Electrical computers and digital processing systems: multicomput – Computer conferencing – Demand based messaging
Reexamination Certificate
2000-03-07
2002-08-20
Barot, Bharat (Department: 2154)
Electrical computers and digital processing systems: multicomput
Computer conferencing
Demand based messaging
C709S202000, C709S203000, C709S232000, C709S246000, C358S402000, C358S442000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06438584
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a method for generation, graphical composition, and delivery (or routing for delivery) of conventional forms of written correspondence. Specifically, the conventional form of written correspondence (e.g., business letter) is generated from a text Internet email message. More specifically, a sender can initiate correspondence in a variety of formats, to multiple recipients or to group(s) of recipients, wherein there is security provided against unauthorized generation of correspondence by assumed SMTP email identities, thereby preventing “forgery” of a correspondence from the sender.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is in the field of computer-generated correspondence. The evolution of this field has begun by focusing on tools that assist a computer user in composing written communications through a number of disparate interface methods. Previous disclosures for composing and producing computer assisted written communications have included word processing applications, computer Fax applications, Internet greeting card providers, Internet Fax from email (or Web Browser) services, Internet email to postal mail services that simply reproduce what they receive plus addressing, and Internet service(s) providing direct mail fulfillment services from a graphical template composed by and provided by the user. However, such services do not allow full reproduction of traditional written communication formats and media, or at best require significant intervention and/or actions by the sender (and at times by the receiver) to achieve such formats. Additionally, none of these present a unified interface for composing and delivering differing forms of written communication.
Traditional written communication formats include, for example, all forms of written communications generated including business letters on business letterhead (sizes 8½″×11″, A4, Legal, Monarch, etc.), business notes/memos, business announcements/invitations, business form letters, business postcards, business legal notifications, personal letters, personal letter on personalized stationery, personal notes/cards, personal announcements, personal postcards. These forms of communication historically use various combinations of layout, handwriting, hand printing, signatures, preprinted fonts and graphics. Earlier services fall short of reproducing these formats automatically or with ease. Word processing programs can generally be configured to produce these formats, however it is a manual and cumbersome process with many steps. Many users are not capable of the graphics manipulation required to compose these formats with letterhead and signature. Furthermore, it is left to the user to render the composition into hardcopy form and to arrange the delivery connection. Internet greeting card providers (both e-card and hardcopy card vendors) provide only limited personalization for the cards they vend. Greeting card providers do not provide a handwriting equivalent that reflects the user's personal cursive style nor do greeting card providers provide an essential “signature” to personalize the card. One service exists for ordering hand calligraphy on cards, but this is not an automated process. Internet FAX-from-email and letter/direct-mail-from-email providers either force the user to compose the graphics of his or her message manually with a word processor or provide “canned” formats without personalization of signature, personal stationery or business logos.
Email Systems
In computer network systems such as local-area networks (“LANs”), wide-area networks (“WANs”), and the Internet and the world-wide web (“WWW”), electronic mail (“e-mail”) systems are often utilized to facilitate communication between two or more users of the network. Each user has a unique network address that may be used for routing and identifying purposes in delivering an e-mail message from one user (the “sender”) to another user (the “recipient”) on the network. Often an e-mail message contains a relatively small amount of text or other forms of data. One or more additional files of data, called “attachments” are often attached to the e-mail message. For example, a word processing file or graphic file that is incompatible with the display capabilities of the e-mail system or that is too large to be conveniently displayed by the e-mail application program may be transmitted from the sender to the recipient by attaching it to an email message. The e-mail message may introduce or explain the attachments. Thus, the recipient receives the e-mail message plus any attached data files, wherein the attached data files must be opened, accessed, or utilized separately from the email message itself. One drawback is that this method requires the recipient have the necessary software to open and display the attachment(s). A final drawback of this technique for electronic deliveries is that the size of the email with attachments is often large, and requires relatively long upload times for the sender and download times for the recipient.
HTML formats have become the language of page compositions for web sites. Moreover, objects can be scanned into HTML formats for use in web pages. Composition and display of HTML formats has been added to most mainstream email programs. However, there is a large time commitment needed to design HTML email formats with scanned inputs and graphical elements. Hence, this format has not been generally utilized for personal correspondence in email messages due to the need to not spend inordinate periods of time doing such tasks. Several World Wide Web sites offer some rudimentary HTML graphics associated with email created at their site, but none approach the problem of generating full traditional correspondence formats or an easier method of interface than the World Wide Web can provide. Furthermore, adapting HTML composition techniques to produce suitable quality output for hardcopy local to the user for postal, courier or express deliveries is cumbersome and rampant with potential time consuming problems.
Internet Letter Services
Netgram™ and Eletter™ represent services that utilize email and database methods and have limitations and drawbacks that leave room for major improvements. Drawbacks that are shared by both, are 1) that the “sender” can only initiate a transaction that results in a physical postal mail item or items, 2) no graphical composition other than what the user provides, is supported 3) the “sender” does not “see” and approve the final article that is sent to the recipient, until after the fact or by special manual arrangement that significantly delays the sending.
While Eletter™ will generate and post for delivery a letter to the recipient sent by email from the sender, it is up to the recipient to provide the fully formatted letter, along with the list of addresses, in conventional mail merge format. Eletter™ will then provide the necessary printing, assembly and mailing services. While this technique is suitable for volume mailings (i.e., junk mail), it does not offer the convenience, automatic composition, selection of media and delivery methods that the invention does.
Netgram™ is uses a crude form of composition with no flexibility to generate anything beyond a single format of written correspondence, that contains formatting and graphics to the extent that the user provides them in the initial e-mail request. Therefore, “Netgram™” is much like an Internet telegram or Western Union mailgram, and results in a message printed centrally, or remotely, that is then placed in an addressed envelope and delivered by regular postal means. Therefore, there is a need in the art to improve upon the drawbacks of Netgram™, such as, 1) Netgrams cannot replicate standard forms of communication other than the “telegram” format, or some similar “print-on-plain-paper” format with a header above text and/or whatever graphics are supplied by the “sender”; 2) while a user could theoretically supply all the graphics for replic
Barot Bharat
Davis , Wright, Tremaine, LLP
Davison Barry L.
Letter Services, Inc.
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