Electrical computers and digital processing systems: multicomput – Computer-to-computer protocol implementing – Computer-to-computer data transfer regulating
Reexamination Certificate
1999-11-30
2001-04-10
Maung, Zarni (Department: 2154)
Electrical computers and digital processing systems: multicomput
Computer-to-computer protocol implementing
Computer-to-computer data transfer regulating
C709S203000, C709S206000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06216165
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to e-mail processing systems capable of forwarding messages to both a user's pager and e-mail box.
BACKGROUND ART
The use of e-mail transmitted over the Internet or through a local area network (LAN) is becoming ever increasingly popular. If a user's workplace is provided with a LAN-based e-mail system, it is possible to promptly notify a user sitting at his or her workstation of a new e-mail message. In many instances, however, a user may be away from the workstation and will not be promptly notified of an e-mail message. Similarly, when a user is home and not on-line, the user is not promptly provided with e-mail messages which frustrates the entire purpose of e-mail. In order for e-mail to become an effective communication tool, it is necessary to promptly notify a user upon the receipt of an e-mail message in his or her e-mail box, which typically requires a phone call, defeating the purpose of e-mail.
In order to address the e-mail notice problem, several Internet service providers (ISP) offer a service in which a customer who has a pager is automatically sent a page indicating “you have mail” upon the receipt of an e-mail message in the user's e-mail box. The message format is frequently limited, and few ISP's at the present time provide such a service.
Several pager companies, namely, Paging Network and M-Tel have introduced e-mail access for users having Motorola alphanumeric pagers. Rather than using proprietary software and a direct-dial modem for transmitting an alphanumeric message to the pager company, anyone having Internet access can simply create a short message and forward it to a unique address associated with the pager owner's name at the paging company Internet address, i.e. XXX@pageco.com. The problem associated with this service is that long messages exceeding the page length limit will be truncated. Furthermore, pages cannot include attachments, preventing someone from simply sending a message to both the pager and an e-mail box using the “to” and a “cc” line to address the recipient's e-mail box and pager simultaneously.
In short, there is a well recognized need for seamlessly integrating pagers and e-mail in order to promptly notify a user of an e-mail message which the pager and the Internet service provider industries are attempting to address. However, the present system has serious defects which limit the successful implementation of e-mail paging.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
For the foregoing reasons, a need exists for an e-mail processing method and system which is capable of integrating paging and conventional e-mail box services.
It is an object of the present invention to enable a user to coordinate multiple e-mail boxes, whether they have conventional e-mail boxes in a LAN or through an ISP, or a pager with e-mail, to appropriately distribute messages when received at a single user e-mail address.
It is a further object of the present invention to enable the user to appropriately select what type of information will be forwarded to the pager, and the type of notice transmitted, in order to prevent excessive pager usage.
In carrying out the above objects, the present invention provides an e-mail processing method utilizing a mail program resident on a host computer which is linked to a network, such as the Internet or an intranet. The program cooperates with a user database containing user profile data for each authorized user. When e-mail is sent to the host computer addressed to an authorized user, the message is received in the typical format having fields for: to address, from address, subject, and text body. When the “to address” is verified as an authorized user, it is associated with a user name and the user profile data. The mail program then creates and forwards a copy of the incoming message to the various e-mail addresses specified in the user's profile data. The mail program further retrieves the user's pager e-mail address and pager type from the profile data. A pager message is then created in suitable format for each specified pager. Numeric pagers are appropriately sent a numeric message and alphanumeric pagers are sent alphanumeric messages which do not exceed the page length limit, typically set by the pager company or specified by the user. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, pager messages exceeding the page length limit are broken up into multiple messages and sequentially transmitted.
Preferably, the method filters the incoming messages searching at least one of the header fields, such as “from address,” or “subject” and also the body of the message to determine whether a match occurs with a stored value. If a match occurs, the method modifies the pager message in response to the stored value, while leaving the forwarded e-mail message substantially unchanged. Additionally, the preferred system enables the user to set user definable hold blackout periods or times so messages will not be sent to the user during certain times of the day, days of the week, when on vacation, etc. The program is provided with a hold bypass so that an urgent message can be sent to the user's pager during a blackout or hold period.
In further carrying out the objects of the present invention, when used with a two-way pager, the mail program will send a pager message to the two-way pager which has a unique “from” name including a message number and identifying the host computer, i.e. “from:
XXX@host.com,” which is logged in the host computer along with the associated original “from address” which identifies the sender of the incoming message. The pager message has the body modified to include the original sender's address. The pager message, when received by the pager company, is forwarded to the user's pager. A reply from the two-way pager received by the pager company is sent back via e-mail to the host computer, i.e. XXX@host.com. The mail program filters incoming e-mail messages to determine if the message with the “from” address matches a logged unique name with the message number whereupon the incoming message is reformatted into an e-mail message to the original sender based on the sender's address which is associated with the logged unique name.
These and other features, aspects and embodiments of the present invention will become better understood with regard to the following description, appended claims and accompanying drawings.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5838252 (1998-11-01), Kikinis
patent: 5964833 (1999-10-01), Kikinis
patent: 5978837 (1999-11-01), Foladare et al.
patent: 5995597 (1999-11-01), Woltz et al.
Nemazi John E.
Woltz Robert Thomas
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