Methods and systems for filtering, sorting, and dispatching messages to wired and wireless devices

• US 7,546,351 B1
• Filed: 03/15/2007
• Issued: 06/09/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/17/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: MXGO Technologies Incorporated
• Original Assignee: MXGO Technologies Incorporated
• Inventors: Dayan, Tal, Satrasala, Aswath N., Horstmann, Jens U., Rothkopf, Alan, Tang, Vincent L., Giovindarajan, Ajay H., Boyce, Carolyn B., Schvartsman, Aleksandr M., Avnur, Arie, Kitagawa, Justin M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lim; Krisna
• Application Number:
  US11/724,918
• Time in Patent Office: 817 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206, 709/248
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/066 Format adaptation, e.g. format conversion or compression
• 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 51/214 using selective forwarding
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42 Systems providing special services or facilities to subscribers specially adapted for wireless communication networks H04W4/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42263 where the same subscriber uses different terminals, i.e. nomadism
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements

Abstract

A communication server collects messages from a number of user accounts and presents them to the user from a single location. The user can set the mail server to block unwanted messages and to forward others to various receiving devices, including mobile telephones and pagers. Forwarded messages are automatically reformatted for the receiving device, while a copy of the original message is retained. The retained copy can be viewed later if the user is interested in message content that was not available to the wireless device. The user can also use the wireless device to forward the original message to another receiving device. In the case of forwarding, the saved original message and not the reformatted message is sent to the forwarding address. Replies to messages directed to the user from different message sources identify the user by message source to allow the user to maintain separate email identities.

Claims

1. A communication server comprising:

a. a profile server storing user-specific information for a plurality of users, the user-specific information including for each of at least a subset of the users;

i. message filter variables;

ii. a first email address; and

iii. a second email address;

b. a message filter coupled to the profile server, the message filter to filter email messages directed to the subset of users by application of the message filter variables;

c. a mail interface to provide a user interface for each of the subset of users, each user interface presenting a reply button and message headings for ones of the email messages directed to the first and second email addresses of one of the users;

d. wherein the mail interface, responsive to the one user having initiating a first response to a first of the email messages directed to the first email address of the one user, prepares a first reply message identifying the one user as a sender of the first reply message using the first user email address of the one user; and

responsive to the one of the users having initiating a second response to a second of the email messages directed to the second email address of the one user, prepares a second reply message identifying the one user as a sender of the second reply message using the second email address of the one user.

2. The communication server of claim 1, further comprising a mail poller to poll the email messages from multiple message sources.

3. The communication server of claim 1, further comprising a message dispatcher to dispatch the first email message to a wireless device responsive to message filter variables associated with the one user.

4. The communication server of claim 3, wherein the message filter variables associated with the one user direct the communication server to forward messages directed to the first email address associated with the one user to the wireless device.

5. The communication server of claim 1, further comprising a message dispatcher to reformat the first email message and dispatch the reformatted email message to a wireless device responsive to message filter variables associated with the one user.

6. The communication server of claim 5, wherein the message dispatcher forwards the first message responsive to a command from the wireless device.