Granted Patent B2

US 7,984,297 · App. 11/828,203 · Granted Jul 19, 2011

Assignee: Mypoints.com Inc.

Abstract

Claims (124)

1. A method for tracking returned messages in a database system comprising:

encrypting at least a portion of a record of the database system into a message identifier;

generating a message including the encrypted message identifier within a return path of the message, wherein the message identifier associates the message with the record;

sending the message from the database system to an e-mail address associated with the database record;

receiving a return of the sent message including the encrypted message identifier within the return path of the returned message;

determining if the encrypted message identifier within the return path of the returned message can be decrypted; and

identifying the returned message as an unsolicited message if it is determined that the encrypted message identifier within the return path of the returned message cannot be decrypted.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein generating the message including the encrypted message identifier within the return path of the message comprises:

encrypting at least one of the e-mail address associated with the database record or a campaign task into a character string; and

modifying the return path of the message with at least one of a return address including the character string or an address corresponding to a database system returned message server.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the returned message includes the character string.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising identifying at least one of the database record and a campaign task associated with the returned message.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising discarding the unsolicited message.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

incrementing a number of sent messages for the database record upon sending the message from the database system to the e-mail address associated with the database record; and

incrementing a number of returned messages for the database record upon receiving the return of the sent message if it is determined that the encrypted message identifier can be decrypted.

7. The method of claim 6 , further comprising:

determining a first number of sent messages during a first time period;

determining a first number of returned messages from the first number of sent messages during the first time period;

determining a second number of sent messages during a second time period; and

determining a second number of returned messages from the second number of messages during the second time period;

wherein the second number of sent messages includes at least a portion of the first number of sent messages; and

wherein the second number of returned messages includes at least a portion of the first number of returned messages.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the first time period and the second time period include an overlapping time period;

sending the portion of the first number of sent messages included with the second number of sent messages during the overlapping time period; and

receiving the portion of the first number of returned messages included with the second number of returned messages during the overlapping time period.

9. The method of claim 7 , further comprising:

determining a first ratio of the first number of returned messages versus the first number of sent messages;

resetting to zero the first number of sent messages and the first number of returned messages;

determining a second ratio of the second number of returned messages versus the second number of sent messages; and

resetting to zero the second number sent messages and the second number of returned messages.

10. The method of claim 9 , further comprising:

changing a status of the database record upon an occurrence of at least one of:

determining the first ratio is below a threshold;

determining the second ratio is below the threshold; and

validating the e-mail address associated with the database record;

wherein the status is one of mailable or unmailable.

11. The method of claim 6 , further comprising:

modifying the e-mail address associated with the database record;

receiving the returned message after modifying the e-mail address;

determining if the e-mail address of the returned message matches the modified e-mail address;

if the e-mail address of the returned message matches the modified e-mail address, excluding the returned e-mail message from the number of returned messages for the database record; and

if the e-mail address of the returned message does not match the modified e-mail address, incrementing the number of returned messages for the database record.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:

initializing an e-mail address version counter, wherein the database record includes the e-mail address version counter;

incrementing the e-mail address version counter after modifying the e-mail address associated with the database record;

encrypting the e-mail address version counter with the message identifier;

comparing the e-mail address version counter from the decrypted message identifier to a current version of the e-mail address version counter from the database record;

if the e-mail address version counter from the decrypted message identifier matches the current version of the e-mail address from the database record, excluding the returned e-mail message from the number of returned e-mail messages for the database record; and

if the e-mail address version counter from the decrypted message identifier does not match the current version of the e-mail address from the database record, incrementing the number of returned messages for the database record.

13. The method of claim 11 , further comprising storing a history of the modifications to the e-mail address associated with the database record, the history including at least one previous version of the e-mail address associated with the database record;

wherein associating the e-mail address of the returned message with the database record having the modified e-mail address includes:

accessing the history of modifications to the e-mail address; and

determining if a previous version of the e-mail address associated with the database record matches the e-mail address of the returned message.

14. A method for analyzing an e-mail that is returned to a database system in response to the database system sending the e-mail, the method comprising:

encrypting a portion of a database record into a character string;

inserting the character string into a message return path;

sending a message including the character string to an e-mail address associated with the database record;

incrementing a first number of sent messages during a first period of time;

receiving a return of the sent message at the database system during the first period of time;

incrementing a first number of returned messages during the first period of time;

determining if the character string can be decrypted;

discarding the returned message if it is determined that the character string cannot be decrypted;

decrypting the character string if it is determined that the character string can be decrypted;

incrementing a second number of sent messages during a second period of time, wherein the second number of sent messages includes a portion of the first number of sent messages;

incrementing a second number of returned messages over the second period of time, wherein the second number of returned messages includes a portion of the first number of returned messages;

determining a first ratio of the first number of returned messages versus the first number of sent messages;

resetting to zero the first number of sent messages and the first number of returned e-mail messages;

determining a second ratio of the second number of returned messages versus the second number of sent messages;

resetting to zero the second number of sent messages and the second number of returned messages; and

changing a status of the database record upon an occurrence of at least one of:

determining the first ratio is below a threshold,

determining the second ratio is below the threshold, and

validating the e-mail address associated with the database record;

wherein the status is at least one of mailable or unmailable.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the character string encrypts at least one of member demographic information, a member e-mail address, e-mail campaign information, a member identifier, an e-mail address version number, or campaign task information.

16. The method of claim 14 , further comprising:

modifying the e-mail address associated with the database record;

resetting to zero the first number of sent messages, the first number of returned messages, the second number of sent messages, and the second number of returned messages after modifying the e-mail address associated with the database record;

receiving the returned message after modifying the e-mail address;

determining if the e-mail address of the returned message matches the modified e-mail address;

if the e-mail address of the returned message matches the modified e-mail address, excluding the returned message from the first and second number of returned messages for the database record; and

if the e-mail address of the returned message does not match the modified e-mail address, incrementing the first and second number of returned messages for the database record.

17. A computing system for analyzing returned e-mails in a database system including a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium containing computer-executable instructions stored therein for:

encrypting at least a portion of a record of the database system into a message identifier; generating a message including the encrypted message identifier within a return path of the message, wherein the message identifier associates the message with the record; sending the message from the database system to an e-mail address associated with the database record; receiving a return of the sent message including the encrypted message identifier within the return path of the returned message; determining if the encrypted message identifier within the return path of the returned message can be decrypted; and identifying the returned message as an unsolicited message if it is determined that the encrypted message identifier within the return path of the returned message cannot be decrypted.

18. The computing system of claim 17 , comprising further computer-executable instructions for:

incrementing a number of sent e-mail messages for the database record upon sending the message from the database system to the e-mail address associated with the database record; and

incrementing a number of returned e-mail messages for the database record upon receiving the returned message including the message identifier within the return path of the returned message if it is determined that the encrypted message identifier can be decrypted.

19. The computing system of claim 18 , comprising further computer-executable instructions for:

determining a first number of sent e-mail messages during a first time period;

determining a first number of returned e-mail messages from the first number of sent e-mail messages during the first time period;

determining a second number of sent e-mail messages during a second time period; and

determining a second number of returned e-mail messages from the second number of e-mail messages during the second time period;

wherein the second number of sent e-mail messages includes at least a portion of the first number of sent e-mail messages; and

wherein the second number of returned e-mail messages includes at least a portion of the first number of returned e-mail messages.

20. The computing system of claim 19 , comprising further computer-executable instructions for analyzing the returned e-mail message without saving the returned message to the database system.

21. The computing system of claim 19 , comprising further computer-executable instructions for:

determining a first ratio of the first number of returned e-mail messages versus the first number of sent e-mail messages;

resetting to zero the first number of sent e-mail messages and the first number of returned e-mail messages;

determining a second ratio of the second number of returned e-mail messages versus the second number of sent e-mail messages;

resetting to zero the second number of sent e-mail messages and the second number of returned e-mail messages; and

changing a status of the database record upon an occurrence of at least one

determining the first ratio is below a threshold;

determining the second ratio is below the threshold; and

validating the e-mail address associated with the database record;

wherein the status is at least one of mailable or unmailable.

22. The computing system of claim 18 , comprising further computer-executable instructions for:

modifying the e-mail address associated with the database record;

receiving the returned message after modifying the e-mail address;

determining if the e-mail address of the returned message matches the modified e-mail address;

if the e-mail address of the returned message matches the modified e-mail address, excluding the returned e-mail message from the number of returned messages for the database record; and

if the e-mail address of the returned message does not match the modified e-mail address, incrementing the number of returned messages for the database record.

23. The computing system of claim 22 , comprising further computer-executable instructions for:

initializing an e-mail address version counter, wherein the database record includes the e-mail address version counter;

incrementing the e-mail address version counter after modifying the e-mail address associated with the database record;

encrypting the e-mail address version counter with the message identifier;

wherein analyzing the returned message comprises comparing the e-mail address version counter from the decrypted message identifier to a current version of the e-mail address version counter from the database record;

if the e-mail address version counter from the decrypted message identifier matches the current version of the e-mail address from the database record, excluding the returned e-mail message from the number of returned e-mail messages for the database record; and

if the e-mail address version counter from the decrypted message identifier does not match the current version of the e-mail address from the database record, incrementing the number of returned messages for the database record.

24. The computing system of claim 22 , comprising further computer-executable instructions for:

storing a history of the modifications to the e-mail address associated with the database record, the history including at least one previous version of the e-mail address associated with the database record;

wherein associating the e-mail address of the returned message with the database record having the modified e-mail address includes:

accessing the history of modifications to the e-mail address; and

determining if a previous version of the e-mail address associated with the database record matches the e-mail address of the returned message.

Assignments (10)

Continuity (2)