METHOD, DEVICE, AND COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCT FOR DIFFERENTIATED TREATMENT OF EMAILS BASED ON NETWORK CLASSIFICATION

• US 20110154474A1
• Filed: 12/23/2009
• Published: 06/23/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Mullis, Karen, Siegel, Steven A.
• Granted Patent: US 8,572,718 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/12
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/214 using selective forwarding

Abstract

Method, device, and computer program product are provided for differentiated treatment of incoming and outgoing emails based on a network server. A server receives a query from a gateway, and the query includes information about an email received by the gateway. The server obtains rules for processing the email of the query. The server determines an identity for the email based on the rules for processing the email. The server transmits the identity to the gateway to cause the gateway to send the email having the identity to a post office server. The email having the identity is configured to cause the post office server to process the email based on the identity.

Claims

1. A method for differentiated treatment of incoming and outgoing emails based on a network server, comprising:

receiving by a server a query from a gateway, the query including information about an email received by the gateway;

obtaining by the server rules for processing the email of the query;

determining by the server an identity for the email based on the rules for processing the email; and

transmitting by the server the identity to the gateway to cause the gateway to send the email having the identity to a post office server;

wherein the email having the identity is configured to cause the post office server to process the email based on the identity.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the server receives the query before the gateway sends the email to the post office server.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the identity is operative to cause the post office server to transmit the email according to instructions in a service profile.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the identity is operative to cause the post office server to cancel an original destination for the email received by the gateway.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the identity is operative to cause the post office server to transmit the email to one or more destinations different from an original destination for the email.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the identity is operative to cause the post office server to transmit the email to one or more destinations in addition to an original destination for the email.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the identity is operative to cause the post office server to transmit a copy of the communication to additional destinations along with an original destination;

wherein the additional destinations comprise;

text message accounts, different email accounts, set top boxes, and instant messaging accounts; and

wherein the result is operative to cause the gateway to transmit the copy of the communication to the additional destinations in a format suitable for each of the additional destinations.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the identity is operative to cause the post office server to provide the email in one or more designated folders of a mailbox for an email address instead of placing the communication in an inbox for the email address;

and

wherein the inbox for the email address is an original destination for the communication received by the gateway.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein when the post office server is operated by a service provider and when the email is to be transmitted to a user account provisioned by the service provider as the email'"'"'s original destination, wherein the identity is operative to cause the post office server to transmit the email to additional user accounts respectively provisioned by other service providers.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the server is operative to receive queries from a plurality of different gateways each operated by different service providers, in response to the plurality of different gateways respectively receiving emails that need processing;

and

wherein the server has at least one of;

a same service provider as one of the different service providers, and a different service provider than any of the different service providers.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein in response to receiving a change to a user profile of the server, the server is operative to cause each of a plurality of different post office servers to change how the plurality of different post office servers process emails for a user.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein in response to receiving the queries from the plurality of different gateways, the server is operative to transmit a plurality of identities to each of the plurality of different gateways, respectively;

and

wherein the plurality of identities cause each of the plurality of different gateways to send the email having the identity to a plurality of post office servers to process the email based on the plurality of identities, respectively.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining by the server the identity for the email based on the rules for processing the email comprises:

determining the identity based on a sender'"'"'s email address.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the identity is included in the email in at least one of a message body and a header of the email by the gateway;

wherein the identity included in the email causes the post office server to utilize the identity to search a service profile to find a matching service profile that determines how to process the email; and

wherein the identity in the email causes the post office server to process the email based on instructions of the matching service profile.

15. A computing device, comprising:

memory for storing a program for differentiated treatment of incoming and outgoing communications;

a user profile comprising rules predefined by the user; and

a processor, functionally coupled to the memory, the processor being responsive to computer-executable instructions contained in the program and operative for;

receiving by a query from a gateway, the query including information about an email received by the gateway;

obtaining rules for processing the email of the query from the user profile;

determining an identity for the email based on the rules for processing the email; and

transmitting the identity to the gateway to cause the gateway to send the email having the identity to a post office server;

wherein the email having the identity is configured to cause the post office server to process the email based on the identity.

16. The device of claim 15, wherein the determining the identity for the email based on the rules for processing the email comprises:

determining the identity based on a sender'"'"'s email address.

17. The device of claim 15, wherein the identity is included in the email in at least one of a message body and a header of the email by the gateway;

wherein the identity included in the email causes the post office server to utilize the identity to search a service profile to determine how to process the email; and

wherein the identity in the email causes the post office server to process the email based on instructions corresponding to the identity stored in the service profile.

18. The device of claim 15, wherein the query is received before the gateway sends the email to the post office server.

19. The device of claim 15, wherein the identity is operative to cause the post office server to transmit the email according to instructions in a service profile.

20. A computer program product, tangibly embodied on a computer readable storage medium, the computer program product including instructions for causing a computer to execute a method for differentiated treatment of incoming and outgoing emails, comprising:

receiving by a query from a gateway, the query including information about an email received by the gateway;

obtaining rules for processing the email of the query from the user profile;

determining an identity for the email based on the rules for processing the email; and

transmitting the identity to the gateway to cause the gateway to send the email having the identity to a post office server;

wherein the email having the identity is configured to cause the post office server to process the email based on the identity.