Apparatus and method for interactive email

• US 9,471,899 B2
• Filed: 04/07/2011
• Issued: 10/18/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Groupery, Inc.
• Original Assignee: The Groupery, Inc.
• Inventors: Beyer, David, Frivold, Thane, Lancaster, Darren
• Primary Examiner(s): Chacko, Joe
• Application Number:
  US13/082,302
• Publication Number:
  US 20110252103A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,021 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• 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

Abstract

A non-transitory computer readable storage medium includes executable instructions to deliver to a community of users an email with a widget including a graphical user interface that solicits input. Solicited input is collected from the community of users via the widget. The email is revised to dynamically display at least a portion of the solicited input.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium, comprising executable instructions to:

deliver to a community of users an email with a widget including a graphical user interface configured to solicit input from recipients of the email;

collect solicited input from recipients of the email using the widget;

in response to the email being rendered at a computer of a recipient who receives the email;

dynamically generate an image to be included in a rendering of the email, created in real time with live data representative of solicited input collected as of the time of the email being rendered; and

send the dynamically generated image to the computer of the recipient to be included in the rendering of the email; and

incorporate subsequently collected solicited input into subsequent dynamically generated images to be included in subsequent renderings of the email.

2. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1 wherein the email has a plurality of optimized formats for a corresponding plurality of email handlers.

3. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 2 wherein the plurality of optimized formats includes an HTML form, a single image and a structured arrangement of images, each configured to supply an optimized representation of the email for a given email handler.

4. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 2 wherein an optimized format of the plurality of optimized formats includes Javascript instructions.

5. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1 further comprising executable instructions to render a web page representing the entire email.

6. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 5 further comprising executable instructions to deliver the web page to a user of the community of users in response to an invoked link within the email.

7. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 6 wherein the invoked link includes security information to confirm that a user utilizing the invoked link is a member of the community of users.

8. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 7 wherein the security information is selected from an email address, a web page identifier, a widget identifier and a secure hash.

9. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1 further comprising executable instructions to collect an action identification and action variables associated with solicited input from the widget in the email.

10. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 9 wherein the action variables are selected from system variables, user variables, family variables, site variables and group variables.

11. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 9 wherein the action variables represent a cumulative value measured in units.

12. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 11 wherein the units are selected from money units, time units and credit units.

13. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 11 wherein the cumulative value has an associated target threshold.

14. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 13 wherein the target threshold is selected from a target funding level, target volunteer hours and target donation level.

15. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the image is dynamically generated in response receiving a request from the recipient'"'"'s computer due to an HTML tag or other reference in the email that refers to the image.

16. A method comprising:

delivering to a community of users an email with a widget including a graphical user interface configured to solicit input from recipients of the email;

collecting solicited input from recipients of the email using the widget;

in response to the email being rendered at a computer of a recipient who receives the email;

dynamically generating an image to be included in a rendering of the email, created in real time with live data representative of solicited input collected as of the time of the email being rendered; and

sending the dynamically generated image to the computer of the recipient to be included in the rendering of the email; and

incorporating subsequently collected solicited input into subsequent dynamically generated images to be included in subsequent renderings of the email.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising responding to receipt of a request from the recipient'"'"'s computer due to an HTML tag or other reference in the email that refers to the image by dynamically generating the image.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the email has a plurality of optimized formats for a corresponding plurality of email handlers.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the plurality of optimized formats includes an HTML form, a single image and a structured arrangement of images, each configured to supply an optimized representation of the email for a given email handler.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein an optimized format of the plurality of optimized formats includes Javascript instructions.

21. The method of claim 16, further comprising rendering a web page representing the entire email.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising delivering the web page to a user of the community of users in response to an invoked link within the email.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the invoked link includes security information to confirm that a user utilizing the invoked link is a member of the community of users.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the security information is selected from an email address, a web page identifier, a widget identifier and a secure hash.

25. The method of claim 16, further comprising collecting an action identification and action variables associated with solicited input from the widget in the email.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the action variables are selected from system variables, user variables, family variables, site variables and group variables.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein the action variables represent a cumulative value measured in units.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the units are selected from money units, time units and credit units.

29. The method of claim 27, wherein the cumulative value has an associated target threshold.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the target threshold is selected from a target funding level, target volunteer hours and target donation level.

31. A computer system comprising:

one or more processing units; and

memory having stored thereon executable program code, which when executed by the processing unit, causes the one or more processing units to;

deliver to a community of users an email with a widget including a graphical user interface configured to solicit input from recipients of the email;

collect solicited input from recipients of the email using the widget;

in response to the email being rendered at a computer of a recipient who receives the email;

dynamically generate an image to be included in a rendering of the email, created in real time with live data representative of solicited input collected as of the time of the email being rendered; and

send the dynamically generated image to the computer of the recipient to be included in the rendering of the email; and

incorporate subsequently collected solicited input into subsequent dynamically generated images to be included in subsequent renderings of the email.

32. The computer system of claim 31, wherein execution of the executable program code further causes the one or more processing units to dynamically generate the image in response to receipt of a request from the recipient'"'"'s computer due to an HTML tag or other reference in the email that refers to the image.