System and method for handling electronic messages

• US 20060019639A1
• Filed: 06/21/2005
• Published: 01/26/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/21/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Research In Motion Limited (Blackberry Limited)
• Inventors: Adams, Neil P., Robertson, Ian M., Little, Herbert A., MacFarlane, David Victor
• Granted Patent: US 8,234,339 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/412.200
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72436 for text messaging, e.g. short messaging services [SMS] or e-mails
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72451 according to schedules, e.g. using calendar applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements

Abstract

Systems and methods for handling messages on a mobile device. A system and method could be configured to receive at a mobile device a message that is associated with a message expiry indicator. If a message expiry indicator is determined to be associated with the received message, then the received message is removed from the mobile device.

Claims

1. A method for handling messages on a mobile device, comprising:

receiving, at the mobile device over a network, a message that is associated with a message expiry indicator;

determining whether a message expiry indicator is associated with the received message;

if a message expiry indicator is determined to be associated with the received message, then removing the received message from the mobile device if a removal criterion based upon the message expiry indicator is satisfied.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the message is an e-mail message.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein contents of the e-mail message is considered by the message'"'"'s sender to be a sensitive, secure or confidential.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein use of the message expiry indicator by the mobile device at least substantially reduces a problem of the message'"'"'s recipient failing to properly dispose of the message that is considered by the message'"'"'s sender to be a sensitive, secure or confidential.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the message expiry indicator is associated with the message prior to being received at the mobile device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the message'"'"'s sender chooses that the message expiry indicator is to be associated with the message that is to be sent to one or more recipients.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the sender can select which form of message expiry indicator the sender wishes the message to be associated with.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the message is a secure message;

wherein information contained in the message expiry indicator is encoded in a signed attribute of the secure e-mail message.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the removal criterion is based upon whether the message has been accessed by the user.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the removal criterion is based upon whether the device has received the entire message and whether the entire message has been displayed to the user.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the removal criterion is time-based.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the message expiry indicator contains a timeout notification expiry attribute;

wherein a timer is set for the timeout period specified in the timeout notification expiry attribute;

wherein when the timer expires, the message is automatically removed from the device.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the timer is started after the user closes the message or when the message is received.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the message expiry indicator specifies a period of time;

wherein the message is removed after the specified period of time has elapsed relative to when the message is received by the mobile device or relative to when the message is read by the user, whichever comes first.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the message expiry indicator is automatically set for the message before the message is received by the mobile device.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the sender'"'"'s computing device or a server automatically sets the message expiry indicator before the message is received by the mobile device.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the message expiry indicator is automatically set for a message if the message is a secure message.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein a secure message is a message that is a PGP or an S/MIME message.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the network includes a wireless communications network.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile device is a wireless mobile communications device.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile device is a personal digital assistant (PDA).

22. A data signal that is transmitted using the wireless network, wherein the data signal includes the generated message expiry indicator of claim 1.

23. Computer-readable medium capable of causing a computing device to perform the method of claim 1.

24. A system for handling messages on a mobile device, comprising:

processor instructions to receive, at the mobile device over a network, a message that is associated with a message expiry indicator;

message handling processor instructions to determine whether a message expiry indicator is associated with the received message;

wherein if a message expiry indicator is determined to be associated with the received message, the received message is removed from the mobile device if a removal criterion associated with the message expiry indicator is satisfied.

25. A data store that is an article of manufacture for storing a data structure, said data structure comprising message expiry attribute data;

wherein the message expiry data is configured for use with a message;

wherein the message is provided to a mobile device over a network;

wherein the message is removed from the mobile device if a removal criterion based upon the message expiry indicator is satisfied.

26. The data store of claim 25, wherein the data store is a memory of a computing device.