System and method for multimedia messaging system collaboration including proposal approval

• US 6,490,614 B1
• Filed: 08/31/1998
• Issued: 12/03/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Unify Inc. (Atos SE)
• Original Assignee: Siemens Communications Incorporated (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: Shaffer, Shmuel, Beyda, William Joseph
• Primary Examiner(s): Barot, Bharat
• Application Number:
  US09/144,513
• Time in Patent Office: 1,555 Days
• Field of Search: 709/204-207, 709/212-213, 709/216, 709/227-229, 709/238
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/00 User-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, transmitted according to store-and-forward or real-time protocols, e.g. e-mail
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/046 Interoperability with other network applications or services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/10 Multimedia information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/216 Handling conversation history, e.g. grouping of messages in sessions or threads
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5307 for recording messages comprising any combination of audio and non-audio components

Abstract

The present invention relates to a system and method for multimedia messaging system collaboration. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the sender sends a message to multiple recipients. A recipient wishing to make a comment or insert changes to the message submits his comments to a moderator for approval. If the moderator approves of the changes, then the changes are automatically incorporated into the message. The original message is then automatically recalled from recipients who have not yet opened the message and a revised message is automatically sent to those whose messages were recalled. Additionally, according to an embodiment of the present invention, a message is automatically sent to those recipients who have already opened the original message to indicate the change to the original message and update those recipients.

Claims

1. A method for collaboration of an electronic message, wherein the electronic message is sent to a plurality of recipients, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving a proposal associated with an issued electronic message from one or more recipients;

submitting the proposal to a moderator for approval or non-approval;

determining whether the proposal is approved; and

automatically recalling the electronic message from a recipient who has not yet opened the electronic message, wherein the automatic recalling of the electronic message is performed if the proposal is approved.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic message is a multimedia message.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic message includes an image.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic message includes video.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic message includes text.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic message includes audio.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein a manager is responsible for a portion of the electronic message, and approval of the proposal includes approval by the manager.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising automatically incorporating the proposal into the electronic message if the proposal is approved.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising automatically sending a second electronic message incorporating the proposal to the recipient, wherein the automatic sending of the second electronic message is performed if the proposal is approved.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic message is hereinafter referred to as first electronic message, wherein the method further comprises sending a second electronic message to a second recipient, wherein the second recipient has already opened the first electronic message, and wherein sending the second electronic message is performed if the proposal is approved.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the second electronic message indicates incorporation of the proposal into the electronic message.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the proposal is approved includes a vote.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the determination of whether the proposal is approved includes automatically determining a manager associated with the proposal.

14. A system for collaboration of an electronic message, wherein the electronic message is sent to a plurality of recipients, the system comprising:

a network interface configured to receive from one or more recipients a proposal associated with an issued electronic message;

a processor coupled with the network interface, wherein the processor is configured to submit the proposal to a moderator for approval or non-approval; and

a user interface configured to receive an instruction on whether the proposal is approved;

wherein the processor is configured to automatically recall the electronic message from a recipient who has not yet opened the electronic message if the proposal is approved.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the electronic message is a multimedia message.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the proposal, if approved, is approved by a moderator.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the proposal, if approved, is approved by a manager, wherein the manager is responsible for a portion of the electronic message.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein the processor is configured to automatically incorporate the proposal into the electronic message if the proposal is approved.

19. The system of claim 14, wherein the processor is configured to automatically send a second electronic message incorporating the proposal to the recipient, wherein the automatic sending of the second electronic message is performed if the proposal is approved.

20. The system of claim 14, wherein the electronic message is hereinafter referred to as first electronic message, wherein the processor is configured to send a second electronic message to a second recipient, wherein the second recipient has already opened the first electronic message, and wherein sending the second electronic message is performed if the proposal is approved.

21. The system of claim 14 wherein a vote determines whether the proposal is approved.

22. A computer program product for collaboration of an electroni message, wherein the electronic message is sent to a plurality of recipients, the computer program product comprising:

computer code receiving from one or more recipients a proposal associated with an issued electronic message;

computer code submitting the proposal to a moderator for approval or non-approval;

computer code determining whether the proposal is approved;

computer code automatically recalling the electronic message from a recipient who has not yet opened the electronic message, wherein the automatic recalling of the electronic message is performed if the proposal is approved; and

a computer readable medium that stores the computer codes.

23. The computer program product of claim 22, wherein the computer readable medium is selected from the group consisting of CD-ROM, floppy disk, tape, flash memory, system memory, hard drive, and data signal embodied in a carrier wave.