Electronic mail processing system with bonus point tracking

• US 6,076,101 A
• Filed: 08/14/1997
• Issued: 06/13/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Tanaka, Hideki, Kamakura, Akira
• Primary Examiner(s): Dinh, Dung C.
• Application Number:
  US08/911,063
• Time in Patent Office: 1,034 Days
• Field of Search: 705/14, 705/17, 705/26, 705/27, 395/200.36, 395/200.47, 395/200.48, 395/200.79, 709/206
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/204 comprising interface for record bearing medium or carrier for electronic funds transfer or payment credit
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0226 Incentive systems for frequent usage, e.g. frequent flyer miles programs or point systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0236 Incentive or reward received by requiring registration or ID from user

Abstract

An electronic mail processing system for distributing an e-mail message from a sender to recipients, which encourages the recipients to open, read, and reply to the e-mail message sent from the sender. An original e-mail message sent from a sender via a sender terminal is stored in an outgoing message storage unit. An outgoing mail information registration unit stores a list of recipients to whom the e-mail message should be delivered, as well as storing information on bonus points. A message sending unit encloses bonus point information in the e-mail message and distributes it to the recipients included on the list. Upon receipt of a reply message from one of the recipients, a reception process unit gives a predetermined number of bonus points to the recipient. Each recipient'"'"'s bonus points are accumulated in a recipient information storage unit, and he/she can redeem his/her bonus points for gifts depending on the accumulated points. This structural arrangement encourages the recipients to open the sender'"'"'s message and write reply messages thereto in expectation of the redeemable bonus points, thus allowing the original message sender to collect more reply messages from the recipients than normally expected.

Claims

1. An electronic mail processing system which controls delivery of an e-mail message sent by a sender to a plurality of recipients, comprising:

outgoing message storage means for storing the e-mail message sent by the sender;

outgoing mail information registration means for storing information corresponding to which recipients of the plurality of recipients the e-mail message should be delivered;

message sending means for enclosing bonus point information in the e-mail message stored in said outgoing message storage means and sending the e-mail message having the bonus point information to a registered recipient of the plurality of recipients who is registered in said outgoing mail information registration means, the bonus point information indicating that bonus points will be awarded to the registered recipient if the registered recipient responds to the e-mail message;

message receiving means for receiving a reply message sent by the registered recipient in response to the e-mail message sent by said message sending means, and analyzing the reply e-mail message to determine bonus points to be awarded to the registered recipient; and

recipient information storage means, coupled to said message receiving means, for holding a bonus point account of each recipient and adding the determined bonus points to the bonus point account of the registered recipient that sent the reply message,

wherein said message receiving means further comprises;

reply count evaluation means, responsive to the reply message sent from the registered recipient, for determining whether the reply message is an initial reply message from the registered recipient by referring to recipient-specific information stored in said recipient information storage means;

bonus point comparison means, activated in response to said reply count evaluation means determining that the reply message is not an initial reply message, for comparing a bonus point earning value that was previously given to the registered recipient with a new bonus point earning value calculated with respect to the reply message; and

point accounting means for adding the new bonus point earning value to a bonus point account of the registered recipient when the reply message is the initial reply message or when the new bonus point earning value is larger than the previously given bonus point earning value.

2. The electronic mail processing system according to claim 1, further comprising:

mail reception notification means, disposed in a terminal of each of the plurality of recipients, for displaying an earning point value extracted from said bonus point information, together with subject line information of the e-mail message sent by said message sending means.

3. The electronic mail processing system according to claim 2, wherein said mail reception notification means further comprises:

reward-offered mail notification means for extracting an e-mail message having the bonus point information by examining a sender name and a subject line of the e-mail message sent by said message sending means and notifying the registered recipient of receipt of the e-mail message having the bonus point information.

4. The electronic mail processing system according to claim 3, wherein

said reward-offered mail notification means detects the receipt of the e-mail message having the bonus point information and notifies the registered recipient of the receipt of the e-mail message by invoking a dialog, a sound, or an animation.

5. The electronic mail processing system according to claim 1, wherein

said message receiving means analyzes contents of the reply message sent from the registered recipient and varies an earning point value according to a volume of the reply message.

6. The electronic mail processing system according to claim 1, wherein

said message receiving means analyzes contents of the reply message sent from the registered recipient and varies an earning point value according to presence of a previously designated symbol.

7. The electronic mail processing system according to claim 1, wherein

the e-mail message sent by said message sending means contains a questionnaire for the registered recipient;

and

the reply message sent by the registered recipient includes an answer to the questionnaire.

8. The electronic mail processing system according to claim 1, further comprising:

redemption notification means, activated when the bonus points accumulated in the registered recipient'"'"'s bonus point account stored in said recipient information storage means have reached a predetermined value, for notifying the registered recipient of a product or a service that the registered recipient can exchange for the accumulated bonus points.

9. An electronic mail processing system which processes an e-mail message sent by a sender to a recipient, comprising:

means for delivering the e-mail message from the sender to the recipient;

means for giving bonus points to the recipient in response to the recipient opening the e-mail message delivered thereto and replying to the e-mail message by returning a reply message to the sender;

message receiving means for receiving the reply message sent by the recipient in response to the e-mail message delivered by the means for delivering, and analyzing, the reply e-mail message to determine the bonus points to be given to the recipient; and

recipient information storage means, coupled to said message receiving means, for holding a bonus point account of each recipient and adding the determined bonus points to the bonus point account of the recipient that sent the reply message;

wherein the message receiving means further comprises,

reply count evaluation means, responsive to the reply message sent from the recipient, for determining whether the reply message is an initial reply message from the recipient by referring to recipient-specific information stored in said recipient information storage means;

bonus point comparison means, activated in response to said reply count evaluation means determining that the reply message is not an initial reply message, for comparing a bonus point earning value that was previously given to the registered recipient with a new bonus point earning value calculated with respect to the reply message; and

point accounting means for adding the new bonus point earning value to a bonus point account of the registered recipient when the reply message is the initial reply message or when the new bonus point earning value is larger than the previously given bonus point earning value.

10. An electronic delivery device that sends an electronic message having deliver conditions corresponding to recipients registered to receive messages, comprising:

a message sending unit to attach bonus point information to the message and send the message to a recipient of the recipients registered to receive messages that satisfy the delivery conditions;

a message reception notification unit to receive the message sent, extract the bonus information, and notify the recipient satisfying the delivery conditions of receipt of the message, the receipt notification including the bonus information; and

a point calculation unit to calculate a bonus point value corresponding to a response to the message sent by the notified registered recipient.

11. An electronic mail processing system comprising:

means for identifying a recipient registered to receive a particular message and storing bonus points accumulated by the registered recipient;

means for attaching bonus point information and sending the particular message to the registered recipient so that the registered recipient is notified of the bonus point information upon receipt of and prior to opening of the particular message;

means for receiving a reply message from the registered recipient, determining a number of bonus points awarded in response to the reply message and adding the determined number of bonus points to the stored accumulated points;

recipient information storage means, coupled to said means for receiving, for holding a bonus point account of each recipient and adding the determined bonus points to the bonus point account of the recipient that sent the reply message;

wherein the means for receiving further comprises,

reply count evaluation means, responsive to the reply message sent from the registered recipient, for determining whether the reply message is an initial reply message from the registered recipient by referring to recipient-specific information stored in said recipient information storage means;

bonus point comparison means, activated in response to said reply count evaluation means determining that the reply message is not an initial reply message, for comparing a bonus point earning value that was previously given to the registered recipient with a new bonus point earning value calculated with respect to the reply message; and

point accounting means for adding the new bonus point earning value to a bonus point account of the registered recipient when the reply message is the initial reply message or when the new bonus point earning value is larger than the previously given bonus point earning value.