METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR E-MAIL ENHANCEMENT

• US 20110202621A1
• Filed: 10/16/2009
• Published: 08/18/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/17/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Philippe Laval
• Original Assignee: Philippe Laval
• Inventors: Laval, Philippe
• Granted Patent: US 8,775,534 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]

Abstract

A method for enhancing an electronic message, referred to as an e-mail, upon receiving the same in the e-mail inbox of a user, the method includes the following steps: a local application, working with the e-mail inbox and extracting a set of data contained in the incoming e-mail, sends the data set to a remote server, receives a response from the remote server, and attaches the response to the incoming e-mail; and the remote server receives the data set sent by the local application, analyses the data so as to identify specific elements, and sends the specific elements as a reply to the local application. The invention relates to the exchange of structured information by e-mail, and in particular to scheduling appointments, contact details, and monitoring tasks to be performed.

Claims

1. Method for enhancing an electronic message referred to as an e-mail, upon receipt in a user'"'"'s e-mail inbox, this method comprising the following steps:

a local application, acting on the e-mail inbox, which extracts a set of data contained in the incoming e-mail, transmits said set of data to a remote server, receives a response originating from the remote server, and attaches this response in the form of an attachment to said incoming e-mail,

said remote server receives the set of data transmitted by the local application, analyzes the data so as to identify specific elements, and transmits these specific elements as a response to the local application,

characterized in that the local application and the remote server operate asynchronously so that the incoming e-mail can be consulted in the e-mail inbox by the user while the remote server carries out the data analysis.

2. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the local application acts on the e-mail inbox as a “

plug-in”

.

3. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the specific elements comprise at least one of the elements chosen from the following group:

date, time and location relating to a meeting, contacts or tasks.

4. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the local application produces an item attached to the incoming e-mail based on the response transmitted by the remote server.

5. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the remote server incorporates the specific elements into a document in the form of an attached item that the local application attaches to the incoming e-mail.

6. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the response transmitted by the remote server contains a structured representation of the specific elements.

7. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the local application produces and transmits a unique identifier to the remote server at the same time as the set of data.

8. Method according to claim 7, characterized in that the unique identifier identifies the user.

9. Method according to claim 7, characterized in that the unique identifier identifies the incoming e-mail.

10. Method according to claim 7, characterized in that the unique identifier comprises an IP address making it possible to locate the local application.

11. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the attachment to the incoming e-mail is a document in HTML format containing at least one hypertext link.

12. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that said set of data comprises the text contained in the body and the header of the incoming e-mail as well as the nature of this incoming e-mail.

13. System for enhancing an electronic message referred to as an e-mail, upon receipt in an e-mail inbox contained in a processing unit;

this system implementing the method according to claim 1;

the processing unit comprises a local application, acting on the e-mail inbox, which is capable of extracting a set of data contained in the incoming e-mail, transmitting said set of data to a remote server, receiving a response originating from the remote server, and attaching this response in the form of an attachment to said incoming e-mail,

the remote server is capable of receiving the set of data transmitted by the local application, analyzing the data so as to identify specific elements, and transmitting these specific elements as a response to the local application;

characterized in that the local application and the remote server operate asynchronously so that the incoming e-mail can be consulted in the e-mail inbox by the user while the remote server carries out the data analysis.

14. Method according to claim 8, characterized in that the unique identifier identifies the incoming e-mail.

15. Method according to claim 8, characterized in that the unique identifier comprises an IP address making it possible to locate the local application.

16. Method according to claim 9, characterized in that the unique identifier comprises an IP address making it possible to locate the local application.