Re:What constitues prior art? (Score 1)

A patent number would certainly be helpful . . . . While a (35 U.S.C. sec.) 102 reference would be great, combining references under section 103 (while more difficult to win on) to show obviousness to one of ordinary skill in the art seems much more likely. E-tailers have been sending email confirmation and updates for a while, but the realtime tracking of a package by the shipper is what enables the email hyperlink tracking to which you refer. It seems obvious to email the tracking link once that has been "invented."