Patent ID: 7809794
Filing Date: 2010-10-05
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
1. A method for notifying a recipient of an electronic message of message reply requirements, said method comprising: in response to an activation of an email reply reminder process, a processor at a data processing system of a sender displaying a popup menu on a display of the data processing system; said processor receiving reply information supplied to the popup menu by the sender in response to the popup menu, wherein the reply information is related to a reply by the recipient to the message, wherein the reply information supplied to the popup menu by the sender comprises a date and time of day to send a first reply reminder message to the recipient, a frequency consisting of a constant time interval between successive reply reminder messages sent to the recipient, and a notification indicator indicating whether or not to notify the sender of each time a reply reminder message of the successive reply reminder messages is sent to the recipient, and wherein the successive reply reminder messages consist of the first reply reminder message and a plurality of additional reply reminder messages; said processor generating, from the supplied reply information, a data record comprising the date and time of day, the frequency, and the notification indicator; said processor attaching the data record to the electronic message; said processor transmitting the electronic message having the attached data record to the recipient; said processor monitoring whether the sender has received a response, from the recipient, to the transmitted electronic message; said processor ascertaining from said monitoring that the sender has not received said response to the electronic message from the recipient; and in response to said ascertaining, said processor sending the first reply reminder message to the recipient at the date and time of day.