System and method for creating and managing forwarding email address

• US 6,973,481 B2
• Filed: 03/23/2001
• Issued: 12/06/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Webzero LLC
• Original Assignee: Emailias, LLC
• Inventors: Dickson, Graham, MacIntosh, Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): VU, VIET DUY
• Application Number:
  US09/815,266
• Publication Number:
  US 20020138581A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,719 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206, 709/217, 709/219, 709/223, 709/225, 719/328, 719/329, 345/347
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/212 using filtering or selective blocking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/214 using selective forwarding
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/48 Message addressing, e.g. address format or anonymous messages, aliases

Abstract

A system and method of creating an email forwarding address during an Internet session where a user is viewing a web page that includes a prompt for an email address includes creating and storing an email forwarding address for the user that is automatically associated with the web page. The email forwarding address re-directs email addressed thereto to a target email address associated with the user. The email forwarding address is sent to the user to enable the user to use the email forwarding address to satisfy the email address prompt.

Claims

1. During an Internet session where a user is viewing a web page that includes a prompt for an email address, a method of creating and forwarding an email forwarding address to said user comprising the steps of:

creating and storing a unique email forwarding address for the user that is automatically associated with said web page, said email forwarding address being dedicated for use by an entity associated with said web page to enable said entity to send email messages to said user, email messages directed to said email forwarding address being re-directed to a target email address associated with said user; and

sending said email forwarding address to said user to enable said user to use said email forwarding address to satisfy the email address prompt.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein creating and storing of said unique email forwarding address is performed in response to a request made by said user on-line, said method further comprising the step of examining the request to determine the user making the request and the web page that includes the email address prompt.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein said request includes an identifier assigned to said user and the web page address of said web page.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein said request further includes the title of said web page.

5. The method of claim 2 wherein said request is generated by activating a control on the toolbar of a web client application.

6. The method of claim 2 wherein said request is generated by activating a web control on said web page.

7. The method of claim 2 wherein said request is generated in response to selection of a menu choice of a web client application.

8. The method of claim 2 wherein during said sending step, said email forwarding address is displayed to said user in a second browsing window separate from a browsing window in which said web page is displayed.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein said email forwarding address can be dragged or copied from said second browsing window into the browsing window in which said web page is displayed.

10. The method of claim 2 wherein unique email forwarding addresses created for said user and web page addresses associated with said email forwarding addresses are stored in a user account, during said examining step, the web page address of said request being compared with the web page addresses in said user account, if said web page address exists in said account, bypassing the creating and storing step and sending the email forwarding address associated with the web page address to said user.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein said unique email forwarding address is of a type dependent on the nature of the email address prompt.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein said unique email forwarding address is of a standard type or a one-time use type.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein said standard type unique email forwarding address is created when the email address prompt requests the email address of said user and wherein the one-time use type unique email forwarding address is created when the email address prompt requests the email address of an entity other than said user.

17. The method of claim 15 wherein said unique email forwarding address may also be of an address pair type, said address pair type unique email forwarding address being created when the email address prompt requests the email address of said user as well as the email address of an entity other than said user.

11. A system for creating and forwarding email forwarding addresses comprising:

a web server communicating with client computer systems over Internet connections, said web server receiving requests from said client computer systems generated by users of said client computer systems who during Internet sessions view web pages that include prompts for email addresses; and

a database server creating and storing unique email forwarding addresses for the users that are automatically associated with said web pages in response to requests received by said web server, said email forwarding addresses being dedicated for use by entities associated with said web pages to enable said entities to send email messages to said users, email messages directed to said email forwarding addresses being re-directed to target email addresses associated with said users, said database server conveying created email forwarding addresses to said web server, said web server sending said email forwarding addresses to said users to enable said users to use said email forwarding addresses to satisfy the email address prompts.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein each request includes an identifier assigned to the user generating said request, and the web page address of the web page being viewed by said user, said database server using said identifier to associate the email forwarding address with said target email address.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein said database server stores the email forwarding addresses created for each user and web page addresses associated with said email forwarding addresses in an account associated with said user, said database server comparing the web page address in each request received from a user with the web page addresses in the account of said user, if said web page address exists in said account, said database server bypassing the creating and storing of said email forwarding address and sending the email forwarding address associated with the web page address that exists in said account to said web server.

18. During an Internet session where a user is viewing a web page via a first browser window that includes a prompt for an email address, a method of creating and forwarding an email forwarding address to said user comprising the steps of:

creating and storing a unique email forwarding address for the user that is automatically associated with said web page, email messages directed to said email forwarding address being re-directed to a target email address associated with said user; and

sending said email forwarding address to said user and displaying said email forwarding address in a second browser window different from that displaying said web page to enable said user to use said email forwarding address to satisfy the email address prompt, said email forwarding address being draggable from said second browser window into the first browser window.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein creating and storing of said unique email forwarding address is performed in response to a request made by said user on-line, said method further comprising the step of examining the request to determine the user making the request and the web page that includes the email address prompt.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein said request includes an identifier assigned to said user and the web page address of said web page.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein said request further includes the title of said web page.

22. The method of claim 19 wherein said request is generated by activating a control on the toolbar of a web client application.

23. The method of claim 19 wherein said request is generated by activating a web control on said web page.

24. The method of claim 19 wherein said request is generated in response to selection of a menu choice of a web client application.

25. The method of claim 19 wherein unique email forwarding addresses created for said user and web page addresses associated with said unique email forwarding addresses are stored in a user account, during said examining step, the web page address of said request being compared with the web page addresses in said user account, if said web page address exists in said account, bypassing the creating and storing step and sending the email forwarding address associated with the web page address to said user.

26. The method of claim 18 wherein said unique email forwarding address is of a type dependent on the nature of the email address prompt.

27. The method of claim 26 wherein said unique email forwarding address is of a standard type or a one-time use type.

28. The method of claim 27 wherein said standard type unique email forwarding address is created when the email address prompt requests the email address of said user and wherein the one-time use type unique email forwarding address is created when the email address prompt requests the email address of an entity other than said user.

29. The method of claim 28 wherein said unique email forwarding address may also be of an address pair type, said address pair type unique email forwarding address being created when the email address prompt requests the email address of said user as well as the email address of an entity other than said user.

38. The method of claim 18 wherein said unique email forwarding address is of a type dependent on the nature of the email address prompt.

39. The method of claim 38 wherein said unique email forwarding address is of a standard type or a one-time use type.

40. The method of claim 39 wherein said standard type unique email forwarding address is created when the email address prompt requests the email address of said user and wherein the one-time use type unique email forwarding address is created when the email address prompt requests the email address of an entity other than said user.

41. The method of claim 40 wherein said unique email forwarding address may also be of an address pair type, said address pair type unique email forwarding address being created when the email address prompt requests the email address of said user as well as the email address of an entity other than said user.

30. During an information exchange session wherein a web page that includes a prompt for an email address is being viewed, a method of creating and forwarding an email forwarding address for a user comprising the steps of:

creating a unique email forwarding address for the user that is automatically associated with said web page, said email forwarding address being dedicated for use by an entity associated with said web page to enable said entity to send email messages to said user, email messages directed to said email forwarding address being re-directed to a target email address associated with said user; and

using said email forwarding address to satisfy the email address prompt.

31. The method of claim 30 wherein said unique email forwarding address is created in response to an on-line request, said method further comprising the step of examining the request to determine the user and the web page that includes the email address prompt.

32. The method of claim 31 wherein said request includes an identifier assigned to said user and the web page address of said web page.

33. The method of claim 32 wherein said request further includes the title of said web page.

34. The method of claim 31 wherein said request is generated by activating a control on the toolbar of a web client application.

35. The method of claim 31 wherein said request is generated by activating a web control on said web page.

36. The method of claim 31 wherein said request is generated in response to selection of a menu choice of a web client application.

37. The method of claim 31 wherein unique email forwarding addresses created for said user and web page addresses associated with said email forwarding addresses are stored in a user account, during said examining step, the web page address of said request being compared with the web page addresses in said user account, if said web page address exists in said account, bypassing the creating and storing step and sending the email forwarding address associated with the web page address to said user.