Electronic reminder system with universal email input

• US 6,272,532 B1
• Filed: 12/02/1998
• Issued: 08/07/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 12/02/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Harold F. Feinleib
• Original Assignee: Harold F. Feinleib
• Inventors: Feinleib, Harold F.
• Primary Examiner(s): VU, VIET DUY
• Application Number:
  US09/203,840
• Time in Patent Office: 979 Days
• Field of Search: 709/202, 709/203, 709/204, 709/206, 709/217, 709/219, 709/313, 709/328, 709/329
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]

Abstract

An electronic reminder system is provided. The system includes a computer connectable to the internet for receiving email messages. The messages include at least one reminder message set, having a date, recipient and text. A program executing on the computer parses the email message and creates an reminder electronic message. The electronic reminders are preferably sent as email messages. If desired, the reminder may include an instruction to be carried out by a machine which receives the instruction.

Claims

1. An electronic reminder system comprising:

an email message containing at least one reminder message set;

each said reminder message set including a recipient, a date and a text;

a computer connectable to the Internet for receiving said email message;

a data storage device accessible by said computer for storage and retrieval of database records; and

a program executing on said computer for extracting each said reminder message set from said email message and for using each said reminder message set to create a database record on said data storage device;

said program for retrieving the database record when a predetermined date matches the reminder message set date, for constructing an electronic reminder from the retrieved reminder message set text, and for sending the electronic reminder to the retrieved reminder message set recipient.

2. The electronic reminder system of claim 1 in which said electronic reminder is an email reminder.

3. The electronic reminder system of claim 1 wherein said computer is connectable to the internet for receiving said email message via POP.

4. The electronic reminder system of claim 1 wherein said computer is connectable to the internet for receiving said email message via IMAP.

5. The electronic reminder system of claim 1 wherein said computer is connected to the internet for receiving said email message via SMTP.

6. The electronic reminder system of claim 1 including a machine for receiving said electronic reminder.

7. The electronic reminder system of claim 6 wherein said electronic reminder is an instruction and in which said machine interprets and carries out the instruction contained in said electronic reminder.

8. The electronic reminder system of claim 1 wherein said email message contains a plurality of reminder message sets.

9. The electronic reminder system of claim 1 wherein said program checks a sender of received email messages for authorization and replies with an authorization error message if an error condition exists.

10. The electronic reminder system of claim 1 wherein said program checks a body of received email messages and replies with a format error message to a sender thereof if a reminder message set cannot be identified therein.

11. The electronic reminder system of claim 1 wherein said program is configurable to email a warning to a sender of said email message a predetermined time prior to sending said email reminder.

12. The electronic reminder system of claim 1 wherein said program is configurable to forward a reminder failure to a sender of said email message.

13. The electronic reminder system of claim 1 wherein said program is configurable to forward a reminder delivery confirmation to a sender of said email message.

14. The electronic reminder system of claim 1 wherein said program assigns a unique reminder ID to each reminder message set extracted from said email message.

15. The electronic reminder system of claim 14 wherein each assigned reminder ID is reported to a sender of said email message.

16. The electronic reminder system of claim 15 wherein the sender of said email message issues commands to said computer related to the assigned unique reminder ID.

17. The electronic reminder system of claim 1 wherein said program is controllable via email commands.

18. The electronic reminder system of claim 1 wherein said program is configurable to limit a total number of reminders on said date storage device for any single user.

19. The electronic reminder system of claim 1 wherein said program is configurable to limit a total number of recipients of any single email reminder.

20. The electronic reminder system of claim 1 wherein each said reminder message set includes a time to send the electronic reminder.

21. The electronic reminder system of claim 20 wherein each said reminder message set includes a second date for resending the electronic reminder.