Active electronic mail

• US 6,542,923 B2
• Filed: 08/21/1997
• Issued: 04/01/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 08/21/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Tumbleweed Holdings LLC (Equitable IP Corporation)
• Original Assignee: PlanetWeb, Inc. (Monotype Imaging Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: Nguyen, Julien T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Meky, Moustafa M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): EDELMAN, BRADLEY E
• Application Number:
  US08/918,698
• Publication Number:
  US 20020059447A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,049 Days
• Field of Search: 395/610, 395/682, 395/701, 395/702, 395/200.32, 395/200.33, 395/200.48, 707/513, 707/10, 709/202, 709/203, 709/218, 709/302, 709/206
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/103 Formatting, i.e. changing of presentation of documents automatic justification G06F40/189; automatic line break hyphenation G06F40/191
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/18 Commands or executable codes

Abstract

The invention provides a method and system for formatting electronic mail for transmission, in which electronic mail messages include the operational results of one or more applets. An electronic mail client creates an electronic mail message using one or more applets, each of which may operate to actively receive, transform, and display information to be presented with the electronic mail message. At or near a time when the electronic mail message is formatted for transmission, editable program code for the applets is removed, and any dynamic links between the applets are broken. The electronic mail message made available to the receiver can thus include active elements, but any applets which are received are not editable by the receiver.

Claims

1. A method, including the steps of:

constructing an electronic mail message including an applet, said applet including an editable portion and a presentation portion, said presentation portion generated at least in part by said applet; and

formatting said electronic mail message for transmission, wherein said step of formatting includes excluding said editable portion while including at least part of the presentation portion;

wherein said electronic mail message includes a plurality of applets, said plurality of applets including at least one dynamic link between a pair of said applets, and said step of formatting includes excluding said dynamic link while including at least one of said pair of applets.

2. A method as in claim 1, wherein said electronic mail message includes an information element.

3. A method as in claim 1, wherein said applet includes means for receiving, transforming, and displaying information in association with said electronic mail message.

4. A method as in claim 3, wherein said step of formatting includes excluding said means for receiving and said means for transforming and including a result of said means for transforming.

5. A method as in claim 3, wherein said applet includes means for receiving a handwritten signature and for displaying said handwritten signature to a recipient of said electronic mail message.

6. A method, including the steps of:

constructing an electronic mail message including a plurality of applets, said applets including at least a dynamic link between a pair of said applets; and

formatting said electronic mail message for transmission, wherein said step of formatting includes excluding said dynamic link while including at least one of said pair of applets.

7. A method as in claim 6, wherein said electronic mail message includes an information element.

8. A method as in claim 6, wherein each of said applets includes means for receiving, transforming, and displaying information in association with said electronic mail message.

9. A method as in claim 8, wherein said step of formatting includes excluding said means for receiving and said means for transforming and including a result of said means for transforming.

10. A method as in claim 8, wherein each of said applets includes means for receiving a handwritten signature and for displaying said handwritten signature to a recipient of said electronic mail message.

11. A method, including the steps of:

constructing an electronic mail message including a plurality of ActiveX applets, said applets including at least a dynamic link between a pair of said applets; and

formatting said electronic mail message for transmission, wherein said step of formatting includes excluding said dynamic link while including at least one of said pair of applets.

12. An apparatus capable of sending electronic mail messages, comprising:

an interface through which said electronic mail messages can be sent;

a memory that stores information including instructions; and

a processor that executes the instructions to control sending the electronic mail messages, said instructions comprising the steps of;

(a) constructing an electronic mail message including an applet, said applet including an editable portion and a presentation portion, said presentation portion generated at least in part by said applet, and (b) formatting said electronic mail message for transmission, wherein said step of formatting includes excluding said editable portion while including at least part of the presentation portion, wherein said electronic mail message includes a plurality of applets, said plurality of applets including at least one dynamic link between a pair of said applets, and said step of formatting includes excluding said dynamic link while including at least one of said pair of applets.

13. An apparatus as in claim 12, wherein said electronic mail message includes an information element.

14. An apparatus as in claim 12, wherein said applet includes means for receiving, transforming, and displaying information in association with said electronic mail message.

15. An apparatus as in claim 14, wherein said step of formatting includes excluding said means for receiving and said means for transforming and including a result of said means for transforming.

16. An apparatus as in claim 14, wherein said applet includes means for receiving a handwritten signature and for displaying said handwritten signature to a recipient of said electronic mail message.

17. An apparatus capable of sending electronic mail messages, comprising:

an interface through which said electronic mail messages can be sent;

a memory that stores information including instructions; and

a processor that executes the instructions to control sending the electronic mail messages, said instructions comprising the steps of;

(a) constructing an electronic mail message including a plurality of applets, said applets including at least a dynamic link between a pair of said applets, and (b) formatting said electronic mail message for transmission, wherein said step of formatting includes excluding said dynamic link while including at least one of said pair of applets.

18. An apparatus as in claim 17, wherein said electronic mail message includes an information element.

19. An apparatus as in claim 17, wherein each of said applets includes means for receiving, transforming, and displaying information in association with said electronic mail message.

20. An apparatus as in claim 19, wherein said step of formatting includes excluding said means for receiving and said means for transforming and including a result of said means for transforming.

21. An apparatus as in claim 19, wherein each of said applets includes means for receiving a handwritten signature and for displaying said handwritten signature to a recipient of said electronic mail message.

22. An apparatus capable of sending electronic mail messages, comprising:

an interface through which said electronic mail messages can be sent;

a memory that stores information including instructions; and

a processor that executes the instructions to control sending the electronic mail messages, said instructions comprising the steps of;

(a) constructing an electronic mail message including a plurality of ActiveX applets, said applets including at least a dynamic link between a pair of said applets, and (b) formatting said electronic mail message for transmission, wherein said step of formatting includes excluding said dynamic link while including at least one of said pair of applets.

23. A memory storing information including instructions, the instructions executable by a processor to send electronic mail messages, the instructions comprising:

constructing an electronic mail message including an applet, said applet including an editable portion and a presentation portion, said presentation portion generated at least in part by said applet;

formatting said electronic mail message for transmission, wherein said step of formatting includes excluding said editable portion while including at least part of the presentation portion;

wherein said electronic mail message includes a plurality of applets, said plurality of applets including at least one dynamic link between a pair of said applets, and said step of formatting includes excluding said dynamic link while including at least one of said pair of applets.

24. A memory as in claim 23, wherein said electronic mail message includes an information element.

25. A memory as in claim 23, wherein said applet includes means for receiving, transforming, and displaying information in association with said electronic mail message.

26. A memory as in claim 25, wherein said step of formatting includes excluding said means for receiving and said means for transforming and including a result of said means for transforming.

27. A memory as in claim 25, wherein said applet includes means for receiving a handwritten signature and for displaying said handwritten signature to a recipient of said electronic mail message.

28. A memory storing information including instructions, the instructions executable by a processor to send electronic mail messages, the instructions comprising:

constructing an electronic mail message including a plurality of applets, said applets including at least a dynamic link between a pair of said applets; and

formatting said electronic mail message for transmission, wherein said step of formatting includes excluding said dynamic link while including at least one of said pair of applets.

29. A memory as in claim 28, wherein said electronic mail message includes an information element.

30. A memory as in claim 28, wherein each of said applets includes means for receiving, transforming, and displaying information in association with said electronic mail message.

31. A memory as in claim 30, wherein said step of formatting includes excluding said means for receiving and said means for transforming and including a result of said means for transforming.

32. A memory as in claim 30, wherein each of said applets includes means for receiving a handwritten signature and for displaying said handwritten signature to a recipient of said electronic mail message.

33. A memory storing information including instructions, the instructions executable by a processor to send electronic mail messages, the instructions comprising:

constructing an electronic mail message including a plurality of ActiveX applets, said applets including at least a dynamic link between a pair of said applets; and

formatting said electronic mail message for transmission, wherein said step of formatting includes excluding said dynamic link while including at least one of said pair of applets.