Electronic mail deployment system

• US 6,449,635 B1
• Filed: 04/21/1999
• Issued: 09/10/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/21/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Acoustic, L.P.
• Original Assignee: MindArrow Systems, Inc. (Avalon Digital Marketing Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Donaldson, Christopher E., Tilden, Philip N. Jr., Strack, Robert E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lim, Krisna
• Application Number:
  US09/295,933
• Time in Patent Office: 1,238 Days
• Field of Search: 709/201, 709/203, 709/206
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/063 Content adaptation, e.g. replacement of unsuitable content
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/18 Commands or executable codes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/224 providing notification on incoming messages, e.g. pushed notifications of received messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/234 for tracking messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/75 Indicating network or usage conditions on the user display
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A data distribution system includes a server computer for transmitting email files to a computer network for access by remote computers having email client computer software for displaying the email files; the server includes a script program as a portion of a secondary e-mail message that also includes tracking information; a predefined message is also stored as a main message, the script program also including a command that displays the predefined message by retrieving the second source file. The Script program can further include a command for passing information to the server computer, and a command for replacing a first image with a second image. When the server computer receives the transmitted information, a reply is transmitted, and the script program executes the command for replacing in response to the reply. The command for passing the information can be executed in response to a user action directed to the first image. The reply can be transmitted upon completion of a task initiated in response to the user action for providing visual confirmation of task completion. Also disclosed are methods for distributing the messages and signaling completion of server tasks by exchanging button images.

Claims

1. A system for distributing at least one main message over an electronic network comprising:

a means for providing an initial message having a script, the script comprising transmittal instructions for initiating retrieval of the at least one main message;

at least one server for sending the initial message and the at least one main message over the electronic network; and

at least one subscriber computer coupled to the electronic network for receiving the initial message, the at least one subscriber computer having means for executing the script of the initial message and for requesting retrieval of the at least one main message from the at least one server in response to an action on the initial message.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the action on the initial message comprises viewing the initial message.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one main message expands the initial message.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the script of the initial message is written in Javascript.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the script further comprises tracking transmittal instructions for sending identification and tracking information to the at least one server upon the action on the initial message.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the action on the initial message comprises a user viewing at least a portion of the initial message to initiate execution of the script for retrieving the at least one main message from the at least one server.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the script further comprises an address for locating the at least one server.

8. A method of distributing a main message of a plurality of main messages over an electronic network comprising the steps of:

providing an initial message having a script, the script comprising transmittal instructions for retrieving the main message;

storing the initial message and the plurality of main messages on at least one server;

sending the initial message to at least one subscriber computer coupled to the electronic network;

performing an action upon the initial message at the at least one subscriber computer to initiate execution of the script; and

retrieving the main message from the at least one server in response to the action upon the initial message.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the step of performing an action upon the initial message comprises a user viewing the initial message.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the step of performing an action upon the initial message comprises viewing a portion of the initial message.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the script further comprises an address for locating the at least one server.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the script further comprises tracking transmittal instructions for transmitting tracking information to the at least one server from the at least one subscriber computer, the method further comprising the steps of:

processing the tracking transmittal instructions on the at least one subscriber computer; and

sending the tracking information to the at least one server in response to the action upon the initial message.

13. The method of claim 8, further comprising the step of retrieving a second main message of the plurality of main messages in response to a subsequent action upon the initial message, wherein the subsequent action re-initiates execution of the script.

14. A method for distributing a main message from at least one server computer to at least one subscriber computer over a communications network, the method comprising the steps of:

providing the main message to the at least one server computer;

providing an initial message to the at least one server computer, the initial message comprising a script program having content transmittal instructions for retrieving the main message from the at least one server computer;

sending the initial message to the at least one subscriber computer over the communications network;

performing an action on the initial message at the at least one subscriber computer, the action for initiating execution of the script program; and

retrieving the main message from the at least one server computer upon execution of the script program.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the script program of the initial message further comprises tracking transmittal instructions for sending identification and tracking information to the at least one server over the communications network upon execution of the script program.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the step of performing an action on the initial message comprises viewing the initial message.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the script of the initial message further comprises message identifier transmittal instructions for transmitting a message identifier from the at least one subscriber computer to the at least one server computer, the method further comprising the step of:

processing the message identifier transmittal instructions on the at least one subscriber computer and sending the message identifier to the at least one server computer.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the script of the initial message further comprises subscriber identifier transmittal instructions for transmitting a subscriber identifier from the at least one subscriber computer to the at least one server computer, the method further comprising the step of:

processing the subscriber identifier transmittal instructions on the at least one subscriber computer and sending the subscriber identifier to the at least one server computer.

19. A system for distributing at least one main message over a communications network comprising:

a server computer means comprising;

a sender client means for transmitting an initial message to at least one subscriber computer over the communications network, the initial message comprising transmittal instructions for sending the at least one main message from a main message server means to the at least one subscriber computer over the communications network; and

the main message server means for storing the at least one main message and for sending the at least one main message in response to a request from the at least one subscriber computer; and

the at least one subscriber computer for receiving the initial message and the at least one main message, the at least one subscriber computer comprising;

means for processing the transmittal instructions of the initial message; and

means for requesting the main message server means to transmit the at least one main message from the main message server means to the at least one subscriber computer over the communications network.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the initial message further comprises message identifier transmittal instructions for transmitting a message identifier from the at least one subscriber computer to the server computer means.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the at least one subscriber computer further comprises:

means for processing the message identifier transmittal instructions; and

means for sending the message identifier to the server computer means over the communications network.

22. The system of claim 19, wherein the initial message further comprises subscriber identifier transmittal instructions for transmitting a subscriber identifier from the at least one subscriber computer to the to the server computer means.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the at least one subscriber computer further comprises:

means for processing the subscriber identifier transmittal instructions; and

means for sending the subscriber identifier to the server computer means over the communications network.