METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR MONITORING EMAIL AND WEBSITE BEHAVIOR OF AN EMAIL RECIPIENT

• US 20070005762A1
• Filed: 09/11/2006
• Published: 01/04/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: XANT Inc.
• Original Assignee: iHance Incorporated (XANT Inc.)
• Inventors: Hart, John, Knox, Lars, Knox, Andrew
• Granted Patent: US 7,680,892 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/234 for tracking messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34

Abstract

A system for monitoring email and website behavior of an email recipient is provided. According to one exemplary embodiment, the system includes a mail enhancement server and a logging server. The mail enhancement server is configured to intercept all outgoing emails from a mail server. The mail enhancement server then modifies each outgoing email to include a tracking code. The tracking code is embedded in an image call which in turn is also inserted into the outgoing email. If the outgoing email contains hyperlinks, each hyperlink is also modified to include the tracking code. The tracking code is uniquely associated with the outgoing email. The image call (and the tracking code) is used to detect when the recipient of the outgoing email has opened that email. The tracking code, when embedded in a hyperlink, is also used to monitor whether the recipient has opened the email and/or clicked through on one or more of the hyperlinks in the email. The logging server associates a cookie with the recipient of the outgoing email. When the logging server receives an image call, the corresponding image and the cookie are concurrently delivered to the recipient. The cookie is used to monitor the behavior of the recipient at a website, regardless of how the recipient arrives at that website, be it through a click-through from the email or otherwise. The logging server is configured to capture and store relevant information relating to the outgoing email thereby allowing the sender of the outgoing email and the recipient to be linked and the behavior of the recipient to be monitored via the tracking code, the image call and the cookie.

Claims

1. A system for monitoring email behavior, comprising:

control logic configured to allow a device having a cookie to access an email, the email having a first recipient;

control logic configured to determine a relationship between the device accessing the email and the first recipient of the email using status history of the cookie and access history of the email; and

control logic configured to display information relating to the determined relationship to a sender of the email.

2. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

control logic configured to allow a website to display information relating to behavior of the cookie at that website with respect to a recipient associated with the cookie.

3. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

control logic configured to detect a click-through from a hyperlink within the email;

wherein information relating to the click-through is taken into consideration when determining the relationship between the device accessing the email and the first recipient of the email.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein if there is no status history of the cookie and the access history of the email shows that the email has never been accessed, then the status history of the cookie is updated to primary with respect to the first recipient, a status of primary with respect to the first recipient indicating that the device accessing the email is determined to be likely used by the first recipient to access emails addressed to the first recipient, and if there is no status history of the cookie and the access history of the email shows that the email has already been accessed, then the status history of the cookie is updated to secondary with respect to the first recipient, a status of secondary with respect to the first recipient indicating that the device accessing the email is determined to be likely used by a second recipient to access forwarded emails originally addressed to the first recipient.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein if the status history of the cookie shows that the cookie has a secondary status with respect to the first recipient and the access history of the email shows that the email has never been accessed, then the status history of the cookie is updated to primary with respect to the first recipient, and if the status history for the cookie shows that the cookie has a secondary status with respect to the first recipient and the access history of the email shows that the email has already been accessed, then the status history of the cookie remains the same;

wherein if the status history of the cookie shows that the cookie has a primary status with respect to the first recipient, then the status history of the cookie remains the same;

wherein if the status history of the cookie shows that the cookie has a secondary status with respect to the second recipient and the access history of the email shows that the email has never been accessed, then the status history of the cookie is updated to primary with respect to the first recipient and remains secondary with respect to the second recipient, and if the status history of the cookie shows that the cookie has a secondary status with respect to the second recipient and the access history of the email shows that the email has already been accessed, then the status history of the cookie is updated to secondary with respect to the first recipient and remains secondary with respect to the second recipient; and

wherein if the status history of the cookie shows that the cookie has a primary status with respect to the second recipient and the access history of the email shows that the email has never been accessed, then tie-breaking logic is used to determine which recipient should have primary status in connection with the cookie, and if the status history of the cookie shows that the cookie has a primary status with respect to the second recipient and the access history of the email shows that the email has already been accessed, then the status history of the cookie is updated to secondary with respect to the first recipient and remains primary with respect to the second recipient.

6. The system of claim 5 further comprising:

control logic configured to detect a click-through from a hyperlink within the email;

wherein the click-through is interpreted to represent the access history of the email as showing that the email has already been accessed; and

wherein the status history of the cookie is updated accordingly.

7. A system for monitoring email behavior, comprising:

control logic configured to allow a first recipient to open an email, the opening of the email being an email open event;

control logic configured to analyze the email open event based on event history relating to the email; and

control logic configured to classify the email open event with respect to the first recipient;

wherein classification of the email open event includes indicating whether the first recipient is or is not an intended recipient of the email.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein the classification of the email open event further includes indicating whether the intended recipient of the email has forwarded the email to one or more additional recipients;

and

wherein the one or more additional recipients include the first recipient.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein one of a plurality of confidence levels is provided for the classification.

10. The system of claim 7 wherein information relating to the email open event is displayed in one of a plurality of display formats depending on its classification.

11. The system of claim 7 further comprising:

control logic configured to detect a click-through from a hyperlink within the email;

wherein the click-through is interpreted as an additional open email event; and

wherein the additional open email event is analyzed and classified accordingly.

12. A method for monitoring email behavior, comprising:

allowing a device having a cookie to access an email, the email having a first recipient;

determining a relationship between the device accessing the email and the first recipient of the email using status history of the cookie and access history of the email; and

displaying information relating to the determined relationship to a sender of the email.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising:

displaying information relating to behavior of the cookie at a website with respect to a recipient associated with the cookie.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising:

detecting a click-through from a hyperlink within the email;

wherein information relating to the click-through is taken into consideration when determining the relationship between the device accessing the email and the first recipient of the email.

15. The method of claim 12 further comprising:

if there is no status history of the cookie and the access history of the email shows that the email has never been accessed, updating the status history of the cookie to primary with respect to the first recipient, a status of primary with respect to the first recipient indicating that the device accessing the email is determined to be likely used by the first recipient to access emails addressed to the first recipient; and

if there is no status history of the cookie and the access history of the email shows that the email has already been accessed, updating the status history of the cookie to secondary with respect to the first recipient, a status of secondary with respect to the first recipient indicating that the device accessing the email is determined to be likely used by a second recipient to access forwarded emails originally addressed to the first recipient.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising:

if the status history of the cookie shows that the cookie has a secondary status with respect to the first recipient and the access history of the email shows that the email has never been accessed, updating the status history of the cookie to primary with respect to the first recipient, and if the status history for the cookie shows that the cookie has a secondary status with respect to the first recipient and the access history of the email shows that the email has already been accessed, keeping the status history of the cookie the same;

if the status history of the cookie shows that the cookie has a primary status with respect to the first recipient, keeping the status history of the cookie the same;

if the status history of the cookie shows that the cookie has a secondary status with respect to the second recipient and the access history of the email shows that the email has never been accessed, updating the status history of the cookie to primary with respect to the first recipient and keeping the status history of the cookie as secondary with respect to the second recipient, and if the status history of the cookie shows that the cookie has a secondary status with respect to the second recipient and the access history of the email shows that the email has already been accessed, updating the status history of the cookie to secondary with respect to the first recipient and keeping the status history of the cookie as secondary with respect to the second recipient; and

if the status history of the cookie shows that the cookie has a primary status with respect to the second recipient and the access history of the email shows that the email has never been accessed, using tie-breaking logic to determine which recipient should have primary status in connection with the cookie, and if the status history of the cookie shows that the cookie has a primary status with respect to the second recipient and the access history of the email shows that the email has already been accessed, updating the status history of the cookie to secondary with respect to the first recipient and keeping the status history of the cookie as primary with respect to the second recipient.

17. The method of claim 12 further comprising:

detecting a click-through from a hyperlink within the email;

interpreting the click-through as representing the access history of the email showing that the email has already been accessed; and

updating the status history of the cookie accordingly.

18. A method for monitoring email behavior, comprising:

allowing a first recipient to open an email, the opening of the email being an email open event;

analyzing the email open event based on event history relating to the email; and

classifying the email open event with respect to the first recipient;

wherein classification of the email open event includes indicating whether the first recipient is or is not an intended recipient of the email.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the classification of the email open event further includes indicating whether the intended recipient of the email has forwarded the email to one or more additional recipients;

and

wherein the one or more additional recipients include the first recipient.

20. The method of claim 19 further comprising:

providing one of a plurality of confidence levels for the classification.

21. The method of claim 18 further comprising:

displaying information relating to the email open event in one of a plurality of display formats depending on its classification.

22. The method of claim 18 further comprising:

detecting a click-through from a hyperlink within the email; and

interpreting the click-through as an additional open email event;

wherein the additional open email event is analyzed and classified accordingly.

23. A system for monitoring email behavior of an email recipient, the email recipient being associated with a first email domain, comprising:

control logic configured to modify an outgoing email addressed to the email recipient and sent using an email client configured to allow a sender to send the outgoing email and access one or more personal or corporate emails belonging to the sender; and

control logic configured to monitor the email behavior of the email recipient with respect to the modified outgoing email;

wherein the monitoring of the email behavior is performed within an Internet domain related to the sender or a business entity associated with the sender; and

wherein the first email domain and the Internet domain related to the sender or the business entity associated with the sender are different.

24. A system for monitoring website behavior of an email recipient, comprising:

control logic configured to modify an outgoing email addressed to the email recipient and sent using an email client configured to allow a sender to send the outgoing email and access one or more personal or corporate emails belonging to the sender; and

control logic configured to monitor the website behavior of the email recipient using information contained in the modified outgoing email.