Office-based notification messaging system
First Claim
Patent Images
1. An office-based computer system, comprising:
- a local network;
a check-in computer application configured to execute over the local network and prompt a user of the office-based computer system to check in;
a check-in database accessible on the local network and configured to store information identifying checked-in users, wherein the check-in computer application is configured to update the check-in database as users check in;
an email system available for use by users on the office-based computer system without regard to whether the user is checked in; and
a filtering application, integrated with the email system for use with email inboxes of the email system and in communication with the check-in database, configured to respond to an email message that is designated as an office notification message and that designates an expiration time and a recipient group by filtering out users who are not checked in from the recipients in the recipient group for the office notification message,wherein the office notification message is delivered by the email system to the email inboxes of the recipients remaining on the message as well as to the email inboxes of the recipients of the recipient group who check in after said email message was sent but before the expiration time.
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Abstract
Users of an office-based computer system are prompted to check in upon system login. An office notification message is created that includes a recipient group and an expiration. The notification message is sent only to checked-in members of the recipient group. After the notification message expires, it is deleted from the recipients'"'"' mailboxes. A reply message may be created by a notification message recipient and sent to the recipients of the original notification message. The reply message inherits the expiration of the original notification message and is deleted upon expiration.
34 Citations
24 Claims
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1. An office-based computer system, comprising:
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a local network; a check-in computer application configured to execute over the local network and prompt a user of the office-based computer system to check in; a check-in database accessible on the local network and configured to store information identifying checked-in users, wherein the check-in computer application is configured to update the check-in database as users check in; an email system available for use by users on the office-based computer system without regard to whether the user is checked in; and a filtering application, integrated with the email system for use with email inboxes of the email system and in communication with the check-in database, configured to respond to an email message that is designated as an office notification message and that designates an expiration time and a recipient group by filtering out users who are not checked in from the recipients in the recipient group for the office notification message, wherein the office notification message is delivered by the email system to the email inboxes of the recipients remaining on the message as well as to the email inboxes of the recipients of the recipient group who check in after said email message was sent but before the expiration time. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A filtering application integrated with an email system on an office-based computer system for delivering emails to email inboxes and in communication with a check-in database, said filtering application comprising a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer readable code stored thereon, the computer readable program code comprising:
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computer program code configured to respond to an email message that is designated as an office notification message and that designates an expiration time and a recipient group by filtering out users who are not checked in from the recipients in the recipient group for the office notification message, and by sending the office notification message via the email system to email inboxes of the recipients remaining on the message; and computer program code for periodically monitoring the check-in database while an office notification message has not yet expired to determine whether additional recipients in the recipient group have checked-in and sending the message via the email system to the email inbox of any such additional recipients. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12)
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13. A computer-implemented method for sending office notification messages to email inboxes of users of an office-based computer system, comprising:
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prompting a user of the office-based computer system to check in upon system log in; maintaining an indication in the office-based computer system as to which users are checked-in, based on responses by users to the prompting; and transmitting an expiring, user-generated email message that is designated as an office notification message, to checked-in members of a recipient group by filtering out the users who are not checked in from the recipients in the recipient group and delivering the message to the email inboxes of the recipients remaining on the message as well as to the email inboxes of the recipients of the recipient group who check in after said email message was sent but before the expiration time; wherein logged-in users who are not checked in, and who do not check in before the message expiration time, do not receive the message. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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22. A computer-implemented method for filtering email messages, comprising:
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responding to an email message sent through an email system of an office-based computer system that is designated as an office notification message and that designates an expiration time and a recipient group, by filtering out users who are not checked in to the office-based computer system from the recipients in the recipient group for the office notification message, delivering the office notification message to the email inboxes of recipients remaining on the message; and periodically monitoring a check-in database of checked-in users while an office notification message has not yet expired to determine whether additional recipients in the recipient group have checked-in and sending the message via the email system to the email inboxes of such additional recipients. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24)
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Specification