System and method for image inclusion in e-mail messages

• US 8,489,684 B2
• Filed: 02/06/2007
• Issued: 07/16/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/06/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Research In Motion Limited (Blackberry Limited)
• Inventors: Adams, Neil Patrick, Vander Veen, Raymond Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): WON, MICHAEL YOUNG
• Application Number:
  US11/671,540
• Publication Number:
  US 20080189370A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,352 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206, 709/207, 709/205, 709/226, 709/228, 709/232, 709/246
• US Class Current: 709/205
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/08 Annexed information, e.g. attachments

Abstract

While populating an e-mail message with, among other details, an e-mail address for a receiver, an image of the sender is included as part of the e-mail message. Advantageously, at a device in use to execute an e-mail client application on behalf of the receiver, the e-mail client application may automatically add the included image to an address book entry associated with the identity of the sender. Alternatively, the user may be prompted to allow the association of the image with the address book entry of the sender of the message. Later, upon receiving an incoming call from the sender with corresponding CLID information, the call display application may perform a lookup of the CLID information and display the image associated, in the address book, with the sender.

Claims

1. A method of handling an enhanced electronic message, said method comprising:

receiving an electronic message composed by a sending party, said electronic message specifying a destination address for a receiving party and including a message attachment specific to said sending party;

determining that said message attachment specific to said sending party fails to meet criteria, said criteria including descriptions of a first set of fields of a contact record maintained by contact management software executed at a device in use by said receiving party;

responsive to said determining, amending said message attachment specific to said sending party to meet said criteria thereby creating an amended electronic message; and

transmitting said amended electronic message to said device in use by said receiving party,

wherein said amending said message attachment specific to said sending party comprises remapping data in a second set of fields of said data specific to said sending party to said first set of fields.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said message attachment specific to said sending party is a digital image.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein said criteria further comprise dimensions of said digital image.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein said amending said message attachment specific to said sending party comprises cropping said digital image.

5. The method of claim 3 wherein said amending said message attachment specific to said sending party comprises resizing said digital image.

6. A mobile device server comprising:

a processor adapted to;

receive an electronic message composed by a sending party, said electronic message specifying a destination address for a receiving party and including a message attachment specific to said sending party;

determine that said message attachment specific to said sending party fails to meet criteria, said criteria including descriptions of a first set of fields of a contact record maintained by contact management software executed at a device in use by said receiving party;

amend, responsive to said determining, said message attachment specific to said sending party to meet said criteria, to thereby create an amended electronic message; and

transmit said amended electronic message to said device in use by said receiving party,

wherein said processor is further adapted to amend said message attachment specific to said sending party by remapping message attachment in a second set of fields of said message attachment specific to said sending party to said first set of fields.

7. The mobile device server of claim 6 wherein said message attachment specific to said sending party is a digital image.

8. The mobile device server of claim 7 wherein said criteria further comprise dimensions of said digital image.

9. The mobile device server of claim 8 wherein said processor is further adapted to amend said message attachment specific to said sending party by cropping said digital image.

10. The mobile device server of claim 8 wherein said processor is further adapted to amend said message attachment specific to said sending party by resizing said digital image.

11. A non-transitory computer readable medium containing computer-executable instructions that, when performed by a processor, cause said processor to:

receive an electronic message composed by a sending party, said electronic message specifying a destination address for a receiving party and including message attachment specific to said sending party;

determine that said message attachment specific to said sending party fails to meet criteria, said criteria including descriptions of a first set of fields of a contact record maintained by contact management software executed at a device in use by said receiving party;

amend, responsive to said determining, said message attachment specific to said sending party to meet said criteria, to thereby create an amended electronic message; and

transmit said amended electronic message to said device in use by said receiving party,

wherein said instructions further cause said processor to amend said message attachment specific to said sending party by remapping data in a second set of fields of said message attachment specific to said sending party to said first set of fields.

12. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11 wherein said message attachment specific to said sending party is a digital image.

13. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 12 wherein said criteria further comprise dimensions of said digital image.

14. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 12 wherein said instructions further cause said processor to amend said message attachment specific to said sending party by cropping said digital image.

15. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 12 wherein said instructions further cause said processor to amend said message attachment specific to said sending party by resizing said digital image.