Internet e-mail add-on service system

• US 6,963,929 B1
• Filed: 01/11/2000
• Issued: 11/08/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 01/13/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Soobok Lee
• Original Assignee: Soobok Lee
• Inventors: Lee, Soobok
• Primary Examiner(s): Najjar, Saleh
• Assistant Examiner(s): BATES, KEVIN T
• Application Number:
  US09/889,187
• Time in Patent Office: 2,128 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206, 709/220, 709/203, 709/207, 709/225, 709/229, 709/238, 709/242, 709/245, 370351-356
• US Class Current: 709/245
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/345 containing wildcard characters
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/37 E-mail addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/063 Content adaptation, e.g. replacement of unsuitable content
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/08 Annexed information, e.g. attachments
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/23 Reliability checks, e.g. acknowledgments or fault reporting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/48 Message addressing, e.g. address format or anonymous messages, aliases
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/00 Network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/30 Managing network names, e.g. use of aliases or nicknames name-to-address mapping H04L61/45
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/3015 Name registration, generation or assignment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/45 Network directories; Name-to-address mapping

Abstract

A system and method is provided for constructing an internet e-mail add-on service system that can seamlessly operate on the conventional SMTP internet message transport network. The method and system make use of a recipient e-mail address extended by a domain suffix. The domain suffix portion specifies both the kind of e-mail add-on services to be applied and the intermediate mail relay server to perform the service on the message before delivery to the recipient.

Claims

1. An e-mail add-on system comprising:

a domain suffix e-mail address representation system including a syntax of a receiver mail address in form of “

[e-mail]”

having a domain suffix (.suffix) selected for an e-mail add-on service and a series of definitions for meaning of the syntax, the domain suffix having a root domain suffix selected in formally registered domain names in the Internet and a supplementary domain suffix for limiting the add-on service represented by the root domain suffix;

a relay-mode add-on service mail server installed to an Internet host having a “

DOMAIN.suffix”

type domain name for receiving a message having a “

[e-mail]”

type receiver e-mail address, the relay-mode add-on service mail server making a new message by processing the add-on service defined in the domain suffix e-mail address representation system and applying options of the add-on service according to contents of the root domain suffix and the supplementary domain suffix specified in “

.suffix”

, the relay-mode add-on service mail server then relaying the new message to an original receiver address “

USERID@DOMAIN”

; and

a Meta domain name system including a Meta domain name database for showing relation between a “

DOMAIN.suffix”

type domain name and an IP (Internet Protocol) address of a relay-mode mail server host in charge of the add-on service designated by “

.suffix”

for the “

DOMAIN”

portion, and a domain name server software for providing the add-on service.

2. The e-mail add-on service system as claimed in claim 1,

wherein, in the domain suffix e-mail address representation, the supplementary domain suffix has a syntax containing a variable parameter for flourishing the options of the add-on service;

and

wherein, the Meta domain name system, the Meta domain database and the Meta domain name server include the syntax containing a variable parameter.

3. The e-mail add-on service system as claimed in claim 1,

wherein the domain suffix e-mail address representation system uses a pair of second domains having same name and“

. to” and

“

. cc”

as a top-level domain, in which the domain suffix e-mail add-on service system defines that a root domain suffix including “

.to”

represents a service for transmitting a mail read confirmation notification only to a sender and a root domain suffix including “

.cc”

represents a service for transmitting the mail read confirmation notification to other receiver except the sender and the receiver;

wherein the Meta domain name system corresponds to a pair of the domain suffix respectively;

wherein the e-mail add-on service system further comprises a message modifying relay-mode mail server for adding a HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) tag to a message text and maintaining a mail read state database for each mail message; and

wherein the e-mail add-on service system further comprises a web server for receiving a HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) query for a mail read state report from the receiver mail client and transmits a mail read confirmation notification.

4. The e-mail add-on service system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a message modifying relay-mode mail server for adding a HTML tag containing information for a lottery ticket issued or to be issued to the receiver and maintaining a lottery win state database for each mail message.

5. The e-mail add-on service system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a message modifying relay-mode mail server for selecting a picture post-card designated by the domain suffix which the sender attaches at the end of the receiver address and modifying the mail message by applying the picture post-card to the mail message.

6. The e-mail add-on service system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a message modifying relay-mode mail server for modifying the mail message by interpreting and rewriting the mail message into a designated language according to an language interpretation instruction designated by the domain suffix which the sender attaches at the end of the receiver address.

7. An e-mail add-on system comprising:

a domain suffix e-mail address representation system including a syntax of a receiver mail address in form of “

[e-mail]”

having a domain suffix (.suffix) selected for an e-mail add-on service and a series of definitions for meaning of the syntax, the domain suffix having a root domain suffix selected in formally registered domain names in the Internet and a supplementary domain suffix for limiting the add-on service represented by the root domain suffix;

a relay-mode add-on service mail server installed to an Internet host having a “

DOMAIN.suffix”

type domain name for receiving a message having a “

[e-mail]”

type receiver e-mail address, the relay-mode add-on service mail server making a new message by processing the add-on service defined in the domain suffix e-mail address representation system and applying options of the add-on service according to contents of the root domain suffix and the supplementary domain suffix specified in “

.suffix”

, the relay-mode add-on service mail server then relaying the new message to an original receiver address “

USERID@DOMAIN”

; and

a Meta domain name system including a Meta domain name database for showing relation between a “

DOMAIN.suffix”

type domain name and an IP (Internet Protocol) address of a relay-mode mail server host in charge of the add-on service designated by “

.suffix”

for the “

DOMAIN”

portion, and a domain name server software for providing the add-on service;

wherein the domain suffix e-mail address representation system uses a pair of second domains having same name and“

. to” and

“

. cc”

as a top-level domain, in which the domain suffix e-mail add-on service system defines that a root domain suffix including “

.to”

represents a service for transmitting a mail read confirmation notification only to a sender and a root domain suffix including “

.cc”

represents a service for transmitting the mail read confirmation notification to other receiver except the sender and the receiver.

8. The e-mail add-on system of claim 7,

wherein the Meta domain name system corresponds to a pair of the domain suffix respectively;

wherein the e-mail add-on service system further comprises a message modifying relay-mode mail server for adding a HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) tag to a message text and maintaining a mail read state database for each mail message; and

wherein the e-mail add-on service system further comprises a web server for receiving a HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) query for a mail read state report from the receiver mail client and transmits a mail read confirmation notification.

9. The e-mail add-on service system as claimed in claim 7,

wherein, in the domain suffix e-mail address representation, the supplementary domain suffix has a syntax containing a variable parameter for flourishing the options of the add-on service;

and

wherein, the Meta domain name system, the Meta domain database and the Meta domain name server include the syntax containing a variable parameter.