Methods and systems for notifications in communications networks

Abstract

Communications is the exchange of thoughts, messages, or information. However, whilst immense investments into evolving communications infrastructure supporting multiple communications channels have been made the vast majority of communications models, standards, and developments focus to the transmission of the message as a single process with other aspects of the communications channel are considered simply delays in the communications channel. However, it would be beneficial to provide enhancements to such communications channels to provide a sender with additional options with respect to the delivery to and recovery by the recipient of the message such that not only do they have the option to elect to receive a delivery notification in communications systems that today do not provide such information, but that in these systems and those supporting delivery notifications increased information is provided to the user allowing them to ascertain or estimate the recipient's absorption/reading of the message whilst also allowing the recipient to quickly and simply reply and/or acknowledge the message.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method of providing a recipient at a predetermined time at least one of an electronic message and a voicemail message from a sender with a series of options, each option of the series of options comprising a predetermined sequence of buttons to be selected by the recipient to provide a predetermined response to the message sender wherein each option and its predetermined response are provided to the recipient as part of the sender message. 
     
     
         2 . A method of providing a recipient at a predetermined time at least one of an electronic message and a voicemail message from a sender with a series of options, each option of the series of options comprising an icon to be selected by the recipient to provide a predetermined response to the message sender wherein each option and its predetermined response are provided to the recipient as part of the sender message and upon selection trigger a message to a predetermined uniform resource locator. 
     
     
         3 . A method of automatically providing to a recipient at a predetermined time after delivery of an initial message from a sender a prompt message, the prompt message being at least one of an electronic message and a voicemail message with a series of options and transmitted to the user via a different communications channel to that employed for the initial message. 
     
     
         4 . The method according to  claim 3 , wherein each option of the series of options comprises a predetermined sequence of buttons to be selected by the recipient to provide a predetermined response to the message sender and wherein each option and its predetermined response are provided to the recipient as part of the initial message. 
     
     
         5 . The method according to  claim 3 , wherein each option and its predetermined response are provided to the recipient as part of the initial message and upon selection trigger a message to a predetermined uniform resource locator.