Proxy email method and system

• US 7,937,446 B2
• Filed: 08/10/2009
• Issued: 05/03/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Go Daddy Operating Company LLC (GoDaddy, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Go Daddy Group Incorporated (GoDaddy, Inc.)
• Inventors: Rechterman, Barbara J., Coffman, Joshua T., Parsons, Robert R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Jean; Frantz B
• Application Number:
  US12/462,927
• Publication Number:
  US 20100049811A1
• Time in Patent Office: 631 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206, 709/223
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/212 using filtering or selective blocking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/48 Message addressing, e.g. address format or anonymous messages, aliases
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0227 Filtering policies mail message filtering H04L51/212

Abstract

A system and method of proxy (60) domain name registration permits a would-be domain name registrant anonymity. A registrar (24) affords customers (20) the opportunity to use the proxy registration. If the customer seeking registration of a domain name requests, the registrar obtains contact information needed for registration from a proxy entity established for this purpose. The registrar completes the registration of the domain name with the appropriate registry (22) (i.e. “.com, .net” etc.). The contact information published in WHOIS (27) is that of proxy entity. Contractually the customer is afforded control over the domain name. Emails intended for the customer are received by the proxy entity who may filter then if the customer requests. Emails sent by the customer are sent to the proxy entity who in turn send them to the indicated addresses.

Claims

1. A method of proxy email address management including:

(a) associating a proxy email address with a customer having a customer'"'"'s actual email address, wherein;

(i) the proxy email address comprises an email address that differs from the customer'"'"'s actual email address and is stored in a WHOIS record for a domain name registered to the customer by a proxy domain registration process;

(ii) the customer'"'"'s actual email address is received during the proxy domain registration process;

or

(iii) the proxy email address is generated during or following the proxy domain registration process;

(b) receiving an email intended for the customer at the proxy email address; and

(c) forwarding the email to the customer'"'"'s actual email address.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

(d) recording the proxy email address in a database in association with the customer'"'"'s actual email address; and

(e) looking up the customer'"'"'s actual email address upon receiving the email at the proxy email address.

3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising:

(f) causing a Web page to be displayed that bears the proxy email address.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein step (f) comprises saving the proxy email address into whois data for a domain name.

5. The method according to claim 2, further comprising:

(f) receiving a second email from the customer; and

(g) forwarding the second email to a third party identified by the customer.

6. The method of proxy email address management according to claim 1, further comprising receiving all incoming proxy emails to a common catch-all account, and periodically checking for new emails for any customer.

7. The method of proxy email address management according to claim 6, wherein periodically checking for new emails for any customer comprises checking addresses of all addressed and copied parties for a proxy email address associated with any customer whenever a new email is found.

8. The method of proxy email address management according to claim 7, wherein forwarding the email to the customer'"'"'s actual email address comprises copying the content of the email into a second email to the customer'"'"'s actual email address.

9. The method of proxy email address management according to claim 8, further comprising deleting an email once addresses of all addressed and copied parties have been checked for proxy email addresses of customers and the email has been copied to the actual email addresses of any customers whose proxy email addresses have been found.

10. The method of proxy email address management according to claim 1, further comprising receiving a non-email message sent to the customer at a location based on publicly available proxy contact information.

11. The method of proxy email address management according to claim 10, wherein receiving non-email messages comprises receiving a message by ground carrier service.

12. The method of proxy email address management according to claim 10, further comprising alerting the customer to the receipt of the non-email message, affording the customer the opportunity to request receipt of the non-email message, and forwarding the non-email message to the customer if the customer requests receipt of the non-email message.