Electronic message management

• US 20060168064A1
• Filed: 12/06/2005
• Published: 07/27/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/01/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Prolifiq Software Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Prolifiq Software Incorporated
• Inventors: Huynh, Anh, Huynh, Hemingway, Farnsworth, Jeffrey Michael, Marshall, Cornelius Callely, Gaus, Jeffrey Wayne
• Granted Patent: US 7,634,556 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]

Abstract

In accordance with embodiments of the invention, message management services are provided for creating and/or adapting electronic messages with digital content items.

Claims

1. In a computing system, a method of operation comprising:

receiving an identification of a recipient and requested content information via a first electronic message, from a first device associated with a sender;

identifying a message creation specification;

generating a second electronic message, including one or more digital content elements, based at least in part on the message creation specification and the first electronic message; and

transmitting the second electronic message to a second device associated with the recipient.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

selecting the one or more digital content elements based at least in part on said requested content information.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein at least one of the selected one or more digital content elements is selected from a corresponding plurality of differently versioned digital content elements candidates, the method further comprising:

identifying a message adaptation specification; and

identifying the at least one of the selected one or more digital content elements based at least in part on the message adaptation specification.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein identifying a message adaptation specification comprises determining one or more operational capabilities of a client device associated with the recipient.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the identification of the recipient includes an electronic address.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said generating of the second electronic message comprises:

selecting a message template, from a message template library;

selecting the one or more digital content elements; and

associating the selected message template with the selected one or more digital content elements.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

authenticating credentials of the sender and/or the recipient; and

selecting the one or more digital content elements based at least in part on said authenticating of credentials.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying a message adaptation specification for adapting the second electronic message;

selecting, based at least in part upon the message adaptation specification, the one or more digital content elements from a corresponding number of differently versioned digital content element candidates.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying a message adaptation specification;

adapting the second message based at least in part on the message adaptation specification.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the first electronic message includes an extensible markup language (XML) file.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the requested content information includes a core-content selection and/or a peripheral content selection, and the method further comprises:

transmitting one or more core-content candidates and/or peripheral content candidates to the first device for selection.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein said transmitting one or more core-content candidates and/or peripheral content candidates comprises transmitting at least one or more peripheral-content candidates and the method further comprises:

identifying operational capabilities of the first device; and

identifying the one or more peripheral-content candidates based at least in part on said identifying of the operational capabilities of the first device.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein said generating of the second electronic message further comprises:

receiving data selected from the group consisting of capabilities of the receiving device, preferences at the receiving device, and network conditions; and

selecting a delivery channel for the second electronic message based at least in part on said receiving of data.

14. An apparatus comprising:

a processor; and

a storage medium, coupled to the processor, having instructions stored therein, which, when executed by the processor cause the apparatus to;

receive an identification of a recipient and requested content information via a first electronic message, from a first device associated with a sender;

identify a message creation specification;

generate a second electronic message, including one or more digital content elements, based at least in part on the message creation specification and the first electronic message; and

transmit the second electronic message to a second device associated with the recipient.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the instructions, which, when executed by the processor, further cause the apparatus to:

select the one or more digital content elements based at least in part on said requested content information.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the apparatus is to select at least one of the one or more digital content elements from a corresponding plurality of differently versioned digital content elements candidates, and the instructions, which, when executed by the processor, further cause the apparatus to:

identify a message adaptation specification; and

identify the at least one of the selected one or more digital content elements based at least in part on the message adaptation specification.

17. A system comprising:

an interface component configured to receive a first electronic message from a first device associated with a sender, including an identification of a recipient and requested content information;

a message creation component, including a message creation specification, coupled to the interface component and configured to generate a second electronic message based at least in part on the first electronic message and the first electronic message; and

a delivery component coupled to the message creation component, configured to transmit the second electronic message to a second device associated with the recipient.

18. The system of claim 17, further comprising:

a message template database, coupled to the message creation component, having a plurality of message template candidates; and

a content component, coupled to the message creation component, having a plurality of digital content candidates.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the message creation component is further configured to

select a message template from the plurality of message template candidates, based at least in part on the message creation specification and the first message;

and

select one or more digital content elements from the plurality of digital content element candidates, based at least in part on the message creation specification and the first message.