On demand email response

• US 8,566,400 B2
• Filed: 09/30/2004
• Issued: 10/22/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Chen, Yen-Fu, Handy-Bosma, John Hans, Walker, Keith Raymond
• Primary Examiner(s): DENNISON, JERRY B
• Application Number:
  US10/955,199
• Publication Number:
  US 20060075043A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,309 Days
• Field of Search: 713/193, 709/206
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/226 Delivery according to priorities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/234 for tracking messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46

Abstract

An improvement to an electronic mail program is disclosed. In particular, the improved electronic mail program enables a user to mark individual action items within a message and set attributes for each action item. In the preferred embodiment, attributes include priority, deadline, abstract, and responsibility. The electronic mail program stores the action items and associated attributes in a database and sends the message to one or more recipients. The electronic mail program then displays the message and action items to the recipients. Message recipients then navigate through the list of action items to read descriptions and to determine the priority and nature of the actions necessary. The responsibility attribute further indicates which recipient should respond to the action item. The improved electronic mail program updates the status of each action item in the database as recipients respond.

Claims

1. A demand-based messaging system for assigning and updating a plurality of action items, comprising:

a first computer;

a first input device, and a first output device, coupled to the first computer;

a storage device coupled to the first computer;

a second computer coupled to the first computer through a communications medium;

a database coupled to the first computer, and to the second computer, through the communications medium;

a second input device, and a second output device, coupled to the second computer;

a first demand-based messaging program operable on the first computer, the demand-based messaging program comprising instructions for causing the first computer to perform a first plurality of steps comprising;

displaying a first user interface on the first output device;

reading a message data, composed by a sender, from the first input device, the message data comprising a plurality of action items;

displaying the message data to the sender in the first user interface;

reading an attribute for each of the plurality of action items from the first input device;

assigning each attribute to the corresponding action item;

storing the message data in the database;

transferring the message data to a plurality of recipients over the communications medium to the second computer; and

a second demand-based messaging program operable on the second computer, the second demand-based messaging program comprising instructions for causing the second computer to perform a second plurality of steps comprising;

linking the database to the second computer;

displaying the message data, to a first recipient, on the second output device;

receiving a response from the first recipient, from the second input device, wherein the response includes a status indication;

updating the message data, and the database, with the response; and

displaying the updated message data to the plurality of recipients;

wherein a single message may be used to assign action items, assign attributes, and update responses, to a plurality of action items for a plurality of recipients.

2. The demand based messaging system of claim 1 wherein the attribute is selected from the group consisting of:

a priority attribute, a deadline attribute, an abstract attribute, and a responsibility attribute.

3. The demand-based messaging system of claim 2 wherein the second demand-based messaging program further comprises instructions for causing the second computer to:

insert the deadline attribute into a calendar of the first message recipient using the second computer.

4. The demand-based messaging system of claim 2 wherein the first demand-based messaging program further comprises instructions for causing the first computer to perform steps comprising:

replacing each action item in the message data with a link to the action item in the database; and

wherein

the second demand-based messaging program further comprises instructions for causing the second computer to display the link, to the plurality of recipients.

5. The demand-based messaging system of claim 1 wherein the second demand-based messaging program further comprises instructions for causing the second computer to:

reading a response to each action item from the second input device; and

inserting a response status indicator into each action item.

6. A computer implemented process for assigning and tracking a plurality of action items for a plurality of recipients in a single message comprising:

composing a message to the plurality of recipients, the message containing a plurality of action items;

marking one or more of the plurality of action items in the message to create a marked action item, and assigning an attribute to each marked action item;

storing each marked action item, and each attribute corresponding to each marked action item, in a database, and establishing a link between the database and the message;

sending the message, and the link, to the plurality of recipients over a network;

displaying each marked action item, and each corresponding attribute, to each of the plurality of recipients;

responsive to a recipient composing a response, and assigning a response status indicator, to an action item, using the link between the database and the message, updating the database with the response, and with the response status indicator; and

displaying the action item, the response, and the response status indicator, to the sender, and to each of the recipients;

wherein a sender may assign a plurality of action items and a plurality of attributes, to a plurality of recipients, in a single message, and track the responses of each recipient to the action items.

7. A computer implemented process of claim 6 wherein the attribute is selected from the group consisting of:

a priority attribute, a deadline attribute, an abstract attribute, and a responsibility attribute.

8. The computer implemented process of claim 7 further comprising:

associating the action item with a second link, and storing the second link in the database; and

replacing the action item with the second link, and displaying the second link to each of the plurality of recipients;

wherein, by clicking on the second link, a recipient may view, or respond, to the action item.