Customized electronic messaging

• US 7,461,397 B2
• Filed: 01/05/2004
• Issued: 12/02/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/03/2003
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Surescripts, LLC (SureScripts-RxHub LLC)
• Original Assignee: Enli Health Intelligence Corp. (Cedar Gate Partners Holdings LLC)
• Inventors: Karamchedu, Murali M., Sponaugle, Jeffrey B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu; KimYen
• Assistant Examiner(s): Pich; Ponnoreay
• Application Number:
  US10/753,983
• Publication Number:
  US 20040201625A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,793 Days
• Field of Search: 713/100, 713/150, 713/154, 713/156, 713158-173, 713/176, 713180-186, 713/201, 713/202, 380/258, 380/277, 380/278, 707 3- 5, 707/7, 707/9, 707/102, 709/200, 709/219, 709/237, 709/238
• US Class Current: 726/6
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

Methods and apparatuses for customized electronic messaging are described. In one embodiment, a customized email address is dynamically generated based at least in part upon a custom address profile so as to be particularized to the recipient. An email message addressed to the recipient using the customized email address is received from a sending party, and a disposition for the email message is determined based upon either the custom address profile and/or the customized email address.

Claims

1. A method for electronic messaging comprising:

a computing device receiving a request from a first party user to generate a customized electronic mail address for a second party user, for use by the first party user as a destination address to electronically mail messages to the second party user, the first and second parties being different parties;

generating by the computing device, upon receipt of the request from the first party, the requested customized electronic mail address for the second party user; and

providing by the computing device, the generated customized electronic mail address to the first party user for subsequent use by the first party user;

wherein content of the customized electronic mail address is particularized based at least in part upon a reputation of the first party user and a custom address profile applicable to the second party user.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the customized electronic mail address includes or is associated with one or more constraints from the custom address profile.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the one or more constraints from the custom address profile comprise an encoded representation of a transactional constraint indicating one or more transactions for which the customized electronic mail address may be used prior to inactivation of the customized electronic mail address.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the one or more constraints indicate one or rules for use by a filtering device for disposition of an electronic message received by the filtering device form the first party user.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the filtering device disposes of the electronic message by determining whether the electronic message is to be delivered to the second party user or whether the electronic message is to be blocked from being delivered to the second party user.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the customized electronic mail address is further particularized based on one or more characteristics of the second party user including at least one of the second party'"'"'s party user'"'"'s identity and a network domain of the second party user.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the custom address profile is specified by the second party user.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the custom address profile specifies a time period after which all messages originating from the first party user are to be blocked.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the custom address profile specifies a maximum number of messages addressed from the first party user using the customized electronic mail address that may be sent by the first party user.

10. A computing device comprising:

a storage medium having stored therein a plurality of programming instructions that enables the computing device to determine whether a received electronic message sent from a second party user to a first party user was sent using a customized electronic mail address as a source address to identify the second party user as a sender, and further enables the computing device to determine whether the customized electronic mail address was generated by an address service for the second party user upon receipt of a request from the first party user requesting generation of the customized electronic mail address for the second party user, content of the customized electronic mail address particularized based at least in part upon a reputation of the first party user and a custom address profile applicable to the second party user, and the first and second parties being different parties; and

a processor coupled to the storage medium to execute the programming instructions.

11. The computing device of claim 10, wherein the plurality of programming instructions are further designed to enable the computing device to determine disposition of the received electronic message based on an encoded representation included in the customized electronic mail address if the received electronic message is determined to be sent using the customized electronic mail address as a source address to identify the second party user as a sender, the encoded representation indicating one or more disposition rules.

12. The computing device of claim 10, wherein the plurality of programming instructions further enables the computing device to determine disposition of the received electronic message based on an encoded representation included in the customized electronic mail address if the received electronic message is determined to be sent using the customized electronic mail address as a source address to identify the second party user as a sender, the encoded representation indicating one or more disposition rules from the custom address profile.

13. The computing device of claim 10, wherein the plurality of programming instructions further enables the computing device to determine disposition of the received electronic message based on an encoded representation included in the customized electronic mail address if the received electronic message is determined to be sent using the customized electronic mail address as a source address to identify the second party user as a sender, the encoded representation indicating one or more disposition rules and comprising an encoded representation of a transactional constraint indicating one or more transactions for which the customized electronic mail address may be used prior to inactivation of the customized electronic mail address.

14. A system comprising:

a first computing device having a first storage medium having stored therein a first plurality of programming instructions and a first processor coupled to the first storage medium to execute the first programming instructions, the first plurality of programming instructions enabling the first computing device to;

receive a request from a first party user to generate a customized electronic mail address for a second party user, for use by the first party user as a destination address to electronically mail messages to the second party user, and the first and second parties being different parties;

to generate, upon receipt of the request from the first party user, the requested customized electronic mail address for the second party user; and

to provide the customized electronic mail address to the first party user for use by the first party user, wherein content of the customized electronic mail address is particularized based at least in part upon a reputation of the first party user and a custom address profile applicable to the second party user; and

a second computing device having a second storage medium having stored therein a second plurality of programming instructions and a second processor coupled to the second storage medium to execute the second programming instructions, the second plurality of programming instructions enabling the second computing device to determine whether a received electronic message sent from the second party user to the first party user was sent using the customized electronic mail address as a source address to identify the second party user as the sender.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the customized electronic mail address includes an encoded representation of one or more constraints from the custom address profile, the one or more constraints indicate one or more rules for disposition of an electronic message received from the second party user.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the second plurality of programming instructions further enables the second computing device to determine disposition of the received electronic message based on the encoded representation included in the customized electronic mail address if the received electronic message is determined to be sent using a customized electronic mail address as a source address to identify the second party user as the sender.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the encoded representation of a constraint from the custom address profile comprises an encoded representation of a transactional constraint indicating one or more transactions for which the customized electronic mail address may be used prior to inactivation of the customized electronic mail address.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein the customized electronic mail address is further particularized based on one or more characteristics of the second party user including at least one of the second party user'"'"'s identity and a network domain of the second party user.