Systems and Methods for Communicating Logic in E-Mail Messages

Abstract

Computer program products, apparatus, and methods for processing a human-readable message are provided. The message is received at a first computer in the form of an e-mail. A check is performed to determine whether the message includes (i) a tag originated by a sender of the message and (ii) human-readable instructions interpretable by the first computer to pre-process the message by a pre-process routine. The pre-process routine calls for (i) requesting and receiving, over a network or the Internet from a third computer, data from one or more data fields of a database responsive to the human-readable instructions and (ii) modifying the human-readable message, thereby creating a plurality of processed human-readable messages. When it is determined that the message includes (i) the tag and (ii) the human-readable instructions the message is pre-processed in accordance with the human-readable instructions using the pre-process routine.

What is claimed: 
     
         1 . A first computer comprising a processor and a memory, the memory comprising instructions, executable by the processor, for:
 receiving, at the first computer, a human-readable message over a network or the Internet from a second computer, wherein the human-readable message is in the form of an e-mail; and   determining, at the first computer, whether the human-readable message includes (i) a tag originated by a sender of the human-readable message, wherein the tag identifies the human-readable message as a message that is to be pre-processed prior to forwarding the e-mail to a plurality of recipients and (ii) human-readable instructions, originated by the sender of the human-readable message, wherein the human-readable instructions are interpretable by the first computer to direct the first computer to pre-process the human readable message by a pre-process routine, the pre-process routine including instructions for:
 requesting and receiving, over a network or the Internet from a third computer, data from one or more data fields of a database responsive to the human-readable instructions and without human intervention; and 
 modifying the human-readable message, thereby creating a plurality of processed human-readable messages; wherein 
   when it is determined that the human-readable message includes (i) the tag and (ii) the human-readable instructions, pre-processing the human-readable message in accordance with the human-readable instructions using the pre-process routine.   
     
     
         2 . The first computer of  claim 1 , wherein one or more of the human-readable instructions in the human-readable message is interpretable by the first computer to direct the first computer to perform a looping construct, the looping construct being responsive to the data from the one or more data fields. 
     
     
         3 . The first computer of  claim 1 , wherein one or more of the human-readable instructions in the human-readable message is interpretable by the first computer to direct the first computer to (i) send a database query or web services request over a network or the Internet to the third computer and (ii) receive a response to the database query or web services request from the third computer over a network or the Internet, wherein at least a portion of the database query or web services request directs the third computer to modify its database. 
     
     
         4 . The first computer of  claim 1 , wherein the data is update information. 
     
     
         5 . The first computer of  claim 1 , wherein the protocol of the e-mail is the simple mail transfer protocol (SMTP), the X.400 International Telecommunication Union standard (X.400), the Novell message handling service (MHS), or the extended simple mail transfer protocol (ESMTP). 
     
     
         6 . The first computer of  claim 1 , wherein the database comprises a customer relationship management database, an enterprise resource planning database, a human resource database, or a supply chain database. 
     
     
         7 . A physical medium maintaining human-readable instructions interpretable by a first computer to direct the first computer:
 to receive at the first computer a human-readable message over a network or the Internet from a second computer, wherein the human-readable message is in the form of an e-mail;   to determine, at the first computer, whether the human-readable message includes (i) a tag originated by a sender of the human-readable message, wherein the tag identifies the human-readable message as a message that is to be pre-processed prior to forwarding by the e-mail to a plurality of recipients and (ii) human-readable instructions, originated by the sender of the human-readable message, wherein the human-readable instructions are interpretable by the first computer to direct the first computer to pre-process the human readable message by a pre-process routine, the pre-process routine including instructions for:
 requesting and receiving, over a network or the Internet from a third computer, data from one or more data fields of a database responsive to the human-readable instructions and without human intervention; and 
 modifying the human-readable message, thereby creating a plurality of processed human-readable messages; and 
   when it is determined that the human-readable message includes (i) the tag and (ii) the human-readable instructions, pre-processing the human-readable message in accordance with the human-readable instructions using the pre-process routine.   
     
     
         8 . A physical medium as in  claim 7 , wherein one or more of the human-readable instructions in the human-readable message is interpretable by the first computer to direct the first computer to perform a looping construct, the looping construct being responsive to the data from the one or more data fields. 
     
     
         9 . A physical medium as in  claim 7 , wherein one or more of the human-readable instructions in the human-readable message is interpretable by the first computer to direct the first computer to (i) send a database query or web services request to said third computer and to receive a response to the database query or web services request from said third computer, wherein at least a portion of the database query or web services request directs the third computer to modify its database. 
     
     
         10 . A physical medium as in  claim 7 , wherein the data is update information. 
     
     
         11 . A physical medium as in  claim 7 , wherein the protocol of the e-mail is the simple mail transfer protocol (SMTP), the X.400 International Telecommunication Union standard (X.400), the Novell message handling service (MHS), or the extended simple mail transfer protocol (ESMTP). 
     
     
         12 . A physical medium as in  claim 7 , wherein the database comprises a customer relationship management database, an enterprise resource planning database, a human resource database, or a supply chain database. 
     
     
         13 . A computer program product for use in conjunction with a first computer, the computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium and a computer program mechanism embedded therein, the computer program mechanism comprising instructions for:
 receiving, at the first computer, a human-readable message over a network or the Internet from a second computer, wherein the human-readable message is in the form of an e-mail;   determining, at the first computer, whether the human-readable message includes (i) a tag originated by a sender of the human-readable message, wherein the tag identifies the human-readable message as a message that is to be pre-processed prior to forwarding the e-mail to a plurality of recipients and (ii) human-readable instructions, originated by the sender of the human-readable message, wherein the human-readable instructions are interpretable by the first computer to direct the first computer to pre-process the human readable message by a pre-process routine, the pre-process routine including instructions for:
 requesting and receiving, over a network or the Internet from a third computer, data from one or more data fields of a database responsive to the human-readable instructions and without human intervention; and 
 modifying the human-readable message, thereby creating a plurality of processed human-readable messages; wherein 
 when it is determined that the human-readable message includes (i) the tag and (ii) the human-readable instructions, pre-processing the human-readable message in accordance with the human-readable instructions using the pre-process routine. 
   
     
     
         14 . The computer program product of  claim 13 , wherein one or more of the human-readable instructions in the human-readable message is interpretable by the first computer to direct the first computer to perform a looping construct, the looping construct being responsive to the data from the one or more data fields. 
     
     
         15 . The computer program product of  claim 13 , wherein one or more of the human-readable instructions in the human-readable message are interpretable by the first computer to direct the first computer to (i) send a database query or web services request over a network or the Internet to the third computer and (ii) receive a response to the database query or web services request from the third computer over a network or the Internet, wherein at least a portion of the database query or web services request directs the third computer to modify its database. 
     
     
         16 . The computer program product of  claim 13 , wherein the data is update information. 
     
     
         17 . The computer program product of  claim 3 , wherein the protocol of the e-mail is the simple mail transfer protocol (SMTP), the X.400 International Telecommunication Union standard (X.400), the Novell message handling service (MHS), or the extended simple mail transfer protocol (ESMTP). 
     
     
         18 . The computer program product of  claim 13 , wherein the database comprises a customer relationship management database, an enterprise resource planning database, a human resource database, or a supply chain database. 
     
     
         19 . The computer program product of  claim 13 , wherein the data comprises customer data. 
     
     
         20 . The computer program product of  claim 13 , wherein the requesting includes an HTTP request.