Method and system for remotely sensing the file formats processed by an E-mail client

• US 20030120735A1
• Filed: 09/06/2002
• Published: 06/26/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 01/29/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Zeta Global Corp. (Zeta Global Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Digital Impact Incorporated (Liberty Latin America Ltd.)
• Inventors: Capiel, Gerardo J.
• Granted Patent: US 7,139,803 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/18 Commands or executable codes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/23 Reliability checks, e.g. acknowledgments or fault reporting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/234 for tracking messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/303 Terminal profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/53 using third party service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/5651 Reducing the amount or size of exchanged application data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99948 Application of database or data structure, e.g. distributed, multimedia, or image

Abstract

The present invention relates to the processing of E-mail messages over a telecommunications network. More particularly, the present invention relates to the detection and monitoring of file formats which can be processed and displayed at an E-mail client. Specific embodiments include, sending an E-mail message to the E-mail client, determining at the E-mail client a file format that the E-mail client can process and display, and indicating to the E-mail sensor server the file format that the E-mail client can process and display. Once the file format is determined, subsequent E-mail messages maybe of the same file format. The file format could be hyper text mark up language (HTML) statements or dynamic HTML(DHTML) statements or Java applets. The method may also include monitoring the status of the E-mail message received at the E-mail client.

Claims

1. A method for analyzing an E-mail client by an E-mail sensor server comprising;

sending an E-mail message to the E-mail client;

determining at the E-mail client a file format that the E-mail client can process and display; and

indicating to the E-mail sensor server the file format that the E-mail client can process and display.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the file format includes a hyper text mark up language (HTML) statement.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the file format includes a Java applet.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the indicating further comprises indicating to the E-mail sensor server if the E-mail client can execute a Java applet.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising sending a second E-mail message containing a web page, if the processing determines that the E-mail client can process and display a web page.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the web page includes a statement selected from a group consisting of a hyper text mark up language (HTML) or a Java programming language.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the indicating to the E-mail sensor server comprises the E-mail client executing a HTML image tag comprising a call to an E-mail server sensor program.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the E-mail message is a multi-purpose internet mail extensions (MIME) compliant E-mail message.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the E-mail message comprises a E-mail header comprising a multipart-alternative content-type field.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the E-mail message further comprises a plain text part and a HTML part.

11. The method of claim 8 wherein the E-mail message further comprises an HTML image tag.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the HTML image tag comprises a unique message identifier and the E-mail client'"'"'s Internet address.

13. The method of claim 1 further comprising monitoring the status of the E-mail message received at the E-mail client.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the monitoring the status comprises logging the date, the E-mail message is first opened at the E-mail client.

15. The method of claim 13 wherein the monitoring the status comprises monitoring the total number of times the E-mail message is opened by the E-mail client.

16. A method for analyzing an E-mail client by an E-mail sensor server comprising:

sending an E-mail sensor message to the E-mail client;

processing the E-mail sensor message at the E-mail client to determine if the E-mail client can display and execute a hyper text mark up language (HTML) statement;

indicating to the E-mail sensor server the that the E-mail client can display and execute HTML; and

monitoring the status of the E-mail sensor message by the E-mail sensor server.

17. A computer program product for analyzing an E-mail client by an E-mail sensor server comprising:

code for sending an E-mail message to the E-mail client;

code for processing the E-mail message at the E-mail client to determine if the E-mail client can display and execute a hyper text mark up language (HTML) statement;

code for indicating to the E-mail sensor server the that the E-mail client can display and execute HTML;

code for monitoring the status of the E-mail message by the E-mail sensor server; and

a computer readable storage medium for holding the codes.

18. A E-mail sensor system comprising:

an E-mail sensor server including a computer processor and a computer readable memory coupled to the processor; and

software stored in the memory that executes on the processor to send an E-mail sensor message over an internet to an E-mail client to determine from the response from the E-mail client the file format that the E-mail client can process and display.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein the E-mail client comprises:

a display;

a processor;

a memory coupled with the processor and display; and

a computer program stored in the memory of the E-mail client that evaluates the E-mail sensor message by determining a file format that the E-mail client can process and display and indicating to the E-mail sensor server the file format that the E-mail client can process and display.

20. The system of claim 19 wherein the computer program stored in the memory of the E-mail client further monitors a status of the E-mail sensor message and reports the status to the E-mail sensor server.

21. The method of claim 18 wherein the file format includes a hyper text mark up language (HTML) statement.

22. The method of claim 18 wherein the file format includes a Java applet.

23. A E-mail sensor system for analyzing an E-mail client comprising:

an E-mail sensor server coupled to the E-mail client by a telephone network, wherein the E-mail sensor server sends an E-mail sensor message to the E-mail client; and

wherein the E-mail client is operatively disposed to determine from the E-mail sensor message a file format that the E-mail client can process and display; and

to indicate to the E-mail sensor server the file format that the E-mail client can process and display.

24. The method of claim 23 wherein the file format includes a hyper text mark up language (HTML) statement.

25. The method of claim 23 wherein the file format includes a Java applet.

26. A method of E-mail advertising comprising:

determining if an E-mail client can process at least one file format statement in which at least one visual image can be displayed, by sending from an E-mail sensor server to the E-mail client an E-mail sensor message and evaluating a response to the E-mail sensor server; and

sending subsequent messages comprising links to visual images, if the E-mail client can process at least one file format statement in which at least one visual image can be displayed.

27. The method of claim 26 wherein the links are hyperlinks to a vendor'"'"'s HTML documents.

28. The method of claim 13 wherein the monitoring the status comprises logging the time interval that the E-mail message was open at the E-mail client.