System and method for sending electronic mail in a client-server architecture

• US 7,917,576 B1
• Filed: 12/14/2000
• Issued: 03/29/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Kling, Brian D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Meky, Moustafa M
• Application Number:
  US09/735,891
• Time in Patent Office: 3,757 Days
• Field of Search: 713/163, 709/203, 709/206, 709/218, 709/328
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/066 Format adaptation, e.g. format conversion or compression
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/214 using selective forwarding

Abstract

A method and system for sending electronic mail from clients of a client-server architecture using broadcast/multicast messaging software. In a representative embodiment, the system includes a plurality of clients each containing broadcast/multicast messaging software, data processing software, and a client application program interface (API); a messaging server containing broadcast/multicast messaging software and an email API; and an email server containing email software. In a representative embodiment of the method, the data processing software composes an email and forwards the email to the client API, the client API instructs the broadcast/multicast messaging software to send a message containing the email to the messaging server, the broadcast/multicast messaging software broadcasts or multicasts the message, and the messaging server receives the message, reformats the message, and forwards the reformatted message to the email server, which then forwards the email to a destination address.

Claims

1. A method for sending electronic mail from a client operating within a client-server architecture, the method comprising:

(a) provisioning the client with client broadcast text messaging software;

(b) provisioning a server with server broadcast text messaging software,

wherein the server is in communication with the client;

(c) broadcasting from the client a text message in a broadcast transmission in a format of the broadcast text messaging software using subject based addressing wherein text in a subject field of the text message indicates an intended recipient, and wherein the text message is a non-email formatted message and contains electronic mail parameters including a destination email address for the electronic mail in a body of the text message;

(d) receiving the text message at the server after discerning from the text in the subject field that the text message is intended for the server;

(e) reformatting the text message from the format of the broadcast text messaging software to a format compatible with an email server, wherein the reformatted text message is addressed to the destination email address obtained from the body of the text message; and

(f) forwarding the reformatted text message to the email server in an email transmission to the destination email address;

wherein broadcasting includes transmitting a text message from a single network component to all components on a network;

wherein broadcasting the text message containing the electronic mail parameters comprises;

(i) identifying a triggering event that precipitates a need for the electronic mail;

(ii) determining an email body, an email subject, and the destination email address for the electronic mail, wherein the email body, the email subject, and the destination email address correspond to the triggering event; and

(iii) instructing the client broadcast text messaging software to broadcast the text message containing the electronic mail parameters, wherein the electronic mail parameters contains the email body, the email subject, and the destination email address.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the client monitors data traffic in a digital wireless packet switching network and the triggering event is an overload on network capacity that requires a change in traffic routing.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the client monitors hard disk space on other clients, and the triggering event is a shortage of hard disk space.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the email body, the email subject, and the destination email address comprises consulting a database cross-referencing triggering events with email bodies, email subjects, and email addresses.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the email body, the email subject, and the destination email address comprises a user manually entering the email body, the email subject, and the destination email address into a test program of the client broadcast text messaging software.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising forwarding the electronic mail from the email server through a network to the destination email address.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein broadcasting the text message containing the electronic mail parameters comprises:

(i) determining an email body, an email subject, and a destination email address using data processing software;

(ii) accessing an application program interface of the data processing software;

(iii) sending the email body, the email subject, and the destination email address to the application program interface; and

(iv) accessing the client broadcast text messaging software with the application program interface and instructing the client broadcast text messaging software to broadcast the text message, wherein the text message contains the email body, the email subject, and the destination email address.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising forwarding the electronic mail from the email server through the network to the destination email address.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the destination email address is an email address of a wireless pager.

10. The method claim 1, wherein the server is configured to capture the text message based on recognition of the subject and read the text message.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the format compatible with the email server is Messaging Application Program Interface (MAPI).

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the client broadcast text messaging software is different from, but compatible with, the server broadcast text messaging software.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the client broadcast text messaging software and the server broadcast text messaging software are TIB Rendezvous™

.

14. A system for sending an electronic mail (email) from a client in a client-server architecture, the system comprising:

(a) a plurality of clients, wherein each client of the plurality of clients contains client broadcast text messaging software, data processing software, and a client application program interface, and wherein each client is in communication with the plurality of clients;

(b) a text messaging server in communication with the plurality of clients, wherein the text messaging server contains server broadcast text messaging software and an email application program interface, wherein the email application program interface is adapted to receive a text message containing parameters of the electronic mail using subject based addressing in a broadcast transmission wherein the text message is a non-email formatted message and text in a subject field of the text message indicates an intended recipient and a destination email address is contained in a body of the text message, wherein the text messaging server discerns from the text in the subject field that the text message is intended for the text messaging server, and reformats the text message from a format compatible with the server broadcast text messaging software to a format compatible with an email server and addressed to the destination email address; and

(c) an email server in communication with the text messaging server;

wherein the broadcast text messaging software is configured to transmit a text message from a single network component to all components on a network;

wherein broadcasting the text message containing the electronic mail parameters comprises;

(i) identifying a triggering event that precipitates a need for the electronic mail;

(ii) determining an email body, an email subject, and the destination email address for the electronic mail, wherein the email body, the email subject, and the destination email address correspond to the triggering event; and

(iii) instructing the client broadcast text messaging software to broadcast the text message containing the electronic mail parameters, wherein the electronic mail parameters contains the email body, the email subject, and the destination email address.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the data processing software is a testing program of the client text messaging software through which a user can enter an email body, an email subject, and a destination email address for the electronic mail.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the client application program interface is adapted to instruct the client broadcast text messaging software to send a text message containing the electronic mail to the text messaging server.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the client application program interface is one of a dynamic link library, a control, and an object module.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein the email application program interface is one of a dynamic link library, a control, and an object module.

19. The system of claim 14, wherein the client broadcast text messaging software enables broadcasts and multicasts from the plurality of clients.

20. The system of claim 14, wherein the client broadcast text messaging software is different from, but compatible with, the server broadcast text messaging software.

21. The system of claim 14, wherein the client broadcast text messaging software is the same as the server broadcast text messaging software.

22. The system of claim 14, wherein the client broadcast text messaging software and the server broadcast text messaging server are TIB Rendezvous.

23. The system of claim 14, wherein the email server is adapted to receive the electronic mail and forward the electronic mail through a network.

24. The system of claim 14, wherein the server broadcast text messaging software and the email application program interface are a single Transaction Control Protocol/Internet Protocol program.

25. A method for sending an electronic mail (email) comprising:

(a) broadcasting from a client computer a text message in a broadcast format using subject based addressing wherein the text message is a non-email formatted message text in a subject field of the text message indicates an intended recipient, and a body of the text message contains a destination email address, email subject, and email body for the electronic email, wherein the client computer is part of a client-server architecture;

(b) receiving the text message at a server computer of the client-server architecture after discerning from the text in the subject field that the text message is intended for the server computer;

(c) reformatting the text message from the broadcast format to an email format having the destination email address, the email subject, and the email body from the text message; and

(d) forwarding the reformatted text message to an email server that is compatible with the email format;

wherein broadcasting includes transmitting a text message from a single component on a network;

wherein broadcasting the text message comprises;

(i) identifying a triggering event that precipitates a need for the electronic mail;

(ii) determining an email body, an email subject, and the destination email address for the electronic mail, wherein the email body, the email subject, and the destination email address correspond to the triggering event; and

(iii) instructing the client broadcast text messaging software to broadcast the text message containing the electronic mail parameters, wherein the electronic mail parameters contains the email body, the email subject, and the destination email address.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the client computer uses TIB Rendezvous™

software to broadcast the text message containing the electronic mail, and wherein the server computer uses TIB Rendezvous™

software to receive the message.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein the client computer uses Transaction Control Protocol/Internet Protocol software to broadcast the text message containing the electronic mail, and wherein the server computer uses Transaction Control Protocol/Internet Protocol software to receive the text message.

28. The method of claim 25, further comprising forwarding the electronic mail from the email server through a network to the destination email address specified in the electronic mail.

29. The method of claim 25, wherein the broadcast format is a TIB Rendezvous™

format and the email format is a Messaging Application Program Interface (MAPI) format.

30. A system for sending an electronic mail from a client in a client-server architecture, the system comprising:

(a) means for broadcasting from a client computer a text message in a broadcast format using subject based addressing wherein the text message is a non email formatted message text in a subject field of the text message indicates an intended recipient, and a body of the text message contains a destination email address, email subject, and email body for the electronic email, wherein the client computer is part of a client-server architecture;

(b) means for receiving the text message at a server computer of the client server architecture after discerning from the text in the subject field that the text message is intended for the server computer;

(c) means for reformatting the text message from the broadcast format to an email format having the destination email address, the email subject, and the email body from the text message; and

(d) means for forwarding the reformatted text message to an email server that is compatible with the email format;

wherein broadcasting includes transmitting a text message from a single network component to all components on a network;

wherein broadcasting the text message comprises;

(i) identifying a triggering event that precipitates a need for the electronic mail;

(ii) determining an email body, an email subject, and the destination email address for the electronic mail, wherein the email body, the email subject, and the destination email address correspond to the triggering event; and

(iii) instructing the client broadcast text messaging software to broadcast the text message containing the electronic mail parameters, wherein the electronic mail parameters contains the email body, the email subject, and the destination email address.

31. The system of claim 30, wherein the broadcast format is a TIB Rendezvous™

format and the email format is a Messaging Application Program Interface (MAPI) format.