Method of graphically formatting e-mail message headers

• US 6,707,472 B1
• Filed: 10/17/2000
• Issued: 03/16/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Mind Fusion, LLC (Ascend Innovation Management, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Thomas Grauman
• Inventors: Grauman, Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): Cabeca, John
• Assistant Examiner(s): DETWILER, BRIAN J
• Application Number:
  US09/690,621
• Time in Patent Office: 1,246 Days
• Field of Search: 345/752, 379/93.01, 379/93.24, 709/204, 709/206
• US Class Current: 715/752
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/066 Format adaptation, e.g. format conversion or compression

Abstract

A method for providing a graphical display, called an e-envelope, for an Internet e-mail message. This is performed by adding formatting information to the header of the e-mail message, preferably by the use of special header fields called “Form Headers”, which provide formatting specifications, in one aspect related to data carried in either the header or the body of the e-mail message. During creation of an e-mail message, a sender can choose formatting specifications for the e-envelope. These formatting specifications are then stored in Form Headers which are inserted into the header of e-mail message along with the existing conventional headers. An e-mail program receiving such an Internet e-mail message reads the Form Headers as well as the data to be formatted, if any. The e-mail program then merges the formatting specifications and linked data, if any, to create graphical interface elements corresponding to the formatted e-envelope specified by the sender for presentation to a recipient of the e-mail message.

Claims

1. A method of generating a graphical user interface for an e-mail message, comprising the steps of:

(A) generating an e-mail message having a body and a header for transmission to one or more recipients in a predetermined character set;

(B) selecting formatting associated with said e-mail message for display by said one or more recipients, said formatting providing visual characteristics to said predetermined character set;

(C) modifying said e-mail message by inserting said formatting into said header;

(D) transmitting said modified e-mail message to said one or more recipients; and

(E) upon reception of said modified e-mail message, displaying said formatting associated with said modified e-mail message in graphical format.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of modifying said e-mail message comprises generating at least one form header based upon said selected formatting and then inserting said at least one form header into said e-mail header and said step of displaying said formatting comprises extracting said at least one form header from said e-mail header of said modified e-mail message and extracting said formatting from said at least one form header for display.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein at least one of said at least one form headers is linked to data headers within said e-mail header such that said generated graphical user interface includes said formatting applied to data associated with said data headers.

4. A method of generating graphical user interfaces for e-mail messages, comprising the steps of:

(A) generating an e-mail message having an e-mail body and an e-mail header in a predetermined character set;

(B) selecting formatting associated with said e-mail message for display, said formatting providing visual characteristics to said predetermined character set;

(C) modifying said e-mail message prior to transmission by inserting said formatting into said e-mail header;

(D) saving said modified e-mail message; and

(E) displaying said formatting associated with said modified e-mail message in graphical format.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said step of modifying said e-mail message comprises generating at least one form header based upon said selected formatting and then inserting said at least one form header into said e-mail header and said step of displaying said formatting comprises extracting said at least one form header from said e-mail header of said modified e-mail message and extracting said formatting from said at least one form header for display.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein at least one of said at least one form headers is linked to data headers within said e-mail header such that said generated graphical user interface includes said formatting applied to data associated with said data headers.

7. A method of generating graphical user interfaces for e-mail messages having an e-mail body and an e-mail header, comprising the steps of:

(A) selecting formatting associated with an e-mail message for display in a predetermined character set;

(B) generating at least one form header based upon said selected formatting, said formatting providing visual characteristics to said predetermined character set;

(C) modifying said e-mail message prior to transmission by inserting said at least one form header into said e-mail header;

(D) saving said modified e-mail message; and

(E) extracting said at least one form header from said e-mail header of said modified e-mail message, extracting said formatting from said at least one form header and displaying said formatting associated with said e-mail message in graphical format.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein at least one of said at least one form headers is linked to data headers within said e-mail header such that said generated graphical user interface includes said formatting applied to data associated with said data headers.