Electronic mail processing system with bonus point tracking
US6076101A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Aug 14, 1997 |
| Grant date | Jun 13, 2000 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Aug 14, 2017 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06Q30/0236
- WIPO fieldIT methods for management
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
An electronic mail processing system for distributing an e-mail message from a sender to recipients, which encourages the recipients to open, read, and reply to the e-mail message sent from the sender. An original e-mail message sent from a sender via a sender terminal is stored in an outgoing message storage unit. An outgoing mail information registration unit stores a list of recipients to whom the e-mail message should be delivered, as well as storing information on bonus points. A message sending unit encloses bonus point information in the e-mail message and distributes it to the recipients included on the list. Upon receipt of a reply message from one of the recipients, a reception process unit gives a predetermined number of bonus points to the recipient. Each recipient's bonus points are accumulated in a recipient information storage unit, and he/she can redeem his/her bonus points for gifts depending on the accumulated points. This structural arrangement encourages the recipients to open the sender's message and write reply messages thereto in expectation of the redeemable bonus points, thus allowing the original message sender to collect more reply messages from the recip…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.