Communication system, method and device for remotely re-transmitting received electronic mail directed to a destination terminal to a new destination terminal

• US 5,844,969 A
• Filed: 01/23/1997
• Issued: 12/01/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 01/23/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Westrich, Robert S., Goldman, Shelley B., Silverman, David Phillip
• Primary Examiner(s): Chan, Wing F.
• Application Number:
  US08/787,420
• Time in Patent Office: 677 Days
• Field of Search: 379/90.01, 379/93.01, 379/93.07, 379/93.14, 379/93.15, 379/93.17-93.21, 379/93.23, 379/93.24, 379/100.08, 358/402, 358/407, 455/32.1, 455/412, 455/556, 455/557, 455/566, 340/311.1, 340/825.07, 340/825.15-825.17, 340/825.44, 395/200.13, 395/200.36, 395/673, 395/54, 395/680
• US Class Current: 379/93.24
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication

Abstract

A communication system for remotely re-selecting and re-transmitting received electronic mail at a destination terminal to another destination terminal using a remote communication device, e.g., a two-way pager. The system includes an electronic mail server coupled to an electronic mail network, a backbone and an alert network. The electronic mail server receives electronic mail messages from the electronic mail network or from the backbone network. Each received mail message includes a sender identification, an E-mail identification and a destination terminal. The server generates and transmits over the alert network a select signal and a message summary to the communication device when an E-mail has been received from a destination terminal. A communication device stores the message summaries and displays them as a user scrolls the message summaries. The user through a keyboard in the device may select and revise a message summary by entering a new destination in the message summary. Using a send key, the user transmits the revised message summary to the server coupled to the destination terminal. The server in response to the transmitted revised message summary accesses a database to locate a copy of the received message or contacts and instructs the destination terminal to forward a copy of the received message to the new destination terminal via the server or an alternate server.

Claims

1. An article of manufacture, comprising:

a computer usable medium having computer readable program means embodied therein for remotely re-transmitting received electronic mail at an original destination terminal to a new destination using a communication device, the computer readable program code means in said article of manufacture comprised of;

a) computer readable code means for receiving message summaries indicative of electronic mail messages received at an original destination terminal;

each received message summary including a sender identification, an E-mail identification and a destination terminal;

b) computer readable program code means for generating and transmitting over the alert network a select signal and accompanying message summary;

c) computer readable program code means for storing in the communication device and revising the message summary to include a new destination for re-transmitting the received message at the original destination terminal to the new destination terminal; and

d) computer readable program code means for locating a and forwarding a copy of the received message at the original destination to the new destination terminal.

2. In a communication system in which an electronic message for a user is transmitted over a data network and received at an original electronic destination, a method comprising the steps of:

a) receiving a signal indicating a new electronic destination to which the received electronic message is to be re-transmitted;

b) identifying a location and retrieving the electronic message stored at the location; and

c) triggering the transmission of the electronic message transmitted to the original electronic destination to the new electronic destination.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising the steps of:

a) transmitting the electronic message cooperatively with an alert signal being transmitted over an alert network to a communication device associated with the user to alert the user of the electronic message; and

b) transmitting a signal to the communication device indicating the electronic message has been delivered to the original electronic destination.

4. The method of claim 2 further comprising the step of:

a) using a two-way communication device to transmit the signal indicating the new electronic destination to which the electronic message is to be re-transmitted.

5. The method of claim 4 in which the electronic message is retrieved from a terminal or a server.

6. The method of claim 5 in which the electronic message is retrieved from a database associated with the server.

7. In a communication system including an electronic mail server coupled to an electronic mail network and an alert network, a method for remotely re-transmitting received electronic mail at an original destination terminal to a new destination using a communication device, comprising the steps of:

a) receiving message summaries indicative of electronic mail messages received at an original destination terminal;

each received message summary including a sender identification, an E-mail identification and a destination terminal;

b) generating in a server and transmitting over the alert network to the communication device a select signal and accompanying message summary;

c) identifying a location and retrieving the electronic message stored at the location; and

d) triggering the re-transmission of the received message to the new destination terminal.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising the steps of:

a) revising the message summary to include a new destination for re-transmitting the received message at the original destination terminal to the new destination terminal.

9. The method of claim 7 further comprising the steps of:

a) receiving a non-revised message summary;

b) checking a database; and

c) forwarding the non-revised message to a new destination specified in the database.

10. The method of claim 7 further comprising the step of locating in the electronic mail network a copy of the received message at the original destination corresponding to the revised message summary for re-transmission to the new destination terminal.

11. The method of claim 7 further including the step of inputting the new destination to the communication device by a user.

12. The method of claim 7 further including the step of storing the message summaries in a memory.

13. The method of claim 7 further including displaying a message summary in a display.

14. The method of claim 7 further including the step of scrolling in the display, the message summaries stored in the memory.

15. The method of claim 7 further including the step of selecting a displayed message summary for re-transmission to a server.

16. The method of claim 7 further including the step of entering a new destination in the selected message summary.

17. The method of claim 7 further including the step of forming a revised message summary in an output buffer with a new destination for transmission to the server.

18. The method of claim 7 further including the step of transmitting the revised message summary to the server.

19. The method of claim 7 further including the steps of receiving and transmitting message summaries between a remote server and the communication device, selected message summaries revised to identify the original destination terminal and a new destination terminal.

20. A communication system in which an electronic message for a user is transmitted over a data network and received at an electronic destination, comprising:

a) means for receiving a signal indicating a new electronic destination to which the received electronic message is to be re-transmitted;

b) identifying a location and retrieving the electronic message stored at the location; and

c) means for triggering the transmission of the electronic message transmitted to the original electronic destination to the new electronic destination.

21. The system of claim 20 further comprising:

a) means for transmitting the electronic message cooperatively with an alert signal being transmitted over an alert network to a communication device associated with the user to alert the user of the electronic message; and

b) means for transmitting a signal to the communication device indicating the electronic message has been delivered to the original electronic destination.

22. The system of claim 20 further comprising:

a) a two-way communication device for transmitting the signal indicating the new electronic destination to which the electronic message is to be re-transmitted.

23. The system of claim 20 wherein the electronic message is retrieved from a database associated with the server.

24. The system of claim 20 wherein the electronic message is retrieved from a terminal or a server.

25. A communication system for remotely re-transmitting a received message at an original destination terminal to a new destination terminal by a user using a communication device, comprising:

a) an electronic mail server coupled to an electronic mail network and an alert network;

the electronic mail server generating a message summary indicative of an electronic mail message received at the original destination terminal;

the message summary including a sender identification and a destination terminal;

b) means for transmitting over the alert network to the communication device a select signal including the message summary;

c) means included in the communication device for storing the message summary and re-transmitting a revised message summary to the electronic mail server, the revised message summary containing a new destination for the electronic mail message received at the original destination terminal, said new destination inputted to the communication device by a user; and

d) means for identifying a location and retrieving the electronic message stored at the location; and

e) means responsive to the revised message summary for re-transmitting the electronic mail message received at the original destination terminal to the new destination terminal.

26. The system of claim 25 further including a remote server coupled to the electronic mail server through a backbone network.

27. The system of claim 26 further including means for receiving and transmitting message summaries between the remote server and the communication device, each message summary identifying the original destination terminal coupled to the remote server.

28. The system of claim 25 further including a database coupled to the electronic mail server and means for accessing the database and locating within the database a copy of the received message at the original destination terminal corresponding to the destination terminal identified in the revised message summary.

29. The system of claim 25 further including means for obtaining a copy of the received message at the original destination terminal for re-transmission to the new destination identified in the revised message summary.

30. The system of claim 25 further including means for forwarding the copy of the received message at the original destination to the new destination.

31. In a communication system including an electronic mail server coupled to an electronic mail network and an alert network, a communication device for remotely re-selecting and re-transmitting electronic messages at an original destination terminal to a new destination terminal, a communication device comprising:

a) a transceiver coupled to the alert network for receiving and sending message summaries of received mail at a destination terminal coupled to the server;

b) a memory coupled to the transceiver and a display, the memory storing message summaries;

c) a processor coupled to a keyboard means, the processor responsive to a user through the keyboard for identifying in a selected message summary a new destination for an electronic message received at the original destination and indicated in the selected message summary stored in the memory; and

d) sending means for forming and sending the selected message summary containing the new destination over the alert network to the electronic mail network for instructing the original destination or if not serving the new destination then an alternative destination to re-transmit the received message at the original destination terminal to the new destination terminal inputted to the keyboard by the user.

32. The device of claim 31 wherein the memory supplies such message summaries to the display.

33. The device of claim 31 further including a backbone network wherein the re-transmitted electronic message at the original destination is sent to the new destination terminal through the backbone network.

34. The device of claim 31 further including a remote server and means for receiving and transmitting message summaries between the remote server and the communication device, each message summary identifying the original destination terminal coupled to the remote server.

35. The device of claim 31 further including means for scrolling the message summaries stored in the memory and shown in the display.

36. The device of claim 31 further including means for selecting a message summary in the display and designating a new destination in the message summary.

37. The device of claim 33 further including a keypad for inputting the new destination to the selected message summary.

38. The device of claim 32 further including means for forming a revised message summary in an output buffer for transmission to the server.

39. The device of claim 38 further including means for sending the revised message summary in the output buffer to the server.