E-mail alert system

• US 8,832,198 B2
• Filed: 08/23/2011
• Issued: 09/09/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/10/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amy White, Phillip White, Roger White
• Original Assignee: Phillip White
• Inventors: White, Roger, White, Amy, White, Phillip
• Primary Examiner(s): Lazaro, David
• Assistant Examiner(s): HENRY, MARIEGEORGES A
• Application Number:
  US13/215,735
• Publication Number:
  US 20120179765A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,113 Days
• Field of Search: 709204-206
• US Class Current: 709/205
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]

Abstract

An e-mail sender is provided with an option to send a notification to the prospective recipient(s) of an e-mail indicating to the recipient that an e-mail has been sent to his or her attention or to a business or other entities attention. The notification can be advantageously sent by a different communications route, such as by mail, courier, telephone call, facsimile, social network, or other method. Back up notifications can also be sent on an automated basis. The notification can be sent automatically and/or sent a period of time after the e-mail is sent if an acknowledgment or reply is not received.

Claims

1. An electronic mail (e-mail) method, comprising the steps of:

sending an e-mail from a sender to at least one recipient;

using an electronic sender operated device to select one or more alerts to be sent to said at least one recipient based on an instruction from said sender to alert said at least one recipient that said e-mail has been sent from said sender to said at least one recipient,

wherein said alerts are selected from the group consisting of a post card, a letter, a facsimile, a telegram, a courier, a voice message, a telephone call, a text message, and a social network posting, wherein said one or more alerts are communications other than e-mails from an e-mail account used in said sending an e-mail step; and

sending said one or more alerts to said at least one recipient,

wherein said step of sending one or more alerts is performed irrespective of message screening tools of said at least one recipient.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said e-mail is sent in said sending step from an electronic sender operated computer device which can be the same as or different from said electronic sender operated device used in said using step.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said e-mail is sent in said sending step from a delivery service operated computer device.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said sending said one or more alerts step is performed by an alert messaging service.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein more than one alert is provided in said sending one or more alerts step and wherein each alert is different.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of stopping said sending one or more alerts step when said e-mail message is acknowledged or replied to.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising selecting security levels for said one or more alerts wherein said security levels provide different amounts of information identifying the e-mail sender and/or content of the e-email.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein said sending an e-mail step and said using step are performed at different sites.

9. An electronic mail (e-mail) method, comprising the steps of:

sending an e-mail from a sender to at least one recipient;

using an electronic sender operated device, to select one or more alerts to be sent to said at least one recipient based on an instruction from said sender to alert said at least one recipient that said e-mail has been sent from said sender to said at least one recipient, wherein said alerts are communications other than e-mails from an e-mail account used in said sending an e-mail step, wherein said alerts are selected from the group consisting of a post card, a letter, a facsimile, a telegram, a courier, a voice message, a telephone call, a text message, and a social network posting;

sending a plurality of alerts to said recipient,

wherein each of said plurality of alerts is different, and

wherein said sending a plurality of alerts is performed irrespective of message screening tools of said at least one recipient; and

optionally, stopping said sending step when said e-mail message is acknowledged or replied to.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising selecting security levels for said one or more alerts wherein said security levels provide different amounts of information identifying the e-mail sender and/or content of the e-email.

11. An electronic mail (e-mail) alert system, comprising:

an electronic sender operated device which receives an indication that an e-mail has been sent from a sender to at least one recipient, or which receives instructions to send an e-mail from said sender to said at least one recipient,

wherein said electronic sender operated device selects, based on instructions from said sender, one or more alerts to be sent to said at least one recipient to alert said at least one recipient that said e-mail has been sent from said sender to said at least one recipient, wherein said one or more alerts are communications other than e-mails from an e-mail account used to send said e-mail from said sender to said at least one recipient,

wherein said one or more alerts are selected from the group consisting of a post card, a letter, a facsimile, a telegram, a courier, a voice message, a telephone call, a text message, a social network posting, a wireless or other communication, a satellite telephone call, a cellular telephone call, a land line telephone call, and an internet communication modality, and

wherein said electronic sender operated device causes said one or more alerts to be sent to said recipient irrespective of message screening tools of said at least one recipient.

12. The e-mail system of claim 11 wherein said electronic sender operated device stops causing said one or more alerts to be sent to said recipient when said e-mail message is acknowledged or replied to.