Delivering messages to message servers

• US 7,334,019 B2
• Filed: 07/18/2002
• Issued: 02/19/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/18/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Original Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Inventors: Wilson, Michael, Vogel, Inna, Quick, Ryan, Lockert, Thorsten, Quaintance, Chris, Musick, Chad
• Primary Examiner(s): Winder; Patrice
• Application Number:
  US10/199,155
• Publication Number:
  US 20040015505A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,042 Days
• Field of Search: 709206-207, 709217-219, 715/505, 719313-314
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/063 Content adaptation, e.g. replacement of unsuitable content
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/23 Reliability checks, e.g. acknowledgments or fault reporting

Abstract

A message database server receives a message request from an application program and returns a confirmation or error status to the application program after attempting to store the message information contained in the request to a data store. The data store may be maintained by the message database server or by a queuing system. A message server obtains the message information from the data store for transmission through either a pull or push methodology. In one aspect the message data store contains a set of personalization tags and an identifier for a message template that contains the text of the message to be sent. The message server creates the message by retrieving the message template specified by the identifier and filling in variables in the text in the template with the appropriate personalization tags.

Claims

1. A computerized method comprising:

receiving message information in a templated message request from an application, the message information including an identifier for a message template in a message template database, the message template including a plurality of variables, and a value for at least one of the plurality of variables;

sending the message information in a certified message to a queuing system for storage in a data store managed by the queuing system and accessible by a message server;

returning a status to the application; and

deleting the message information from the data store after a pre-defined period of time.

2. The computerized method of claim 1 further comprising:

publishing the message information by category for access by a message server subscribing to the category.

3. The computerized method of claim 1, wherein the status comprises:

confirmation that the message information has been stored.

4. The computerized method of claim 1, wherein the identifier comprises multiple fields.

5. The computerized method of claim 1, wherein the message template further comprises:

a plurality of sub-templates; and

a command to select one of the plurality of sub-templates based on parameters included in the templated message request by the application.

6. A computer-readable medium having executable instructions to cause a computer to perform a method comprising:

receiving message information in a templated message request from an application, the message information including an identifier for a message template in a message template database, the message template including a plurality of variables, and a value for at least one of the plurality of variables;

sending the message information to a queuing system for storage in a data store managed by the queuing system and accessible by a message server; and

returning a status to the application, wherein the status includes a storage confirmation status when the message information is stored in the data store, and wherein the status includes an error status when the message information is not stored in the data store.

7. The computer-readable medium of claim 6, wherein the method further comprises:

deleting the message information from the data store after a pre-defined period of time.

8. The computer-readable medium of claim 6, wherein the method further comprises:

deleting the message information from the data store upon successful transmission by the message server.

9. The computer-readable medium of claim 6, wherein the method further comprises:

storing the message information in a secondary data store; and

deleting the message information from the secondary data store when the message information is successfully delivered to the queuing system.

10. The computer-readable medium of claim 6, wherein the method further comprises:

publishing the message information by category for access by a message server subscribing to the category.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 6, wherein the identifier comprises multiple fields.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 6, wherein the message template further comprises:

a plurality of sub-templates; and

a command to select one of the plurality of sub-templates based on parameters included in the templated message request by the application.

13. A system comprising:

a processor coupled to a memory through a bus;

a network interface coupled to the processor through the bus, the network interface to couple to a queuing system that manages a data store accessible by a message server;

a message process executed by the processor from the memory to cause the processor to receive message information in a templated message request from an application, the message information including an identifier for a message template in a message template database, the message template including a plurality of variables, and a value for at least one of the plurality of variables, send the message information in a certified message to the queuing system to store the message information in the data store, and return a status to the application; and

a secondary data store coupled to the processor through the bus, and wherein the message process further causes the processor to store the message information in the secondary data store, and delete the message information from the secondary data store when the message information is successfully delivered to the queuing system.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the message process further causes the processor to categorize the message information for publication by the queuing system.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the identifier comprises multiple fields.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the message template further comprises:

a plurality of sub-templates; and

a command to select one of the plurality of sub-templates based on parameters included in the templated message request by the application.

17. A messaging system comprising:

a message database server coupled to a queuing system through a certified message bus, wherein the message database server sends message information received in a templated message request from an application to the queuing system in a certified message, the message information including an identifier for a message template in a message template database coupled to the message database server, the message template including a plurality of variables, and a value for at least one of the plurality of variables, and the queuing system stores the message information in the certified message in a data store, wherein the certified message bus attempts to deliver the certified message to the queuing system until a time limit associated with the certified message expires; and

a message server coupled to the queuing system through a message bus to access the message information in the data store for transmission.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the queuing system publishes the message information in a category and the message server accesses the message information by subscribing to the category.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the message database server further stores the message information in a secondary data store coupled to the message database server and deletes the message information from the secondary data store when the certified message is successfully delivered to the queuing system.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein the queuing system deletes the message information from the data store after a pre-defined period of time.

21. The system of claim 17, wherein the queuing system deletes the message information from the data store upon successful transmission by the message server.

22. The system of claim 17, wherein the message data base server returns a status to the application.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the status comprises:

confirmation that the message information has been stored.

24. The system of claim 17, wherein the identifier comprises multiple fields.

25. The system of claim 17, wherein the message template further comprises:

a plurality of sub-templates; and

a command to select one of the plurality of sub-templates based on parameters included in the templated message request by the application.

26. A computerized method comprising:

receiving message information in a templated message request from an application, the message information including an identifier for a message template in a message template database, the message template including a plurality of variables, and a value for at least one of the plurality of variables;

sending the message information to a queuing system for storage in a data store managed by the queuing system and accessible by a message server; and

returning a status to the application.

27. The computerized method of claim 26 further comprising:

publishing the message information by category for access by a message server subscribing to the category.

28. The computerized method of claim 26, wherein the status comprises:

confirmation that the message information has been stored.

29. The computerized method of claim 26, wherein the identifier comprises multiple fields.

30. The computerized method of claim 26, wherein the message template further comprises:

a plurality of sub-templates; and

a command to select one of the plurality of sub-templates based on parameters included in the templated message request by the application.