Patent ID: 7509383

Claim:
A system for remotely configuring automatic reply message settings, the system comprising: an email server configured to: receive email messages addressed to an email address allocated for a user, the email server is configured by the user using a first email client application running on a first client platform that is communicatively coupled to the email server, wherein the received email message is generated using a second email client application running on a second client platform that is communicatively decoupled from the email server; process the received email message according to one or more processing rules defined by the user; generate an automatic reply message in response to receiving email messages addressed to the email address; examine each received email message addressed to the email address for one or more specified conditions; execute one or more specified actions configuring settings for the automatic reply message when the one or more specified conditions are met by a received email message addressed to the email address; wherein the one or more specified conditions are selected from being sent from one or more specified email addresses, containing one or more specified strings of text in a specified format, containing a particular digital signature, and combinations thereof, and wherein the one or more specified actions are selected from enabling the automatic reply message, disabling the automatic reply message, setting a time period during which the automatic reply message is to be generated, creating a block of text to be included in the automatic reply message, editing a block of text to be included in the automatic reply message, setting a list of email addresses to which the automatic reply is to be sent, and combinations thereof; and wherein at least one of the one or more specified actions is determined according to a set of instructions included in the received email message and retrieved by the email server.