can be a link to more information about the contact  128 . For example, if a contact  128  is clicked on, selected, or interacted with by the user, a profile containing information about the selected contact  128  can be displayed. In another example, the user can hover a mouse cursor or other selection tool over a contact  128 . This can cause a pop-up bubble containing additional information about the contact  128  to be displayed. 
     The conversation list  124  can display a list of recent communications between the user and the sender  112  or involving the user and the sender  112 . The communications displayed on the conversation list  124  can be a list of past e-mails, text messages, instant messages, telephone calls, social network communications, message board posts or voice over IP communications involving the sender  112 . In some implementations, the conversation list  124  can be a list of recent conversation threads involving the sender  112 . A conversation thread is a series of communications that can be grouped together. For example, a series of e-mails having the same or similar subjects can be grouped together as a conversation thread. In another example, a group of instant messages between the sender  112  and the user that occurred over a specific period of time can be grouped together as a conversation thread. For example, if the user sent and received a series of instant messages from the sender  112  over a three hour period earlier in the day, and that conversation was separated from another series of instant messages between the user and the sender  112  by a period of 2 hours, the instant messages that were sent and received during that three hour period can be grouped together as a conversation thread. In another example, a series of telephone calls between the user and the sender  112  that occurred during a set time period can be grouped together as a conversation thread. 
     The communications or conversation threads displayed in the conversation list  124  can be listed in order based on a ranking system. In one implementation, conversation threads can be listed in order of most recent communications to oldest communications. In another implementation, conversation threads can be listed in order of oldest to most recent. In another implementation, conversation threads can be listed in order of importance with conversation threads containing communications marked as urgent being ranked higher than conversation threads with fewer communications marked urgent or no communications marked urgent. In another implementation, the system  100  can determine which conversation threads are work related and which conversation threads are social. The conversation threads that are work related can then be ranked higher than the conversation threads that are social. In another implementation, conversation threads can be ranked based on the number of communications in the conversation thread. 
     Communications that are listed in the conversation list can include communications initiated by the sender  112 , communications for which the sender  112  is a recipient, communications on which the sender  112  has been copied, or communications in which the sender  112  is mentioned. 
     In the example depicted in  FIG. 1A , the conversation list  124  displays a list of recent conversation threads involving the user and the sender  112 . The conversation threads displayed are for recent e-mail communications involving the user and the sender  112 . The e-mails in each conversation thread are grouped by subject. The conversation list  124  displays the subject for each conversation thread, the number of e-mails in each conversation thread, and the amount of time that has passed since the last communication for this conversation thread was sent or received. In some implementations, additional information can be displayed for each conversation thread, including: time and date of the last communication in the conversation thread, time and date of the first communication in the conversation thread, other contacts involved in the conversation thread, average length of communications in the conversation thread, total number of people involved in the conversation thread, level of importance of the communications in the conversation thread, attachments shared in the conversation thread, calendar events related to the conversation thread, other forms of communication related to the conversation thread, relevant web data, or average response time of communications in the conversation thread. 
     In some implementations, the conversation list  124  can display a summary or the first few lines of the most recent communication for each conversation list. In another implementation, the conversation list  124  can display a summary or the first few lines of the first communication for each conversation list. In another implementation, the conversation list  124  can display a summary or the first few lines of the last communication initiated by the sender  112  for each conversation list. 
     The files exchanged list  126  displays a list of files that were attached to communications involving the user and the sender  112 . This can include communications initiated by the user for which the sender  112  was a recipient, communications initiated by the sender  112  for which the user was a recipient, or communications initiated by a third party for which the sender  112  and the user were both recipients. The files exchanged list  126  can also include files that were exchanged between the user and the sender  112  with out using a communication medium. For example, the files exchanged list  126  can include files that were transferred from the sender  112 &#39;s network drive to the user&#39;s computer or network drive. In another example, the files exchanged list  126  can include files that were transferred to the user&#39;s computer or network drive from an external hard drive, flash drive, or floppy disk belonging to or populated by the sender  112 . 
     The files displayed in the files exchanged list  126  can be listed in order based on a ranking system. In one implementation, files can be listed in order of most recently received files to least recently received files. In another implementation, files can be listed in order of oldest to most recent. In another implementation, files can be listed in order of importance, with files that were attached to communications marked as urgent being ranked higher than files attached to communications that were not marked as urgent. In another implementation, the system  100  can determine which files are work related and which files are personal. The files that are work related can then be ranked higher than the files that are personal. In another implementation, files can be ranked based on the size of the files. 
     In some implementations, the files displayed in the files exchanged list  126  can be grouped together. The files can be grouped together based on the subject of the communications to which the files were attached, file name, file title, date of the file, date of the communication, file type, or subject matter of the file. For example, if a document has undergone several rounds of revisions, the different versions of the document can be grouped together so that the different versions of the document can be easily compared to one another. In another example, a number of files about rain forests can be grouped together since they all contain related subject matter. In another example, all image files can be grouped together so that they can be more easily viewed, or easily put into a slide show. For example, a group of image files can be displayed as a slide show and each slide can contain additional information about the image being displayed, such as who sent the image, recipients of the image, the date the image was sent or received, or other information drawn from one or more communications to which the image was attached. 
     In some implementations, the profile  108  can include additional information about the selected e-mail  110 . The system  100  can extract information from the e-mail  110  and use this information to gather and display data from websites, search engines, or other sources of information. For example, the e-mail  110  may contain information about travel arrangements. The e-mail  110  can be an e-mail from an airline, travel agent, travel website or other source. If the e-mail  110  contains information about a flight, such as a flight number, an airline, a departure time, an arrival time, a departure city, or an arrival city, the system  100  can use this information to query search engines or travel websites for information about the flight. This information can include expected departure time, expected arrival time, expected delays, weather in the destination city, weather in the departure city, or any changes to the flight. This information can then be displayed as part of the profile  108 . This allows the user to see when changes to travel arrangements have occurred, and easily contact a travel company or airline in order to correct the situation. 
     In another example, the e-mail  110  can contain information about a purchase from an on-line retailer. The e-mail  110  can contain shipping information, shipping status, or order information. If the e-mail  110  contains a shipping number for the shipment of a recently purchased item, the system  100  can query a search engine or shipping web site to extract information about the current status and expected arrival of the item. This information can then be displayed as part of the profile  108 . 
     In another example, the e-mail  110  can contain information about an item or service that the user is interested in purchasing. The system  100  can query one or more search engines, websites, or on-line retailers to determine which retailer or website has the best price or currently has the item in stock or the service available. This information can then be displayed as part of the profile  108 . 
       FIG. 1B  shows a profile  130  for a person  132  named “Jen Ertel”. The profile  130  for the person  132  can be displayed in response to an action by a user that indicates either an implicit or direct request to view the profile  130  of the person  132 . Actions by the user that can cause the profile  130  for the person  132  to be displayed can include viewing or selecting a communication sent by the person  132 , viewing or selecting a communication for which the person  132  is listed as a recipient, composing or initiating a communication with the person  132 , selecting or clicking on a name, screen name, or e-mail address of the person  132 , or performing a search for information related to the person  132 . 
     The profile  130  includes a search bar  134 . The search bar  134  can be used to request that information be displayed about a particular person, topic, conversation thread, communication, or file. For example, a search performed using the search bar  134  and the search string “Allan Tate” can result in a profile for a person named Allan Tate being displayed. In another example, a search using the search string “sunday_presentation.ppt” can result in information about a file named “sunday_presentation.ppt” being displayed. In another example, a search using the search string “2002 Sales Goals” can result in information to be displayed regarding communications with the subject “2002 Sales Goals”, containing the phrase “2002 Sales Goals”, or having attachments that contain the phrase “2002 Sales Goals”. 
     Search criteria that can be used to identify a profile can include names, screen names, social network profile names, social network profile URLs, physical addresses, website URLs, e-mail addresses, e-mail subject lines, file names, or telephone numbers. For example, a search using the search string “allan.tate@example.com” can result in a profile for a person named “Allan Tate” being displayed. In the example depicted in  FIG. 1B , a search for the phone number “(612) 555-1243” may have been performed in-order to display the profile  130  for the person  132  named “Jen Ertel”. 
     The profile  130  can include a title bar  136 . The title bar  136  can display a name, a nick name, a screen name, a primary e-mail address, or other identifying title for the person  132  so that the user can easily identify who the information in the profile  130  is related to. 
     The profile  130  can also include an image  138 . The image  138  can be a picture of the person  132  to help the user more easily identify who the information in the profile  130  is related to or to help the user identify whom he or she is communicating with. For example, if the user receives an instant message from a person with the screen name “summergirl” the user may not be able to remember who this screen name belongs to. When the instant message is received, the profile  130  can display information about the person with the screen name “summergirl” including a picture of the person as the image  138 . This can help the user to identify whom he or she is communicating with. The image  138  can also be an image, icon, or picture associated with the person  132 . The image, icon, or picture can be used to identify the person  132  as a business contact, co-worker, friend, social acquaintance, client, or contractor. For example, all of the profiles  130  for contacts from a particular company can display a logo for that company. This can help the user to quickly identify what relationship he or she has with these particular contacts. 
     The image  138  can be added to the profile  130  by the user, or it can be automatically extracted from a communication with the person  132  or from a website or profile page belonging to or about the person  132 . For example, if a social network screen name or URL for the person  132  is known, an image from the person  132 &#39;s social network profile page can be extracted and used as the image  138 . In another example, if instant message communications with the person  132  include an icon that identifies the person  132 , this instant message icon can be extracted and used as the image  138 . 
     The profile  130  can include communication statistics  140  about communications involving the person  132 . These communication statistics  140  can include the statistics as previously described for  FIG. 1A . In the example shown in  FIG. 1B , one of the communication statistics  140  displayed is a graph  142  showing what times of day communications are received from the person  132  and the relative volume received from the person  132  at each time of day. This can help the user to determine when, or how quickly the person  132  will respond to a new communication from the user. For example, if the user lives in the United States and the person  132  lives in Germany, most of the communications received from the person  132  may occur between 5:00 am and 10:00 am of the user&#39;s local time. The graph  142  can easily display this information so that the user can determine when to reasonably expect a response to a recent communication from the person  132 . 
     Other communication statistics  140  displayed in the profile  130  in  FIG. 1B  include the total number of communications received from the person  132 , the total number of communications sent to the person  132 , and a rank  144 . The rank  144  can be the rank of the person  132  compared to all other persons that the user communicates with. The rank  144  can be based, for example, on total communications exchanged, total number of attachments exchanged, total number of communications sent, total number of communications received, length of communications or importance of communications. 
     Communication statistics  140  can be displayed as graphs or charts as shown in  FIG. 1B , or as text. In some implementations, statistics can be displayed in the profile  130  or in an additional panel or pop-up window as “fun facts”. For example, when viewing a profile for someone named “Matt Miller”, the profile can display a message that reads “Matt&#39;s birthday is next week”. In another example, a pop-up bubble with the message “Your last communication with Matt was 21 days ago” can be displayed. In another example, a panel can display a message reading “You send Matt 20 times as many messages as he sends you.” 
     Another example of a fun fact that can be displayed is “Matt is your 5 th  most e-mailed contact”. Another example of a fun fact that can be displayed is “your most e-mailed contact is Steve.” Another example of a fun fact that can be displayed is “the fastest responder to your communications is Garrett.” The fun facts can include any combination of communication statistics, communication information, contact information, or contact statistics. 
     In some implementations, communication statistics  140  can be shared with other persons. For example, the user can choose to share communication statistics with the person  132 . The person  132  will then be able to view communication statistics  140  about his or her communications with the user. In some implementations, the user can indicate that one or more persons are trusted contacts. Communication statistics  140  can be automatically shared with all persons indicated as trusted contacts. Other information, such as calendar information, contact information, or contact network information can also be shared with trusted contacts. 
     The profile  130  can include contact information  146 . The contact information  146  displayed can include e-mail addresses, telephone numbers, screen names, social network profile names, social network profile URLs, physical addresses, facsimile numbers, or website URLs. The contact information  146  can be collected from a variety of sources including communications between the person  132  and the user, communications between the user and other persons, e-mail body text, e-mail meta data, e-mail header information, e-mail attachments, web search engines, people search engines, social networks, e-mail clients, instant messages, personal web pages, telephone directories, scanned business card data, text messages, picture sharing websites, video sharing websites, profile pages, telephone communications, or customer relationship management systems. For example, when the user receives an e-mail from a person, that person&#39;s e-mail address can be added to the list of contact information  146  for that person&#39;s profile  130 . In another example, when the user makes a phone call to a person, that person&#39;s telephone number can be added to the list of contact information  146  for that person&#39;s profile  130 . 
     In some implementations, contact information  146  can be extracted from the body, subject, or meta data of a communication between the user and the person  132 . For example, if the user receives an e-mail from the person  132  with a signature block at the end that includes a telephone number, facsimile number, and screen name for the person  132 , this contact information can be extracted from the e-mail and added to the list of contact information  146  for the person  132 &#39;s profile  130 . In another example, an e-mail from a person can include an address for the person in the body of the e-mail or in an attachment to the e-mail, this address can be extracted from the e-mail or attachment and added to the list of contact information  146  for that person&#39;s profile  130 . In another example, the person  132  can leave a social network post for the user telling the user the person  132 &#39;s instant message screen name, this screen name can be added to the list of contact information  146  for the person  132 &#39;s profile  130 . 
     In some implementations, contact information  146  for the person  132  can be extracted from a communication from a third party. For example, the user can receive an e-mail from Bill that contains the text “Mary&#39;s cell phone number is 608-555-5353”. This phone number can be extracted from Bill&#39;s e-mail and added to the list of contact information  146  for Mary&#39;s profile  130 . In another example, the user can receive an e-mail with an attachment that contains a list of telephone numbers, e-mail addresses, and office numbers for everyone in the user&#39;s office. The telephone number, e-mail address, and office number for each person listed on the attachment can be extracted and added to the list of contact information  146  for the profiles  130  of each person listed on the attachment. 
     Contact information  146  can be extracted from multiple sources, including multiple e-mail clients, multiple web mail systems, multiple instant message clients, multiple telephone numbers, multiple social networks, or multiple web pages. 
     In some implementations, contact information  146  can be collected using search engines, telephone directories, or people search engines. Search criteria can include e-mail addresses, names, screen names, social network profile names, phone numbers, personal website URLs, social network profile URLs, facsimile numbers or physical addresses. For example, a search of a telephone directory or people search engine for “Rex Banner” can return a telephone number for Rex Banner. This telephone number can then be added to the list of contact information  146  for Rex Banner&#39;s profile  130 . In another example, a people search or web search for the e-mail address “alewis@example.com” can return a URL for a social network profile for Adam Lewis. The name “Adam Lewis” can then be associated with the e-mail address “alewis@example.com” in a profile  130 . In addition, the social network profile URL and social network screen name for Adam Lewis can be added to the list of contact information  146  for Adam Lewis&#39; profile  130 . Furthermore, additional contact information, that is listed on the social network profile for Adam Lewis, such as additional e-mail addresses, phone numbers, instant message screen names, etc., can be extracted from the social network profile and added to the list of contact information  146  for Adam Lewis&#39; profile  130 . 
     In another example, a web search or person search for a person can return a photo or video sharing website profile for the person. The URL or screen name for the person&#39;s photo or video sharing website profile can be added to the list of contact information  146  for the person&#39;s profile  130 . In addition, the photo or video sharing website may contain additional contact information for the person that can be extracted and added to the list of contact information  146  for the person&#39;s profile  130 . 
     In another example, contact information  146  for the person  132  can include an e-mail address “jertel@examplecompanyltd.com”. A web search can be performed to identify the website associated with the e-mail extension “examplecompanyltd.com”. For example, this e-mail extension can be associated with a company called “Example Company ltd.” The website for Example Company ltd. can then be searched for information about the person  132 . The website may include a profile page for the person  132  that includes contact information that can be added to the list of contact information  146  for the person  132 &#39;s profile  130 . In addition, the URL for the profile page can be added to the list of contact information  146  for the person  132 &#39;s profile  130 . 
     In some implementations, the address for a person can be used to refine the search results for that person by constricting the results to information about persons in a specific geographic area. For example, if a search is being performed for information on a person with a common name, such as “Bill Johnson”, and Bill Johnson&#39;s address is known, the search results can be refined by restricting the results to information about person&#39;s named Bill Johnson in the city of the known address. In some implementations, other information about a person can be used to refine search results for that person. 
     In some implementations, contact information can be extracted from a shared network drive or through a secure connection. In some implementations, contact information can be automatically shared between systems. For example, the person  132  can elect to share contact information with all people in a trusted network, such as all people with e-mail extensions from the same company. A computer belonging to the person  132  can then automatically send contact information to all trusted people. If the user is in the network of trusted people, the person  132 &#39;s contact information will automatically be shared with a computer or system belonging to the user. 
     In some implementations, contact information for the person  132  can be manually added or removed from the profile  130  by the user. In some implementations, contact information for the person  132  can be manually added or removed from the profile by the person  132  or by a third party. In some implementations, the user can choose which contact information for each person is displayed in that person&#39;s profile. 
     In some implementations, when a mouse cursor or other selection tool is hovered over/indicates a piece of contact information in the list of contact information  146 , a pop-up bubble or other indicator can be displayed which indicates the source from which the piece of contact information was received or extracted. For example, if a phone number has been extracted from an e-mail, a hover bubble can be displayed which shows the e-mail or a portion of the e-mail where the phone number was extracted with the extracted info highlighted or demarcated in some way. 
     In some implementations, the user can be allowed to validate contact information in the list of contact information  146 . Validated contact information can be indicated as validated, and un-validated contact information can be indicated as un-validated. For example, if a phone number for the person  132  is extracted from an e-mail, the user can look at the phone number to determine if it is indeed the correct phone number for the person  132 . If the user believes that the phone number is correct, the user can choose to validate the phone number. The phone number can then be displayed along with an indication that it has been validated, such as with a check mark icon, or text that reads “valid”. If the user is unsure if the phone number is correct, or has not taken the time to validate the phone number, the phone number can be displayed with an indication that it has not been validated, such as with a question mark icon, or the text “not validated”. 
     In some implementations, presence of the person  132  can be indicated for some or all of the contact information on the list of contact information  146 . For example, an indicator next to a person&#39;s instant message screen name can indicated if the person is currently logged onto the related instant message network. In another example, an indicator next to a person&#39;s social network screen name or URL can indicate if the person is currently logged onto the related social network or if the person has made a recent update to his or her social network profile. In another example, an indicator next to a person&#39;s e-mail address can indicate if the person has put up an away message or out of the office message. 
     In some implementations, the profile  130  can display information about the person  132 &#39;s current location. If the person  132  is in possession of a GPS unit, GPS enabled phone, or other location detection device, the person  132  can choose to share his or her location information. There are several services that allow a person to share location information with other people. The person  132  can choose to share his or her location information with the user. The profile  130  can then display the current location of the person  132 . This location information can be displayed as an address, map coordinates, or a graphic of a map with an icon to indicate the person  132 &#39;s present location. 
     Other information about the person  132  that can be displayed on the profile  130  can include birthday, gender, age, job title, employer, universities attended, family information, or other biographical data. Information from Customer Relationship Management Systems (CRMs) about or related to the person  132  can also be displayed in the profile  130 . Information about calendar items or scheduled meetings related to the person  132  or related to a communication can also be displayed as part of the profile  130 . 
     In some implementations, information from one or more websites can be displayed as a chronological feed of information in the profile  130 . This information can be queried on the web via one or more search engines or from one or more specific websites through established associations between the person  132  and the one or more websites. For example, this information can be found by general searching, people searching, or querying websites where it has been established that the person  132  is generating content or is the subject of content on the website. Search terms for these searches can include e-mail addresses, names, screen names, social network profile names, phone numbers, personal website URLs, social network profile URLs, or physical addresses. Information that is extracted from communications with the person  132  can also be used as search criteria. 
     The profile  130  can include a schedule time link  148 . The user can click on/interact with the schedule time link  148  to send a communication to the person  132  to request a meeting or to send the user&#39;s schedule to the person  132 . For example, clicking on the schedule time link  148  can cause an e-mail to be automatically composed that is addressed to the person  132  that contains all of the times over the course of the next week that the user is available during business hours. This schedule information can be extracted from a calendar associated with an e-mail client, web mail account, social network account, instant messaging program, telephone, personal digital assistant (PDA), or website belonging to the user or associated with the user. In addition, schedule information can be extracted from a calendar stored on a computer, network drive, or other data storage location belonging to or associated with the user. In one implementation, clicking on the schedule time link  148  can cause a communication to be sent to the person  132  requesting schedule information from the person  132 . 
     The profile  130  can also include one or more initiate communication links  150 . In the example shown in  FIG. 1B , the initiate communication link  150  displayed will cause an e-mail addressed to the person  132  to be automatically generated when it is clicked on. Other forms of communication that can be initiated using an initiate communication link  150  include telephone calls, instant messages, text messages, social network messages, social network posts, message board posts, facsimiles, or voice over IP communications. For example, the profile  130  can include a “call Jen” link that can cause the user&#39;s cell phone to dial Jen&#39;s phone number when clicked on. In another example, the profile  130  can include an “instant message” link that when clicked on, can cause an instant message program to automatically open and generate an instant message addressed to a screen name of the person  132 . 
     The profile  130  can include a contact network  152 . The contact network  152  can include a list of contacts associated with the person  132 . The contact network  152  can be populated using the methods previously described in the description of FIG.  1 A. The profile  130  can also display the total number of contacts associated with the person  132  in the contact network  152 . In the example shown in  FIG. 1B , the contact network  152  displayed in the profile  130  indicates that there are 50 contacts in Jen&#39;s contact network  152 . 
     Clicking on, selecting, or interacting with one or more contacts from the contact network  152  can cause one or more actions to occur. In one implementation, selecting a contact from the contact network  152  can cause a profile for that contact to be displayed. In another implementation, selecting one or more contacts from the contact network  152  can cause a communication directed to the selected contacts to be initiated. For example, selecting three contacts from the contact network  152  can cause an e-mail addressed to the three contacts to be generated. In another example, clicking on three contacts from the contact network  152  can cause the user&#39;s telephone to initiate a conference call with the selected contacts. In another implementation, selecting one or more contacts from the contact list can cause a communication directed to the selected contacts and the person  132  to be generated. 
     In some implementations, selecting a contact from the contact network  152  can cause the most recent communication or conversation thread between the user and the selected contact to be displayed. In another implementation, selecting a contact from the contact network  152  can cause the most recent communication or conversation thread involving the contact, the person  132 , and the user to be displayed. In some implementations, moving a mouse cursor over a contact in the contact network  152  can cause information about the contact to be displayed. For example, moving a cursor over a contact can cause a small pop-up bubble to appear that displays the contact&#39;s phone number, e-mail address, or other contact information. In some implementations, contacts can be manually added or removed from the contact network  152  by the user. 
     The profile  130  can include a conversation list  154  that includes a list of recent communications or conversation threads involving the user and the person  132  as previously described in the description of  FIG. 1A . The conversation list  154  can display the total number of communications or conversation threads involving the user and the person  132 . In the example shown in  FIG. 1B , the conversation list  154  indicates that 2510 conversation threads have occurred that involved the user and the person  132 . 
     Clicking on or selecting a conversation thread or communication in the conversation list  154  can cause a more detailed summary of the conversation thread or communication to be displayed. For example, selecting a conversation thread can cause a summary of one or more communications in the conversation thread to be displayed. In another example, selecting a communication in the conversation list  154  can cause a summary of the communication to be displayed. In another implementation, selecting a communication in the conversation list  154  can cause the communication to be displayed. For example, selecting an e-mail from the conversation list  154  can cause the e-mail to be displayed. 
     In another implementation, selecting a conversation thread can cause the most recent communication to be received or the most recent communication to be sent in that conversation thread to be displayed. In another implementation, selecting a conversation thread in the conversation list  154  can cause the first communication in that conversation thread to be displayed. In another implementation, selecting a conversation thread from the conversation list  154  can cause a communication addressed to all of the participants of the conversation thread to be generated. For example, selecting an e-mail conversation thread can cause an e-mail to be automatically generated that is addressed to all of the e-mail addresses involved with the selected conversation thread. In some implementations, communications or conversation threads can be manually added or removed from the conversations list  154  by the user 
     The profile  130  can include a files exchanged list  156 . The files exchanged list  156  can contain a list of files exchanged between the user and the person  132  as previously described in the description of  FIG. 1A . For each file listed in the files exchanged list  156 , the profile  130  can display a file name, a file title, an icon, the time or date when the file was received, the amount of time that has elapsed since the file was received, the subject of the communication to which the file was attached, or other information about the file. Icons displayed next to a file name or file title can indicate what type of document the file is. In the example depicted, a file  158  with the file name “sturgeon 001.jpg” is displayed. An icon next to the file name for the file  158  indicates that the file  158  is a picture file. A date next to the file name indicates that the file  158  was received on April 23. 
     Clicking on or selecting a file in the files exchanged list  156  can cause the file to open. In another implementation, selecting a file can cause the communication to which the file was attached to be displayed. In another implementation, selecting a file can cause a list of files with the same file name to be displayed. This allows the different versions of a document that has undergone several rounds of revisions to be reviewed and compared to each other. In another implementation, selecting a file can cause a summary of the file to be generated and displayed. For example, hovering a cursor over a file in the files exchanged list  156  can cause an information bubble containing the title and first few lines of the file to be displayed. This list of files can include a time and date stamp for each version of the file so that the most recent revision can be easily identified. In some implementations, files can be copied from the files exchanged list  156  to other locations. In some implementations, files can be manually added or removed from the files exchanged list by the user. 
     The profile  130  can include one or more menu buttons  160 . The menu buttons can be used to change personal settings or preferences, change viewing preferences, or access menus or help information. The profile  130  can also include a minimize button  162  that can cause the profile  130  to minimize or close. When the minimize button  162  is clicked or selected, a minimized version of the profile  130  that takes up less space in a viewing window can be displayed. The minimized version of the profile  130  can include a summary of some or all of the information displayed by the profile  130 . 
       FIG. 1C  shows a viewing panel  164 . The viewing panel  164  can display a profile such as the profile  130  of  FIG. 1B . The viewing panel  164  can also display information about communications, communication attachments, files, or conversation threads. In the example shown in  FIG. 1C  the viewing panel  164  displays information about a conversation thread  166 . The information about the conversation thread  166  can be displayed in response to a user clicking on a conversation thread  166  in a conversation list, such as the conversation list  154  from  FIG. 1B . The conversation thread  166  can also be displayed in response to the user viewing, reading, selecting, opening, or writing a communication that is part of the currently displayed conversation thread  166 . In some implementations, the conversation thread  166  can be displayed in response to a search performed by the user. For example, the user can use a search bar  168  to search for a conversation thread  166  based on the subject of the conversation thread  166 , participants in the conversation thread  166 , files attached to communications in the conversation thread  166 , or key words or terms in the communications of the conversation thread  166 . 
     The viewing panel  164  can include one or more navigation buttons  170 . The navigation buttons  170  can include a profile view navigation button  172 . The profile view navigation button  172  can be used to return the viewing panel  164  to a profile view so that the viewing panel  164  displays information about the sender or recipient of a currently selected communication, or another person as indicated by the user. The navigation buttons  170  can also include a back button  174 . The back button  174  can be used to display a profile, conversation thread, or other information that was previously displayed in the viewing panel  164 . For example, if the user was previously viewing a profile for a person named Mark Wagner, clicking on the back button  174  can cause the viewing panel  164  to display the profile for Mark Wagner. In another example, if the user was previously viewing information about an e-mail attachment, clicking on the back button  174  can cause the viewing panel  164  to display the previously viewed e-mail attachment information. 
     The navigation buttons  170  can also display a navigation history that has lead to the current information being displayed in the viewing panel  164 . In the example shown in  FIG. 1C , the navigation buttons  170  indicate that the user first viewed a profile for Jen Ertel. The user then viewed a profile for Jerri Clark Wagner. The user may have opened the profile for Jerri Clark Wagner by clicking on the name Jerri Clark Wagner in a contact network or list of contacts on Jen Ertel&#39;s profile, or by performing a search for Jerri Clark Wagner, or other information associated with Jerri Clark Wagner. The navigation buttons  170  indicate that the user then viewed a profile for Mark Wagner. The user may have caused the current conversation thread  166  to be displayed by clicking on a conversation thread in a conversation list similar to the conversation list  124  from  FIG. 1A . In some implementations, clicking on or selecting any of the buttons in the navigation history can cause the viewing panel  164  to display the profile, conversation thread, communication, communication attachment, or other information associated with the selected navigation button  170 . 
     The viewing panel  164  can include a title bar  176 . The title bar  176  can include the type of information being displayed in the viewing panel, the subject, and other key information. When the information being displayed in the viewing panel  164  is a conversation thread  166 , the title bar  176  can indicate that a conversation is being viewed, the title or subject line of the conversation thread, the number of communications involved in the conversation thread, the types of communications involved in the conversation thread, or the number of people involved in the conversation thread. In the example shown, the title bar  176  indicates that a conversation is being viewed, that the subject line of the communications in the conversation thread  166  is “dinner?”, that there are 8 people involved in conversation thread  166 , that 18 communications are included in the conversation thread  166 , and that all 18 communications are e-mails. 
     The viewing panel  164  can include a summary of some or all of the communications  178  that make up the conversation thread  166 . Information displayed as part of the summary for each communication  178  can include the sender of the communication  178 , the recipients of the communication  178 , the time or day that the communication  178  was sent or received, attachments to the communication  178 , the first few lines or sentences of the communication  178 , the importance of the communication  178 , or the number of recipients of the communication  178 . For example, an e-mail summary  180  indicates that the user sent an e-mail in response to an e-mail from Jerri 1 week ago and that 5 additional recipients were also listed on the e-mail. The e-mail summary  180  also displays the first lines of the e-mail sent to Jerri. 
     In some implementations, clicking on or selecting a communication summary in the conversation thread  166  can cause the related communication to be displayed. For example, clicking on the e-mail summary  180  can cause the e-mail sent from the user to Jerri to be displayed. In another example, selecting a communication summary in the conversation thread  166  can cause a profile for the sender or one or more recipients of the related communication to be displayed. In another example, selecting a communication summary in the conversation thread  166  can cause one or more attachments or a list of attachments to the related communication to be displayed. In another implementation, selecting a communication summary in the conversation thread  166  can cause a communication addressed to the sender or one or more recipients of the related communication to be automatically generated. In some implementations, selecting a communication summary in the conversation thread  166  can cause a more detailed summary for the related communication to be displayed. 
     The viewing panel  164  can include a detail adjustment control  182 . the detail adjustment control  182  can be used to modify the amount of detail that is displayed in each communication summary in the conversation list  166 . In one implementation, adjusting the detail adjustment control  182  can increase or decrease the number of words or lines of a body of a communication that are displayed in each communication summary. In another implementation, adjusting the detail adjustment control  182  can increase or decrease the amount of information that is displayed for each communication summary. For example, the detail adjustment control can be changed to display an e-mail address and phone number for each sender or recipient of each communication  178  in the corresponding communication summary. In another example, the detail adjustment control  182  can be used to control what information is used to identify senders or recipients of communications  178  in each communication summary. Information used to identify senders or recipients can include names, nick names, screen names, e-mail addresses, telephone numbers, social network profile names, or company names. 
     In some implementations in which some or all of the communications that make up a conversation thread  166  are telephone calls or voice over IP communications, audio recordings of some or all of the telephone calls or voice over IP communications can be displayed in the conversation thread  166 . Clicking on or selecting a telephone call or voice over IP communication in the conversation thread  166  can cause an audio recording of the communication to play. In some implementations, automatically or manually created transcripts of telephone calls or voice over IP communications that make up part or all of a conversation thread  166  can be displayed. In some implementations, a summary of a transcript of the audio communication can be displayed as part of a communication summary in the conversation thread  166 . Clicking on or selecting a communication summary of a telephone call or voice over IP communication for which a transcript exists can cause the full transcript of the audio communication to be displayed, or an audio file of the audio communication to play. 
     The viewing panel  164  can include a conversation participants list  184 . The conversation participants list  184  can be a list of senders and recipients of the communications  178  that make up the conversation thread  166 . Information about each participant in the conversation thread  166  can be displayed, including name, contact information, number of communications initiated in the displayed conversation thread  166 , and other relevant information. The conversation participants list  184  can also indicate the total number of participants involved in the conversation thread  166 . 
     In some implementations, clicking on or selecting a person listed in the conversation participants list  184  can cause a profile for the selected person to be displayed. In another implementation, selecting a person from the conversation participants list  184  can automatically generate a communication addressed to the selected person. In another implementation, selecting a person from the conversation participants list  184  can cause all communications or summaries of communications from the current conversation thread  166  that were initiated by the selected person to be displayed. 
     The viewing panel  164  can include a files exchanged list  186 . The files exchanged list  186  can display a list of files that have been exchanged in the current conversation thread  166 . For example, the files exchanged list  186  can list all of the files that have been attached to communications  178  in the conversation thread  166 . Clicking on or selecting a file from the files exchanged list  186  can cause the selected file to open. In another implementation, selecting a file from the files exchanged list  186  can cause one or more communications to which the file was attached to be displayed. In another implementation, selecting a file from the files exchanged list  186  can cause one or more communication summaries for communications to which the file was attached to be displayed. 
       FIG. 2A  shows an example summary of communications sent/received  200 . In some implementations, the summary  200  includes text and graphics that provide an easy-to-read count of a user&#39;s sent and received email messages. The summary  200  can also provide a relative ranking of the user as compared to other users known to the communication system  100  and the number of communications the other users have sent and/or received. The example shown includes only a summary of messages sent from within the communication system  100 . In some implementations, the summary can include statistics for plural different types of communications between the sender and recipient including those associated with other communication systems (e.g., text messaging systems, telephony systems, instant messaging systems, social network messaging systems) as is described in greater detail below. The summary  200  can appear in one or more places, such as on a user&#39;s public social networking page (e.g., MySpace, Facebook, etc.), within the user&#39;s email client, on the user&#39;s personal website, etc. The data used to populate the summary  200  can be collected over time by the communication system  100  and transmitted to third-party applications (e.g., MySpace, Facebook, etc.). For example, the data can provide a real-time or near-real-time count of messages that the user sends and receives. In this way, users can share email statistics with their friends, family and coworkers, compare statistics with other users in a community, create an “email weather report” or “dashboard” where statistics are aggregated across different user groups on a regional or other basis (e.g., by age, gender, occupation, etc.), and so on. 
       FIG. 2B  shows another example summary of messages sent/received  202 . The summary  202  provides some of the same information as the summary  200 , yet in a different format. Each of the summaries  200  and  202  can include data not present in the other summary. In some implementations, other summaries similar to (or significantly different from) summaries  200  and  202  can be used. In some implementations, the summaries  200  and  202  can summarize other types of messages, such as instant messages, text messages, phone messages, website hits, blog hits, etc. For example, a user can have multiple summaries  200  and  202 , each being for a different type of messaging system. 
     In some implementations, summaries  200  and  202  can combine statistics for multiple types of messaging systems or more than one messaging system of a given type. For example, the summaries  200  and  202  can combine some statistics (e.g., number of contacts, ranking, etc.) from messages on a user&#39;s email client, social networking page, instant messaging system, and other messaging systems. In another example, if a user has multiple email accounts, the system  100  can combine the accounts&#39; statistics into a single summary. 
     As depicted in  FIG. 2A , the summary  200  includes a user identifier  204 , a rank  206 , a percentile display  208 , various email counters  210 , an emails received graph  212 , and an emails sent graph  214 . The user identifier  204  can display the name of the user (e.g., “Adam Smith”) whose messages are represented by the summary  200 . The rank  206  can identify the user&#39;s overall rank within a community, such as the community of existing “Xobni” users. For example, if the rank is 1180, then that means that the user has the 1180 th  highest total of emails sent and received. A percentile display  208  can include graphics and text that indicate the user&#39;s percentile within the group. For example, a percentile display  208  of 80 (e.g., corresponding to the rank  206  of 1180) can mean that the user is in the 80th percentile of number of messages. As a result, the percentile display  208  can state “80 th  percentile” and depict a pointer that is positioned at the 80% point on the bar. 
     In some implementations, the user can use one or more controls on the summary  200  to change the period of time upon which the rank  206  and the percentile display  208  are calculated. In some implementations, the user can choose to specify the time period for which to receive statistics, such as the last year, the previous two months, the last week, or any other user-specified time period. 
     The email counters  210  can include various quantitative facts, such as the number of emails received today, the number of unread emails, the elapsed time since the user last checked email, and so on. The email counters  210  can also include various “fun facts” such as the name of the person who has sent the user the most messages, the fastest responder, the slowest responder, the number of other contacts who have emailed the user, etc. 
     The messages received graph  212  can show a distribution of messages received over time. For example, the messages received graph  212  depicted in FIG.  2 A shows the distribution of email messages received over the last 24-hour period. In the example shown, the vertical axis depicts the relative count of email messages, and the horizontal axis represents time in one-hour increments. In this example, the user can quickly scan the percentile display  208  and determine, based the height of the bars, that the highest concentration of email message generally spans the 6 am to 3 pm time period. 
     The messages sent graph  214  can show a distribution of messages sent over the same period as the messages received graph  212 , or it may show a different time period&#39;s statistics. In some implementations, the system  100  can include one or more controls that allow the user to adjust the timeframe upon which graphs  212  and  214  are calculated. 
     The summary  200  can be used as a collection point for displaying and sharing a user&#39;s email usage statistics, including fun facts. In some implementations, the summary can be implemented in a blog or website widget. To produce a summary such as the summary  200 , the system  100  can create an electronic feed of email statistics, usage, metrics, etc., which can be used to create third-party apps or any display widget within a blog, website, or social network. The display widget can compare these statistics with a community or with friends. 
     In some implementations, summaries such as summary  200  and summary  202  can be included in emails. For example, a user can configure his messaging system to include summaries or portions thereof in email signatures, auto replies, etc. In some implementations, the user can make use of rules or other settings in the associated communication systems to designate the summaries included in communications (e.g., email messages) to specific recipients, for specific subjects, and so on. In some implementations, user-configurable settings can allow the user to turn on and off certain features of summaries  200  and  202 . For example, the user may want to disable the amount of statistical information at certain times (e.g., during lunch, on weekends, while away on vacation, etc.). In some implementations, user-configurable settings can allow the user to identify other specific users with which to share information and/or send auto-replies containing summaries  200  and/or  202 . 
     As depicted in  FIG. 2B , the summary  202  includes a user identifier  216 , a hot/cold meter  218 , an emails received count  220 , a new contacts count  222 , a comparison graph  224 , a rank  226 , a last-updated time  228 , and a “get this” link  230 . The user identifier  216  can display the name of the user (e.g., “Bryan Kennedy”) whose messages are represented by the summary  202 . The emails received count  220  can display a count of the user&#39;s email message received so far during the day. The new contacts count  222  can identify, for example, the number of unique contacts included in the emails received count  220 . 
     The comparison graph  224  can display bars representing the number of emails received for the current day in comparison to previous days (e.g., the last seven days). In some implementations, the user can use controls (not shown) in the summary  202  to change the number of days displayed in the graph. The rank  226  can identify the user&#39;s ranked percentile within the community of users based on the number of messages received. The last-updated time  228  can identify the date and time that the summary  202  was last updated with a feed from the user&#39;s messaging system. 
     The get this link  230  can provide a link to anyone viewing the summary  202  who may want to download and install the application that produces the summary  202 , such as if the user wants a similar display on his public social networking page. In some implementations, the link  230  can allow the user to specify particular statistical fields and/or displays so that the user can build a customized display. For example, the user&#39;s display can be similar to either summary  200  or  202  or something totally different. 
       FIG. 3  shows an example communication delivery system  300 . In the system  300 , a first device (e.g., computer  302 ) belonging to a first user can transmit a communication to a second device (e.g., computer  304 ) belonging to a second user over a computer network  306 . The computer network  306  can be the Internet, an intranet, a LAN system or a company&#39;s internal computer network. In some implementations, the computer  302  and the computer  304  can be desktop computers, laptop computers, cell phones, web enabled televisions, or personal digital assistants. The communication transmitted from the computer  302  to the computer  304  can be an e-mail, phone call, instant message, text message, social network message or comment, message board post, or voice over IP communication. 
     The computer  304  can extract data from the communication about the first user. This data can be used to make a profile similar to the profile  130  shown in  FIG. 1B . Data extracted from other communications with the first user can also be used to create a profile for the first user. Data that is extracted from communications with the first user can be used to query websites, search engines, person search directories and other sources of information for additional information about the first user that can be used to create a profile. Information from communications that can be used as search criteria include names, screen names, social network profile names, social network profile URLs, physical addresses, website URLs, e-mail addresses, or telephone numbers. Information that is collected as a result of these queries can be used in future searches to identify additional information that can be used to create a profile. 
     For example, the computer  304  can receive an e-mail sent by the first user from the computer  302 . The computer  304  can perform a search using a search engine  308  with the first user&#39;s e-mail address as the search criteria. The search engine  308  can return a search result that includes the first user&#39;s phone number. This phone number can be displayed as part of a profile for the first user. The search engine  308  can also return the URL for or link to a personal website  310  belonging to the first user. The personal website  310  may contain additional information about the first user that can be used to create a profile, such as additional contact information or biographical information. The personal website  310  may also contain widgets or other displays, such as summaries  200  and  202 , that provide communication statistics for the user. 
     In another example, the computer  304  can perform a search using a person search directory  314  with the first user&#39;s name or other contact information as the search criteria. The person search directory  314  can return search results with additional contact information and other information that can be used to create a profile for the first user. In some implementations, the system  100  can use information from the person search directory  314  to produce portions of the communication statistics summaries  200  and  202 . 
     In another example, the computer  304  can receive an e-mail sent by the first user from the computer  302 . The e-mail can contain a social network profile name for the first user. The computer  304  can extract this social network profile name from the e-mail and use it to access a social network webpage  316 . The social network webpage  316  can contain additional contact information and other information that can be extracted and used to create a profile for the first user. The social network webpage  316  can also contain additional contacts that can be associated with the first user in a profile. For example, persons on the friends list of the social network webpage  316 , or persons who have posted comments or messages on the social network webpage  316 , can be listed as contacts in a contact network for the first user. 
     The communication delivery system  300  can include a communication statistics module  320 . In some implementations, the communication statistics module  320  can continuously monitor communications shared between computers  202  and  204  and use the information to generate communication usage statistics. For example, the statistics may be displayed within summaries  200  and/or  202 . The communication statistics module  320  may be responsible for synchronizing the information, for example, by providing data feeds to social network pages  316 , personal websites  310 , etc. The data feeds can include message statistics such as the number of messages sent and received by the user, the number of unique contacts, etc. 
     In some implementations, the communication statistics module  320  may provide information when queried. For example, a communication system  100  running on the computer  202  may occasionally request “fun fact” statistics such as the average response time of the user&#39;s contact who responds the fastest to the user&#39;s messages. In some implementations, “fun facts” or other statistical information can be generated from past events (e.g., messages sent and received) associated with a user&#39;s existing communication system, such as when the communication system is initially installed on a user&#39;s computer  202  and generates statistics from the user&#39;s existing inbox. In some implementations, these facts can be displayed to the user who can optionally include the facts in pre-formatted click-and-send messages to the corresponding contacts. 
       FIG. 4  is a flow diagram of an example process  400  for collecting and presenting historical communication and personal data. The process  400  can, for example, be implemented in a system such as the system  100  of  FIG. 1A . In another example, the process  400  can be implemented in a system such as the communication delivery system  300  of  FIG. 3 . 
     Stage  402  collects historical communication data and personal data. For example, communications such as e-mails, instant messages, phone calls, text messages, internet message board postings, social network messages or comments, or voice over IP communications can be collected. Historical communication data and personal data can also be collected from web search engines, people search engines, social networks, e-mail clients, personal web pages, telephone directories, scanned business card data, picture sharing websites, video sharing websites, profile pages, travel websites, on-line retailers, or customer relationship management systems. 
     The collected historical communication data and personal data can include contact information, biographical information, communication text, communication summaries, physical location information, mapping information, attachments to communications, weather information, travel information, and retail information. 
     Stage  404  generates usage statistics based on the collected historical data and personal data. For example, the usage statistics can include counts of messages sent and received, the number of contacts that a user has, the relative timeframe in which messages are sent and received, the contacts sending the most messages to the user, the contact receiving the most messages from the user, and any other statistics associated with communications and/or contacts. 
     Stage  406  monitors communications and user behavior. For example, over time the user may send and/or receive additional messages, such as email, text messages, instant messages, etc. In another example, a user may receive messages from (or send messages to) new contacts, essentially increasing the number of unique contacts with which the user interacts. In yet another example, the messages sent and received may follow a different pattern of faster or slower response times than before. 
     Stage  408  updates usage statistics over time. For example, user actions (and those of the user&#39;s contacts) may affect the statistics already generated, and as such, the statistics can be updated. Over time, timeframe-dependent statistics (e.g., messages received by the user on a particular day) may be retained until after a pre-defined. 
     Stage  410  presents usage statistics. For example, the usage statistics presented can include the information presented in the summaries  200  and  202  described in reference to  FIGS. 2A and 2B . Depending on where the summaries  200  and  202  are displayed, the application that displays the information can rely on feeds of updated statistical data from the communication system  100  or the communication statistics module  320 . 
     The apparatus, methods, flow diagrams, and structure block diagrams described in this patent document may be implemented in computer processing systems including program code comprising program instructions that are executable by the computer processing system. Other implementations may also be used. Additionally, the flow diagrams and structure block diagrams described in this patent document, which describe particular methods and/or corresponding acts in support of steps and corresponding functions in support of disclosed structural means, may also be utilized to implement corresponding software structures and algorithms, and equivalents thereof. 
     This written description sets forth the best mode of the invention and provides examples to describe the invention and to enable a person of ordinary skill in the art to make and use the invention. This written description does not limit the invention to the precise terms set forth. Thus, while the invention has been described in detail with reference to the examples set forth above, those of ordinary skill in the art may effect alterations, modifications and variations to the examples without departing from the scope of the invention.