Email forms engine for portable devices

1. A system, comprising:

a database; and

a server,

the server including a messaging module that generates a destination email message, the destination email message having attached thereto a form script file, the messaging module sending the destination email message over a communications network to a portable device, wherein within the destination email message the form script file includes a response email address and includes definitions of a form interface to be used by the portable device to render the form interface,

wherein the database includes a record for the form script file,

wherein the record includes user-submitted data collected from a response email message received from the portable device using the response email address in the form script file in response to the generated destination email message from the messaging module;

wherein the server is configured to parse the user-submitted data collected from a response email message and store each user-submitted data field individually in the database.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the record is identified by a form ID.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the form script file is in extensible markup language (XML).

4. The system of claim 1 further comprising one or more application servers that generate an email-generating event, wherein the form script file is based on the email-generating event.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the user-submitted data are included in the payload of the response email message.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the response email message is a text based attachment-less email message.

7. A method, comprising the steps of:

creating a destination email message including a form script file, wherein within the destination email message, the form script file includes a response email address and definitions of a form interface to be used by a portable device to render the form interface;

creating a record in a database for the form script file;

attaching the form script file to the destination email message;

transmitting the destination email message to the portable device through a communications network;

receiving a response email message from the portable device using the response email address in the form script file in response to the email message;

parsing through the response email message to collect user-submitted data associated with the form script file; and

storing the collected user-submitted data individually in the record for the form script file.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising the step of detecting an email-generating event, wherein the form script file is created based on the email-generating event.

9. The method of claim 7 , wherein the form script file is in extensible markup language (XML).

10. The method of claim 7 further comprising the steps of:

generating a form ID associated with the form script file; and

storing the form ID in the record for the form script file.

11. The method of claim 7 , further comprising the steps of:

detecting a form ID in the response email message; and

verifying whether a record exists in the database that matches the detected form ID in the response email message.

12. A portable device, comprising:

a display;

an email application module;

an interface module to render an email interface on the display; and

a forms engine to detect a destination email message received by the email application unit containing a form script file, and to cause the interface module to render a form interface based on the form script file, the form script file including definitions of the form interface,

wherein within the destination email message, the form script file includes a response email address, and

wherein the forms engine transforms the user-submitted data entered into the form interface into a response email message to be transmitted by the email application module to the response email address included in the form script file.

13. The portable device of claim 12 further including an input unit in communication with the interface module to enter data into the form interface.

14. The portable device of claim 12 , wherein the forms engine parses through the entered data to collect key/value pairs of the data entered into the form interface.

15. The portable device of claim 12 , wherein the response email message is in a predetermined format to be parsed and entered into a database.

16. The method of claim 12 , wherein the form script file is in extensible markup language (XML).

17. A method, comprising the steps of:

receiving a destination email message with an attachment using a portable device;

determining if the attachment is a form script file;

if the attachment is not a form script file, then processing the destination email message as a regular destination email message, and if the attachment is a form script file, then processing the form script file to render a form interface, the form script file including definitions of the form interface;

receiving user-submitted data into one or more fields in the form interface; and

transforming the received user-submitted data into a response email message to be transmitted to a response email address, wherein within the destination email message, the response email address is included in the form script file.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the step of transforming includes parsing through the data to retrieve a key/value pair of each field.

19. The method of claim 17 , wherein the response email message is in a predetermined format to be parsed and entered into a database.

20. The method of claim 17 , wherein the form script file is in extensible markup language (XML).

21. A computer program product including a non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon computer executable instructions that, when executed by a computer, direct the computer to perform a method comprising the steps of:

creating a form script file including a response email address and including definitions of a form interface to be used by a portable device to render the form interface;

creating a record in a database for the form script file;

attaching the form script file to a destination email message;

transmitting the destination email message to the portable device through a communications network;

receiving a response email message from the portable device using the response email address, in response to the email message, wherein in the destination email message, the response email address is included in the form script file;

parsing through the response email message to collect user-submitted data associated with the form script file; and

storing the collected user-submitted data individually in the record for the form script file.

22. The computer program product of claim 21 , wherein the computer executable instructions, when executed by the computer, direct the computer to perform the method further comprising the steps of detecting an email-generating event, wherein the form script file is created based on the email-generating event.

23. The computer program product of claim 21 , wherein the form script file is in extensible markup language (XML).

24. The computer program product of claim 21 , wherein the computer executable instructions, when executed by the computer, direct the computer to perform the method further comprising the steps of:

generating a form ID associated with the form script file; and

storing the form ID in the record for the form script file.

25. The computer program product of claim 21 , wherein the computer executable instructions, when executed by the computer, direct the computer to perform the method further comprising the steps of:

detecting a form ID in the response email message; and

verifying whether a record exists in the database that matches the detected form ID in the response email message.

26. A computer program product including a non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon computer executable instructions that, when executed by a computer, direct the computer to perform a method comprising the steps of:

receiving a destination email message with an attachment, using a portable device;

determining if the attachment is a form script file;

if the attachment is not a form script file, then processing the destination email message as a regular destination email message, and if the attachment is a form script file, then processing the form script file to render a form interface, the form script file including definitions of the form interface, and wherein in the destination email message, the form script file including a response email address;

receiving user-submitted data into one or more fields in the form interface; and

transforming the received user-submitted data into a response email message to be transmitted to the response email address included in the form script file.

27. The computer program product of claim 26 , wherein the step of transforming includes parsing through the data to retrieve a key/value pair of each field.

28. The computer program product of claim 26 , wherein the response email message is in a predetermined format to be parsed and entered into a database.

29. The computer program product of claim 26 , wherein the form script file is in extensible markup language (XML).