Method for sending and receiving flags and associated data in e-mail transmissions

• US 6,212,553 B1
• Filed: 02/04/1998
• Issued: 04/03/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Lee, Bryan I-chuen, Gilmore, Gay L., Thurlow, Scott A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Rinehart, Mark
• Assistant Examiner(s): KANG, PAUL H
• Application Number:
  US09/018,579
• Time in Patent Office: 1,154 Days
• Field of Search: 709/219, 709/206, 709/214, 709/207, 709/240, 705/30, 380/21
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/02 using automatic reactions or user delegation, e.g. automatic replies or chatbot-generated messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/48 Message addressing, e.g. address format or anonymous messages, aliases

Abstract

In an electronic mail system environment, a system and method for automatically checking recipients'"'"' names, providing message flags, providing custom forms, and providing an autoresponse feature. Recipients'"'"' names are resolved in the background, while the user of the e-mail system is composing the message. The user easily resolves ambiguous names by using a context menu. The resolved ambiguous names are automatically used to create nicknames, which are used to resolve ambiguous names in the future. Message flags allow a sender or recipient to identify required follow-up action and a deadline. The recipient may use the message flags to quickly determine which messages require follow-up action. The e-mail system notifies a recipient when a due date is approaching or when a follow-up action is past due. A custom forms feature allows a user to create and share custom forms without requiring the form to be published or installed by other user. The custom form'"'"'s attributes are transmitted to the recipient as an element of the e-mail message. An autoresponse feature allows a sender to create a message that includes voting buttons corresponding to the possible responses to a query. A recipient replies by selecting one of the voting buttons. The recipient'"'"'s vote is automatically tallied in the sender'"'"'s copy of the message, thus allowing the sender to view a vote tally, a list of the recipients, and their response.

Claims

1. In an electronic mail system for transmitting a message item from a sender to a recipient, said message item comprising a plurality of properties identifying said sender, said recipient, a subject of said message item and a body of said message item, a method for indicating that a follow-up action relating to said message item is required to be performed by said recipient, comprising:

receiving flag data indicating that said follow-up action is required to be performed by said recipient;

storing said flag data as a flag property associated with said message item; and

transmitting said message item to said recipient via said electronic mail system, wherein said flag property is displayed in said recipient'"'"'s inbox in association with said message item in order to indicate, even when said message item is closed, that the follow-up action is required.

2. The method recited in claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

receiving due date data indicative of a date by which said follow-up action is to be performed; and

storing said due date data as as a due date property associated with said message item.

3. The method recited in claim 1, further comprising a status property indicative of whether said message item includes flag data.

4. The method recited in claim 1, wherein said flag data includes text representing an instruction to the recipient of said message item.

5. In an electronic mail system for receiving message items transmitted from a sender to a recipient, said message items comprising a plurality of properties identifying said sender, said recipient a subject of a message item and a body of said message item, a method for displaying the status of a recipient follow-up action associated with said message items, comprising the steps of:

receiving one of said message items, said message item including a status property associated with said follow-up action;

determining whether said message item includes said status property;

in response to a determination that said message item includes said status property, retrieving status data stored with said status property; and

displaying said status data in conjunction with said message item in said recipient'"'"'s inbox in order to indicate even when said mail message is closed, the status of said follow-up action associated with said message item.

6. The method recited in claim 5, wherein said displayed status data indicates whether said message item includes a follow-up action.

7. The method recited in claim 6, wherein said displayed status data indicates whether said follow-up action is complete.

8. The method recited in claim 5, wherein said status data includes text and is displayed in conjunction other text associated with said message item.

9. The method recited in claim 5, further comprising the steps of:

receiving a plurality of said message items; and

sorting said message items according to data included in said status property.

10. In an electronic mail system for receiving message items transmitted from a sender to a recipient, said message items comprising a plurality of properties identifying said sender, said recipient, a subject of a message item and a body of said message item, a method for providing an indication corresponding to a due date associated with a follow-up action required by said recipient of said message item, comprising the steps of:

receiving one of said message items, said message item including a due date property;

retrieving due date data from said due date property;

comparing said due date data to a current time; and

displaying an indication corresponding to the relationship between said due date data and said current time in a header of said message item in order to provide said recipient with said due date for said follow-up action associated with said message item.

11. The method recited in claim 10, wherein said indication indicates that said due date is past due.

12. The method recited in claim 10, wherein said indication is an alarm indicating that said due date will occur within a predetermined period of time.

13. In an improved message item for transmission in an electronic mail system, said message item comprising a plurality of properties identifying said sender, said recipient, a subject of said message item and a body of said message item, the improvement comprising:

a message flag property including message flag data indicative of a recipient follow-up action associated with said message item; and

a status property including status data indicative of whether said follow-up action has been completed by said recipient of said message item wherein said message flag property and said status property is displayed in said recipient'"'"'s inbox in association with said message item in order to indicate, even when said message item is closed, that said follow-up action is required and whether said follow-up action has been completed.

14. The improvement recited in claim 13, further comprising a due date property including due date data indicative of a time by which said follow-up action should be completed.

15. A computer-readable medium on which is stored a computer program for indicating a recipient follow-up action associated with a message item, said message item comprising a plurality of properties identifying a sender, a recipient, a subject of said message item and a body of said message item, said computer program comprising instructions which, when executed by a computer, perform the steps of:

adding a message flag property to said message item;

receiving message flag data indicating that said follow-up action is required to be performed by said recipient;

storing said message flag data in said message flag property; and

transmitting said message item to said recipient via an electronic mail system, wherein said flag property is displayed in said recipient'"'"'s inbox in association with said message item in order to indicate, even when said message item is closed, that the follow-up action is required.

16. The computer readable medium recited in claim 15, wherein said steps performed by said computer further comprises:

adding a due date property to said message item;

receiving due date data indicative of a date by which said follow-up action is to be performed; and

storing said due date data in said due date property.

17. The computer readable medium recited in claim 15, wherein said message item further comprises a status property indicative of whether said message flag property includes message flag data.

18. In an electronic mail system for transmitting a message item from a sender to a recipient, said message item comprising a plurality of properties identifying said sender, said recipient, a subject of said message item and a body of said message item, a method for indicating that a follow-up action relating to said message item is required to be performed by said recipient, comprising the steps of:

creating said message item for transmitting to recipient;

adding said flag, said flag including flag data identifying a follow-up action required by said recipient;

transmitting said message item to said recipient via said electronic mail system, and

displaying the text of said message item and the text of said flag to said recipient in said recipient'"'"'s inbox in association with said message item in order to indicate, even when said message item is closed, that the follow-up action is required.

19. The method recited in claim 18, further comprising the steps of:

receiving due data indicative of a date by which said follow-up action is to be performed; and

storing said due data in a due date property associated with said message item.

20. The method recited in claim 18, wherein said plurality of properties includes a status property indicative of whether said message item includes flag data.

21. The method recited in claim 18, further comprising the step of displaying status data indicating whether said follow-up action is complete.

22. The method recited in claim 18, further comprising the steps of:

displaying a plurality of said message items; and

sorting said message items according to said flag data.