Delivery confirmation for e-mail

• US 20070136430A1
• Filed: 12/13/2005
• Published: 06/14/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Qureshi, Imran, Leung, Thomas, Gillum, Eliot, Shahine, Omar, Hoffman, William, Little, Charles, Boyea, Robin, Stern, Pablo, Sardesai, Vikram, Figueroa, Roberto, Schackwitz, Michael
• Granted Patent: US 7,836,132 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/23 Reliability checks, e.g. acknowledgments or fault reporting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/234 for tracking messages

Abstract

A delivery confirmation is provided to the sender of an e-mail message. When the e-mail message is composed, a link, such as a hyperlink, is inserted into the e-mail message, such as in the body or header. The link can include information such as a message identifier and identifiers of the sender and the recipient, which are provided as a query string of the link, while a host field of the link includes the address of an e-mail/web server. When the recipient receives the e-mail message and opens it, the link is displayed along with text that instructs the user to use the link to confirm delivery. The confirmation can include displaying indicia for the e-mail message in a folder view on an interface of the sender, or sending a confirmation e-mail message to the sender, for instance. Voting by e-mail can also be provided.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for confirming delivery of an e-mail message, comprising:

providing at least one identifier for an e-mail message which is composed by a sender; and

inserting a link in the e-mail message, the link including the at least one identifier and being usable in allowing a recipient that receives the e-mail message to provide a confirmation to the sender that the recipient received the e-mail message.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

inserting text in a body of the e-mail message for instructing the recipient to use the link to provide the confirmation.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein:

the link is inserted in the e-mail message in response to a command made by the sender when composing the e-mail message.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

loading a web page in a web browser of the recipient to display a message acknowledging that the recipient has provided the confirmation to the sender.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein:

the providing a confirmation comprises displaying an indicia for the e-mail message in a folder view on an interface of the sender.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein:

the providing a confirmation comprises sending a confirmation e-mail message to the sender.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein:

the link comprises a link to a web server which provides the confirmation to the sender.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, wherein:

the at least one identifier is used by the web server to identify the e-mail message in a folder view of the sender.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein:

the at least one identifier comprises an e-mail address of the sender.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the e-mail message is addressed to multiple recipients including the recipient and a second recipient, the method further comprising:

providing a second copy of the e-mail message; and

inserting a second link in the second copy of the e-mail message, the second link including the second identifier and being usable in allowing the second recipient to provide a confirmation to the sender that the second recipient received the second e-mail message.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying the link in a body of the e-mail message on an interface of the sender while the sender is composing the e-mail message.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein:

the link is inserted into at least one of a body and a header of the e-mail message.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

enabling the sender to re-send the e-mail message.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

notifying the sender when the confirmation is overdue.

15. A computer-implemented method for confirming delivery of an e-mail message, comprising:

receiving an e-mail message from a sender, the e-mail message including a link, the link including an identifier; and

using the link for providing a confirmation to the sender that a recipient received the e-mail message.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 15, wherein:

a body of the e-mail message comprises text instructing the recipient to use the link to provide the confirmation.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 15, wherein:

the link comprises a link to a web server which provides the confirmation to the sender.

18. Computer readable media having computer readable code embodied thereon for programming at least one processor to perform a method for voting or tallying via e-mail, the method comprising:

providing at least one identifier for an e-mail message, the at least one identifier including an identifier of a recipient of the e-mail message; and

inserting a plurality of links in the e-mail message, each link including the at least one identifier and being selectable by the recipient to cast a vote for an associated choice.

19. The computer readable media of claim 18, wherein:

each link comprises a link to a web server; and

the web server tallies a vote for an associated choice responsive to selection of one of the links by the recipient. 20. The computer readable media of claim 18, wherein separate copies of the e-mail message are sent to multiple recipients, each copy including a link having an identifier of the associated recipient, and the method performed further comprises;

identifying specific recipients among the multiple recipients who vote for a specified choice according to the identifiers.