Method for global routing of electronic messages by encoding an originator's indica with identification of a corresponding service provider from stored database in a gateway control center

• US 6,594,706 B1
• Filed: 02/25/2000
• Issued: 07/15/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: ORBCOMM Incorporated
• Original Assignee: ORBCOMM Incorporated
• Inventors: Clark, Mark William, Waleska, Glenn Stephen, Feldman, Valery Mikhail, DeCoursey, Mark Hamblin
• Primary Examiner(s): EL HADY, NABIL M
• Application Number:
  US09/514,058
• Time in Patent Office: 1,236 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206,217-219,236,238,244,207
• US Class Current: 709/238
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/48 Message addressing, e.g. address format or anonymous messages, aliases
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication

Abstract

The present invention is a method for routing electronic messages over a telecommunications system containing both satellite and ground-based elements. The present invention routes messages based on the originator'"'"'s address as well as the recipient'"'"'s address. In this way, all messages sent to or from subscriber communicators provisioned by a given provisioning entity are handled at the provisioning entity'"'"'s local equipment prior to final delivery.

Claims

1. A method for routing an electronic message from a subscriber communicator to an intended recipient via satellite, comprising the steps of:

including an indicia corresponding to a subscriber communicator with an electronic message;

communicating said electronic message from said subscriber communicator to a gateway control center via satellite;

receiving said electronic message that originated from said subscriber communicator at said gateway control center;

comparing at said gateway control center said indicia included with said electronic message and corresponding to said subscriber communicator with a statically stored subscriber communicator indicia to identify a service provider servicing said subscriber communicator to which said subscriber communicator indicia included with the electronic message corresponds;

encoding the electronic message so as to route it to a system of said identified service provider to which the subscriber communicator indicia included with the electronic message corresponds;

transmitting the electronic message to said system of said service provider;

decoding the electronic message so as to route it to the intended recipient; and

routing said electronic message from said system of said service provider to the intended recipient, wherein said intended recipient could be serviced by a second service provider that is different from said service provider of said subscriber communicator.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of communicating the electronic message from said subscriber communicator proceeds through at least one intermediary ground-based transceiver.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of communicating the electronic message from the subscriber communicator further comprises transmitting said electronic message from said satellite to a gateway earth station.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said electronic message has an address field containing a recipient address data, said data indicative of said intended recipient of said electronic message. and a value field, and

wherein said encoding step further comprises replacing at least a portion of said recipient address data with address data indicative of said system of a service provider servicing said subscriber communicator and storing the replaced portion of the recipient address data in said value field.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said decoding step further comprises replacing said service provider address data with said recipient address data stored in said value field.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said routing step further comprises transmitting said electronic message from said system of said service provider via a network of connected computers.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said network of connected computers is Internet.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein at least one computer is said network of connected computers is a Message Transfer System.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said gateway-control center comprises a message distribution center transfer module.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein said service provider'"'"'s system comprises a plurality of computer servers.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein a message transfer agent software is operated on at least one computer server of said plurality of computer servers of the service provider, said message transfer agent software comprising at least partially a commercial, off-the-shelf message transfer agent software package.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein said message transfer agent software is a commercial, off-the-shelf message transfer agent software package.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein a firewall software is operated on another computer server of said plurality of computer servers of the service provider, wherein said another computer server is different from said computer server on which said message transfer agent software is operated.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein said transfer agent software package includes post office protocol version 3 software, for providing message store and post office services.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein said service provider provides access to its message store and post office services to others via Internet.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein said service provider provides access to its message store and post office services to others via an analog modem.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein said service provider provides access to its message store and post office services to others via a cable modem.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein said service provider provides access to its message store and post office services to others via an ISDN interface.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein said service provider provides access to its message store and post office services to others via an E1 line.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein said service provider provides access to its message store and post office services to others via a T1 line.

21. The method of claim 10, wherein a firewall software is operated on at least one computer server of said plurality of computer servers of the service provider, said firewall software package comprising at least partially a commercial, off-the-shelf firewall software package.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein said firewall software is a commercial, off-the-shelf firewall software package.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein said commercial, off-the-shelf firewall software package deploys a Secure Service LAN.

24. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of

including indicia corresponding to said subscriber communicator with a second electronic message originating with said recipient of a prior electronic transmission from said subscriber communicator;

transmitting said second electronic message to the system of the service provider that services said subscriber communicator;

routing said second electronic message from said system of the service provider to the gateway control center;

communicating said second electronic message from said gateway control center to said subscriber communicator via satellite.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein said step of communicating the second electronic message from said gateway control center to said subscriber communicator further comprises transmitting said second electronic message from said gateway control center to a gateway earth station for transmission via satellite.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein said step of communicating the second electronic message from said gateway control center to said subscriber communicator proceeds through at least one intermediary ground-based transceiver.