Email alert device and method
First Claim
1. A system for a service provider to provide a user with an indication of unread electronic messages stored in at least one electronic account connected to a data communications network, the system including:
- a database for storing the address of the users at least one electronic account and at least one corresponding contact number;
a searching means to search the database to locate the address of the users at least one electronic account and determine the location of the users at least one electronic account;
a query means to query the status of the at least one account to determine the presence of unread electronic messages; and
an alerting means operable to transmit a pre-determined signal to the at least one corresponding contact number in the event that the users account includes unread messages, wherein the transmitted pre-determined signal causes an indication to the user of unread electronic messages said indication occurring without the service provider incurring communication charges for causing transmission of the pre-determined signal and where the predetermined signal is transmitted repeatedly to the corresponding contact number.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A system and method of providing a user with an alert, such as a visual or audible alert that one or more email messages have been received at a designated email account. The system and method operates by intermittently querying the status of the account at the server where the account is held over an on-line network. Upon receiving a positive indication that email has been received, an alert message is sent to a pre-determined location via the telephone network. The alert may be sent to a visual display of a dedicated email alert device, or may be sent to an existing phone such that a short ring acts as the alert.
41 Citations
50 Claims
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1. A system for a service provider to provide a user with an indication of unread electronic messages stored in at least one electronic account connected to a data communications network, the system including:
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a database for storing the address of the users at least one electronic account and at least one corresponding contact number;
a searching means to search the database to locate the address of the users at least one electronic account and determine the location of the users at least one electronic account;
a query means to query the status of the at least one account to determine the presence of unread electronic messages; and
an alerting means operable to transmit a pre-determined signal to the at least one corresponding contact number in the event that the users account includes unread messages, wherein the transmitted pre-determined signal causes an indication to the user of unread electronic messages said indication occurring without the service provider incurring communication charges for causing transmission of the pre-determined signal and where the predetermined signal is transmitted repeatedly to the corresponding contact number. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 38, 47)
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19. In a data communications network having one or more users with accounts at one or more addresses, a method of a service provider providing an alert to a user to indicate the user'"'"'s account contains unread messages, the method including the steps of:
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the service provider ascertaining the user'"'"'s one or more account addresses;
implementing a search to locate the users one or more accounts;
querying the status of the one or more accounts to ascertain whether the accounts contain any unreadmesages; and
upon determining the presence of one or more unread messages in an account, transmitting an alert signal to one or more pre-defined contact numbers, the alert signal causing an indication recognisable by the user as an indication of the presence of unread messages, the transmission of the alert signal avoiding a communication charge to the service provider wherein the alert signal is transmitted repeatedly to the one or more predefined contact numbers. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 48)
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31. A computer program product including a computer usable medium having computer readable program code and computer readable system code embodied on said medium for communicating an alert signal based upon the status of an account connected to a data communications network, said computer program product further including computer readable code within said computer usable medium for:
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ascertaining the account address from a database;
implementing a search to locate the account;
querying the status of the account to ascertain whether the account contains any unreadmessages; and
upon obtaining a positive status indicating one or more unread messages exist in the account, transmitting an alert signal to one or more pre-defined contact numbers such that transmission of the alert signal occurs without incurring communication charges and where the alert signal is transmitted repeatedly to the one or more predefined contact numbers. - View Dependent Claims (32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 49)
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- 39. An indicating device adapted to communicate with a communications network and operable to receive a pre-determined signal transmitted by a system, said pre-determined signal being transmitted by the system upon determining the presence of unread electronic messages in a users at least one electronic account, wherein the indicating device indicates to a user the presence of unread electronic messages upon receiving the predetermined signal, the pre-determined signal being received by the indicating device and the indication being provided to the user without incurring communication charges the indicating device receiving repeated transmissions of the predetermined signal until the user accesses their unread electronic messages.
Specification