Proxy email method and system

• US 20060015868A1
• Filed: 08/30/2002
• Published: 01/19/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Go Daddy Operating Company LLC (GoDaddy, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Go Daddy Group Incorporated (GoDaddy, Inc.)
• Inventors: Rechterman, Barbara J., Coffman, Joshua T., Parsons, Robert R.
• Granted Patent: US 7,627,633 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 718/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/212 using filtering or selective blocking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/48 Message addressing, e.g. address format or anonymous messages, aliases
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0227 Filtering policies mail message filtering H04L51/212

Abstract

A system and method of proxy (60) domain name registration permits a would-be domain name registrant anonymity. A registrar (24) affords customers (20) the opportunity to use the proxy registration. If the customer seeking registration of a domain name requests, the registrar obtains contact information needed for registration from a proxy entity established for this purpose. The registrar completes the registration of the domain name with the appropriate registry (22) (i.e. “.com, .net” etc.). The contact information published in WHOIS (27) is that of proxy entity. Contractually the customer is afforded control over the domain name. Emails intended for the customer are received by the proxy entity who may filter them if the customer requests. Emails sent by the customer are sent to the proxy entity who in turn send them to the indicated addressee.

Claims

1. A proxy email computer installation including:

(a) a database in computer memory associating a customer'"'"'s identification, a customer'"'"'s actual email address and a customer'"'"'s proxy email address;

(b) an email server to which the customer'"'"'s proxy email address directs email;

(c) programming to retrieve a customer'"'"'s actual email address from the database upon receipt of email to that customer'"'"'s proxy email address;

(d) programming to copy the content of email to the customer'"'"'s proxy email address into email to that customer'"'"'s actual email address; and

(e) a connection to a communications link forwarding email to customers'"'"' actual email addresses.

2. A method of proxy email address management including:

(a) associating a proxy email address with a customer having an actual email address,

(b) receiving email intended for the customer at the proxy email address, and

(c) forwarding email containing the messages intended for the customer to the customer'"'"'s actual email address.

3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising recording the proxy email address in a database in association with the customer'"'"'s actual email address, and looking up the customer'"'"'s actual email address upon receiving email messages intended for the customer.

4. The method according to claim 3, further comprising causing to be displayed a Web page at a proxy domain name, said Web page bearing said proxy email address.

5. The method according to claim 3, further comprising:

(d) receiving email addressed to the proxy from a customer,

(e) copying the content of the email addressed to the proxy into an email from the proxy to a third party identified by the customer.

6. A proxy email computer installation including:

(a) a database in memory storing customer information in association with a proxy email addresses, said customer information including customers'"'"' actual email addresses;

(b) an email server to receive email intended for a customer at a proxy email address stored in the database in association with that customer'"'"'s information;

(c) programming to detect email received at the server intended for customers;

(d) programming for retrieving a customer'"'"'s actual email address from the database upon receipt of email addressed to the proxy email address associated in the database with that customer'"'"'s customer information;

(e) programming to copy the content of an email addressed to a customer'"'"'s proxy email address into an email to that customer'"'"'s email address; and

(f) a connection to a communication link for forwarding email to customers'"'"' actual email addresses.

7. The proxy email computer installation according to claim 6, further comprising:

(g) filtering software for preventing objectionable email being forwarded to a customer.

8. The proxy email computer installation according to claim 7, further comprising, in said database, an indication of customer'"'"'s choices for email filtering.

9. The proxy email computer installation according to claim 8, wherein the customer'"'"'s choices include:

(i) no filtering,

(ii) blocking all email addressed to the proxy email address associated with the customer information, and

(iii) blocking objectionable email addressed to the proxy email address associated with the customer information.

10. The proxy email computer installation according to claim 9, wherein the blocked objectionable email is selected from the group consisting of SPAM, bulk email, advertising, pornography and code to interfere with a computer'"'"'s workings.

11. A computer program for proxy email address management comprising:

(a) programming establishing a database for storing customer information in association with a proxy email address, said information including customers'"'"' actual email addresses;

(b) programming to identify email intended for a customer addressed to the customer'"'"'s proxy email address;

(c) programming to retrieve a customer'"'"'s actual email address;

(d) programming to copy the content of email to a customer'"'"'s proxy email address into email to a customer'"'"'s actual email address; and

(e) programming operative to send the email to a customer'"'"'s actual email address.

12. The programming according to claim 11, further comprising programming to identify email from a customer, and programming for copying the content of the email from a customer into an email from the proxy to the customer'"'"'s intended recipient.

13. The programming according to claim 11, further comprising programming for filtering out objectionable email.

14. The programming according to claim 13, further comprising programming for receiving a customer'"'"'s choices of filtering and for storing those choices in the database, programming to recognize a customer'"'"'s choice and filtering email to the customer based on the customer'"'"'s stored choice.