System, method and article of manufacture for enhancing electronic messages

• US 7,113,979 B1
• Filed: 07/11/2000
• Issued: 09/26/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/11/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Bellotti, Victoria M., Smith, Ian E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Sheikh, Ayaz
• Assistant Examiner(s): LAFORGIA, CHRISTIAN A
• Application Number:
  US09/613,900
• Time in Patent Office: 2,268 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206, 709/217, 709/223, 709/202, 709/204, 707/3, 707/10, 707/102, 706/47, 713/182, 726/2, 726/21
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/212 using filtering or selective blocking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/234 for tracking messages

Abstract

A method, system and computer program for operating an application server using email messages uses the address format of the email address of an incoming email message to invoke an application to process the content of an incoming message. Each application available on the server defines acceptable address formats of the email addresses of messages that it will accept for processing. An application may generate a reply to an incoming email message, or may generate an event, to advance processing of a task. The application server may also determine a recipient email address of an actual recipient of the incoming e-mail, and transmit the incoming e-mail message to the recipient email address. In this case, the application server functions by interposing itself in the email channel between two recipients.

Claims

1. A computerized method of operating an e-mail-invoked application server comprising the steps of:

receiving an incoming e-mail message from a sender utilizing a network, wherein the incoming e-mail includes content and a destination address having an address format;

determining which application of a plurality of applications available on the e-mail-invoked application server will accept the incoming e-mail for processing by comparing the address format of the destination address to acceptable address formats defined by the applications, the acceptable address formats of the form [e-mail], wherein domain indicates a domain name of the e-mail-invoked application server, host indicates an application available in the domain, and data indicates information provided by the sender;

refusing the incoming e-mail when it is determined that no application will accept the incoming e-mail for processing; and

invoking at least one of the plurality of applications to process the content of the incoming e-mail when it is determined that the address format of the destination address is one of the acceptable address formats defined by the at least one application.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, further including the step of storing at least a portion of the incoming e-mail message in a database.

3. A method as recited in claim 2, wherein a reply to the e-mail message is utilized to generate another e-mail message to obtain information for the database.

4. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the at least one application is selected from the group consisting of a lead tracking application, a job requisitioning application, an event planning application, a task list management application, a project management application, and an accountability application.

5. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the at least one application invoked by the incoming email generates a reply to the incoming e-mail message to advance the processing of a task.

6. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the at least one application summarizes an interaction between one or more users of the e-mail-invoked application server.

7. A method as recited in claim 6, wherein a task list is generated to summarize the interaction.

8. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the at least one application invoked by the incoming email generates an event to advance the processing of a task.

9. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the e-mail message includes an attachment.

10. A method as recited in claim 9 wherein the step of invoking at least one application is responsive to the attachment.

11. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the incoming e-mail message has one or more attributes, and further comprising steps of:

generating an index based on the one or more attributes of the incoming e-mail message; and

storing the index in a database.

12. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

storing the incoming email message in a database;

categorizing the content of the incoming e-email message into one or more categories, and

permitting retrieval of information from the database according to at least one of the one or more categories.

13. A method as recited in claim 1 further including the steps of

determining a recipient email address of an actual recipient of the incoming e-mail;

and

transmitting the incoming e-mail message to the recipient email address utilizing the network.

14. A computer program embodied on a computer readable medium for operating an e-mail-invoked application server, comprising:

a code segment for receiving an incoming e-mail message from a sender utilizing a network, wherein the incoming e-mail includes content and a destination address having an address format;

a code segment for determining which application of a plurality of applications available on the e-mail-invoked application server will accept the incoming e-mail for processing by comparing the address format of the destination address to acceptable address formats defined by the applications, the acceptable address formats of the form [e-mail], wherein domain indicates a domain name of the e-mail-invoked application sever, host indicates an application available in the domain, and data indicates information provided by the sender;

a code segment for refusing the incoming e-mail when it is determined that no application will accept the incoming e-mail for processing; and

a code segment for invoking at least one of the plurality of applications to process the content of the incoming e-mail when it is determined that the address format of the destination address is one of the acceptable address formats defined by the at least one application.

15. A computer program as recited in claim 14, further including the step of storing at least a portion of the incoming e-mail message in a database.

16. A computer program as recited in claim 15, wherein a reply to the e-mail message is utilized to generate another e-mail message to obtain information for the database.

17. A computer program as recited in claim 14, wherein the at least one application is selected from the group consisting of a lead tracking application, a job requisitioning application, an event planning application, a task list management application, a project management application, and an accountability application.

18. A computer program as recited in claim 14, wherein the at least one application invoked by the incoming e-mail generates a reply to the incoming e-mail message to advance the processing of a task.

19. A computer program as recited in claim 14, wherein the at least one application summarizes the interaction between one or more users of the e-mail-invoked application server.

20. A computer program as recited in claim 19, wherein a task list is generated to summarize the interaction.

21. A computer program as recited in claim 14, wherein the at least one application invoked by the incoming e-mail generates an event to advance the processing of a task.

22. A computer program as recited in claim 14, wherein the e-mail message includes an attachment.

23. A computer program as recited in claim 22 wherein the code segment for invoking at least one application is responsive to the attachment.

24. A computer program as recited in claim 14, wherein the incoming e-mail message has one or more attributes, and further comprising:

a code segment for generating an index based on the one or more attributes of the incoming e-mail message; and

a code segment for storing the index in a database.

25. A computer program as recited in claim 14, further comprising:

a code segment for storing the incoming e-mail message in a database;

a code segment for categorizing the content of the incoming email message into one or more categories; and

a code segment for permitting retrieval of information from the database according to at least one of the one or more categories.

26. A computer program as recited in claim 14 further including

a code segment for determining a recipient email address of an actual recipient of the incoming e-mail;

and

a code segment for transmitting the incoming e-mail message to the recipient email address utilizing the network.

27. A system for operating an e-mail-invoked application server, comprising:

logic for receiving an incoming e-mail message from a sender utilizing a network, wherein the incoming e-mail includes content and a destination address having an address format;

logic for determining which application of a plurality of applications available on the e-mail-invoked application server will accept the incoming e-mail for processing by comparing the address format of the destination address to acceptable address formats defined by the applications, the acceptable address formats of the form [e-mail], wherein domain indicates a domain name of the e-mail-invoked application server, host indicates an application available in the domain and data indicates information provided by the sender;

logic for refusing the incoming e-mail when it is determined that no application will accept the incoming e-mail for processing; and

logic for invoking at least one application to process the content of the incoming e-mail when it is determined tat the address format of the destination address is one of the acceptable address formats defined by the at least one application.

28. A system as recited in claim 27, further including logic for storing at least a portion of the incoming e-mail message in a database.

29. A system as recited in claim 28, wherein a reply to the e-mail message is utilized to generate another e-mail message to obtain information for the database.

30. A system as recited in claim 27, wherein the at least one application is selected from the group consisting of a lead tracking application, a job requisitioning application, an event planning application, a task list management application, a project management application, and an accountability application.

31. A system as recited in claim 27, wherein the at least one application invoked by the incoming e-mail generates a reply to the incoming e-mail message to advance the processing of a task.

32. A system as recited in claim 27, wherein the at least one application summarizes the interaction between one or more users of the e-mail-invoked application server.

33. A system as recited in claim 32, wherein a task list is generated to summarize the interaction.

34. A system as recited in claim 27, wherein the at least one application invoked by the incoming e-mail generates an event to advance the processing of a task.

35. A system as recited in claim 27, wherein the e-mail message includes an attachment.

36. A system as recited in claim 35 wherein the logic for invoking at least one application is responsive to the attachment.

37. A system as recited in claim 27, wherein the incoming e-mail message has one or more attributes, and further comprising:

logic for generating an index based on the one or more attributes of the incoming e-mail message; and

logic for storing the index in a database.

38. A system as recited in claim 29, further comprising:

logic for storing the incoming email message in a database;

logic for categorizing the content of the incoming e-mail message into one or more categories; and

logic for permitting retrieval of information from the database according to at least one of the one or more categories.

39. A system as recited in claim 27 further including

logic for determining a recipient email address of an actual recipient of the incoming e-mail;

and

logic for transmitting the incoming e-mail message to the recipient email address utilizing the network.