ELECTRONIC MAIL FORWARDING SERVICE

• US 20120271899A1
• Filed: 07/02/2012
• Published: 10/25/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/05/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Yahoo Assets LLC
• Original Assignee: AOL Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hamburg, Keith Martin
• Granted Patent: US 9,082,110 B2
• 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 51/18 Commands or executable codes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/214 using selective forwarding
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/224 providing notification on incoming messages, e.g. pushed notifications of received messages

Abstract

A system and method are disclosed that enable an email service provider to implement an email forwarding service without losing associated page views. In one embodiment, rather than forwarding the entire email message, the email forwarding service generates a summary email message, and sends this summary email message to the forwarding email address pre-specified by the subscriber. This summary email message includes a link that is selectable by the user to view the original email message on a web site of the email service provider. Thus, even if the forwarding email address is hosted externally, the subscriber still views the full email message on a web site of the provider of the email forwarding service.

Claims

1-20. -20. (canceled)

21. A computer-implemented method of forwarding email messages, the method comprising:

accessing a first email message addressed to a first email address of a user, the first email message containing message content;

generating, with at least one processor, a second email message based on the first email message, the second email message lacking at least a portion of the message content of the first email message and including a link that is selectable to access the entire first email message;

sending the second email message to a second email address; and

in response to a selection of the link in the second email message, serving the first email message along with at least one advertisement.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the first email message with the at least one advertisement is served from a web-based email service.

23. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

prompting the user for input of a user login prior to serving the first email message with the at least one advertisement.

24. The method of claim 21, wherein the second e-mail message does not allow a user to respond to a sender of the first email message by replying from the second email message.

25. The method of claim 21, wherein a user is allowed to reply to a sender of the first email message from the second email message.

26. The method of claim 21, wherein the second email message includes a link that is selectable to change email settings.

27. The method of claim 21, wherein the second email message includes a link that is selectable to delete the first email.

28. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

generating a URL, wherein the selection of the link requests the URL for serving the first email message along with the at least one advertisement.

29. The method of claim 21, wherein the link is encoded with information to inhibit unauthorized access to the first email message.

30. The method of claim 21, wherein at least one of an email address, a token, and a timestamp are encoded in the link.

37. The system of claim 21, wherein the second email message includes a link that is selectable to delete the first email.

31. A system for forwarding e-mail messages, the system comprising:

a tangible memory device storing instructions; and

at least one processor that, when executing the instructions stored in the tangible memory device, is configured to;

access a first email message addressed to a first email address of a user, the first email message containing message content;

generate a second email message based on the first email message, the second email message lacking at least a portion of the message content of the first email message and including a link that is selectable to access the entire first email message;

send the second email message to a second email address; and

in response to a selection of the link in the second email message, serve the first email message along with at least one advertisement.

32. The system of claim 31, wherein the first email message with the at least one advertisement is served from a web-based email service.

33. The system of claim 31, wherein the at least one processor, when executing the instructions, is further configured to:

prompt the user for input of a user login prior to serving the first email message with the at least one advertisement.

34. The system of claim 31, wherein the second e-mail message does not allow a user to respond to a sender of the first email message by replying from the second email message.

35. The system of claim 31, wherein a user is allowed to reply to a sender of the first email message from the second email message.

36. The system of claim 31, wherein the second email message includes a link that is selectable to change email settings.

38. The system of claim 31, wherein the at least one processor, when executing the instructions, is further configured to:

generate a URL, the selection of the link requesting the URL for serving the first email message along with the at least one advertisement.

39. The system of claim 31, wherein the link is encoded with information to inhibit unauthorized access to the first email message.

40. The system of claim 31, wherein at least one of an email address, a token, and a timestamp are encoded in the link.