System and method for electronic message notification

• US 7,082,439 B1
• Filed: 08/25/2000
• Issued: 07/25/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/26/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: HSC Venture Fund 1999
• Inventors: Hickman, Paul L., Gough, James J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ali, Mohammad
• Assistant Examiner(s): PANNALA, SATHYANARAYA R
• Application Number:
  US09/648,715
• Time in Patent Office: 2,160 Days
• Field of Search: 709/204, 709/205, 709/206, 707/104
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99948 Application of database or data structure, e.g. distributed, multimedia, or image

Abstract

A method, article of manufacture and system for electronic mail notification including determining that it is a time for at least one of a reminder notification action and a report notification action. For a reminder notification action, all action items within a given range are obtained and the action items are processed into at least one action item report which is e-mailed to at least one designated recipient. For a report notification action, the a list of completed action items in a given range are obtained and the list of completed action items is processed into at least one completed action report that is e-mailed to at least one designated recipient.

Claims

1. A method for electronic mail notification comprising:

determining that it is a time for at least one of a reminder notification action and a report notification action;

opening a docketing program;

running a report;

saving the report for further processing;

for a reminder notification action, obtaining all action items within a given range from said report and, processing the action items into at least one action item report and e-mailing the at least one action item report to at least one designated recipient; and

for a report notification action, obtaining a list of completed action items in a given range from said report and processing the list of completed action items into at least one completed action report and e-mailing the at least one completed action report to at least one designated recipient.

2. A method for electronic mail notification as recited in claim 1 wherein processing the action items includes:

reading the saved report into memory;

parsing the report into items; and

filtering out unwanted items.

3. A method for electronic mail notification as recited in claim 1 wherein obtaining a list of completed action items includes:

reading the report into memory;

parsing the report into items; and

creating a list from the items.

4. A computer readable media including code segments for electronic mail notification comprising:

a code segment determining that it is a time for at least one of a reminder notification action and a report notification action;

a code segment opening a docketing program;

a code segment running a report;

a code segment saving the report for further processing

for a reminder notification action, a code segment obtaining all action items within a given range from said report and processing the action items into at least one action item report and e-mailing the at least one action item report to at least one designated recipient; and

for a report notification action, a code segment obtaining a list of completed action items in a given range from said report and processing the list of completed action items into at least one completed action report and e-mailing the at least one completed action report to at least one designated recipient.

5. A system for electronic mail notification comprising:

means determining that it is a time for at least one of a reminder notification action and a report notification action;

means for opening a docketing program;

means for running a report;

means for saving the report for further processing;

for a reminder notification action, means for obtaining all action items within a given range from said report and processing the action items into at least one action item report and e-mailing the at least one action item report to at least one designated recipient; and

for a report notification action, means for obtaining a list of completed action items in a given range from said report and processing the list of completed action items into at least one completed action report and e-mailing the at least one completed action report to at least one designated recipient.

6. A method for electronic mail reminders comprising:

determining that it is a time for a reminder notification;

opening a docketing program;

running a report;

saving the report for further processing;

obtaining all action items within a given range from said report and processing the action items into at least one action item report; and

e-mailing the at least one action item report to at least one designated recipient.

7. A method for electronic mail reminders as recited in claim 6 wherein processing the action items includes:

reading the saved report into memory;

parsing the report into items; and

filtering out unwanted items.

8. A computer readable media including code segments for electronic mail reminders comprising:

a code segment determining that it is a time for a reminder notification;

a code segment opening a docketing program;

a code segment running a report;

a code segment saving the report for further processing;

a code segment obtaining all action items within a given range from said report and processing the action items into at least one action item report; and

a code segment e-mailing the at least one action item report to at least one designated recipient.

9. A system for electronic mail reminders comprising:

means determining that it is a time for a reminder notification;

means for opening a docketing program;

means for running a report;

means for saving the report for further processing;

means obtaining all action items within a given range from said report and processing the action items into at least one action item report; and

means e-mailing the at least one action item report to at least one designated recipient.

10. A method for electronic mail reporting comprising:

determining that it is a time for a report notification;

opening a docketing program;

running a report;

saving the report for further processing;

obtaining a list of completed action items in a given range from said report and processing the list of completed action items into at least one completed action report; and

e-mailing the at least one completed action report to at least one designated recipient.

11. A method for electronic mail reporting as recited in claim 10 wherein processing the action items includes:

reading the report into memory;

parsing the report into items; and

creating a list from the items.

12. A computer readable media including code segments for electronic mail reporting comprising:

a code segment determining that it is a time for a report notification;

a code segment opening a docketing program;

a code segment running a report;

a code segment saving the report for further processing;

a code segment obtaining a list of completed action items in a given range from said report and processing the list of completed action items into at least one completed action report; and

a code segment e-mailing the at least one completed action report to at least one designated recipient.

13. A system for electronic mail reporting comprising:

means determining that it is a time for a report notification;

means opening a docketing program;

means running a report;

means saving the report for further processing;

means obtaining a list of completed action items in a given range from said report and processing the list of completed action items into at least one completed action report; and

means e-mailing the at least one completed action report to at least one designated recipient.