System for remote configuration of automatic reply message settings using an email message sent from a second email address to a first email address allocated to a user

• US 7,386,595 B1
• Filed: 02/06/2008
• Issued: 06/10/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/06/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Snap, Inc.
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Muttur, Manjunath B., Bloomer, Richard A. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Quang N.
• Application Number:
  US12/027,015
• Time in Patent Office: 125 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/206, 709/219, 709/221, 709/224
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/02 using automatic reactions or user delegation, e.g. automatic replies or chatbot-generated messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/18 Commands or executable codes

Abstract

A system is provided for remotely configuring automatic reply message settings. The system comprises an email server configured to receive email messages addressed to an email address allocated for a user. The email server is configurable to generate an automatic reply message in response to receiving email messages addressed to the email address, to examine each received email message addressed to the email address for one or more specified conditions, and to execute one or more specified actions configuring settings for the automatic reply message when the one or more specified conditions are met by a received email message addressed to the email address.

Claims

1. A system for remotely configuring settings for automatic reply messages, the system comprising:

an email server, the email server being configured

to permit a user to define an autoreply configuration rule according to one or more specified conditions and one or more specified actions configuring automatic reply message settings for a first email address allocated for the user,

to permit the user to generate an autoreply configuration email message including a set of configuration instructions using a second email address allocated for the user,

to receive the autoreply configuration email message addressed to the first email address sent from the second email address by the user,

to examine the received autoreply configuration email message for the one or more specified conditions,

to execute the one or more specified actions configuring the automatic reply message settings for the first email address if the one or more specified conditions are met by the received autoreply configuration email message, and

to generate an automatic reply message in response to receiving email messages addressed to the first email address in accordance with the configured automatic reply message settings,

wherein at least one of the one or more specified actions is determined according to the set of instructions included in the autoreply configuration email message and retrieved by the email server, and

wherein the one or more specified conditions are selected from being sent from one or more specified email addresses, containing one or more specified strings of text in a specified format, containing a particular digital signature, and combinations thereof, and wherein the one or more specified actions are selected from enabling the automatic reply message, disabling the automatic reply message, setting a time period during which the automatic reply message is to be generated, creating a block of text to be included in the automatic reply message, editing a block of text to be included in the automatic reply message, setting a list of email addresses to which the automatic reply is to be sent, and combinations thereof.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the email server is configurable by the user using a first email client application running on a first client platform that is communicatively coupled to the email server.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the autoreply configuration email message is generated using a second email client application running on a second client platform that is communicatively decoupled from the email server, the second client platform being a device selected from personal computers, Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs), handheld computing devices, portable computing devices, palm top computers, mobile handsets, cellular phones, smart phones, game consoles, and combinations thereof.