Messaging platform process

• US 6,247,065 B1
• Filed: 12/26/1996
• Issued: 06/12/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 12/26/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property II LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hanson, Bruce Lowell, Janow, Richard H., Huber, Kenneth Mervin, Greenspan, Steven Lloyd
• Primary Examiner(s): COURTENAY III, ST JOHN
• Application Number:
  US08/773,152
• Time in Patent Office: 1,629 Days
• Field of Search: 395/680, 379/88.13, 379/88.17, 379/88.18, 709/300, 709/710-733, 709/200-208, 709/310-332, 717/11, 710/5, 710/68, 345/327, 386/83, 348/14
• US Class Current: 719/313
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/18 Commands or executable codes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/42 Mailbox-related aspects, e.g. synchronisation of mailboxes
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53 Centralised arrangements for recording incoming messages , i.e. mailbox systems

Abstract

Numerous benefits are realized by allowing messaging platforms to receive and act on information packages that include one or more Execution Instruction Sets (EISs), where the EIS is executed as specified. Execution of the included EISs provides vastly enhanced capabilities to the messaging platform, such as controlling when an EIS is executed, from where necessary data is obtained for the execution of the EIS, what kinds of executions are permitted, who will be the recipients of the content portion of platform, what that content will be, etc. Increasing the interaction complexity a step further, the EIS permits creation of an interactive session with the recipient that makes the message more effective. A still additional capability is the establishment of a communication path from the messaging platform. This may be in the form of a message that is sent by the messaging platform, or a connection that is established between the recipient and some other party.

Claims

1. A method comprising the steps of:

receiving an information package from a sender, addressed to a specified recipient, at a server messaging platform which accepts the information package and stores messages in recipient mailboxes that can be accessed by recipients;

prior to a request by said recipient for any information received by said platform for said recipient, said server messaging platform extracting from said information package a content portion and a program portion that contains at least one execution instruction set (EIS) that specifies when the EIS is to be executed; and

executing the at least one EIS.

2. The method of claim 1 where the program portion contains more than one EIS.

3. The method of claim 1 where the step of executing includes the step of assessing when the EIS needs to be executed.

4. The method of claim 1 where the program portion includes an instructions portion and a data portion.

5. The method of claim 1 where the step of executing includes executing instruction steps of an EIS at time of arrival of the information packages at the platform, at a specified time, at a computable time, or at time of recipient'"'"'s request to said messaging platform to access a message corresponding to the information package.

6. The method of claim 1 where the step of executing results in an identification of at least one recipient for the content portion.

7. The method of claim 1 where the step of executing results in an identification of two or more recipients of the content portion and the content portion is personalized for each recipient.

8. The method of claim 1 where the step of executing utilizes data stored in the message platform or outside the message platform.

9. The method of claim 1 where the step of executing utilizes data in the program portion.

10. The method of claim 1 where the step of executing utilizes data in the data portion.

11. The method of claim 1 where the message portion includes an incompletely determined recipient identification and the step of executing explicitly determines identity of at least one recipient.

12. The method of claim 1 where an EIS is executed when a recipient accesses the platform to receive messages addressed to the recipient.

13. The method of claim 1 where the content portion comprises a voice message, an e-mail message, a fax message, a video message, or a data file message.

14. The method of claim 3 where identity of a recipient is determined by executing an EIS either at time of arrival or at a specified time.

15. The method of claim 3 where in the course of executing the at least one EIS the content portion is instantiated for a recipient for whom said information package is destined, to form a message that is personalized for the recipient, either at time of arrival or at a specified time.

16. The method of claim 4 where the data portion comprises data that is employed in the course of executing the instructions portion.

17. The method of claim 1 where EISs of the program portion are executed at different times.

18. The method of claim 12 where execution of the EIS at the time when the recipient accesses the platform results in an interactive communication between the message platform and the recipient.

19. The method of claim 12 where execution of the EIS at the time when the recipient accesses the platform results in the recipient being connected to a party.

20. The method of claim 15 where the instantiating to form the message modifies the content portion.

21. The method of claim 15 where the instantiating to form the message employs a subset of the content portion.

22. The method of claim 15 where the instantiating to form the message creates a message without employing information contained in the content portion.

23. The method of claim 15 where the instantiation comprises placing the message in a storage area assigned to a particular recipient, or placing a pointer in the storage area assigned to a particular recipient, which pointer links to another storage area where the message is stored.

24. The method of claim 18 where the interactive communication results in the message platform sending out an outgoing message to the telecommunication network.

25. The method of claim 19 where the party to whom the recipient is connected is the party that sent the information package to the recipient.

26. The method of claim 23 where said another storage area is associated with a processor that is other than a processor of the messaging platform.

27. The method of claim 24 where the outgoing message comprises data provided by the recipient.

28. The method of claim 24 where the outgoing message is a voice message destined to the party that sent the message to the recipient.

29. A method comprising the steps of:

receiving an information package from a sender, addressed to a specified recipient, at a server messaging platform that is remote to said recipient;

prior to a request by said recipient for any information received by said platform for said recipient, extracting from the information package a content portion and a program portion; and

identifying in the program portion parsed out of said information package at least one execution instruction set (EIS) that, when executed, a) presents a first page to a recipient accessing the messaging platform, and b) in response to an input from the recipient presents to the recipient a subsequent page.

30. The method of claim 29 where the first page is a home page on an Internet site.

31. The method of claim 29 where the subsequent page is a page on an Internet site.

32. A method executed at a server messaging platform comprising the steps of:

receiving an information package from a sender, addressed to a specified recipient, at said server messaging platform;

prior to a request by said recipient for any information received by said platform for said recipient, extracting from the information package a program portion and a content portion, where the content portion comprises a first page and at least one subsequent page, and the first page of the content portion is either a voice message, an image message, or a video message; and

executing the at least one EIS.

33. A method comprising the steps of:

receiving at a server messaging platform an e-mail message from a sender, which message consists of an information package;

prior to a request by said recipient for any information received by said platform for said recipient that has a mailbox at said server messaging platform, extracting from the information package a content portion and a data portion that imprecisely specifies addressees of the content portion; and

executing a process to precisely specify addressees, where the number of addressees so specified is zero, one, or more than one.

34. The method of claim 33 further comprising the steps of assigning the content portion to a mailbox of each specified addressee to form messages for those addressees, and personalizing those messages for the addressees.

35. The method of claim 34 where the step of personalizing is effected when the content portion is assigned to a mailbox or when the content portion is accessed.

36. A method comprising the steps of:

receiving at a server messaging platform an information package from a sender, addressed to a specified recipient;

prior to a request by said recipient for any information received by said platform for said recipient, extracting from the information package a content portion and a program portion that contains at least one execution instruction set (EIS) which determines specific content of a message presented to a recipient when the recipient accesses the platform, where said content of a message that is present to said recipient is related to said content portion that is extracted from said information package; and

executing the at least one EIS.

37. The method of claim 36 where the modification comprises personalization of the specific content based on data included the instruction portion.

38. The method of claim 36 where the process of determining comprises modifying the content portion parsed by the platform to form said message.

39. The method of claim 36 where the process of determining comprises adding to the content portion parsed by the platform to form said message.

40. The method of claim 36 where the process of determining comprises selecting a subset of the content portion parsed by the platform to form said message.

41. The method of claim 36 where the process of determining comprises modifying the specific content presented to the recipient based on an attribute of the recipient.

42. The method of claim 36 where the process of determining comprises modifying an image presented to the recipient based on an attribute of the sender.

43. The method of claim 36 where the modification comprises personalization of the specific content based on data included in a database that is either local to or remote from the platform.

44. A method comprising the steps of:

receiving an information package from a sender, addressed to a specified recipient, at a sender messaging platform to which clients connect via a telecommunications network;

prior to a request by said recipient for any information received by said platform for said recipient, extracting from the information package a content portion and a program portion that contains at least one reference to an executable module that is resident in the platform and that executes an action other than related to the process of displaying said content portion; and

executing the module.

45. The method of claim 44 where

the reference includes a time-of-execution specification, which specifies a time certain, a computable time, a time of arrival execution, or a time of access execution, and

the step of executing executes the module at the time-of-execution specified by the reference.

46. A method executed at a server messaging platform comprising the steps of:

receiving an information package at the messaging platform;

prior to a request by said recipient for any information received by said platform for said recipient, extracting from the information package a content portion and a program portion that contains at least one execution instruction set (EIS) and a data portion, where the data portion is employed in the course of executing the EIS; and

executing the at least one EIS to form at least one message.

47. The method of claim 46 where the data determines a time when the message is deleted.

48. The method of claim 46 where the data determines a time when the message is changed or modified.

49. The method of claim 46 where the data is used to personalize content presented to recipients.

50. A method executed at a server messaging platform comprising the steps of:

receiving an information package at the messaging platform;

prior to a request by said recipient for any information received by said platform for said recipient, extracting from the information package a content portion and a program portion that contains at least one execution instruction set (EIS) and a data portion, where the data portion identifies a message created from another information package (ID'"'"'ed message) and is employed in the course of executing the EIS; and

executing the at least one EIS to process the ID'"'"'ed message.

51. The method of claim 50 where the processing comprises deleting the ID'"'"'ed message.

52. The method of claim 50 where the processing comprises substituting the ID'"'"'ed message with at least a portion of the content portion.