Adopting browser environmental attributes of e-mail sender

• US 6,769,015 B1
• Filed: 08/07/2000
• Issued: 07/27/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 08/07/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Snap, Inc.
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Day, Paul Reuben, Bates, Cary Lee, Santosuosso, John Matthew
• Primary Examiner(s): Wiley, David
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, PHUOC H
• Application Number:
  US09/633,433
• Time in Patent Office: 1,450 Days
• Field of Search: 709/245, 709/219, 709/225, 709/232, 709/224, 709/206, 709/223, 709/218, 705/1, 705/27, 715/501.1, 715/513
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/066 Format adaptation, e.g. format conversion or compression

Abstract

A method of electronically conveying information using a first electronic document having a selectable link embedded therein (e.g., a hypertext link), wherein at least one presentation attribute is associated with the link, by presenting a second (linked) electronic document using the presentation attribute, in response to selection of the link. In the illustrative embodiment, a sender of an e-mail message embeds the link in the message and associates the particular presentation attributes. The presentation attributes are encoded into the message, and are thus sent with the message across a network such as the Internet. The presentation attributes may be associated with the link by capturing current settings, or by specifying custom settings. In this manner, when the recipient of the message selects the link, a web browser is launched, and uses the appropriate environmental attributes to present the linked web page. The recipient has the ability to selectively override sender-defined attributes.

Claims

1. A method of electronically conveying information, comprising the steps of:

composing a first electronic document having at least one selectable link and at least one presentation attribute associated with said at least one selectable link embedded therein, said presentation attribute controlling the manner in which one or more documents are presented to a user, said selectable link providing an address uniquely identifying a second electronic document, said composing step being performed at a first node of a network;

transmitting said first electronic document to a second node of said network;

selecting the link using a graphical user interface of said second node;

responsive to selecting the link, accessing said second electronic document at the address provided by the link; and

presenting the second electronic document at said second node using said at least one presentation attribute associated with the link.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the graphical user interface includes a graphical pointer controlled by a graphical pointing device of a computer system at said second node, and said selecting step includes the steps of:

displaying the link on a monitor of the computer system using viewing software; and

actuating the graphical pointing device while the graphical pointer is held over the link on the monitor.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the first electronic document is an electronic mail message;

said composing step is performed using an electronic mailbox program;

the second electronic document is a hypertext page; and

said presenting step is performed using a web browser.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said composing step includes the step of associating the presentation attribute with the link by capturing a current setting of the presentation attribute.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein said composing step includes the step of associating the presentation attribute with the link by specifying a custom setting for the presentation attribute.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said second document is presented at said second node using a web browser, and said presentation attribute comprises an environmental attribute of said web browser.

7. A method of composing an electronic document, comprising the steps of:

creating a file using an editor application on a computer system;

inserting at least one selectable link in the file, wherein the link provides an address uniquely identifying an external electronic document; and

associating at least one presentation attribute with the link and encoding said presentation attribute in said file, said presentation attribute controlling the manner in which said external electronic document is presented to a user.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein said associating step captures a current setting of the presentation attribute.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein said associating step specifies a custom setting for the presentation attribute.

10. The method of claim 7 further comprising the step of transmitting the file with the encoded presentation attribute across a network connected to the computer system.

11. The method of claim 7 wherein:

said creating step creates the file as an electronic mail message;

said inserting step inserts the link as a hypertext link; and

said associating step associates the presentation attribute as an environmental attribute of a web browser.

12. A method of communicating electronic information, comprising the steps of:

opening a first electronic document using a computer system, wherein the first electronic document has at least one selectable link and at least one presentation attribute associated with said at least one selectable link embedded therein, said presentation attribute controlling the manner in which one or more documents are presented to a user, said selectable link providing an address uniquely identifying a second electronic document;

selecting the link using a graphical user interface of the computer system;

responsive to selecting the link, accessing said second document at the address provided by the link; and

presenting the second electronic document at the computer system using said at least one presentation attribute associated with the link.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising the step of receiving the first electronic document from a network connected to the computer system.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein the graphical user interface includes a graphical pointer controlled by a graphical pointing device of the computer system, and said selecting step includes the steps of:

displaying the link on a monitor of the computer system using viewing software; and

actuating the graphical pointing device while the graphical pointer is held over the link on the monitor.

15. The method of claim 12 wherein:

the first electronic document is an electronic mail message;

said opening step is performed using an electronic mailbox program;

the second electronic document is a hypertext page; and

said presenting step is performed using a web browser.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein said second document is presented at said computer system using a web browser, and said presentation attribute comprises an environmental attribute of said web browser.

17. A method of communicating electronic information, comprising the steps of:

opening a first electronic document using a computer system, wherein the first electronic document has at least one selectable link embedded therein, the link providing an address of a second electronic document;

selecting the link using a graphical user interface of the computer system; and

presenting the second electronic document at the computer system using at least one presentation attribute associated with the link;

wherein at least one other presentation attribute is associated with the link, and further comprising the step of overriding the other presentation attribute such that said presenting step presents the second electronic document using a default presentation attribute in lieu of the other presentation attribute.

18. A communications system comprising:

a first computer node;

a second computer node;

means, located at said first computer node, for composing a first electronic document having at least one selectable link embedded therein, the link providing an address of a second electronic document, and having at least one presentation attribute associated therewith;

network means for transmitting said first electronic document from said first computer node to said second computer node; and

means, located at said second computer node, for enabling the presentation of the second electronic document at said second computer node using the presentation attribute associated with the link, in response to selection of the link;

wherein at least one other presentation attribute is associated with the link; and

wherein said enabling means allows the overriding of the other presentation attribute such that the second electronic document is presented using a default presentation attribute in lieu of the other presentation attribute.

19. The communications system of claim 18 wherein said network means includes the Internet.

20. The communications system of claim 18 wherein said composing means associates the presentation attribute with the link by capturing a current setting of the presentation attribute.

21. The communications system of claim 18 wherein said composing means associates the presentation attribute with the link by specifying a custom setting for the presentation attribute.

22. A computer program product comprising:

a storage medium; and

program instructions stored on said storage medium for;

(a) creating a file on a computer system,

(b) inserting at least one selectable hypertext link in the file wherein the hypertext link provides an address of an external electronic document, said external electronic document viewable by a web browser, and

(c) inserting at least one browser environmental attribute in the file, said at least one browser environmental attribute being associated with the link, said browser environmental attribute controlling the presentation of said external electronic document by said web browser.

23. The computer program product of claim 22 wherein said program instructions associate the presentation attribute with the link by capturing a current setting of the presentation attribute.

24. The computer program product of claim 22 wherein said program instructions associate the presentation attribute with the link by specifying a custom setting for the presentation attribute.

25. The computer program product of claim 22 wherein said program instructions create the file as an electronic mail message.

26. A computer program product comprising:

a storage medium; and

program instructions stored on said storage medium for;

(a) opening a first electronic document using a computer system, wherein the first electronic document has at least one selectable hypertext link embedded therein providing an address of a second electronic document, and at least one environmental attribute associated with said selectable hypertext link,

(b) receiving an interactive user selection selecting the hypertext link,

(c) responsive to receiving an interactive user selection selecting the hypertext link, retrieving said second electronic document, and

(d) enabling the presentation of the second electronic document at the computer system with a web browser interface using said at least one browser environmental attribute associated with the hypertext link.

27. The computer program product of claim 26 wherein the first electronic document is an electronic mail message.

28. A computer program product comprising:

a storage medium; and

program instructions stored on said storage medium for opening a first electronic document using a computer system wherein the first electronic document has at least one selectable link embedded therein providing an address of a second electronic document, selecting the link, and enabling the presentation of the second electronic document at the computer system using at least one presentation attribute associated with the link;

wherein at least one other presentation attribute is associated with the link, and said program instructions further enable the overriding of the other presentation attribute such that the second electronic document is presented using a default presentation attribute in lieu of the other presentation attribute.