Methods, systems, and computer program products for managing electronic subscriptions

• US 20080034045A1
• Filed: 08/02/2006
• Published: 02/07/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/02/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Scenera Technologies LLC (Scenera Research LLC)
• Original Assignee: Scenera Technologies LLC (Scenera Research LLC)
• Inventors: Bardsley, Jeffrey S.
• Granted Patent: US 7,831,707 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1859 adapted to provide push services, e.g. data channels
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/00 User-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, transmitted according to store-and-forward or real-time protocols, e.g. e-mail
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/234 for tracking messages

Abstract

Methods, systems, and computer program products for managing electronic subscriptions are disclosed. According to one aspect, a method includes monitoring, at an electronic subscription client, receipt of one or more subscription messages associated with an electronic subscription. Interaction with the electronic subscription client by a client may be monitored to determine a viewing frequency of the one or more received subscription messages. Further, a prompt with a control configured for unsubscribing the user from receiving a future subscription message associated with the electronic subscription may be presented based on the determined viewing frequency.

Claims

1. A method for managing electronic subscriptions, the method comprising:

monitoring, at an electronic subscription client, receipt of one or more subscription messages associated with an electronic subscription;

monitoring interaction with the electronic subscription client by a user to determine a viewing frequency of the one or more received subscription messages; and

presenting, based on the determined viewing frequency, a prompt with a control configured for unsubscribing the user from receiving a future subscription message associated with the electronic subscription.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein monitoring receipt of one or more subscription messages includes monitoring receipt of one or more subscription messages at an electronic subscription client comprising one of an e-mail client, a real simple syndication (RSS)-based client, a media-based client, a photoshare client, and a personalized web page subscription client.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein monitoring interaction with the electronic subscription client by a user includes comparing the viewing frequency of the one or more received subscription messages to a viewing frequency threshold, and wherein presenting a prompt with a control includes presenting the prompt with the control based on the comparison of the viewing frequency to the viewing frequency threshold.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein monitoring interaction with the electronic subscription client by a user includes determining a number of the received subscription messages, and determining a number of the received subscription messages acted upon by the user and wherein presenting a prompt with the control includes presenting a prompt with a control based on a relationship between the number of received subscription messages and the number of received subscription messages acted upon by the user.

5. The method of claim 1 comprising determining a process for unsubscribing the user from receiving the future subscription message associated with the electronic subscription.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein determining a process for unsubscribing includes identifying unsubscribe information in the one or more subscription messages, and wherein the method further comprises configuring the control for unsubscribing the user from receiving the future subscription message based on the unsubscribe information.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein determining a process for unsubscribing includes determining one of an address, a uniform resource identifier (URI), and a link associated with the electronic subscription, and wherein the method further comprises configuring the control to unsubscribe the user from receiving the future subscription message by at least one of accessing a resource and sending a message using the address, the URI, or the link.

8. The method of claim 5 wherein determining a process for unsubscribing includes identifying text in the one or more subscription messages indicating information for unsubscribing.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein identifying text includes identifying at least one of subscribe, mailing list, and unsubscribe.

10. The method of claim 5 wherein determining a process for unsubscribing includes determining a URI in an RSS reading list associated with the electronic subscription, and wherein the method further comprises configuring the control to remove the URI from the RSS reading list.

11. The method of claim 1 comprising unsubscribing the user from receiving the future subscription message associated with the electronic subscription in response to receiving an input responsive to the prompt.

12. A method for managing electronic subscriptions, the method comprising:

monitoring, at an electronic subscription client, receipt of a subscription message associated with an electronic subscription;

determining whether the received subscription message is redundant based on at least one of an identifier for the subscription message or content included in the subscription message; and

presenting, based on the redundancy determination, a prompt with a control configured for unsubscribing a user from receiving a future subscription message associated with the electronic subscription.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein monitoring receipt of one or more subscription messages includes monitoring receipt of one or more subscription messages at an electronic subscription client comprising one of an e-mail client, a real simple syndication (RSS)-based client, a media-based client, a photoshare client, and a personalized web page subscription client.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein determining whether the received subscription message is redundant includes determining redundancy between content of the received subscription message and content of one or more messages associated with another electronic subscription.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein presenting a prompt with a control configured for unsubscribing the user includes presenting the prompt configured for unsubscribing the user based on the determined redundancy of the contents of the subscription message and the one or more messages associated with another electronic subscription.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein determining whether the received subscription message is redundant includes identifying redundancy between content of the subscription message and content of one or more other messages associated with another electronic subscription received within a predetermined time period of receipt of the subscription message.

17. The method of claim 14 wherein determining whether the received subscription message is redundant includes determining whether the received subscription message and one or more previously-received subscription messages have a threshold amount of common content.

18. The method of claim 14 comprising presenting, based on the redundancy determination, a user with a control configured for unsubscribing the user from receiving a future subscription message associated with one of the electronic subscriptions for which the subscription message was received and the other electronic subscription.

19. The method of claim 14 wherein determining whether the received subscription message is redundant includes determining whether one or more links, addresses, or URIs in the subscription message matches one or more links, addresses, or URIs in the one or more messages.

20. The method of claim 12 comprising unsubscribing the user from receiving the future subscription message associated with the electronic subscription in response to receiving an input responsive to the prompt.

21. A method for managing electronic subscriptions, the method comprising:

saving, at an electronic subscription client, a subscription identifier for an unsubscribed-from electronic subscription;

receiving input corresponding to the subscription identifier for subscribing to the unsubscribed-from electronic subscription; and

presenting an indication that the electronic subscription has been previously unsubscribed-from.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein saving a subscription identifier includes saving a subscription identifier at an electronic subscription client comprising one of an e-mail client, a real simple syndication (RSS)-based client, a media-based client, a photoshare client, and a personalized web page subscription client.

23. The method of claim 21 wherein saving a subscription identifier includes saving a subscription identifier comprising one of a subscription source identifier and subscription status information for the unsubscribed-from electronic subscription.

24. The method of claim 21 wherein receiving input corresponding to the subscription identifier includes receiving a subscription message for subscribing to the electronic subscription.

25. The method of claim 21 wherein receiving input corresponding to the subscription identifier includes receiving user input for subscribing to the electronic subscription.

26. A system for managing electronic subscriptions, the system comprising:

an electronic subscription message monitor configured to monitor, at an electronic subscription client, receipt of one or more subscription messages associated with an electronic subscription;

an interaction monitor configured to monitor interaction with the electronic subscription client by a user to determine a viewing frequency of the one or more received subscription messages; and

an unsubscribe function configured to present, based on the determined viewing frequency, a prompt with a control configured for unsubscribing the user from receiving a future subscription message associated with the electronic subscription.

27. The system of claim 26 wherein the electronic subscription message monitor is configured to monitor receipt of one or more subscription messages at an electronic subscription client comprising one of an e-mail client, a real simple syndication (RSS)-based client, a media-based client, a photoshare client, and a personalized web page subscription client.

28. The system of claim 26 wherein the interaction monitor is configured to compare the viewing frequency of the one or more received subscription messages to a viewing frequency threshold, and wherein the unsubscribe function is configured to present the prompt with the control based on the comparison of the viewing frequency to the viewing frequency threshold.

29. The system of claim 26 wherein the interaction monitor is configured to determine a number of the received subscription messages, and configured to determine a number of the received subscription messages acted upon by the user, and wherein the unsubscribe function is configured to present a prompt with a control based on a relationship between the number of received subscription messages and the number of received subscription messages acted upon by the user.

30. The system of claim 26 wherein the unsubscribe function is configured to determine a process for unsubscribing the user from receiving the future subscription message associated with the electronic subscription.

31. The system of claim 30 wherein the unsubscribe function is configured to identify unsubscribe information in the one or more subscription messages, and wherein the unsubscribe function is configured to configure the control for unsubscribing the user from receiving the future subscription message based on the unsubscribe information.

32. The system of claim 30 wherein the unsubscribe function is configured to determine one of an address, a uniform resource identifier (URI), and a link associated with the electronic subscription, and wherein the unsubscribe function is configured to configure the control to unsubscribe the user from receiving the future subscription message by at least one of accessing a resource and sending a message using the address, the URI, or the link.

33. The system of claim 30 wherein the unsubscribe function is configured to identify text in the one or more subscription messages indicating information for unsubscribing.

34. The system of claim 33 wherein the unsubscribe function is configured to identify at least one of subscribe, mailing list, and unsubscribe.

35. The system of claim 30 wherein the unsubscribe function is configured to determine a URI in an RSS reading list associated with the electronic subscription, and wherein the unsubscribe function is configured to configure the control to remove the URI from the RSS reading list.

36. The system of claim 26 wherein the unsubscribe function is configured to unsubscribe the user from receiving the future subscription message associated with the electronic subscription in response to receiving an input responsive to the prompt.

37. A system for managing electronic subscriptions, the system comprising:

an electronic subscription message monitor configured to monitor, at an electronic subscription client, receipt of a subscription message associated with an electronic subscription;

a subscription message redundancy monitor configured to determine whether the received subscription message is redundant based on at least one of an identifier for the subscription message or content included in the subscription message; and

an unsubscribe function configured to present, based on the redundancy determination, a prompt with a control configured for unsubscribing a user from receiving a future subscription message associated with the electronic subscription.

38. The system of claim 37 wherein the electronic subscription message monitor is configured to monitor receipt of one or more subscription messages at an electronic subscription client comprising one of an e-mail client, a real simple syndication (RSS)-based client, a media-based client, a photoshare client, and a personalized web page subscription client.

39. The system of claim 37 wherein the subscription message redundancy monitor is configured to determine redundancy between content of the received subscription message and content of one or more messages associated with another electronic subscription.

40. The system of claim 39 wherein the unsubscribe function is configured to present the prompt configured for unsubscribing the user based on the determined redundancy of the contents of the subscription message and the one or more messages associated with another electronic subscription.

41. The system of claim 39 wherein the subscription message redundancy monitor is configured to identify redundancy between content of the subscription message and content of one or more other messages associated with another electronic subscription received within a predetermined time period of receipt of the subscription message.

42. The system of claim 39 wherein the subscription message redundancy monitor is configured to determine whether the received subscription message and one or more previously-received subscription messages have a threshold amount of common content.

43. The system of claim 39 wherein the unsubscribe function is configured to present, based on the redundancy determination, a user with a control configured for unsubscribing the user from receiving a future subscription message associated with the electronic subscriptions for which the subscription message was received or the another electronic subscription.

44. The system of claim 39 wherein the subscription message redundancy monitor is configured to determine whether one or more links, addresses, or URIs in the subscription message matches one or more links, addresses, or URIs in the one or more messages.

45. The system of claim 37 wherein the unsubscribe function is configured to unsubscribe the user from receiving the future subscription message associated with the electronic subscription in response to receiving an input responsive to the prompt.

46. A system for managing electronic subscriptions, the system comprising:

an electronic subscription message monitor configured to save, at an electronic subscription client, a subscription identifier for an unsubscribed-from electronic subscription; and

a subscription watchdog function configured to receive input corresponding to the subscription identifier for subscribing to the unsubscribed-from electronic subscription, and configured to present an indication that the electronic subscription has been previously unsubscribed-from.

47. The system of claim 46 wherein the electronic subscription message monitor is configured to save a subscription identifier at an electronic subscription client comprising one of an e-mail client, a real simple syndication (RSS)-based client, a media-based client, a photoshare client, and a personalized web page subscription client.

48. The system of claim 46 wherein the electronic subscription message monitor is configured to save a subscription identifier comprising one of a subscription source identifier and subscription status information for the unsubscribed-from electronic subscription.

49. The system of claim 46 wherein the subscription watchdog function is configured to receive a subscription message for subscribing to the electronic subscription.

50. The system of claim 46 wherein the subscription watchdog function is configured to receive user input for subscribing to the electronic subscription.

51. A system for managing electronic subscriptions, the system comprising:

means for monitoring, at an electronic subscription client, receipt of one or more subscription messages associated with an electronic subscription;

means for monitoring interaction with the electronic subscription client by a user to determine a viewing frequency of the one or more received subscription messages; and

means for presenting, based on the determined viewing frequency, a prompt with a control configured for unsubscribing the user from receiving a future subscription message associated with the electronic subscription.

52. A system for managing electronic subscriptions, the system comprising:

means for monitoring, at an electronic subscription client, receipt of a subscription message associated with an electronic subscription;

means for determining whether the received subscription message is redundant based on at least one of an identifier for the subscription message or content included in the subscription message; and

means for presenting, based on the redundancy determination, a prompt with a control configured for unsubscribing a user from receiving a future subscription message associated with the electronic subscription.

53. A system for managing electronic subscriptions, the system comprising:

means for saving, at an electronic subscription client, a subscription identifier for an unsubscribed-from electronic subscription;

means for receiving input corresponding to the subscription identifier for subscribing to the unsubscribed-from electronic subscription; and

means for presenting an indication that the electronic subscription has been previously unsubscribed-from.

54. A computer program product comprising computer executable instructions embodied in a computer readable medium for performing steps comprising:

monitoring, at an electronic subscription client, receipt of one or more subscription messages associated with an electronic subscription;

monitoring interaction with the electronic subscription client by a user to determine a viewing frequency of the one or more received subscription messages; and

presenting, based on the determined viewing frequency, a prompt with a control configured for unsubscribing the user from receiving a future subscription message associated with the electronic subscription.

55. A computer program product comprising computer executable instructions embodied in a computer readable medium for performing steps comprising:

monitoring, at an electronic subscription client, receipt of a subscription message associated with an electronic subscription;

determining whether the received subscription message is redundant based on at least one of an identifier for the subscription message or content included in the subscription message; and

presenting, based on the redundancy determination, a prompt with a control configured for unsubscribing a user from receiving a future subscription message associated with the electronic subscription.

56. A computer program product comprising computer executable instructions embodied in a computer readable medium for performing steps comprising:

saving, at an electronic subscription client, a subscription identifier for an unsubscribed-from electronic subscription;

receiving input corresponding to the subscription identifier for subscribing to the unsubscribed-from electronic subscription; and

presenting an indication that the electronic subscription has been previously unsubscribed-from.