RFID TAG-BASED E-MAIL ADDRESS AUTOGENERATOR

• US 20080041929A1
• Filed: 08/17/2006
• Published: 02/21/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/17/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: BAUMAN, BRIAN D., Rodriguez, Herman, Carlson, Michael P., Bauman, Amanda J.
• Application Number:
  US11/465,223
• Publication Number:
  US 20080041929A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/375
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

Methods 400 are provided for using RFIDs to aid in creating and documenting electronic e-mail communications. A communication device 101 capable of sending e-mail is configured with an RFID transmitter and detector, or RFID transceiver. When the device is in the presence of other devices, the user may choose to capture the e-mail addresses of the other device using the RFID detection capability. Each device has an RFID associated with an e-mail address. By detecting the other RFID devices, the user may automatically capture their associated e-mail addresses.

Claims

1. A method for communicating an e-mail address, the method comprising:

receiving an RFID signal that corresponds to the e-mail address; and

providing the e-mail address to the e-mail application program.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the RFID signal is received at a device with e-mail capability, and wherein said providing the e-mail address further comprises providing the e-mail address in a predefined format to an e-mail application program.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

sending an interrogation signal at a time of composing an email;

wherein the RFID signal is sent in response to the interrogation signal by a meeting participant.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein said providing the e-mail address comprises:

modifying a data file associated with the e-mail application program to include the e-mail address.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein said providing the e-mail address further comprises:

sending the e-mail address as content in an incoming e-mail.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the e-mail application program is configured to create an outgoing e-mail addressed to the e-mail address.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said e-mail address is a first e-mail address, the method further comprising:

displaying a list of all detected e-mail addresses, the list comprising said first e-mail address and at least one additional e-mail address.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

accepting an input from a user to modify said list of all detected e-mail addresses.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said contact information comprises a URL associated with a site which includes a vCard object including said e-mail address.

10. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

storing the email address within an address book of the e-mail application program, or other format configured for storage and retrieval of the email address.

11. An apparatus for communicating an e-mail address, the apparatus comprising:

an RFID receiver;

memory configured to store information from a received RFID signal, said information including contact information comprising the e-mail address;

computer logic configured to reformat the e-mail address into a format acceptable to an e-mail application program; and

computer logic configured to provide the e-mail address to the e-mail application program.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the apparatus is a device with wireless e-mail capability.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, further comprising:

an RFID device configured to transmit an interrogation signal;

wherein the received RFID signal is received in response to the interrogation signal.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the device includes an e-mail application program configured to create an outgoing e-mail addressed to the e-mail address.

15. The apparatus of claim 11, further comprising:

a display unit configured to show a list of all detected e-mail addresses, the list comprising said first e-mail address and at least one additional e-mail address.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, further comprising:

a keyboard configured to accept inputs from a user to modify said list of all detected e-mail addresses.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein said inputs from the user are further configured to delete at least one of the e-mail addresses from the list, in response to the user input.

18. A software product comprising an electronically readable medium including a program of instructions, wherein the program of instructions upon being executed on a device causes the device to:

receive an RFID signal with contact information including an e-mail address;

reformat the e-mail address into a format acceptable to an e-mail application program; and

provide the e-mail address to the e-mail application program.

19. The software product of claim 18, further causing the device to:

send an interrogation signal;

wherein the RFID signal is received in response to the interrogation signal.

20. The software product of claim 18, further causing the device to:

display a list of all detected e-mail addresses, a list comprising a first e-mail address and at least one additional e-mail address.