US 8,266,225 B2Granted

Program-sensitive link in content

AssigneeMicrosoft Corporation

InventorsYuval Gross, Keith A. Fournier, II, Tatjana B. Fournier, Carmen Zlateff, Adam Christopher Czeisler

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Abstract

Context-sensitive content may be created that may be recognized by a particular program but ignored by other programs. For example, in an e-mail message or other type of message, content could be created that advises the user to download a particular client for an enhanced content-viewing experience, along with a link pointing to a site where the client may be downloaded. This content and link could be surrounded by tags that would not be recognized by most clients, but that would be recognized by the client that provides the enhanced experience. Thus, most clients would render the advice and link, but the client that provides the enhanced experience could be configured to omit the link when it recognizes the surrounding tags, since a recipient who is viewing the e-mail with that client already has access to the enhanced experience.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A method of providing an e-mail message that is handled differently by different programs, the method comprising:

creating an e-mail message for display by a first program on a machine of a recipient of said e-mail message, said e-mail message comprising a first link to an image that, when activated by said recipient of said e-mail message, causes a second program on said machine to be invoked to retrieve said image from said first link and to display said image, said e-mail message further comprising content that advises said recipient of an enhanced experience of viewing said e-mail message that is available with a third program,
including, in said e-mail message, a first tar and a second tag that surround said content, said first tag and said second tag not being recognized by said first program, said first tar and said second tar being recognized by said third program as a signal for said third program to analyze said e-mail for links, to collect said links in said e-mail message, and to display, to said recipient, a dialog box that offers said recipient a chance to download images pointed to by the links in one action without the user having to activate the links separately, said links including said first link, said enhanced experience comprising analysis of said e-mail for links, collecting said links, and displaying said dialog box;
and
sending said e-mail message to said recipient.

1 more element

One or more computer-readable storage devices that store executable instructions that, when executed by a computer, implement a first messaging program that performs acts comprising:

recognizing a first tag and a second tag in a message received by said first messaging program as a signal for said first messaging program to analyze said message for links, to collect said links in said e-mail message, and to display, to a recipient, a dialog box that offers said recipient a chance to download images pointed to by the links in once action without the user having to activate the links separately, said first tag and said second tag not being recognizable by a second messaging program that is separate from said executable instructions, there being content in said message surrounded by said first tag and said second tag, said content including information that advises said recipient of an enhanced experience of viewing said message that is available with said first messaging program;
rendering, as part of a user interface, content contained in said message;
based on recognizing said first tag and said second tag in said message, omitting, from said user interface, said content surrounded by said first tag and said second tag;
and
also based on recognizing said first tag and said second tag in said message, rendering said message to said recipient of said message by using at least one capability that is provided by said first messaging program but not by said second messaging program, actions that are performed by using said at least one capability comprising:
analyzing said message for links;
collecting said links in said message;
and
displaying, to said recipient, a dialog box that offers said recipient a chance to download images pointed to by the links in one action without the user having to activate the links separately.

6 more elements

A system comprising:

a processor,
a data remembrance component,
an message-experience component that is stored in said data remembrance component and that executes on said processor, said system receiving, through a network, a message that comprises content surrounded by a first tag and a second tag and a plurality of links that can be activated by a user, said message-experience component recognizing said first tag and said second tag and, based on having recognized said first tag and said second tag, rendering a user interface that comprises said message without the content surrounded by said first tag and said second tag, and said message-experience component, also based on having recognized said first tag and said second tag,
analyzes said message for said links;
collects said links in said message;
displays, to said recipient, a dialog box that offers said recipient a chance to download images pointed to by the links;
receives, from said user, an indication that said user wants to download said images in one action without said user's having to activate the links separately;
and
in response to receiving said indication, downloads the images pointed to by the links;
said message-experience component being part of a first e-mail program that is different from a second e-mail program in that said second e-mail program does not have an ability to recognize said first tag and said second tag.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.