Directory with options for access to and display of email addresses

• US 6,108,691 A
• Filed: 04/17/1998
• Issued: 08/22/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 05/06/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Switchboard LLC
• Original Assignee: Switchboard, Inc. (Mudrick Capital Management LP)
• Inventors: Wright, David A., Lee, Eugene H., Dalton, Lisa A., Adler, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): VU, VIET DUY
• Application Number:
  US09/062,098
• Time in Patent Office: 858 Days
• Field of Search: 709/202, 709/203, 709/204, 709/206, 709/217, 709/218, 709/219, 709/223, 709/225, 709/313, 709/3, 709/9, 709/10, 709/100, 709/102, 709/104
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]

Abstract

A directory service allows a user to receive email messages from senders without requiring the user to reveal his/her email address. The directory service maintains users'"'"' email addresses but allows users to restrict the display of their email addresses. The directory service can cause a message to be sent from a sender to a recipient without revealing the recipient'"'"'s email address.

Claims

1. A method including:

maintaining a database of directory information in a directory service with records of individuals, including maintaining records of users who are registered with the directory service and records of users who are not registered with the directory service, wherein the records of registered users may include an electronic mail (email) address and the records of non-registered users do not including an email address;

providing to the registered user options for displaying an email address including options (i) to display the email address, (ii) to not display the email address and not forward messages, and (iii) to not display the email address but to forward messages;

when a searching user accesses information associated with a registered user who has elected option (iii), receiving from the searching user a message to be sent to the registered user, and sending the message to the registered user without providing the recipient'"'"'s email address to the searching user.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the sending includes:

copying the searching user'"'"'s email address into a "from" field;

copying the recipient'"'"'s email address into a "to" field in a way that is not visible to the searching user; and

sending the message via an email server.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the directory service is generally accessible to users with Internet access.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the sending is performed only for searching users who are also registered users.

5. A directory service comprising:

means for maintaining records that include names, email addresses associated with the names, and information associated with the records indicating one of a number of display options for the email addresses;

means for receiving a request for records from a searching user and for accessing the maintaining means to retrieve records, the receiving and accessing means checking the information associated with the record to determine whether or not the email address of each retrieved record should be displayed to the user, and displaying or not displaying the email address in response to the information.

6. The directory service of claim 5, further comprising an email server for sending email messages to recipients.

7. The directory service of claim 5, the processor having means for receiving a message from a requester for a user whose email address is not displayed and for causing the message to be sent to the user without revealing to the requester the user'"'"'s email address.

18. The method of claim 7, wherein the message is sent directly to the user.

8. A method for use by a directory service that includes a database with records of users including the users'"'"' respective email addresses, and a processor for retrieving and providing records, the method comprising:

receiving over the Internet a request from a requester for records from a directory service;

accessing information associated with the record to determine whether or not the email address is to be displayed; and

in response to a determination that the email address is not to be displayed,

providing to the user a clickable option allowing email to be sent to users identified in records even if the information indicates that the email address is not to be displayed,

receiving from the requester a request to utilize the option allowing email to be sent to users identified in records even if the information indicates that the email address is not to be displayed,

receiving a message from the requester to be sent to the recipient, and

sending the message to the recipient without providing the recipient'"'"'s email address to the requester.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the sending includes providing to the recipient the requester'"'"'s email address.

19. The method of claim 8, wherein the message is sent automatically to the recipient.

10. A method including:

maintaining a database of directory information in a directory service with records of individuals, including maintaining email addresses;

receiving a request from a searching user for information about individuals having an entered name;

displaying for the searching user an individual with the entered name and a hypertext link for initiating a process to send a message to the individual without displaying the individual'"'"'s email address;

providing the searching user with a field for sending a message to the individual in response to the searching user selecting the hypertext link;

receiving from the searching user a message to be sent to the individual; and

sending the message to the individual, thereby providing the message to the individual without providing the individual'"'"'s email address to the searching user.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the sending includes:

copying the searching user'"'"'s email address into a "from" field;

copying the individual'"'"'s email address into a "to" field without displaying the individual'"'"'s email address to the searching user; and

sending the message via an email server.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the directory service is generally accessible to users with Internet access.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the service further includes and can display name and address information.

20. The method of claim 10, wherein the message is sent automatically to the recipient.

14. A method comprising:

a user accessing a directory service that includes a database with records of individuals, including the individuals'"'"' respective email addresses;

the user requesting records from the directory service;

the directory service providing to the user a clickable hypertext link to allow email to be sent to a recipient identified in records without displaying the email address,

the user clicking the hypertext link;

the directory service providing an input screen for the user to send a message to the recipient; and

the directory service sending the message to the recipient without providing the recipient'"'"'s email address to the requester.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the database service is generally accessible over the Internet.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the database service further includes name and address information.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the database service is capable of providing records of individuals with a given last name, and wherein those records can be limited by the user entering the name of a state.