System and method to provide an email account

• US 8,429,045 B1
• Filed: 07/31/2007
• Issued: 04/23/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: United Services Automobile Association
• Original Assignee: United Services Automobile Association
• Inventors: Zettner, Steven Dale
• Primary Examiner(s): Dixon, Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): Fields, Benjamin S
• Application Number:
  US11/831,044
• Time in Patent Office: 2,093 Days
• Field of Search: 705/35, 705/37
• US Class Current: 705/35
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/02 Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance credit or loans G06Q40/03

Abstract

Disclosed are systems and methods to provide an email account. The systems and methods provide techniques wherein an email account is provided by a provider to a member, the system having at least one subsystem to provide a financial account for the member, provide an email account to the member, and integrate the financial account and the email account on an Internet site, thereby allowing the member to have access to the email account and the financial account on the Internet site.

Claims

1. An information handling system associated with a financial services company, comprising:

a member communication engine configured to communicate a financial services company member login web page to a client computer and receive an authentication request from the client computer, the information handling system being communicatively coupled with the client computer via a public packet-based network, the member communication engine including an authentication module configured to authenticate the authentication request as being associated with a member;

a member database communicatively coupled to the member communication engine and configured to provide to the client computer for display after authentication, a user web page providing a menu of accounts provided by the financial services company and belonging to the member, the menu of accounts to include at least one general-purpose email account and at least one financial account provided by the financial services company; and

an email server communicatively coupled to the member communication engine and configured to implement the at least one general-purpose email account;

wherein the member communication engine is configured to detect when the member is using the system, and in response, transmit a marketing material and a competitor comparison to the general-purpose email account of the member.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the member communication engine is configured to communicate at least one of a set of menus or a set of commands at a display device associated with the client computer to facilitate financial account lookup and maintenance operations.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the email server is configured to communicate a set of email options at the display device to enable the account holder to send and receive email.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a document electronic signature module communicatively coupled to the client computer to present a set of menus at the display device to facilitate the account holder'"'"'s electronically signing documents and to forward documents electronically signed by the account holder to designated recipients.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a news viewer module communicatively coupled to the client computer to present selected news articles to the account holder.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a secure document storage facility communicatively coupled to the client computer to present document storage menus at the display device and to archive documents received from the account holder.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

an insurance transaction module communicatively coupled to the client computer to present menus associated with an insurance transaction at the display device and to perform an insurance transaction responsive to a request by the account holder.

8. An article including a non-transitory storage medium comprising computer-executable instructions to cause at least one processor to perform activities, comprising:

communicating a financial services company member login web page to a client computer via a public packet-based network;

receiving an authentication request from the client computer associated with a member via a public packet-based network, the member having accounts associated with a financial services company;

authenticating the member by manipulating a set of semiconductor storage element components of a member communication engine;

presenting an account access menu of accounts held by the member at a display device component of the client computer, the account access menu to include at least one financial account and at least one general-purpose email account, and the at least one general-purpose email account implemented using an internet service provider (ISP) associated with the financial services company; and

detecting when the member is accessing the account access menu, and in response, transmitting a marketing material and a competitor comparison to the general-purpose email account of the member.

9. The article of claim 8, further comprising computer-executable instructions to cause the at least one processor to perform activities, including:

presenting at least one of a set of menus or a set of commands at the display device via a financial services company member user web page to facilitate financial account lookup and maintenance operations.

10. The article of claim 8, further comprising computer-executable instructions to cause the at least one processor to perform activities, including:

presenting a set of email options at the display device via the financial services company member user web page to enable the account holder to send and receive general-purpose email.

11. The article of claim 8, further comprising computer-executable instructions to cause the at least one processor to perform activities, including:

presenting a set of menus at the display device via the financial services company member user web page to facilitate the member electronically signing documents; and

forwarding documents electronically signed by the member to designated recipients.

12. The article of claim 8, further comprising computer-executable instructions to cause the at least one processor to perform activities, including:

presenting news articles at the display device via the financial services company member user web page.

13. The article of claim 8, further comprising computer-executable instructions to cause the at least one processor to perform activities, including:

presenting menus at the display device related to a secure document storage facility provided to the member by the financial services company; and

storing documents received from the member in a secure document archive using the financial services company member user web page.

14. The article of claim 8, further comprising computer-executable instructions to cause the at least one processor to perform activities, including:

presenting menus associated with an insurance transaction facility at the display device, the insurance transaction facility provided to the member by the financial services company; and

upon request from the member, performing an insurance transaction via the financial services company member user web page.

15. A method of providing consolidated account access, comprising:

receiving an authentication request from a client computer associated with a member at a computer-implemented financial services company member login web page via a public packet-based network, the financial services company member login web page associated with a financial services company;

authenticating the member by manipulating a set of semiconductor storage element components of a member communication engine associated with the financial services company member login web page;

presenting an account access menu of accounts held by the member at a display device component of the client computer, the account access menu to include at least one financial account and at least one general-purpose email account, and the at least one general-purpose email account implemented using an internet service provider (ISP) associated with the financial services company; and

detecting when the member is accessing the account access menu, and in response, transmitting a marketing material and a competitor comparison to the general-purpose email account of the member.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

presenting at least one of a set of menus or a set of commands at the display device via a financial services company member user web page to facilitate financial account lookup and maintenance operations.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

presenting a set of email options at the display device via the financial services company member user web page to enable the account holder to send and receive general-purpose email.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

presenting a set of menus at the display device via the financial services company member user web page to facilitate the member electronically signing documents; and

forwarding documents electronically signed by the member to designated recipients.

19. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

presenting news articles at the display device via the financial services company member user web page.

20. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

presenting menus at the display device related to a secure document storage facility provided to the member by the financial services company; and

storing documents received from the member in a secure document archive using the financial services company member user web page.

21. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

presenting menus associated with an insurance transaction facility at the display device, the insurance transaction facility provided to the member by the financial services company; and

upon request from the member, performing an insurance transaction via the financial services company member user web page.