Method and system for e-mail enhancement

• US 8,775,534 B2
• Filed: 10/16/2009
• Issued: 07/08/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/17/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Philippe Laval
• Original Assignee: Philippe Laval
• Inventors: Laval, Philippe
• Primary Examiner(s): Chriss, Andrew
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ohri, Romani
• Application Number:
  US13/124,491
• Publication Number:
  US 20110202621A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,726 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206, 709/218, 715/513, 715234-242, 715751-753, 707/755, 707/736, 713/171
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]

Abstract

A method for enhancing an electronic message, referred to as an e-mail, upon receiving the same in the e-mail inbox of a user, the method includes the following steps: a local application, working with the e-mail inbox and extracting a set of data contained in the incoming e-mail, sends the data set to a remote server, receives a response from the remote server, and attaches the response to the incoming e-mail; and the remote server receives the data set sent by the local application, analyzes the data so as to identify specific elements, and sends the specific elements as a reply to the local application. The invention relates to the exchange of structured information by e-mail, and in particular to scheduling appointments, contact details, and monitoring tasks to be performed.

Claims

1. A method for enhancing an electronic message referred to as an e-mail, upon receipt in a user'"'"'s e-mail inbox, this method comprising the following steps:

a local application, associated with an email management application, acting on the e-mail inbox, which extracts a set of data comprising text contained in a body and a header of the e-mail, and a nature of the e-mail, contained in the e-mail, transmits said set of data to a remote server, receives a response originating from the remote server, and attaches this response in the form of an attachment to said e-mail; and

said remote server receiving the set of data transmitted by the local application, analyzes the data so as to identify specific elements, and transmits said specific elements as a response to the local application,

wherein the local application and the remote server operate asynchronously so that the e-mail can be consulted in the e-mail inbox by the user while the remote server carries out the data analysis.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the local application acts on the e-mail inbox as a “

plug-in”

.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the specific elements comprise at least one of the elements chosen from the following group:

date, time and location relating to a meeting, contacts or tasks.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the local application produces an item attached to the e-mail based on the response transmitted by the remote server.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the remote server incorporates the specific elements into a document in the form of an attached item that the local application attaches to the e-mail.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the response transmitted by the remote server contains a structured representation of the specific elements.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the local application produces and transmits a unique identifier to the remote server at the same time as the set of data.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the unique identifier identifies the user.

9. The method according to claim 7, wherein the unique identifier identifies the e-mail.

10. The method according to claim 7, wherein the unique identifier comprises an IP address making it possible to locate the local application.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein the attachment to the e-mail is a document in HTML format containing at least one hypertext link.

13. The method according to claim 8, wherein the unique identifier identifies the e-mail.

14. The method according to claim 8, wherein the unique identifier comprises an IP address making it possible to locate the local application.

15. The method according to claim 9, wherein the unique identifier comprises an IP address making it possible to locate the local application.

16. The method according to claim 1, wherein the specific elements are generated by the remote server.

12. A system for enhancing an electronic message referred to as an e-mail, upon receipt in an e-mail inbox contained in a processing unit, the system comprising:

the processing unit comprises a local application, acting on the e-mail inbox, which is capable of extracting a set of data contained in the e-mail, transmitting said set of data to a remote server, receiving a response originating from the remote server, and attaching this response in the form of an attachment to said e-mail; and

the remote server is capable of receiving the set of data transmitted by the local application, analyzing the data so as to identify specific elements, and transmitting these specific elements as a response to the local application,

wherein the local application and the remote server operate asynchronously so that the e-mail can be consulted in the e-mail inbox by the user while the remote server carries out the data analysis.

17. A method for enhancing an electronic message referred to as an e-mail, upon receipt in a user'"'"'s e-mail inbox, this method comprising the following steps:

a local application, acting on the e-mail inbox, which extracts a set of data comprising the text contained in the body and the header of the e-mail as well as the nature of this e-mail, contained in the e-mail, transmits said set of data to a remote server, receives a response originating from the remote server, and attaches this response in the form of an attachment to said e-mail; and

said remote server receiving the set of data transmitted by the local application, analyzes the data so as to generate specific elements, and the remote server transmits said specific elements as a response to the local application, said specific elements being selected from date, time and location relating to a meeting, contacts or tasks,

wherein the local application and the remote server operate asynchronously so that the e-mail can be consulted in the e-mail inbox by the user while the remote server carries out the data analysis.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein the local application acts on the e-mail inbox as a “

plug-in”

.

19. The method according to claim 17, wherein the local application produces an item attached to the e-mail based on the response transmitted by the remote server.

20. The method according to claim 17, wherein the remote server incorporates the specific elements into a document in the form of an attached item that the local application attaches to the e-mail.