System for, and method of, providing the transmission, receipt and content of a reply to an electronic message

• US 9,100,355 B2
• Filed: 07/08/2013
• Issued: 08/04/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/26/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RPost Communications Limited (RPost International Limited)
• Original Assignee: RPost Communications Limited (RPost International Limited)
• Inventors: Tomkow, Terrance A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Jeudy, Josnel
• Application Number:
  US13/937,030
• Publication Number:
  US 20140115074A1
• Time in Patent Office: 757 Days
• Field of Search: 726 26- 30
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/066 Format adaptation, e.g. format conversion or compression
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/18 Commands or executable codes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/23 Reliability checks, e.g. acknowledgments or fault reporting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/234 for tracking messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/48 Message addressing, e.g. address format or anonymous messages, aliases
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/123 received data contents, e.g. message integrity

Abstract

A server receives a message from a sender and adds a link to the message, and then transmits the message with the link to a recipient. The server receives from the recipient a manually initiated response and generates an indication of receiving the response from the recipient and transmits the indication to the sender. The sender may also authenticate the message, and may record proof of the delivery and content of the reply to the sender and the recipient.

Claims

1. A method of providing proof of the transmission, receipt and content of a reply manually initiated by a recipient of an electronic message to the sender of the electronic message, comprising:

receiving a message from a sender at a server displaced from an intended recipient of the message;

assigning a unique identification to the message by the server;

storing the unique identification of the message, an identity of the message, an identity and address of the sender in a database by the server;

transmitting the message from the server to the recipient;

receiving at the server a response including an identification of the message and the address of the sender, the response being manually initiated by the recipient by clicking on a link included in the message, the link in the message including a fictional destination address at the server, the server configured to generate an indication of receiving the response from the recipient;

parsing by the server the message and the address of the sender from the fictional destination address;

transmitting the indication of the manually initiated response from the server to the sender; and

transmitting the indication of the receiving of the manually initiated response at the server from the server to the recipient.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein

the response from the recipient is provided on the basis of the unique identification of the message by the server.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein

the response by the recipient provides for an identification of each of a plurality of recipients on the basis of individual identifications related to the unique identification of the message.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein

the message from the sender to the recipient is provided in a particular format at the server.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein

the server directs the response to the sender at the sender'"'"'s address.

6. The method of claim 2 wherein

the response by the recipient provides for an identification of each of a plurality of recipients on the basis of individual identifications related to the unique identification of the message and wherein

the message from the sender to the recipient is provided in a particular format at the server and wherein

the server directs the response to the sender at the sender'"'"'s address.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein an invitation is sent to the recipient to post a response on a web site in communication with the server when the link in the message is clicked.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the response from the recipient is stored on the server.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the response from the recipient is stored on the server.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the indication of transmission or delivery of the response to the sender includes at least a portion of information received by the server when the recipient clicked on the link in the message.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising associating the at least a portion of information received by the server when the recipient clicked on the link in the message with additional information stored at the server related to the at least a portion of the information received by the server when the recipient clicked on the link.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising inputting the message by the sender on the server.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the request from the recipient is automatically generated when the recipient clicks on the link in the message.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the request from the recipient to receive an indication of transmission or delivery of the response is specifically added to the response by the recipient.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the indication comprises one or more of the following:

a time of the manually initiated response, a time of the transmission of the message to the recipient, a first information generated from the response, at least a portion of content contained in the response, at least a portion of the transmitted message, an identification of the message, an identification of the recipient, an identification of the sender.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

adding to the message, at the server, an instruction to the recipient related to initiating a manual response.

17. The method of claim 7, wherein clicking on the link displays a page or form to the recipient displaying information to the recipient and also configured to receive second information from the recipient to be included in the response;

further comprising forming the response from at least a portion of information displayed to the recipient and at least a portion of the information received from the recipient; and

transmitting the response formed from the at least a portion of the information displayed to the recipient and the at least a portion of the information received from the recipient to the sender.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising displaying in a web page associated with the page or form displayed to the recipient upon manually clicking on the link in the message the reply formed from the at least a portion of the information displayed to the recipient and the at least a portion of the information received from the recipient to the server.

19. A system for providing an indication of the transmission, receipt and content of a response manually initiated by a recipient of an electronic message to the sender of the electronic message, comprising:

a server displaced from an intended recipient of a message, the server comprising a memory and a processor, said processor programmed using software commands to;

receive the message from a sender,

assign a unique identification to the message,

store the unique identification of the message in a database on a memory associated with the server,

transmit the message from the server to the recipient,

respond to a command generated when the recipient manually clicks on a the link included in the message by performing a selected action to facilitate a response to the message by the recipient, the manual click on the link also providing an indication of transmission or delivery of the response sent to the sender to the recipient, and

provide an indication of the transmission or delivery of the response to the sender or server;

wherein the link in the message includes a fictional destination address, the selected action is the generation of a response to the sender, the destination address is at the server, the database stores the identity of the message and the identity and address of the sender, the response includes an identification of the message and the address of the sender, and the server parses the message and the address of the sender from the fictional destination address and directs the response to the sender at the sender'"'"'s address.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the selected action performed by the server is to display a window on a web site controlled by the server to the recipient, the window including an invitation to the recipient to respond to the sender.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein

the response is provided on the basis of the unique identification of the message by the server.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein

the response provides for an identification of each of a plurality of recipients on the basis of individual identifications related to the unique identification of the message.

23. The system of claim 19, wherein

the message from the sender is provided in a particular format at the server.

24. The system of claim 19, wherein

the response provides for an identification of each of a plurality of recipients on the basis of individual identifications related to the unique identification of the message and wherein

the message from the sender to the recipient is provided in a particular format at the server.

25. The system of claim 19, wherein the response is stored in a memory in communication with the server.

26. The system of claim 19, wherein the selected action performed by the server is to:

display a page or form to the recipient displaying information to the recipient, the page or form also configured to receive second information from the recipient to be included in the response,

form the response from at least a portion of information displayed to the recipient and at least a portion of the information received from the recipient, and

transmit the response formed from the at least a portion of the information displayed to the recipient and the at least a portion of the information received from the recipient to the sender.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the selected action performed by the server further includes displaying in a web page associated with the page or form displayed to the recipient upon manually clicking on the link in the message the response formed from the at least a portion of the information displayed to the recipient and the at least a portion of the information received from the recipient to the server.

28. The system of claim 19, wherein the proof of transmission or delivery of the response to the sender includes at least a portion of information received by the server when the recipient clicked on the link included in the message.

29. The system of claim 28, wherein the server further associates the at least a portion of information received by the server when the recipient clicked on the link in the message with additional information stored at the server related to the at least a portion of the information received by the server when the recipient clicked on the link.

30. The system of claim 19, wherein the message is received from the sender when the message is composed by the sender on the server.

31. The system of claim 19, wherein the request from the recipient is automatically generated when the recipient clicks on the link in the message.

32. The system of claim 19, wherein the request from the recipient to receive the indication of transmission or delivery of the response is specifically added to the response by the recipient.

33. A method of providing an indication of the transmission, receipt and of a response manually initiated by a recipient of an electronic message to the sender of the electronic message, comprising:

assigning a unique identification to a first message received by a server from a sender, the server being displaced from an intended recipient of the message;

adding, by the server, a link to the message, the link including a fictional destination address associated with the server;

storing by the server the unique identification of the first message and an identity and address of the sender in a database accessible by the server;

creating, by the server, a second message associated with the first message;

transmitting the second message from the server to the recipient;

receiving, at the server, a response manually initiated by the recipient by clicking on the link included in the second message, the response including an identification of the second message and the address of the sender;

parsing, at the server, the message and the address of the sender from the fictional destination address;

generating, by the server, an indication of receiving the manually initiated response from the recipient;

receiving a command generated by the recipient clicking on the link in the second message and delivering at least a portion of the first message to the recipient in accordance with that command; and

transmitting, by the server, the indication of the receiving of the manually initiated response at the server to the recipient.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein the indication of the manually initiated response is recorded at the server.

35. The method of claim 33, wherein the indication of the manually initiated response is transmitted to the sender.

36. The method of claim 33, wherein the indication is one or more of the following:

a response message, a time related to a response message, a portion of a response message, data related to a response message, a first information created from a response message, a first information created from the first message and a response message.

37. The method of claim 33, wherein the manually initiated response is initiated by a second link activated by clicking on the clickable link.

38. The method of claim 33, wherein the manually initiated response is transmitted to the server via a secure transmission.

39. A system for providing indications of the transmission, receipt and of a response manually initiated by a recipient of an electronic message to the sender of the electronic message, comprising:

a server displaced from an intended recipient of a message, the server including a processor, the processor programmed using software commands to;

receive the message from a sender,

add a link to the message;

assign a unique identification to the message,

store the unique identification of the message in a database in a memory in operable communication with the server,

transmit the message having the added link from the server to the recipient,

respond to a command received by the server when the recipient responds to the message by performing a selected action that activates the link included in the message, the command also initiating a process at the server to provide the recipient with an indication of transmission or delivery of the response to the message;

wherein the link in the message includes a fictional destination address, the selected action is the generation of a response to the sender, the destination address is at the server, the database stores the identity of the message and the identity and address of the sender, the response includes an identification of the message and the address of the sender, and the server parses the message and the address of the sender from the fictional destination address and directs the response to the sender at the sender'"'"'s address.

40. The system of claim 39, wherein the process includes transmission of the indication of delivery to the sender.

41. The system of claim 39, wherein the indication of delivery of the response to the message is recorded at the server.

42. The system of claim 39, wherein the indication of transmission or delivery is one or more of the following:

a response message, a time related to a response message, a portion of a response message, data related to a response message, a first information created from a response message, a first information created from the first message and a response message.

43. The system of claim 39, wherein clicking on a clickable link in the message generates the command.