Email based task management system

• US 10,462,089 B2
• Filed: 07/12/2017
• Issued: 10/29/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Workday Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Clover Leaf Environmental Solutions, Inc.
• Inventors: Killoran, Jr., John P., Von Damm, Gina Katherine, Peek, Dennis William, Kirkman, Angela
• Primary Examiner(s): Chan, Wing F
• Assistant Examiner(s): Woo, Andrew
• Application Number:
  US15/647,537
• Publication Number:
  US 20170374007A1
• Time in Patent Office: 839 Days
• Field of Search: 709217, 709219, 709223, 709224, 709204, 709206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063112 Skill-based matching of a person or a group to a task
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/48 Message addressing, e.g. address format or anonymous messages, aliases

Abstract

An electronic information system which enables email based transactions comprises an information database storing information regarding a plurality of individuals in a group and selections available to individuals in the group. A first email message with a mailto hyperlink having a plurality of fields including actionable parameter is generated and sent. A reply email message is received in response to selection of the mailto hyperlink. The received email message includes the plurality of fields and the actionable parameter that indicates that a specific selection has been made. A processor performs the action indicated by the actionable parameter in response to the received email message, including updating the information database to indicate the specific selection that has been made.

Claims

1. A method for use in an electronic information system, the method comprising:

storing, by a processor, information regarding a plurality of individuals and information relating to one or more selections by the plurality of individuals in an information database;

generating, by the processor, a first Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) email message that includes a plurality of mailto links, wherein each of the plurality of mailto links include a respective security token and a plurality of fields including;

a first field that indicates an email address that is associated with the electronic information system, and

a second field that indicates an action to be performed by the electronic information system, wherein the action to be performed includes at least;

updating, by the processor, particular information stored in the information database, and

transmitting, by the processor, the first SMTP email message to a particular email address that is associated with a first individual of the plurality of individuals;

receiving, by the processor, a second SMTP email message, wherein the second SMTP email message is generated in response to the first individual activating a particular mailto link from the plurality of mailto links;

identifying, by the processor, a particular security token and a particular second field that were included in the particular mailto link that was activated to generate the second SMTP email message;

determining, by the processor, whether the particular security token is valid; and

on a condition that the security token is determined to be valid, performing, by the processor, an update of the information database to reflect the action indicated by the particular second field, wherein the action indicates at least one of completion, incompletion, comment, signature and reassignment.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the action indicated by the particular second field is the reassignment of the action from said first individual to a second individual;

the second email message including an email address of said second individual; and

the information database is updated by the processor to reassign the action from said first individual to said second individual based on the email address of said second individual.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the action indicated by the particular second field further indicates a request for generation of a report based on contents of the information database; and

the performing includes;

generating, the processor the report, and

transmitting, by the processor, a third email message to the email address that is associated with said first individual, wherein the third email message includes the report.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic information system comprises an information management system.

5. An electronic information system comprising:

an electronic database configured to store;

information that describes a plurality of individuals, and

information that describes a plurality of selections available to the plurality of individuals;

a communication interface; and

a processor that is communicatively coupled to the electronic database and the communication interface,

wherein the processor is configured to;

generate a first Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) email message that includes a plurality of mailto links, wherein each of the plurality of mailto links includes a respective security token and a plurality of fields including;

a destination address that is associated with the electronic information system, and

an actionable parameter that indicates an action to be performed by the electronic information system, wherein the action to be performed includes at least updating particular information stored in the electronic database;

transmit, using the communication interface, the first SMTP email message to a particular email address that is associated with a first individual of the plurality of individuals; and

receive, using the communication interface, a second SMTP email message, wherein the second SMTP email message is generated in response to the first individual activating a particular mailto link from the plurality of mailto links;

identify a particular security token and a particular action field that were included in the particular mailto link that was activated to generate the second SMTP email message;

determine whether the particular security token is valid; and

on a condition that the security token is determined to be valid, perform an update of the electronic database to reflect the action indicated by the particular action field, wherein the action indicates at least one of completion, incompletion, comment, signature and reassignment.

6. The electronic information system of claim 5, wherein said at least one field of the second SMTP email message further includes an identifier of a request in the electronic database.

7. The electronic information system of claim 6, wherein the second SMTP email message includes a comment from the first individual;

wherein the actionable parameter indicates the update of the electronic database to include the comment from the first individual; and

wherein the at least one processor is further configured to add the comment from the first individual to the electronic database.

8. The electronic information system of claim 6,

wherein the actionable parameter indicates a reallocation from the first individual to a second individual;

wherein the second SMTP email message includes an identifier of the reallocation, and an email address of said second individual; and

wherein the at least one processor is further configured to update the electronic database to reflect said reallocation from said individual to said second individual.

9. The electronic information system of claim 5, wherein the second SMTP email message further includes an identifier of a request in the electronic database.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having processor-executable instructions stored thereon which, when executed by at least one processor in an electronic information system, cause the at least one processor to perform a method, the method comprising:

storing information in an information database, wherein the information describes a plurality of individuals and describes a plurality of selections available to the one or more individuals;

generating a first email Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) message that includes a plurality of mailto links, wherein each of the plurality of mailto links includes a plurality of fields including;

a destination address that indicates an email address that is associated with the electronic information system, and

an actionable parameter that indicates an action to be performed by the electronic information system, wherein the action includes updating particular information stored in the information database;

transmitting the first email message to a particular email address that is associated with a first individual of said plurality of individuals;

receiving a second SMTP email message, wherein the second SMTP email message is generated in response to the first individual activating a particular mailto link from the plurality of mailto links;

identifying, by the processor, a particular security token and a particular action field that were included in the particular mailto link that was activated to generate the second SMTP email message;

determining, by the processor, whether the particular security token is valid; and

on a condition that the security token is determined to be valid, performing, by the processor, an update of the information database to reflect the action indicated by the particular action field, wherein the action indicates at least one of completion, incompletion, comment, signature and reassignment.