Method and system for facilitating marketing dialogues

• US 8,234,334 B2
• Filed: 08/24/2009
• Issued: 07/31/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/24/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Ip Ot Sub Ulc
• Original Assignee: Open TEXT SA (Open Text Corporation)
• Inventors: Reistad, Brian, Snapper, William D., Campbell, James, Payne, Andrew C.
• Primary Examiner(s): JEAN, FRANTZ B
• Application Number:
  US12/546,220
• Publication Number:
  US 20100050091A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,072 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/204, 709/206, 709/217, 709/219, 705/1.1, 705/80, 705/14.13, 705/14.35, 705/14.39
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06316 Sequencing of tasks or work
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0201 Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0235 constrained by time limit or expiration date
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0239 Online discounts or incentives
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0255 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0271 Personalized advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/42 Mailbox-related aspects, e.g. synchronisation of mailboxes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/52 for supporting social networking services

Abstract

Systems and methods for carrying on marketing dialogues are disclosed. Specifically, embodiments of the systems and methods presented may allow marketing dialogues to be carried on with a set of participants by sending a communication to each of the participants. Another set of participant may be assembled from the initial participants and an action may then be taken with respect to this second set of participants.

Claims

1. A method for facilitating a network based dialogue, comprising:

obtaining a set of first participants for whom to run a script at a dialogue computer, the script specifying a plurality of events;

interfacing the dialog computer with an email server;

executing a first instruction corresponding to the script at the dialog computer to cause the dialog computer to prompt the email server to send a first email to a set of first participants;

determining a first value for a variable associated with an event specified by the script has occurred in conjunction with each of a set of second participants, wherein the determination of the first value is based on an interaction with the first email wherein each participant of the set of second participants is in the set of first participants;

executing a second instruction corresponding to the event specified by the script at the dialog computer to cause the dialog computer to prompt the email server to send a second email to the set of second participants based on the first value;

determining a second value for the variable associated with the event specified by the script has occurred in conjunction with each of a set of third participants, wherein the determination of the second value is based on the expiration of a time period since the first email was sent, wherein each participant of the set of third participants is in the set of first participants and separate from the set of second participants; and

executing a third instruction corresponding to the event specified by the script at the dialog computer to cause the dialog computer to prompt the email server to send a third email to the set of third participants based on the second value.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the event specified by the script is the expiration of a delay period.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the event specified by the script is a response to the first email.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the user interaction is clicking on a link in the first email.

5. An electronic dialog system:

a data storage location;

a dialog computer coupled to the data storage location and configured with a set of instructions corresponding to a script specifying a plurality of events, wherein the dialog computer comprises a processor and a non-transitory tangible computer readable medium storing instructions executable to;

obtain a set of first participants;

execute first instruction corresponding to the script to cause the dialog computer to interface with an email server to prompt sending of a first email to the set of first participants;

determine that a first value for a variable associated with an event specified by the script has occurred for a set of second participants, wherein the determination of the first value is based on an interaction with the first email, wherein each participant of the set of second participants is in the set of first participants;

execute a second instruction corresponding to the event specified by the script at the dialog computer to cause the dialog computer to interface with the email server to prompt sending of a second email to the set of second participants based on the first value;

determine a second value for the variable associated with the event specified by the script has occurred in conjunction with each of a set of third participants, wherein the determination of the second value is based on the expiration of a time period since the first email was sent, wherein each participant of the set of third participants is in the set of first participants and separate from the set of second participants;

execute a third instruction corresponding to the event specified by the script at the dialog computer to cause the dialog computer to prompt the email server to send a third email to the set of third participants based on the second value; and

store a set of data at the data storage location to track the state of the script with respect to participants in the first set of participants, the second set of participants, and the third set of participants.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the dialog computer is further configured to provide a user interface to allow a user to define the script using a graphical flow chart.

7. The system of claim 6, further comprising a client computer coupled to the dialog computer, wherein the dialog computer is configured to interact with the client computer to provide the user interface.

8. The system of claim 5, further comprising the email server coupled to the dialog computer.

9. The system of claim 5, wherein the event specified by the script comprises a delay specified by the script.

10. The system of claim 5, wherein the event specified by the script is a response to the first email.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the expiration of the time period is based on a specified date.

12. The system of claim 5, wherein the interaction is clicking on a link within an email.

13. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory tangible storage medium storing computer program instructions executable to perform a method at a dialog computer comprising:

providing a dialog engine, a database interface and an email server interface at a dialog computer;

loading a set of instructions corresponding to a script, the script specifying a plurality of events;

accessing the data storage location to retrieve a set of data, wherein the dialog engine interfaces with the data storage location using the interface to the data storage location;

assembling a set of first participants, wherein the dialog engine;

executing a first instruction corresponding to the script to cause the dialog engine to communicate with the email server to prompt the email server to send a first email to the set of first participants;

determining a first value for a variable associated with an event specified by the script has occurred with respect to a set of second participants, wherein the determination of the first value is based on an interaction with the first email wherein each participant of the second participants is in the set of first participants; and

executing a second instruction corresponding to the event specified by the script to take an action in conjunction with each of the second participants based on the first value;

determining a second value for the variable associated with the event specified by the script has occurred in conjunction with each of a set of third participants, wherein the determination of the second value is based on the expiration of a time period since the first email was sent, wherein each participant of the set of third participants is in the set of first participants and separate from the set of second participants; and

executing a third instruction corresponding to the event specified b the script at the dialog computer to cause the dialog computer to prompt the email server to send a third email to the set of third participants based on the second value.

14. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the action comprises communicating with the email server to prompt the email server to send a second email to the set of second participants.

15. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the event specified by the script comprises the expiration of a specified time period.

16. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the method further comprises providing a user interface that allows the user to graphically define the script.