Patent ID: 8566400

Claim:
A demand-based messaging system for assigning and updating a plurality of action items, comprising: a first computer; a first input device, and a first output device, coupled to the first computer; a storage device coupled to the first computer; a second computer coupled to the first computer through a communications medium; a database coupled to the first computer, and to the second computer, through the communications medium; a second input device, and a second output device, coupled to the second computer; a first demand-based messaging program operable on the first computer, the demand-based messaging program comprising instructions for causing the first computer to perform a first plurality of steps comprising: displaying a first user interface on the first output device; reading a message data, composed by a sender, from the first input device, the message data comprising a plurality of action items; displaying the message data to the sender in the first user interface; reading an attribute for each of the plurality of action items from the first input device; assigning each attribute to the corresponding action item; storing the message data in the database; transferring the message data to a plurality of recipients over the communications medium to the second computer; and a second demand-based messaging program operable on the second computer, the second demand-based messaging program comprising instructions for causing the second computer to perform a second plurality of steps comprising: linking the database to the second computer: displaying the message data, to a first recipient, on the second output device; receiving a response from the first recipient, from the second input device, wherein the response includes a status indication; updating the message data, and the database, with the response; and displaying the updated message data to the plurality of recipients; wherein a single message may be used to assign action items, assign attributes, and update responses, to a plurality of action items for a plurality of recipients.