Electronic information system which enables email-based transactions

• US 9,729,491 B2
• Filed: 08/19/2013
• Issued: 08/08/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Workday Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Clover Leaf Environmental Solutions, Inc.
• Inventors: Killoran, Jr., John P., Von Damm, Gina Katherine, Peek, Dennis William, Kirkman, Angela
• Primary Examiner(s): Chan, Wing F
• Assistant Examiner(s): Woo, Andrew
• Application Number:
  US13/970,177
• Publication Number:
  US 20130339461A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,450 Days
• Field of Search: 709204, 709206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063112 Skill-based matching of a person or a group to a task
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/48 Message addressing, e.g. address format or anonymous messages, aliases

Abstract

An electronic information system which enables email based transactions comprises an information database storing information regarding a plurality of individuals in a group and selections available to individuals in the group. A first email message with a mail to hyperlink having a plurality of fields including actionable parameter is generated and sent. A reply email message is received in response to selection of the mail to hyperlink. The received email message includes the plurality of fields and the actionable parameter that indicates that a specific selection has been made. A processor performs the action indicated by the actionable parameter in response to the received email message, including updating the information database to indicate the specific selection that has been made.

Claims

1. A method for use in an electronic information system, the method comprising:

an information database storing information regarding a plurality of individuals in a group and information relating to one or more selections by the plurality of individuals in the group;

a processor generating a first Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) email message that includes a plurality of mailto links, each mailto link generating, upon activation, a second SMTP email within an SMTP email system, each mailto link of the first SMTP email message having a plurality of fields including;

a first field that indicates an email address that is associated with the electronic information system; and

a second field that includes a first actionable parameter, the first actionable parameter indicating an action to be performed by the electronic information system, said action including at least updating the information database;

the plurality of fields in said mailto link in the first SMTP email message further includes a security token;

a communication interface transmitting the first email message to an email address that is associated with a first individual of the plurality of individuals in the group;

the communication interface receiving the second SMTP email message based on the mailto link of the first SMTP email message, wherein the second SMTP email message includes said plurality of fields;

the second email including said security token of the first SMTP email message;

wherein the first actionable parameter indicates that a specific selection of the one or more selections has been made by said first individual of the plurality of individuals in the group;

the processor performing the action indicated by the first actionable parameter in response to the second SMTP email message, including updating the information database to indicate that the specific selection of the one or more selections has been made by said first individual of the plurality of individuals in the group; and

the processor determining whether said security token of the first SMTP email message is valid or invalid;

whereby the processor performs the action indicated by the first actionable parameter in response to the second SMTP email message only if said security token of the first SMTP email message is valid.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of fields of the second SMTP email message further includes an action to be performed by the information database.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the second SMTP email message is generated in response to said first individual of the plurality of individuals in the group selecting said mailto link of the first SMTP email message.

4. The method of claim 1, further including:

the first actionable parameter in the second SMTP email message further including an identifier of the action in the information database, the first actionable parameter indicating a reassignment of the action from said first individual of the plurality of individuals in the group to a second individual of the plurality of individuals in the group;

the second email message including an email address of said second individual of the plurality of individuals in the group; and

the processor updating the information database to reassign the action from said first individual of the plurality of individuals in the group to said second individual of the plurality of individuals in the group based on the email address of said second individual of the plurality of individuals in the group.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

the plurality of fields of the second SMTP email message further including an identifier of the group;

the first actionable parameter indicates a request for generation of a report based on contents of the information database;

the processor generates the report; and

the communication interface transmitting a third email message to the email address that is associated with said first individual of the plurality of individuals in the group, wherein the third email message includes the report.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic information system comprises an information management system.

7. An electronic information system comprising:

an electronic database configured to store information that describes a plurality of individuals in a group and information that describes a plurality of selections available to the plurality of individuals in the group;

a processor configured to generate a first Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) email message that includes a mailto link, the mailto link generating, upon activation, a second SMTP email within an email system, the email being governed by SMTP, the mailto link having one or more fields including;

a security token;

a destination address that is associated with the electronic information system; and

an actionable parameter, which indicates a type of an action to be performed by the electronic information system, wherein the type of action includes at least updating the electronic database;

at least one communication interface configured;

to transmit the first SMTP email message to an email address that is associated with an individual of the plurality of individuals in the group; and

to receive a second SMTP email message that is based on the mailto link of the first SMTP email message, wherein the second SMTP email message includes said security token of the first SMTP email message, wherein the second SMTP email message includes said one or more fields, and wherein said second SMTP email message is addressed to the email address associated with the electronic information system and includes said actionable parameter;

the processor being further configured to determine whether the security token of the first SMTP email message is valid or invalid;

whereby the processor performs the type of action indicated by the actionable parameter in response to the second SMTP email message only if the security token of the first SMTP email message is valid; and

wherein said one or more fields of the second SMTP email message further include an identifier of one of said selection of the plurality of selections; and

wherein the at least one processor is further configured to update the electronic database in response to one of said selection of the plurality of selections.

8. The electronic information system of claim 7, wherein said one or more fields of the second SMTP email message further includes an identifier of a request in the electronic database.

9. The electronic information system of claim 8, wherein the second SMTP email message includes a comment from said first individual of the plurality of individuals in the group;

wherein the actionable parameter indicates the update of the electronic database to include the comment from said individual of the plurality of individuals in the group; and

wherein the at least one processor is further configured to add the comment from said individual of the plurality of individuals in the group to the electronic database.

10. The electronic information system of claim 7, wherein the second SMTP email message further includes an identifier of a request in the electronic database.

11. The electronic information system of claim 7,

wherein said one or more fields of the second SMTP email message further includes an identifier of the group;

wherein the actionable parameter indicates a reallocation from said individual of the plurality of individuals in the group to a second individual of the plurality of individuals in the group;

wherein the second SMTP email message includes an identifier of the reallocation, an email address of said individual of the plurality of individuals in the group, and an email address of said second individual of the plurality of individuals in the group; and

wherein the at least one processor is further configured to update the electronic database to reflect said reallocation from said individual of the plurality of individuals in the group to said second individual of the plurality of individuals in the group.

12. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having processor-executable instructions stored thereon which, when executed by at least one processor in an electronic information system, will cause the at least one processor to perform a method, the method comprising:

storing information in an information database, wherein the information describes one or more individuals in a group and describes a plurality of selections available to the one or more individuals in the group;

generating a first email Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) message that includes a mailto link, the mailto link generating, upon activation, a second SMTP email within an email system, the email being governed by SMTP, wherein the mailto link of the first SMTP email message includes has one or more fields including;

a security token;

a destination address that indicates an email address that is associated with the electronic information system; and

an actionable parameter, wherein the actionable parameter indicates a type of an action to be performed by the electronic information system, wherein the action includes updating the information database;

transmitting the first email message to an email address that is associated with a first individual of the plurality of individuals in the group;

receiving a second SMTP email message that is based on the mailto link of the first SMTP email message, wherein the second SMTP email message;

is addressed to the email address that is associated with the electronic information system;

includes said security token of the first email message; and

includes said one or more fields and includes said actionable parameter and an identifier of one of said selection of the plurality of selections;

in response to the second SMTP email message, performing the type of action indicated by the actionable parameter and said one of said selection of the plurality of selections;

wherein the actionable parameter indicates an update of the information database, and wherein the performing the type of action indicated by the actionable parameter includes updating the information database to indicate one of said selection of the plurality of selections.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, further including determining whether said security token of the first SMTP email message is valid or invalid;

whereby the type of action indicated by the actionable parameter is only performed in response to the second SMTP email message only if said security token of the first SMTP email message is valid.