E-mail management system and method

• US 20040054733A1
• Filed: 09/13/2002
• Published: 03/18/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Weeks, Richard A.
• Application Number:
  US10/243,805
• Publication Number:
  US 20040054733A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/212 using filtering or selective blocking

Abstract

A system for selectively stopping the delivery of e-mail messages sent to a user address over a communication network comprises first software executable on a first computer device. The software is stored in a computer readable medium accessible by the first computer device and comprises code operable to define an e-mail stop storage area and store in the e-mail stop storage area e-mail data of e-mail messages selected by the user. The code is further operable to automatically generate stop data based on the e-mail data stored in the e-mail stop storage area to stop the delivery to the user address e-mail messages that correspond to the stored e-mail data.

Claims

1. A system for selectively stopping the delivery of e-mail messages sent to a user address over a communication network, the system comprising first software executable on a first computer device and stored in a computer readable medium accessible by the first computer device, the first software comprising code operable to:

define an e-mail stop storage area;

store in the e-mail stop storage area e-mail data of e-mail messages selected by the user for rejection; and

automatically generate stop data based on the e-mail data stored in the e-mail stop storage area to stop the delivery to the user address e-mail messages that correspond to the stored e-mail data.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first software further comprises code operable to:

remove from the e-mail stop storage area e-mail data of e-mail messages selected by the user for resumption; and

automatically generate resume data based on the e-mail data removed from the e-mail stop storage area to resume delivery to the user address e-mail messages that correspond to the removed e-mail data.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the first software further comprises code operable to generate an e-mail filter based on the stop data and the resume data, the e-mail filter operable to receive e-mail messages sent to the user address and reject e-mail messages corresponding to the stop data and pass e-mail messages corresponding to the resume data.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the first software further comprises code operable to send rejection data to the sender address of an e-mail message when the e-mail filter rejects the e-mail message.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the rejection data comprises data indicating that the user address is an invalid address.

6. The system of claim 3, wherein the stop data and the resume data comprise the user address and the sender address.

7. The system of claim 2, wherein the e-mail stop storage area comprises an e-mail folder accessible by an e-mail program.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the e-mail data of an e-mail message selected by the user comprises a sender address.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the e-mail data of an e-mail message selected by the user further comprises a subject heading.

10. The system of claim 2, wherein the first computer device is a personal computer.

11. The system of claim 2, wherein the first computer device is a wireless communication device.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the e-mail data of e-mail selected by the user comprises a sender address; and

the first software further comprises code operable to transmit the stop data over the communication network to a second computer device corresponding to the sender address.

13. The system of claim 12, further comprising second software executable on the second computer device and stored in a computer readable medium accessible by the second computer device, the second computer device operable to send e-mail messages over the communication network, the second software comprising code operable to:

store a distribution list of e-mail addresses corresponding to e-mail recipients;

receive the stop data transmitted by the first software; and

remove the user address from the distribution list of e-mail addresses in response to receiving the stop data.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein:

the first software further comprises code operable to;

remove from the e-mail stop storage area e-mail data of e-mail messages selected by the user for resumption; and

automatically generate resume data based on the e-mail data removed from the e-mail stop storage area to resume delivery to the user address e-mail messages that correspond to the e-mail data removed; and

transmit the resume data to the sender address over the communication network; and

the second software further comprises code operable to;

receive the resume data transmitted by the first software; and

add the user address to the distribution list of e-mail addresses in response to receiving the resume data.

15. The system of claim 2, further comprising second software executable on a second computer device and stored in a computer readable medium accessible by the second computer device, the second computer device in communication with the first computer device and operable to send and receive e-mail messages over the communication network, the second software comprising code operable to generate an e-mail filter based on the stop data and the resume data, the e-mail filter operable to receive e-mail messages sent to the user address and reject e-mail messages corresponding to the stop data and pass e-mail messages corresponding to the resume data.

16. A method of selectively stopping the delivery of e-mail messages sent to a user address over a communication network, the method comprising the steps of:

defining an e-mail stop storage area;

storing in the e-mail stop storage area e-mail data of e-mail messages selected by the user for rejection; and

automatically generating stop data based on the e-mail data stored in the e-mail stop storage area to stop the delivery to the user address e-mail messages that correspond to the stored e-mail data.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising the steps of:

removing from the e-mail stop storage area e-mail data of e-mail messages selected by the user for resumption; and

automatically generating resume data based on the e-mail data removed from the e-mail stop storage area to resume delivery to the user address e-mail messages that correspond to the removed e-mail data.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising the steps of:

rejecting e-mail messages corresponding to the stop data; and

passing e-mail messages corresponding to the resume data.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising the step of sending a rejection message to a sender address of an e-mail message after rejecting the e-mail message.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the stop data and the resume data comprise the user address and the sender address.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein the e-mail stop storage area comprises an e-mail folder accessible by an e-mail program.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the e-mail data of e-mail selected by the user comprises a sender address.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein the e-mail data of e-mail selected by the user further comprises a subject heading.

24. A system for selectively stopping the delivery of e-mail messages sent to a user address from a sender address over a communication network, the system comprising first software executable on a first computer device and stored in a computer readable medium accessible by the first computer device, the first software comprising code operable to:

define an e-mail stop key;

associate with the e-mail stop key e-mail messages selected by the user for rejection; and

automatically generating stop data based on the e-mail messages associated with the e-mail stop key to stop the delivery to the user address e-mail messages sent to the user address that correspond to the e-mail stop key.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the first software further comprises code operable to:

disassociate from the e-mail stop key e-mail messages selected by the user for resumption; and

automatically generate resume data based on the e-mail messages disassociated from the e-mail stop key to resume the delivery to the user address e-mail messages that correspond to the e-mail messages disassociated with the e-mail stop key.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the first software further comprises code operable to generate an e-mail filter based on the stop data and the resume data, the e-mail filter operable to receive e-mail messages sent to the user address and reject e-mail messages corresponding to the stop data and pass e-mail messages corresponding to the resume data.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the e-mail stop key is a database index.

28. The system of claim 26, wherein the stop data comprises a sender address.

29. The system of claim 28, wherein the stop data further comprises a subject heading.

30. The system of claim 25, wherein the first software further comprises code operable to transmit the stop data and the resume data over the communication network to a second computer device corresponding to the sender address.

31. The system of claim 30, further comprising second software executable on the second computer device and stored in a computer readable medium accessible by the second computer device, the second computer device operable to send e-mail messages over the communication network, the second software comprising code operable to:

store a distribution list of e-mail addresses corresponding to e-mail recipients;

receive the stop data transmitted by the first software;

remove the user address from the distribution list of e-mail addresses in response to receiving the stop data;

receive the resume data transmitted by the first software device; and

add the user address to the distribution list of e-mail addresses in response to receiving the resume data.

32. The system of claim 25, further comprising second software executable on a second computer device and stored in a computer readable medium accessible by the second computer device, the second computer device in communication with the first computer device and operable to send and receive e-mail messages over the communication network, the second software comprising code operable to generate an e-mail filter based on the stop data and the resume data, the e-mail filter operable to receive e-mail messages sent to the user address and reject e-mail messages corresponding to the stop data and pass e-mail messages corresponding to the resume data.

33. The system of claim 26, further comprising a list of key words selectable by the user, and wherein the e-mail filter is operable to receive e-mail messages sent to the user address and reject e-mail messages containing key words selected by the user and pass e-mail messages that do not contain key words selected by the user.