Recipient-Controlled Remote E-Mail Alerting and Delivery

• US 20080205602A1
• Filed: 02/23/2007
• Published: 08/28/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/23/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Bishop, Michael
• Granted Patent: US 8,799,369 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/88.12
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72436 for text messaging, e.g. short messaging services [SMS] or e-mails

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide message notification systems and methods. Briefly described, one embodiment of a message notification method can be broadly summarized by the following: receiving a new message at a first inbox of a recipient; determining existence of at least one trigger for determining if a notification is to be sent for a newly received message at the first inbox; and sending a notification alerting the recipient of the arrival of the new message at the first inbox, the notification being sent to a second inbox of the recipient that is different than the first inbox. Other methods and systems are also provided.

Claims

1. A message notification method comprising:

receiving a new message at a first inbox of a recipient;

determining existence of at least one trigger for determining if a notification is to be sent for a newly received message at the first inbox; and

sending a notification alerting the recipient of the arrival of the new message at the first inbox, the notification being sent to a second inbox of the recipient that is different than the first inbox.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one trigger comprises a time trigger for a newly received message that causes a notification to be sent for a newly received message if the newly received message is not viewed within a designated time frame beginning at receipt of the newly received message.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one trigger comprises a sender-based trigger for a newly received message that causes a notification to be sent for a newly received message if the sender of the newly received message is identified in a designated group of senders.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one trigger comprises a sender-indicated high-priority trigger for a newly received message that causes a notification to be sent for a newly received message if the newly received message has a high-priority tag.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one trigger comprises a group of triggers, the group of triggers comprising a time trigger for a newly received message that causes a notification to be sent for a newly received message if the newly received message is not viewed within a designated time frame beginning at receipt of the newly received message;

a sender-based trigger for a newly received message that causes a notification to be sent for a newly received message if the sender of the newly received message is identified in a designated group of senders; and

a sender-indicated high-priority trigger for a newly received message that causes a notification to be sent for a newly received message if the newly received message has a high-priority tag.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

establishing a ranking of triggers of different types such that a highly ranked trigger trumps a lower ranked trigger and determines when and if a notification message is sent.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

updating a sender as to whether a notification message has been sent to the recipient as a result of a sender-forced trigger request made by the sender.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

notifying the sender if the recipient does not allow for establishment of sender-forced triggers.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

enabling retrieval of an entire content of the message after presenting a subset of the content to the recipient.

10. A computer readable medium having a message notification program, the program having instructions that perform:

receiving a new message at a first inbox of a recipient;

determining existence of at least one trigger for determining if a notification is to be sent for a newly received message; and

sending a notification alerting the recipient of the arrival of the new message at the first inbox, the notification being sent to a second inbox of the recipient that is different than the first inbox.

11. The computer readable medium of claim 10, wherein the at least one trigger comprises a time trigger for a newly received message that causes a notification to be sent for a newly received message if the newly received message is not viewed within a designated time frame beginning at receipt of the newly received message.

12. The computer readable medium of claim 10, wherein the at least one trigger comprises a sender-based trigger for a newly received message that causes a notification to be sent for a newly received message if the sender of the newly received message is identified in a designated group of senders.

13. The computer readable medium of claim 10, wherein the at least one trigger comprises a sender-indicated high-priority trigger for a newly received message that causes a notification to be sent for a newly received message if the newly received message has a high-priority tag.

14. The computer readable medium of claim 10, wherein the at least one trigger comprises a group of triggers, the group of triggers comprising a time trigger for a newly received message that causes a notification to be sent for a newly received message if the newly received message is not viewed within a designated time frame beginning at receipt of the newly received message;

a sender-based trigger for a newly received message that causes a notification to be sent for a newly received message if the sender of the newly received message is identified in a designated group of senders; and

a sender-indicated high-priority trigger for a newly received message that causes a notification to be sent for a newly received message if the newly received message has a high-priority tag.

15. The computer readable medium of claim 10, the program further performing:

establishing a ranking of triggers of different types such that a highly ranked trigger trumps a lower ranked trigger and determines when and if a notification message is sent.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 10, the program further performing:

updating a sender as to whether a notification message has been sent to the recipient as a result of a sender-forced trigger request made by the sender; and

notifying the sender if the recipient does not allow for establishment of sender-forced triggers.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 10, the program further performing:

enabling retrieval of an entire content of the message after presenting a subset of the content to the recipient.

18. A message notification system comprising:

a messaging interface component of a first messaging device configured to receive commands from a user and in response to the commands, set at least one trigger that determines if a notification is to be sent for a newly received message at a first inbox of the user; and

delivery component of the first messaging device configured to send the notification sending a notification alerting the recipient of the arrival of the new message at the first inbox, the notification being sent to a second inbox of the user that is different than the first inbox.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the first inbox comprises an inbox for messages of a first messaging protocol and the second inbox comprises an inbox for messages of a second messaging protocol, the second messaging protocol being different from the first messaging protocol.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the first inbox comprises an inbox at a first Webmail server and the second inbox comprises an inbox at a second Webmail server.