Method for including a self-removing indicator in a self-removing message

• US 6,757,713 B1
• Filed: 07/18/2000
• Issued: 06/29/2004
• 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, Genie L., Ogilvie, John W. L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Luu, Le Hien
• Application Number:
  US09/618,248
• Time in Patent Office: 1,442 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206, 709/202, 709/207, 709/200, 709/249, 714/748, 707/10, 345/333, 455/415
• 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 51/48 Message addressing, e.g. address format or anonymous messages, aliases
• 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. Messages may be automatically deleted in response to the arrival of a replacement message. 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 using self-removing email messages to shift the burden of message removal from a message recipient to at least one of a message originator and a message distributor, the method comprising the steps of:

associating message content with at least one self-removing message indicator to provide at least one of a message originator and a message distributor with initial control over the deletion of a recipient copy of the message content after it reaches the recipient; and

transmitting the message content and the self-removing message indicator toward the recipient in at least one email message;

wherein the self-removing message indicator indicates that the message is to be deleted automatically in response to a condition involving a replacement message.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the self-removing message indicator indicates that the message is to be deleted automatically if a replacement message is not received by the recipient by a specified date.

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

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the self-removing message indicator indicates that the first message is to be deleted automatically if a replacement message is not received by the recipient within a specified period after the first message is received.

5. The method of claim 4, embodied in software which configures a computer storage medium.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the self-removing message indicator indicates that the message is to be deleted automatically after a replacement message is received by the recipient.

7. The method of claim 6, embodied in software which configures a computer storage medium.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the associating step associates message content with a self-removing message indicator by placing the indicator in an email message with the content.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the associating step associates message content with a self-removing message indicator by placing the indicator in an email message which identifies a separate message and the content is provided in the separate message.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the associating step is performed by a message originator.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the associating step is performed by a message distributor.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the method comprises obtaining an email address for the recipient from an email address database.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the method comprises transmitting message contents which include a notice.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the method comprises transmitting message contents which include a news item.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the method comprises transmitting message contents which include an advertisement.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the method comprises transmitting message contents which include a link to a web site.

17. A method for removing email messages from a recipient'"'"'s location in response to an instruction from a message originator, 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 from the message originator indicating that the message is to be deleted automatically in response to a condition involving a replacement message; and

automatically removing the email message in response to the indicator if the message contains the indicator.

18. The method of claim 17, embodied in software which configures a computer storage medium.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising the step of a sending a reply from the recipient in response to the self-removing message.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the reply asks that the recipient be removed from a mailing list.

21. In a computer system, an improvement for using self-removing email messages to shift the burden of message removal from a message recipient to at least one of a message originator and a message distributor, the improvement comprising at least one self-removal enhancement which is associated with message content by at least one of a message originator and a message distributor, the self-removal enhancement specifying a condition for automatic removal of a copy of the message content from a recipient'"'"'s location in response to a condition involving a replacement message.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the self-removal enhancement comprises a removal indicator placed in an email message.

23. The system of claim 21, wherein the self-removal enhancement comprises removal code attached to the message.

24. The system of claim 21, wherein the self-removal enhancement is associated with the message by an ISP.

25. The system of claim 21, wherein the self-removal enhancement includes an authentication mechanism to permit authentication of a replacement message before a replaced message is removed.