Patent ID: 7509385

Claim:
A method of creating an electronic message from a sender to a recipient, which comprises: determining said recipient; searching an address book of said sender for said recipient; if said recipient is listed in said address book, determining if said address book includes an address book salutation for said recipient; searching e-mail folders of said sender for messages from said sender addressed to said sender; if said e-mail folders include a message addressed to said recipient, determining an e-mail salutation used for said recipient; searching chat logs for of said sender for chat between said sender and said recipient; if said chat logs include chat between said sender and said recipient, determining a chat salutation used for said recipient; searching an organization directory including said sender for said recipient; if said recipient is in said organization directory, determining a hierarchical relationship between said sender and said recipient; forming an hierarchical salutation for said sender based on said hierarchical relationship; if at least one of said address book salutation, said e-mail salutation, said chat salutation, or said hierarchical salutation is determined, suggesting a salutation to said sender; if said address book salutation, said e-mail salutation, said chat salutation, and said hierarchical salutation cannot be determined, attempting to deduce a name of said recipient; if said name of said recipient cannot be deduced, suggesting a default salutation; if said name of said recipient can be deduce, attempting to deduce a country associated with said recipient; if a country of associated with said recipient cannot be deduced, suggesting a salutation using said name of said recipient; and, if said country associated with said recipient can be deduced, suggesting a salutation using the said name of said recipient and a greeting appropriate for said country; determining a country of residence of said recipient; forming a country of residence salutation for said recipient based upon said country of residence; forming a default salutation for said recipient; and, selecting one salutation from said address book salutation, said chat salutation, said hierarchical salutation, said country of residence salutation, and said default salutation; and, inserting said selected salutation into said electronic message.