Electrical computers and digital processing systems: multicomput – Computer conferencing – Demand based messaging
Reexamination Certificate
1997-03-13
2001-02-06
Geckil, Mehmet B. (Department: 2756)
Electrical computers and digital processing systems: multicomput
Computer conferencing
Demand based messaging
C709S207000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06185603
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to electronic mail systems, and more particularly to an electronic mail system that alerts a recipient to the presence of an electronic mail message.
Many different types of electronic mail systems exist. Initially, many of these systems required a user to access the electronic mail system to determine whether any messages exist for the user. This was seen as a shortcoming of electronic mail systems. To remedy this shortcoming, many electronic mail systems added the capability to notify the user that he has received new email when he logs on the network.
Still, as users began sending more and more messages electronically, many users felt important electronic mail was being overlooked. To help users feel connected to the rest of the network, electronic mail systems then began to alert users of newly received electronic mail by causing an audible tone to be played on their computer and by placing a small message on the screen indicating the presence of a new message and perhaps also indicating the sender of the email message. Obviously, this works only when the user is logged on to the network.
Unfortunately in these systems, important email is treated the same as other less important email. Thus, every message from every user is treated the same. The recipient has no ability to judge whether he should discontinue that which he is working on and read the electronic mail or ignore the electronic mail until he has a free moment to read it. Although users are becoming barraged with electronic junk mail, there is no way of permitting users to differentiate between junk email and important email. Consequently, some users ignore their email entirely, assuming that if it is important enough, the email will reach them eventually. This often requires the sender to resend the message or to telephone the user or to actually visit the user in person to pass on the message. As a result, email systems still fail to reach all network users. Furthermore, there are a very few ways for a sender of an email message to pass on the sense of urgency in a given message to the recipient. As such, each email will essentially appear the same as any other email message to the recipient.
Some network operating systems notify users of the impending shutdown of the network via an electronic message that appears every so often prior to the system shutdown. For example, “The System Will Shutdown in 30 Seconds!” Followed by, “The System Will Shutdown in Twenty Seconds!” And so, the messages continue until the system crashes. This system essentially takes control of each computer to alert the user of an impending crisis. In this case, only the operating system has this control, not individual senders of messages.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,278,955 discloses an electronic mail system in which the user can create a rule based-electronic mail system using a graphical user interface. This system is complex and requires the user to set up a series of rules and an if-then event structure. This system requires the user to access an editor to define the rules prior to sending a given email. As a result of this structure, each individual user is unable to control the alerting capability of the system for a particular message. Consequently, the important email sent in this system will also become inherently indistinguishable from the less important email.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,548,753 discloses an automatic electronic mail system that interacts with a database to notify users of events occurring within the database. This system does not permit the sending user to control any features of the alerting function. Similarly, the important email remains indistinguishable from the less important email.
The present invention is therefore directed to the problem of developing a method and system for transmitting email to users over a network that enables a sender of email to control the alerting features and enables a recipient of email to differentiate between urgent and non-urgent email messages.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention solves the above described problems by providing a plurality of codes for controlling certain features of the alerting message, and a predefined escape sequence for use by the sender that is recognizable by a dedicated server and that enables these codes. By placing the escape sequence in a predetermined location in each message, the sender indicates to the system that codes for controlling the features of the alerting message follow the escape sequence. Using these codes, the user can then specify when, how often, and in what manner the alert message is displayed to the recipient in a window on the recipient's workstation. In addition, the sender can control certain aspects of message routing and delivery using these codes.
According to one embodiment of the present invention, a method for transmitting messages over a network defines a particular escape sequence for use by a sender of the message, which escape sequence can be placed in the subject line by the sender to indicate the sender's preferences for displaying the message in a window on a recipient's terminal. The subject line in each message is reviewed by the system to determine if the message contains the predefined escape sequence. If so, the subject line content is transmitted to a display application on the network. The display of the subject line content within a window on the recipient's workstation is determined according to the sender's preferences specified in the subject line of the message following the escape sequence.
According to one particularly advantageous feature of the present invention, when, in what manner, and how often the message is displayed on the recipient's workstation can be specified by the sender in the subject line of the message following the escape sequence by a predetermined series of codes.
According to yet another advantageous feature of the present invention, routing of the message within the network can be controlled by the sender in the same manner by specifying a particular routing within the subject line of the message following the escape sequence. This includes routing the message to a facsimile, a pager or a telephone, or voice mail system. This is in addition to the normal email address used in the message.
According to the present invention, the apparatus for sending a message over a network includes an email server with a database that stores messages upon receipt from the sender for transmission to a recipient, a message server that has a database for storing selected portions of messages, a search routine that searches the email server database for messages having a predetermined character sequence in the subject line and forwards the subject line of such messages to a routine that receives the forwarded subject lines from the search routine and forwards them to the message server, and a client application that runs on the network and opens a window on the recipient's workstation according to preferences indicated by the sender in the subject line of the message.
One advantageous embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention includes a pager server, a facsimile server and or a voice mail server, which are coupled to the message server. This permits the sender to route the message to either a pager, a facsimile or a voice mail system by specifying the routing within the subject line following the escape sequence, in addition to the normal recipient.
According to the present invention, an apparatus for controlling a display and routing of a message sent over a network by the sender includes a means for identifying messages being transmitted over the network that include a predetermined character sequence in a predetermined location in the message, a means for transmitting a message identified by said identifying means, a means for interacting with a recipient's workstation to open a window on the recipient's workstation, said interacting means receiving the message from t
Henderson Donnie
Jackel Lawrence David
AT&T Corp.
Geckil Mehmet B.
Kenyon & Kenyon
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