Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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333P1CA
ELECTRONIC MAIL
The present invention relates to electronic mail and is useful, in particular,
for e-mail
incorporating images.
Conventional e-mail messaging has the disadvantage that the e-mail messages
which appear
on a recipient's screen are in text format only and, therefore, lack
attractive visual
information which can be incorporated in a graphical images.
It has been previously proposed to transmit messages via the Internet which
incorporate
graphical information and display images on the recipient's screen. This has
the disadvantage
that the graphical information may be very large in size and may cause various
problems for
those that receive it. For example, a recipient's e-mail box may be filled to
its maximum,
thus rendering it unusable until e-mail including a large image file has been
deleted. Another
danger is that the e-mail may be automatically rejected by a recipient's e-
mail software
program as being too large to handle, in which case the e-mail will not reach
the intended
recipient.
Attempts have previously been made to address this e-mail size problem by
compressing
and/or manipulating the graphics in other ways to reduce the file size of the
graphical
component of an e-mail message.
For example, United States Patent Application No. 2002/0029250 discloses a
method and
apparatus for distributing computer-enhanced artwork for use in electronic
messaging which
can create and distribute electronic stationery incorporating a computer-
enhanced logo. First,
a customer can register to access the host artwork distribution system.
Following registration,
the customer can provide a logo or other artwork to the host system. The logo
can be
combined with a marketing logo. Preferably, the marketing logo is a
graphically anchored
hyperlink to the host artwork distribution system. The combined logo can be
resized and 3
CA 02440502 2003-09-11
optimized for transmission in a data communications network. Subsequently, the
combined
logo can be embedded into e-mail stationery. The e-mail stationery then can be
distributed
to the customer whose e-mail client can be automatically configured to cause
the e-mail
stationery to be combined with subsequent electronic messages.
This prior method and apparatus, however, have the disadvantage that the e-
mail stationery,
and the software required to combine the e-mail stationery with subsequent
electronic
messages, has to be installed on the recipient's computer, which requires
relatively large files
to be stored on the recipient's computer.
The present invention provides a method of transmitting an electronic message,
which
comprises composing, at a sender location, an initial message containing
sender
identification data, recipient identification data and text data, sending the
initial message
from the sender location to a messaging service location at which are stored a
plurality of
templates and graphical data files corresponding, respectively, to a plurality
of message
senders, each of the templates containing at least one placeholder
corresponding to the
respective message sender, employing the sender identification data to select
that one of the
templates which corresponds to the message sender, sending the selected
template and the
initial message to a recipient location identified by the recipient
identification data,
employing the placeholder in the selected template to download the respective
graphical data
file to the recipient and combining the downloaded graphical data file and the
initial message
as a display containing graphical and text information at the recipient
location.
Therefore, the template and the graphical data are not stored in the sender's
or recipient's
computer but, instead, are stored in the messaging service location. When the
electronic
message is sent to the recipient, the template, together with the initial
message and the
placeholder/s associated with the sender, are sent to the recipient's
computer, without the
graphical data, and the graphical data is only uploaded from the messaging
service location
when the electronic message is opened at the recipient's computer.
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A new subscriber is required to initially register by signing up for a
messaging service
employing the present invention.. This signing up is effected in a
conventional manner by
making a payment by credit card" and the new subscriber is then confirmed by e-
mail, with
a user name and a password, to the new subscriber from the service..
To create a customized template for a new subscriber, so that the new
subscriber can
subsequently function as the message sender, the new subscriber sends its user
name and
password to the messaging service location. The new subscriber then employs
the Web page
to store, at the messaging service location, graphical data specific to that
subscriber. This
graphical data may, for example, comprises a portrait of the new subscriber
and a company
logo. In addition, the Web page may also be employed to store, at the
messaging service
location, text data, for example an address and telephone numbers, and also an
electronic
signature, of the subscriber.
The graphical data is stored as a data file, and a customized copy template
specific to the new
subscriber is created, the text data being incorporated in this copy template.
In addition, the
template is provided with at least one placeholder identifying the data file.
This template is
then stored at the messaging service location with a plurality of other
templates specific to
the other subscribers.
The graphical data may be provided by the new subscriber and sent, by e-mail
or otherwise,
to the messaging service location.
Alternatively, the new subscriber may select the graphical data, e.g. a
business logo, from any
one of a number of graphic files stored at the messaging service location.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the template specific to the new
subscriber is
created as a specific or customized copy of a template which is common to all
of the
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subscribers, and the creation of this template copy includes the step of
automatic re-sizing
of an image provided by the new subscriber.
Also, the adaptation of the common template to the new subscriber may include
generating
an automatic signature for the new subscriber if the new subscriber does not
provide a
signature, this signature being added to the new subscriber's template.
The images are all resident on a central Web server and therefore the sizes of
the e-mail
messages are kept extremely small. Only recipients that are on line see the
full templated e-
mail.
In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the customized
templates, i.e. the
copies of the common template which are specific to respective subscribers,
are dynamically
generated into HTML pages with tags calling for text and images. The images
are stored in
home directories each of which is associated with a respective one of the
subscribers, and the
e-mailing is effected using SMTP to send HTML-formatted e-mail.
The present invention will more readily understood from the following
description of a
preferred embodiment thereof given, by way of example, with reference to the
accompanying
drawings, in which:-
Figure 1 shows an e-mail message generated by a method embodying the present
invention:
Figure 2 shows a registration form to be completed by a new subscriber;
Figure 3 diagrammatically illustrates the registration of a new subscribers by
uploading data
from the new subscriber's Web browser to a messaging service location;
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Figure 4 diagrammatically illustrates the sending of an e-mail message to a
recipient via the
messaging service location; and
Figure 5 diagrammatically illustrates the reception of the e-mail
The embodiment of the present invention which is described below with
reference to the
accompanying drawings relates to a method of generating e-mail which is
particularly
designed and adapted for use by realtors as subscribers. It is, however, to be
understood that
the present invention is not restricted to use by realtors but may, for
example, be used by any
other profession, business, individual, group, team or commercial enterprise.
Referring to Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings, which illustrates an e-
mail message
generated in accordance with the present invention for a realtor named Linda
Noton, as it
1 S appears on a recipient's screen, it will be seen that this message
incorporates a text message
indicated generally by reference numeral 10, a signature indicated generally
by reference
numeral 12, a portrait 14 of the realtor, an area 16 including the name of the
realtor and a
slogan, an e-mail address 18, a Web site address 20, a logo 22, and the name,
address,
telephone number, etc. of the realtor, indicated by reference numeral 26.
As will be apparent, this e-mail message incorporates a substantial amount of
graphical
information which is in addition to the text message and which would not
appear in a
conventional e-mail message.
In order to be able to send an e-mail such as that shown in Figure 1, the
realtor is required
to register as a new subscriber of an e-mail messaging service and to receive
by e-mail from
the messaging service a confirmation of the subscriber's username and
password.. The new
subscriber can then use this username and password to access the Mets and the
messaging
service so as to firstly to download onto his or her computer, from a central
location or
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messaging service location, a registration or sign-up form indicated generally
by reference
numeral 28 in Figure 2. This form is for use in setting up a template which,
as described in
greater detail below, is customized to that new subscriber.
Using the form 28, the new subscriber firstly enters business information,
i.e. the name and
address 26, the e-mail address 18 and the website address 20, in text boxes
indicated
generally by reference numeral 30.
In the next step, in order to insert the logo 22 into the template, the new
subscriber either
clicks on a button 31 entitled "Search for Your LOGO" and then selects one of
a plurality
of logos stored as image files at a messaging service server or alternatively
clicks on a button
32 and then uploads an image file from the new subscriber's computer for
addition to the
template.
Next, to add the portrait 14, the new subscriber either clicks on a button 33
entitled "Upload
Your PHOTO!" and uploads an image file containing the portrait from the
subscriber's
computer or, by clicking on a button 34 entitled "Just mail it to Us",
indicates that a
photographic portrait will be mailed to the messaging service.
The new subscriber then likewise either clicks on a button 25 entitled "Upload
Your
SIGNATURE!" and uploads an image file containing the signature 12 or, by
clicking on a
button 36 entitled "Just Mail it to Us", indicates that a copy of the
signature will be mailed
to the messaging service.
The new subscriber can then click on a button 37 to preview the template,
which will appear
on the new subscriber's screen without the text message 10, and, if all is in
order, can
confirm by an ORDER button 38.
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Referring now to Figure 3, which shows a flow chart diagrammatically
illustrating the
creation or updating of a customized copy template, reference numeral 40
indicates generally
a personal computer of the subscriber, which may optionally be provided with a
store 42
containing a plurality of graphic files. The subscriber firstly accesses a
computer, indicated
generally by reference 44, and it's Web server 46, which are located at a
messenger service
location remote from the new subscribers computer 40, through the Internet,
using the
subscriber's user name and password.
The form illustrated in Figure 2 is then opened in the subscribers computer
40, and the
subscriber completes this form, as described above, to provide to the
messaging service
location the information required for registering the new subscriber.
More particularly, at step 50, the subscriber accesses the messaging service
server 46 and the
user name and password of the new subscriber are checked. In step 54, the
subscriber is then
allowed to access the messaging service system, and in step 56 the creation or
updating of
a customized template for the subscriber is enabled.
The text information entered by the subscriber in the form illustrated in
Figure 2, as
described above, is then entered and saved in step 58 and a correspondingly
customized the
template is saved in a subscribers template store 49 in step 60. The saving of
the subscriber's
textual information is then confirmed in step 62, after which, if the
subscriber has selected
buttons 32, 33 and 35, in step 64, graphic files selected by the new
subscriber from the
graphics file store 42 are sent in step 66 by e-mail to the computer 44 at the
messaging
service location, and are saved in a graphics file store 67 in step 68.
Alternatively, if the
subscriber, by pressing button 31 at step 70, elects to employ a graphic file
stored at the
message service server 46, the selected graphic file is uploaded in step 72.
In either case, at
step 74 the creation of the subscribers customized template is complete.
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The customized template may be created initially in this way. At a later time,
the subscriber
may wish to update the information associated with the subscriber's template.
This can be
effected in a manner similar to that described above in connection with Figure
3.
Referring now to Figure 4, which is a flowchart illustrating the sending of an
e-mail message
from the subscriber's computer 40, the sender firstly keys into the
subscribers computer 40
the text message indicated in Figure 1 by reference numeral 10, together with
the address of
a recipient in step 80, and transmits this information, in step 82, by SMTP as
a plain text e-
mail message through the Internet to the messaging service server 46, which
then intercepts
this e-mail message in step 84, identifies the subscriber in step 86 and
locates and copies the
subscriber's template in step 88, including at least one placeholder for the
subscriber's
graphical data, as a template copy 83. In step 90, the e-mail is parsed to
obtain the subject
and message body content, which are then inserted into the template copy 83 in
step 92.
1 S Next, "sent from"and "reply to" e-mail addresses are applied to this
template copy in step 94,
and the template copy 83 is then forwarded to the recipient via SMPT at step
96, and at step
98 the e-mail has been sent.
Figure 5 shows, by way of example, a flowchart illustrating the reception of
the e-mail, with
the personal computers of four potential recipients indicated generally by
reference numerals
101, 102, 103 and 104, which are each connected to the Internet. When the e-
mail is
received by one of these recipients, in step 106, it can be opened as a
customized copy
template in step 108. The sender's graphic files on then retrieved by the
placeholders in the
thus-opened copy template, from the messaging service server 46 in step 110
and they are
added to the customized copy template in step 112 and appear in step 114 on
the recipient's
display.
More particularly, the sender's template, as received by the recipient, does
not include the
graphic information saved in the above-described manner by the subscriber, but
only includes
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placeholders corresponding to this graphic information. When the e-mail is
opened by the
recipient, these placeholders send a request to the messaging service server
46, through the
Internet, to retrieve the corresponding graphics into the sender's template by
HTTP from the
messaging service server 46. These graphics are then received by the e-mail
display of the
recipient and appear to the recipient to be embedded as part of the e-mail
display in a manner
which is completely transparent to the recipient and which is only restricted
by the speed of
the Internet connection between the messaging service server 46 and the
recipient's computer
101 - 104.
Figure 5 also diagrammatically illustrates four other potential recipients,
indicated generally
by reference numerals 120, 121, 122 and 123, which are not connected to the
Internet. When
these recipients receive the e-mail sent from the messaging service server 46,
at step 124, the
e-mail opened by the recipients in step 126 and displayed on the displays of
these recipients
in step 128 contains all aspects of the letterhead in the template of the
sender, but without
any graphics.
The above-described method according to the present invention for sending
electronic
messages, or e-mail, has a number of advantages, in comparison to prior art
methods. In
particular, the present invention does not require the use of file compression
to minimize the
size of e-mails sent to a recipient and, consequently, the present invention
does not require
either compressed files or large file sizes to be sent to a recipient.
Instead, the present
invention employs basic file formats which are readily available and, instead
ofincorporating
graphics into the e-mail, the present invention requires only placeholders to
be included in
the e-mail, which when the e-mail is opened by the recipient caused the
graphics to be
uploaded from the messaging service server 46 to the recipients display. Since
the present
invention does not require specialized software to be installed on the
recipient's computer,
the method according to the present invention can be utilized from any
computer, either via
the Internet or by setting up an account on that computer's e-mail client. The
present method
employs a Web based application, which is used by the subscriber to customize
the
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subscribers template. The only manipulation of the graphics is of the graphic
size, in order
to ensure that it fits within the template. Also, by the present method, each
time an e-mail
is sent, there is an interaction with the messaging service and all processing
of the e-mail is
effected at the messaging service server 46 and not at the sender or the
recipient.
As will be apparent to those skilled in the art, various modifications may be
made to the
about-described method within the scope of the appended claims.
