Architecture for performing action in a third-party service by an email client

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11336599-B2
Application number	US-202117340397-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 7, 2021
Priority date	Jun 24, 2016
Publication date	May 17, 2022
Grant date	May 17, 2022

Abstract

Disclosed are various approaches performing actions on data items in a third-party service with a network-accessible application programming interface from an email client. The email client can perform an action as specified by an email service profile, which specifies how to identify the email message, the data item and how to interact with the network-accessible application programming interface.

First claim

We claim the following:

1. A system comprising:
a client device comprising a processor and a memory; and
an email client executable by the client device, the email client causing the client device to at least:
obtain an email service profile associated with a particular third-party service accessible through a network-accessible application programming interface (API), the email service profile defining a plurality of actions associated with an email message and the particular third-party service;
install the email service profile in the email client on the client device, wherein the email service profile is installed on the client device by a remotely executed management service as a configuration profile, wherein the client device is enrolled with the management service as a managed device and the configuration profile is stored by a management API of an operating system of the client device;
detect a swipe gesture on an email message in the email client;
render a user interface element displaying the plurality of actions in response to detection of the swipe gesture;
obtain a selection of one of the plurality of actions; and
initiate the selected action through the network-accessible API.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the email client further causes the client device to at least:
determine that an email message in a mailbox view is associated with the email service profile;
extract an icon from the email service profile;
render the icon in association with the email message in the mailbox view.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the email client causes the client device to at least:
identify a regular expression in the email service profile that defines a text pattern associated with email messages associated with the particular third-party service.

4. The system of claim 3 , wherein the email client causes the client device to at least parse text associated with the email message to determine whether the email service profile comprises a regular expression that the email client is configured to interpret to parse at least one string associated with the email message.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the email client causes the client device to at least:
render a window within the mailbox view associated with the selection of the one of the plurality of actions, wherein content of the window is defined by the email service profile.

6. The system of claim 5 , wherein the content of the window further comprises content obtained from the particular third-party service and rendered within a web view component by the email client, and the email service profile comprises a uniform resource locator associated with the selected action.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the email client is further configured to cause the client device to at least extract an identifier for a data item within the particular third-party service from the email message and transmit the identifier to the particular third-party service using the network-accessible API.

8. A method comprising:
obtaining an email service profile in an email client, the email service profile associated with a particular third-party service accessible through a network-accessible application programming interface (API), the email service profile defining a plurality of actions associated with an email message and the particular third-party service;
installing the email service profile in the email client on the client device, wherein the email service profile is installed on the client device by a remotely executed management service as a configuration profile, wherein the client device is enrolled with the management service as a managed device and the configuration profile is stored by a management API of an operating system of the client device;
detecting a swipe gesture with respect to an email message in the email client;
rendering a user interface element displaying the plurality of actions in response to detection of the swipe gesture;
obtaining a selection of one of the plurality of actions; and
initiating the selected action through the network-accessible API.

9. The method of claim 8 , further comprising:
determining that an email message in a mailbox view is associated with the email service profile;
extracting an icon from the email service profile; and
rendering the icon in association with the email message in the mailbox view.

10. The method of claim 8 , further comprising:
identifying a regular expression in the email service profile that defines a text pattern associated with email messages associated with the particular third-party service.

11. The method of claim 8 , further comprising parsing text associated with the email message to determine whether the email service profile comprises a regular expression that the email client is configured to interpret to parse at least one string associated with the email message.

12. The method of claim 8 , further comprising rendering a window within a mailbox view associated with the selection of the one of the plurality of actions, wherein content of the window is defined by the email service profile.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the content of the window further comprises content obtained from the third-party service and rendered within a web view component by the email client, and the email service profile comprises a uniform resource locator associated with the selected action.

14. The method of claim 12 , further comprising extracting an identifier for a data item within the particular third-party service from the email message and transmitting the identifier to the particular third-party service using the network-accessible API.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising machine-readable instructions, wherein when executed by a processor of a client device, the machine-readable instructions cause the client device to at least:
obtain an email service profile in an email client, the email service profile associated with a particular third-party service accessible through a network-accessible application programming interface (API), the email service profile defining a plurality of actions associated with an email message and the particular third-party service;
install the email service profile in the email client on the client device wherein the email service profile is installed on the client device by a remotely executed management service as a configuration profile, wherein the client device is enrolled with the management service as a managed device and the configuration profile is stored by a management API of an operating system of the client device;
render the email message in a mailbox view within an email client;
detect a swipe gesture with respect to the email message in the email client;
render a user interface element displaying the plurality of actions in response to detection of the swipe gesture;
obtain a selection of one of the plurality of actions; and
initiate the selected action through the network-accessible API.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15 , wherein the machine-readable instructions cause the client device to at least determine that the email message is associated with the email service profile.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15 , wherein the machine-readable instructions cause the client device to at least extract an icon from the email service profile and render the icon in association with the email message in the mailbox view.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15 , where

Assignees

• Vmware Inc

Inventors

• Panchapakesan Ramani
• Nittala Gangadhar
• Wasmer Noah

Classifications

• H04L51/046 Primary

  Interoperability with other network applications or services · CPC title

• H04L67/34 Primary

  involving the movement of software or configuration parameters  (network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416) · CPC title

• H04L51/18

  Commands or executable codes · CPC title

• H04L67/53

  using third party service providers · CPC title

• H04L67/30

  Profiles · CPC title