Internal electronic mail within a collaborative communication system

• US 8,171,081 B1
• Filed: 02/22/2011
• Issued: 05/01/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/20/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: BCS Software LLC (d/b/a Bluebonnet Consulting Services & Software)
• Original Assignee: Back Micro Solutions LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Wang, Jinsheng, Wang, Lu
• Primary Examiner(s): Shin, Kyung H
• Application Number:
  US13/032,586
• Time in Patent Office: 434 Days
• Field of Search: 709/204, 709/206, 709/227, 715/758
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/10 File systems; File servers
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2521 Translation architectures other than single NAT servers

Abstract

Techniques for exchanging internal electronic mail over an open data network within a collaborative communication system are disclosed. The exchanging of the internal electronic mail does not rely upon an email address commonly known to include an @ sign. Each of registered users in the collaborative communication platform is assigned an identifier. The identifier is used for delivering the internal mail so authored similarly to a traditional email, except that the internal mail is delivered without relying upon an email address or the domain name therein. The identifier of a recipient cannot be used as an email address for someone other than any of the registered users to send a message to a user in collaborative communication system.

Claims

1. A method for exchanging internal electronic mail over an open data network within a collaborative communication system, the method comprising:

maintaining a database of a plurality of users registered with the collaborative communication system, each of the users being assigned a unique identifier in the collaborative communication system, wherein the unique identifier is not an email address commonly known to include an @ sign or a user name and a domain name in the email address;

causing to display on a first client machine a user directory to show at least some of the registered users when a user using the first client machine logs into the collaborative communication system, wherein each of the some of the registered users is associated with an icon;

causing to display a user interface on the first client machine for authoring an internal mail, the user interface including at least a recipient area, a subject area and a message area, wherein the recipient area allows the user to select at least a recipient from the user directory to receive the internal mail, the subject area includes a topic to indicate what texts in the message area are related to;

transferring the internal mail to a server in the collaborative communication system when the user decides to send the internal mail to the recipient, wherein the recipient and the user belong to a group formed by a group of members from the registered users in the collaborative communication system, the group defines a circle within which the members are allowed to communicate with each other by exchanging internal electronic mail, a member outside the group is not allowed to communicate directly with any of the members in the group; and

delivering the internal mail from the server to a second client machine when the recipient logs into the collaborative communication system via the second client machine,

wherein said transferring of the internal mail to the server and said delivering of the internal mail from the server to the second client machine are performed using the identifier of the user and the identifier of the recipient, without relying upon an email address.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the identifier of the recipient cannot be used as an email address for a registered user to send or receive a message outside of the collaborative communication system.

3. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein an activation of the icon shows an enlarged version of the icon so that content of the enlarged version of the icon is easier to be viewed than the icon.

4. The method as recited in claim 3, wherein the identifier of each of the registered users is associated with a personalized name being displayed next to the icon thereof for others to recognize.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the user interface further allows the user to attach a file to supplement the internal mail.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein a reply user interface is displayed when the recipient replies the internal mail, the reply user interface including at least a recipient area, a subject area and a message area, wherein the recipient area of the reply user interface is automatically filled with the user, and the subject area of the reply user interface is automatically filled up.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the recipient means a group of users to receive the internal mail.

8. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the open data network is the Internet and the user interface is displayed in a web browser.

9. A method for exchanging internal electronic mail over an open data network within a collaborative communication system, the method comprising:

sending a request to log a user into the collaborative communication system that is configured to maintain a database of a plurality of users registered with the collaborative communication system, each of the users being assigned a unique identifier in the collaborative communication system, wherein the unique identifier is not an email address commonly known to include an @ sign or a user name and a domain name in the email address;

displaying on a first client machine a user directory to show at least some of the registered users when the user logs into the collaborative communication system, wherein each of the some of the registered users is associated with an icon;

displaying a user interface on the first client machine for authoring an internal mail when the user desires to send an internal mail, the user interface including at least a recipient area, a subject area and a message area, wherein the recipient area includes at least a recipient selected from the user directory to receive the internal mail, the subject area includes a topic to indicate what texts in the message area are related to;

transferring the internal mail to a server in the collaborative communication system when the user decides to send the internal mail to the recipient, wherein the recipient and the user belong to a group formed by a group of members from the registered users in the collaborative communication system, the group defines a circle within which the members are allowed to communicate with each other by exchanging internal electronic mail, a member outside the group is not allowed to communicate directly with any of the members in the group;

wherein the server is configured to deliver the internal mail to a second client machine when the recipient logs into the collaborative communication system via the second client machine, and

wherein said transferring of the internal mail to the server and delivery of the internal mail from the server to the second client machine are performed using the identifier of the user and the identifier of the recipient without relying upon an email address.

10. The method as recited in claim 9, wherein the first client machine is coupled to the open data network being one or more of:

the Internet, a local area network, and a wireless network.

11. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein the user directory is displayed on a browser being executed on the first client machine.

12. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein the user directory is displayed on an application being executed on the first client machine, the application is downloadable from a server in the collaborative communication system.

13. The method as recited in claim 9, wherein the identifier of the recipient cannot be used as an email address for a registered user to send or receive a message outside of the collaborative communication system.

14. The method as recited in claim 13, wherein an activation of the icon shows an enlarged version of the icon so that content of the enlarged version of the icon is easier to be viewed than the icon.

15. The method as recited in claim 14, wherein the identifier of each of the registered users is associated with a personalized name being displayed next to the icon thereof for others to recognize.

16. An apparatus for exchanging internal electronic mail over an open data network within a collaborative communication system, the apparatus comprising:

a display screen;

a network interface;

a memory space for storing code;

a processor, coupled to the memory space, executing the code in the memory space, to drive the display screen and the network interface to perform operations of;

sending a request to log a user into the collaborative communication system that is configured to maintain a database of a plurality of users registered with the collaborative communication system, each of the users being assigned a unique identifier in the collaborative communication system, wherein the unique identifier is not an email address commonly known to include an @ sign or a user name and a domain name in the email address;

displaying on the display screen a user directory to show at least some of the registered users when the user logs into the collaborative communication system, wherein each of the some of the registered users is associated with an icon;

displaying a user interface on the display screen for authoring an internal mail when the user desires to send an internal mail, the user interface including at least a recipient area, a subject area and a message area, wherein the recipient area includes at least a recipient selected from the user directory to receive the internal mail, the subject area includes a topic to indicate what texts in the message area are related to;

transferring the internal mail to a server in the collaborative communication system when the user decides to send the internal mail to the recipient, wherein the recipient and the user belong to a group formed by a group of members from the registered users in the collaborative communication system, the group defines a circle within which the members are allowed to communicate with each other by exchanging internal electronic mail, a member outside the group is not allowed to communicate directly with any of the members in the group;

wherein the server is configured to deliver the internal mail to a second client machine when the recipient logs into the collaborative communication system via the second client machine, and

wherein said transferring of the internal mail to the server and delivery of the internal mail from the server to the second client machine are performed using the identifier of the user and the identifier of the recipient without relying upon an email address.

17. The apparatus as recited in claim 16, wherein the identifier of the recipient cannot be used as an email address for a registered user to send or receive a message outside of the collaborative communication system.

18. The apparatus as recited in claim 17, wherein an activation of the icon shows an enlarged version of the icon so that content of the enlarged version of the icon is easier to be viewed than the icon.

19. The apparatus as recited in claim 18, wherein the identifier of each of the registered users is associated with a personalized name being displayed next to the icon thereof for others to recognize.