Self-removing email verified or designated as such by a message distributor for the convenience of a recipient

• US 6,324,569 B1
• Filed: 07/18/2000
• Issued: 11/27/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 09/23/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Red Hat, Inc. (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Genie L. Ogilvie, John W.L. Ogilvie
• Inventors: Ogilvie, John W. L., Ogilvie, Genie L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Geckil, Mehmet B.
• Application Number:
  US09/618,249
• Time in Patent Office: 497 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206, 709/207, 709/203, 709/217, 709/224, 709/227, 709/249, 379/93.24, 379/93.25, 345/752, 707/500, 706/47, 713/153
• 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 51/212 using filtering or selective blocking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload

Abstract

Methods, articles, signals, and systems are provided for providing email message originators and distributors with default control over message removal at a message recipient'"'"'s location, regardless of whether the message has been opened. For instance, a self-removing message is designated as such by the message'"'"'s originator, and a self-removal enhancement is added to conventional message content before the message is transmitted over a computer network toward one or more recipients. At the recipient'"'"'s location, the message is automatically deleted without additional effort by the recipient, before or after being displayed, according to the originator'"'"'s instructions unless they are overridden by the recipient. ISPs and other message distributors may identify messages that should be self-removing, and make them self-removing if they are not. Thus, the burden of removing unsolicited email messages is transferred from recipients to the system and the message'"'"'s originators and/or to ISPs and other email distributors. Security of messages may also be enhanced.

Claims

1. A method for removing email messages from a recipient'"'"'s location in response to an instruction from an ISP, the method comprising the steps of:

checking an email message at the recipient'"'"'s location to determine whether it contains a self-removing message indicator inserted by the ISP indicating that the message is to be deleted automatically; and

automatically removing the email message in response to the indicator if the message contains the indicator, wherein the removing step deletes the message only after the message is opened by the recipient.

2. The method of claim 1, embodied in software which configures a computer storage medium.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the removing step deletes a notice by removing the message.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the removing step deletes a news item by removing the message.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the removing step deletes an advertisement by removing the message.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the removing step deletes a link to a web site by removing the message.

7. A method for removing email messages from a recipient'"'"'s location in response to an instruction from an ISP, the method comprising the steps of:

checking an email message at the recipient'"'"'s location to determine whether it contains a self-removing message indicator inserted by the ISP indicating that the message is to be deleted automatically; and

automatically removing the email message in response to the indicator if the message contains the indicator, wherein the removing step deletes the message if a replacement message is not received by the recipient by a specified date.

8. The method of claim 7, embodied in software which configures a computer storage medium.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the removing step deletes a notice by removing the message.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the removing step deletes a news item by removing the message.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the removing step deletes an advertisement by removing the message.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein the removing step deletes a link to a web site by removing the message.

13. A method for removing email messages from a recipient'"'"'s location in response to an instruction from an ISP, the method comprising the steps of:

checking an email message at the recipient'"'"'s location to determine whether it contains a self-removing message indicator inserted by the ISP indicating that the message is to be deleted automatically; and

automatically removing the email message in response to the indicator if the message contains the indicator, wherein the removing step deletes the message if a replacement message is not received by the recipient within a specified period after the first message is received.

14. The method of claim 13, embodied in software which configures a computer storage medium.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the removing step deletes a notice by removing the message.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the removing step deletes a news item by removing the message.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the removing step deletes an advertisement by removing the message.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein the removing step deletes a link to a web site by removing the message.