Using vacation automatic replies to enhance bulk marketing campaigns

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11030578-B2
Application number	US-201313769521-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 18, 2013
Priority date	Feb 18, 2013
Publication date	Jun 8, 2021
Grant date	Jun 8, 2021

Abstract

Methods and systems may provide for identifying a first set of recipients associated with an away status. Additionally, the first set of recipients may be removed from a second set of recipients associated with a bulk communications campaign to obtain a third set of recipients, wherein a first message may be sent to the third set of recipients. It may be determined that the away status has ceased for one or more of the first set of recipients, wherein a second message may be sent to the one or more of the first set of recipients for which the away status has ceased. The second message may reference the away status. Methods and systems may also provide for a brokering system to enable the transfer of away status information between different collectors of away status information and senders of messages.

First claim

I claim:

1. A computer program product comprising:
a non-transitory computer readable storage medium; and
computer usable code stored on the computer readable storage medium, where, when executed by a processor, the computer usable code causes a computer to:
receive a bulk communications database from a brokering system and obtain a first set of recipients from the database, wherein the brokering system aggregates away status information from a plurality of different collectors remote from the brokering system that have different architectures, each of the plurality of different collectors determining an away status from analyzing an item selected from a group consisting of a bounce-back message, a web form, and a byproduct of an electronic transaction, wherein analyzing the bounce-back message comprises parsing the bounce-back message for contact information and date information;
remove the first set of recipients from a second set of recipients associated with a bulk communications campaign to obtain a third set of recipients;
apply a cryptographic hash function to contact information corresponding to the second set of recipients to obtain first cryptographic information;
submit the first cryptographic information to the brokering system; and
send a first message to the third set of recipients.

2. The computer program product of claim 1 , wherein the computer usable code, when executed, causes a computer to determine that the away status has ceased for one or more of the first set of recipients; and
send a second message to the one or more of the first set of recipients for which the away status has ceased.

3. The computer program product of claim 2 , wherein the second message references the away status.

4. The computer program product of claim 1 , wherein the contact information includes at least one of an email address, a phone number, a fax number, a social media name, or a login name.

5. The computer program product of claim 1 , wherein the computer usable code, when executed, causes a computer to:
apply a cryptographic hash function to contact information corresponding to the first set of recipients to obtain additional cryptographic information; and
send the additional cryptographic information and corresponding away status information to the brokering system.

6. The computer program product of claim 1 , wherein the away status is at least one of an out-of-office status or an on-vacation status.

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

• Robbins Kenneth L

Classifications

• G06Q30/0251

  Targeted advertisements · CPC title

• G06Q10/10 Primary

  Office automation; Time management · CPC title