Method and apparatus providing personalized mailbox filters

• US 6,301,608 B1
• Filed: 08/14/1996
• Issued: 10/09/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 08/14/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Rochkind, Mark Meier
• Primary Examiner(s): Maung, Zarni
• Assistant Examiner(s): Farahi, Farzaneh
• Application Number:
  US08/696,548
• Time in Patent Office: 1,882 Days
• Field of Search: 395/200.36, 395/200.37, 395/200.3, 395/200.45, 395/200.75, 379/93.01, 379/93.24, 379/100.08, 709/206, 709/207, 709/200, 709/215, 709/245
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/212 using filtering or selective blocking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/226 Delivery according to priorities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/42 Mailbox-related aspects, e.g. synchronisation of mailboxes
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/301 Management of recordings
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42008 Systems for anonymous communication between parties, e.g. by use of disposal contact identifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/533 Voice mail systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53316 Messaging centre selected by message originator
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53333 Message receiving aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5335 Message type or catagory, e.g. priority, indication

Abstract

An electronic mailbox filters or sorts messages according to personalized or customized rules set by the owner of the mailbox through the use of address extensions. The addressee will assign an address extension to a prospective sender before the sender sends a message. The sender may use this address extension when addressing and sending a message to the addressee. The addressee can also provide a specific sender with multiple address extensions so that the sender could send messages relating to particular topics or projects. The addressee will maintain a look-up table of valid address extensions. This look-up table correlates address extensions with particular levels of priority. The addressee can change the priority associated with particular messages by reassigning the priority associated the corresponding address extension in the look-up table. Thus, even if a sender continues to use a particular address extension in the sending address, the mailbox may no longer treat such messages with the priority level expected by the sender.

Claims

1. A method for filtering messages from a sender to an addressee, within a communication system, comprising the steps of:

(a) sending to the sender an address extension;

(b) receiving a message from the sender, including said address extension that is connected with the addressee'"'"'s address;

(c) correlating the address extension with one of a plurality of message tages within a look-up table;

(d) storing the message with the correlated message tag; and

(e) when requested by the addressee, playing back the messages in an order based on the message tags.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

(f) linking the message with other stored messages on the basis of the message tag so that messages with the same message tag are linked.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

(f) storing, when the sender has an unlisted address, an alias address assigned by the sender without the unlisted address being revealed to the addressee; and

(g) substituting the unlisted address with the alias address stored in said step (f) before said correlating step (c) the address extension.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said receiving step (b) receives, from the sender, a plurality of address extensions corresponding to a plurality of message subject areas.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

(f) paging the addressee when the message is correlated in said correlating step (c) with a specific message tag.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said storing step (d) stores the message and the correlated message tag in sequential order.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said playing back step (e) plays back the messages in an order defined by a prioritization of the message tags predetermined by the addressee.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said correlating step (c) prospectively correlates the address extension and the plurality of message tags when the addressee modifies the look-up table.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said correlating step (c) retroactively correlates the address extension and the plurality of message tags when an addressee modifies the look-up table to be applied to messages previously received in said receiving step (b).

10. The method of claim 1, wherein said receiving step (b) receives, from the sender, a submailbox address, that is connected with the addressee'"'"'s address.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the messages are audio, video, electronic text, electronic graphics and/or any combination thereof.

12. A communication service system for filtering electronic messages from a sender to an addressee, within a communication system, comprising

a communication network through which an address extension is sent from the addressee to the sender, and through which a message from the sender is received by the addressee, the message includes said address extension that is connected with the addressee'"'"'s address;

a processor connected to said communication network;

a storage device connected to said processor, said storage device containing, in a look-up table, a correlation between the address extension and a message tag, and storing the message from the sender with the correlated message tag; and

a play back device connected to said processor, said play back device, when requested by the addressee, plays back the messages stored in said storage device in the linked order determined by said processor.

13. The communication system of claim 12, wherein said processor links the message with any other stored messages on the basis of the message tag.

14. The communication service system of claim 12, wherein said communication network includes:

a second storage device containing an alias address assigned by the sender, when the sender has an unlisted address, without the unlisted address being revealed to the addressee; and

a second processor substituting the unlisted address with the alias address stored by said storage device.

15. The communication service system of claim 12, wherein the addressee receives, from the sender, a plurality of address extensions corresponding to a plurality of message subject areas.

16. The communication service system of claim 12, further comprising:

a paging device, said paging device pages the addressee when the message is linked with a specific message tag.

17. The communication service system of claim 12, wherein said storage device stores the message with the correlated message tag in sequential order.

18. The communication service system of claim 12, wherein said play back device plays back the messages in an order defined by a prioritization of the message tags predetermined by the addressee.

19. The communication service system of claim 12, wherein said storage device prospectively correlates the address extension and plurality of message tags when the addressee modifies the look-up table.

20. The communication service system of claim 12, wherein said storage device retroactively correlates the address extension and the plurality of message tags when the addressee modifies the look-up table to be applied to messages previously received in said storage device.

21. The communication service system of claim 12, wherein the message includes a submailbox extension.

22. The communication service system of claim 12, wherein the messages are audio, video, electronic text, electronic graphics and/or any combination thereof.

23. A method for creating a look-up table to filter messages from a sender to an addressee, within a communication system, comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving a plurality of address extensions from the addressee, each address extension from the plurality of address extensions being provided to at least one respective sender;

(b) receiving a plurality of message tags from the addressee, each of the message tags being associated with the address extensions;

(c) receiving, from the addressee, a presentation sequence associated with each of the message tags; and

(d) storing the address extensions, the message tags and the presentation sequences.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the message tags include at least one predetermined message tag.

25. The method of claim 23, further comprising the steps of:

(e) displaying to the addressee the look-up table stored in said step (d); and

(f) receiving from the addressee modifications to the look-up table.

26. The method of claim 25, further comprising the steps of:

(g) storing the look-up table modifications from said receiving step (f) as at least one separate look-up table; and

(h) designating for use one of the look-up tables stored in said step (d) and said step (g) based on the addressee'"'"'s selection.