Integrating a web-based business application with existing client-side electronic mail systems
First Claim
1. In a web-based business information system having an internal e-mail facility, a method for facilitating and tracking e-mail communications between (i) an end user of the web-based business information system and (ii) an external contact that is not an end user of the web-based business information system, comprising:
- sending an initial e-mail message from said internal e-mail facility to the external contact, wherein a domain of a REPLY-TO field of said initial e-mail message corresponds to a domain of said internal e-mail facility, and wherein a local part of said REPLY-TO field of said initial e-mail message comprises a tracking string encoding tracking information associated with said end user and said external contact with respect to said web-based business information system, the tracking string having a plurality of distinct components including a first component uniquely identifying a thread of conversation between said end user and said external contact and a second component that orders messages in the thread of conversation independent of message date;
receiving at said internal e-mail facility a first reply e-mail message from said external contact replying to said initial e-mail message, said first reply e-mail message having a TO field including said tracking string; and
sending from said internal e-mail facility a modified version of said first reply e-mail message to a native e-mail address of the end user, said native e-mail address corresponding to a native e-mail system of the end user different than said internal e-mail facility and lying outside said web-based business information system, wherein a domain of a REPLY-TO field of said modified version of said first reply e-mail message corresponds to said domain of said internal e-mail facility, and wherein a local part of said REPLY-TO field comprises a first modified version of said tracking string.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method, system, computer program product, and related business methods are described in the context of a web-based business information system having an internal e-mail facility, wherein e-mail communications between a native e-mail system of an end user of the web-based business information system and an external contact are facilitated and automatically tracked by the web-based business information system, the native e-mail system lying outside the web-based business information system but often being preferred by the end user over the internal e-mail facility of the web-based business information system. The described preferred embodiments provide for easy-to-use, reasonably transparent, “no-click” integration of the web-based business information system with the end user'"'"'s native e-mail system in a manner that is independent of the particular type and choice of native e-mail system.
41 Citations
31 Claims
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1. In a web-based business information system having an internal e-mail facility, a method for facilitating and tracking e-mail communications between (i) an end user of the web-based business information system and (ii) an external contact that is not an end user of the web-based business information system, comprising:
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sending an initial e-mail message from said internal e-mail facility to the external contact, wherein a domain of a REPLY-TO field of said initial e-mail message corresponds to a domain of said internal e-mail facility, and wherein a local part of said REPLY-TO field of said initial e-mail message comprises a tracking string encoding tracking information associated with said end user and said external contact with respect to said web-based business information system, the tracking string having a plurality of distinct components including a first component uniquely identifying a thread of conversation between said end user and said external contact and a second component that orders messages in the thread of conversation independent of message date; receiving at said internal e-mail facility a first reply e-mail message from said external contact replying to said initial e-mail message, said first reply e-mail message having a TO field including said tracking string; and sending from said internal e-mail facility a modified version of said first reply e-mail message to a native e-mail address of the end user, said native e-mail address corresponding to a native e-mail system of the end user different than said internal e-mail facility and lying outside said web-based business information system, wherein a domain of a REPLY-TO field of said modified version of said first reply e-mail message corresponds to said domain of said internal e-mail facility, and wherein a local part of said REPLY-TO field comprises a first modified version of said tracking string. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. In a web-based business information system having an internal e-mail facility, a method for facilitating and tracking e-mail communications between (i) an end user of the web-based business information system and (ii) an external contact that is not an end user of the web-based business information system, comprising:
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sending an initial e-mail message from said internal e-mail facility to the external contact, wherein a first thread-recurrent field of said initial e-mail message comprises a tracking string encoding tracking information associated with said end user and said external contact with respect to said web-based business information system, the encoded tracking information having a plurality of distinct components including a first component uniquely identifying a thread of conversation between said end user and said external contact and a second component that orders messages in the thread of conversation independent of message date; receiving at said internal e-mail facility a first reply e-mail message from said external contact replying to said initial e-mail message, said first reply e-mail message comprising said tracking string in said first thread-recurrent field thereof; and sending from said internal e-mail facility a modified version of said first reply e-mail message to a native e-mail address of the end user, said native e-mail address corresponding to a native e-mail system of the end user different than said internal e-mail facility and lying outside said web-based business information system, wherein a second thread-recurrent field of said modified version of said first reply e-mail message comprises a first modified version of said tracking string in which the second component is modified and the first component is unmodified. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. A computer-implemented method for facilitating communications between at least a first e-mail user and a second e-mail user, comprising:
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sending a first e-mail message from the first e-mail user to the second e-mail user, the first e-mail message having a first thread-recurrent field encoding tracking information comprising a plurality of distinct tracking information components including a first tracking information component identifying a distinguished communications category of a plurality of communications categories and a second tracking information component uniquely identifying a distinguished thread of communications between at least the first e-mail user and the second e-mail user; receiving, responsive to the first e-mail message, a second e-mail message sent from the second e-mail user to the first e-mail user, the second e-mail message having a second thread-recurrent field encoding tracking information comprising the first tracking information component identifying the distinguished communications category and the second tracking information component uniquely identifying the distinguished thread of communications between at least the first e-mail user and the second e-mail user; and responsive to the second e-mail message, evaluating one or more rules to access rules-based e-mail tracking functionality, the evaluation of the one or more rules based at least in part on the distinguished communications category identified by the first tracking information component of the second e-mail message and the distinguished thread of communications identified by the second tracking information component of the second e-mail message. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25)
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26. A computer-implemented method for facilitating communications between at least a first e-mail user and a second e-mail user, comprising:
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sending a first e-mail message from the first e-mail user to the second e-mail user, the first e-mail message having at least a first thread-recurrent field associated with an identification of a distinguished thread of communications between at least the first e-mail user and the second e-mail user and a cryptographic hash code based at least in part on the identification of the distinguished thread of communications between at least the first e-mail user and the second e-mail user; receiving, responsive to the first e-mail message, a second e-mail message sent from the second e-mail user to the first e-mail user, the second e-mail message having at least a second thread-recurrent field associated with the identification of the distinguished thread of communications between at least the first e-mail user and the second e-mail user and the cryptographic hash code based at least in part on the identification of the distinguished thread of communications between at least the first e-mail user and the second e-mail user; and responsive to the second e-mail message, evaluating one or more rules to access rules-based e-mail tracking functionality, the evaluation of the one or more rules based at least in part on the identification of the distinguished thread of communications between at least the first e-mail user and the second e-mail user and the cryptographic hash code based at least in part on the identification of the distinguished thread of communications between at least the first e-mail user and the second e-mail user. - View Dependent Claims (27, 28, 29, 30, 31)
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Specification