E-MAIL CONTAINING LIVE CONTENT

• US 20110066692A1
• Filed: 03/02/2009
• Published: 03/17/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/29/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Exacttarget Incorporated (Salesforce.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Jamison, Richard W., Ciancio-Bunch, James Michael, McCorkle, Scott
• Granted Patent: US 9,275,373 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]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/046 Interoperability with other network applications or services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/10 Multimedia information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/222 using geographical location information, e.g. messages transmitted or received in proximity of a certain spot or area
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/234 for tracking messages

Abstract

A system for introducing live content into an electronic mail message comprising at least one dynamic live content area sent through an e-mail service provider system comprises memory and a click manager. The memory includes live content comprising image data and expiration data. The click manager receives an indication of the opening of the message by a recipient, wherein the click manager accesses the memory to retrieve live content and send the retrieved live content for rendering in the dynamic live content area of the e-mail message opened by the one of the plurality of recipients.

Claims

1-39. -39. (canceled)

40. A system for introducing live content into an electronic mail message, the system comprising:

an e-mail service provider system configured to receive one or more electronic mail messages and programmed and configured to;

identify a plurality of recipients, each of the plurality of recipients having at least one attribute associated therewith; and

send the one or more electronic mail messages to the plurality of recipients;

memory including live content comprising image data and expiration data; and

a manager that receives an indication of the opening of the one or more messages by at least one recipient, wherein the manager retrieves live content from the memory based upon the at least one attribute of the at least one recipient and sends the retrieved live content for rendering in the dynamic live content area of the one or more electronic mail messages opened by the one of the plurality of recipients.

41. The system of claim 40, further comprising a database comprising recipient data, including attribute data, and wherein the manager is communicatively coupled to the database.

42. The system of claim 40, wherein the at least one attribute comprises demographic information.

43. The system of claim 40, wherein the manager also considers currency data in determining which live content to send.

44. The system of claim 43, wherein the system tabulates events from different recipients and compares the total number of events to a predetermined number and stops sending a first live content once the total number of events meets or exceeds the predetermined number.

45. The system of claim 43, wherein the image data comprises coupons and the expiration data at least partially comprises expiration dates of the coupons.

46. The system of claim 45, wherein the manager is configured to generate unique coupon codes based upon communication with the memory and activity of the at least one recipient.

47. A system for generating and sending electronic mail containing live dynamic content, the system comprising:

a first remote device for creating an e-mail message, the e-mail message comprising at least one dynamic live content area;

memory including live content comprising image data and expiration data; and

an e-mail provider system communicatively coupled to the first remote device and to the memory and programmed and configured to;

identify a plurality of recipients, each of the plurality of recipients having at least one attribute associated therewith;

send the e-mail message to the plurality of recipients;

determine that the sent e-mail message has been opened by one of the plurality of recipients; and

upon determining that the sent e-mail message has been opened by the one of the plurality of recipients, retrieve live content from the memory based upon the at least one attribute associated with the one of the plurality of recipients and render the retrieved live content in the dynamic live content area of the e-mail message opened by the one of the plurality of recipients.

48. The system of claim 47, wherein the at least one dynamic live content area in the created e-mail message has embedded therein code that is at least partially executed upon opening of the e-mail message that at least partially results in contacting the e-mail provider system for live content based on the at least one attribute of the one of the plurality of recipients.

49. The system of claim 48, wherein the embedded code is at least partially executed by a click on the at least one dynamic live content area that at least partially results in contacting the e-mail provider system for live content based on the at least one attribute of the one of the plurality of recipients.

50. The system of claim 47, further comprising at least one second remote device in bidirectional communication with the e-mail provider system and accessible by at least one of the plurality of recipients.

51. The system of claim 50, wherein the at least one dynamic live content area in the e-mail message has embedded therein code that is executed by the second remote device upon opening of the e-mail message.

52. The system of claim 47, wherein the e-mail provider system comprises one or more servers configured to receive the e-mail message created by the first remote device.

53. A method for generating and sending electronic mail containing live dynamic content, the method comprising:

providing a first remote device configured to create an e-mail message, memory including live content comprising image data and expiration data, and an e-mail provider system communicatively coupled to the first remote device and to the memory;

creating an e-mail message having at least one dynamic live content area using the first remote device;

identifying a plurality of recipients, each of the plurality of recipients having at least one attribute associated therewith;

sending the e-mail message to the plurality of recipients;

determining that the e-mail message has been opened by one of the plurality of recipients; and

upon determining that the e-mail message has been opened by the one of the plurality of recipients, retrieving live content from the memory based upon the at least one attribute associated with the one of the plurality of recipients and rendering the retrieved live content in the at least one dynamic live content area of the e-mail message opened by the one of the plurality of recipients.

54. The method of claim 53, wherein the at least one dynamic live content area in the e-mail message has embedded therein code.

55. The method of claim 54, further comprising upon determining that the e-mail message has been opened by one of the plurality of recipients, at least partially executing the code and contacting the e-mail provider system to request live content based on the at least one attribute of the one of the plurality of recipients.

56. The method of claim 54, wherein the embedded, code in the live content area is also at least partially executed when the live content area is clicked.

57. The method of claim 53, further comprising at least one second remote device in bidirectional communication with the e-mail provider system and accessible by the plurality of recipients.

58. The method of claim 57, wherein the at least one dynamic live content area in the e-mail message has embedded therein code that is at least partially executed by the second remote device upon opening of the e-mail message.

59. The method of claim 58, wherein upon execution of the code, the second remote device contacts the e-mail provider system to request live content based on the at least one attribute of the one of the plurality of recipients.