Method of manipulating an already sent e-mail and a corresponding server

• US 7,624,146 B1
• Filed: 09/22/2000
• Issued: 11/24/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sound View Innovations, LLC (Sound View Innovation Holdings, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Alcatel SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Sutter, Emmanuel, Kelles, Jean-Pierre, Lemke, Andreas C., Brogne, Nicolas
• Primary Examiner(s): Dinh; Khanh Q
• Application Number:
  US09/667,779
• Time in Patent Office: 3,350 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/206, 709/218, 709/220, 709/222, 709/224, 709/225, 709/228, 709/230, 709/223, 709/227, 709/232, 370/351, 370/463, 358/442, 705/14, 707/205, 707/206
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]

Abstract

A method of manipulating an already sent e-mail by routing a sent e-mail to a server storing at least the e-mail body and sending only a notification to the addressees. The server associates the e-mail with an access code, which is sent together with the notification, so that the addressees may retrieve the sent e-mail. The sender of the e-mail may access the e-mail body stored at the server to modify or suppress it. The condition for the modification to be accepted by the server is that none of its addressees has read the sent e-mail.

Claims

1. A method of manipulating a sent e-mail addressed by a sender to a plurality of addressees, said sent e-mail comprising an address header and a body, wherein said method comprises:

routing a modification message over a data network to a server that operates independently from any e-mail processing means associated with each of said addressees and on which at least the body of said sent e-mail is stored, said modification message being sent by said sender and for modifying said e-mail body; and

modifying said e-mail body at said server according to said modification message if said e-mail body has not been accessed on said server by any of said addressees, wherein the modification of said e-mail body at said server in response to said modification message is denied if at least one addressee has accessed said e-mail body on said server, and wherein the modification of said e-mail body occurs at said server independently of any e-mail processing means associated with each of said addressees.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein said modification of said e-mail comprises deleting said e-mail body or modifying a part of said e-mail body, said sender being informed by said server if said modification has been executed or not.

3. A server able to receive, from a data network, an e-mail comprising an address header and a body and addressed by a sender to a plurality of addressees, wherein said server operates independently from any e-mail processing means associated with each of said addressees, said server comprising:

means for storing at least the body of said received e-mail together with an access code on said server;

means for sending to each addressee a notification message of said e-mail, said notification message containing the access code for accessing said e-mail body;

means for handling a status storage indicating at least whether said e-mail body has been accessed by one of said addressees;

means for receiving a modification message for modifying said e-mail body; and

means for modifying said e-mail body according to said modification message, if said e-mail body has not been accessed on said server by any of said addressees, wherein the modification of said e-mail body in response to said modification message is denied if at least one addressee has accessed said e-mail body on said server, and wherein the modification of said e-mail body occurs at said server independently of any e-mail processing means associated with each of said addressees.

4. A server according to claim 3, further comprising means for sending a message to the sender of said modification message to notify the sender if the modification has been executed or not.

5. A server according to claim 3, further comprising means for sending a message to the sender of said e-mail containing said access code associated to said e-mail.

6. A server according to claim 3, further comprising:

means for downloading said e-mail body to one of said addressee providing said access code; and

means for deleting said e-mail body at said server when each one of said addressees has accessed said e-mail body at said server.

7. A server according to claim 3, further comprising:

means for storing the header of said e-mail; and

means for executing an authentication procedure when a user tries to access said e-mail body by providing said access code.

8. A server according to claim 3, further comprising:

means for storing the header of said e-mail;

means for receiving a modification message for modifying said e-mail header only or said e-mail body; and

means for modifying said e-mail header according to said modification message, if said e-mail has not been accessed by any of said addressees.

9. A server according to claim 3, further comprising:

means for storing the header of said e-mail;

means for sending to said addressees an e-mail containing said e-mail header and said e-mail body after a predefined time period; and

deleting from said server said e-mail header and said e-mail body.

10. A computer program product to be executed on a server according to claim 3, said computer program product comprising computer program code means embodied on a computer-readable medium and adapted to perform a method of modifying an e-mail comprising an address header and a body and sent to a plurality of addressees, wherein said method comprises:

storing the body of a received e-mail together with an access code on said server;

sending to each addressee of said e-mail a notification containing the access code for accessing said e-mail body;

handling a status storage indicating at least whether said e-mail body has been accessed by one of said addressees; and

if a modification message for modifying said e-mail body is received, modifying said e-mail body according to said modification message, if said e-mail body has not been accessed on said server by any of said addressees, wherein the modification of said e-mail body in response to said modification message is denied if at least one addressee has accessed said e-mail body on said server, and wherein the modification of said e-mail body occurs at said server independently of any e-mail processing means associated with each of said addressees.

11. A computer program product to be executed on a computer and comprising computer program code means embodied on a computer-readable medium, said computer program code means adapted to perform:

composing a modification message for modifying an e-mail addressed to a plurality of addressees and sent to a predefined server, said predefined server operating independently from any e-mail processing means associated with each of said addressees; and

sending said modification message to said server to modify at least the body of the e-mail sent to and stored on said predefined server if the e-mail body has not been accessed on said server by any of said addressees, wherein the modification of said e-mail body in response to said modification message is denied if at least one addressee has accessed said e-mail body on said server, and wherein the modification of said e-mail body occurs at said predefined server independently of any e-mail processing means associated with each of said addressees.

12. A personal computer equipped with a computer program according to claim 11.