Limited-life electronic mail accounts

• US 8,738,707 B2
• Filed: 01/28/2005
• Issued: 05/27/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/21/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Invention Science Fund I, L.L.C. (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: The Invention Science Fund I, L.L.C. (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Levien, Royce A., Malamud, Mark A., Rinaldo, Jr., John D., Allen, Paul G., Jung, Edward K. Y.
• Primary Examiner(s): LI, GUANG W
• Application Number:
  US11/046,224
• Publication Number:
  US 20060167802A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,406 Days
• Field of Search: 709/217, 709/219, 709/225, 709/206
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/00 User-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, transmitted according to store-and-forward or real-time protocols, e.g. e-mail
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/08 Annexed information, e.g. attachments
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles

Abstract

In one aspect, a method related to a limited-use electronic mail account. In addition to the foregoing, other method and system and program product aspects are described in the claims, drawings, and text forming a part of the present application.

Claims

1. A method at least partly implemented using one or more processing components, the method comprising:

creating a limited-use electronic mail account for a user at least partly in response to an interaction between a smart card and a computer, which limited-use electronic mail account is limited to one access by the user to an item of electronic mail sent to the limited-use electronic mail account;

detecting that the user has accessed the item of electronic mail sent to the limited-use electronic mail account;

disabling the limited-use electronic mail account including at least overwriting the limited-use electronic mail account at least partly in response to detecting that the user has accessed the item of electronic mail sent to the limited-use electronic mail account; and

sending a receipt to a sender of the item of electronic mail signifying that the limited-use electronic mail account is no longer operational at least partly in response to disabling the limited-use electronic mail account.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

updating an item of data to reflect a total number of accesses by the user to the limited-use electronic mail account.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sending a receipt to the sender of the item of electronic mail signifying that the user has accessed the item of electronic mail.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the creating a limited-use electronic mail account for a user at least partly in response to an interaction between a smart card and a computer, which limited-use electronic mail account is limited to one access by the user to an item of electronic mail sent to the limited-use electronic mail account comprises:

creating a limited-use electronic mail account for a user at least partly in response to an interaction between a smart card and one or more of the following types of devices;

wireless handheld device, laptop computer, or personal computer.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the creating a limited-use electronic mail account for a user at least partly in response to an interaction between a smart card and a computer, which limited-use electronic mail account is limited to one access by the user to an item of electronic mail sent to the limited-use electronic mail account comprises:

creating a plurality of limited-use electronic mail accounts for a user at least partly in response to an interaction between a smart card and a computer, which plurality of limited-use electronic mail accounts include at least one limited-use electronic mail account that is limited to one access by the user to an item of electronic mail sent to the at least one limited-use electronic mail account.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the detecting that the user has accessed the item of electronic mail sent to the limited-use electronic mail account comprises:

detecting that the user has accessed using one or more of the following types of devices the item of electronic mail sent to the limited-use electronic mail account;

wireless handheld device, laptop computer, or personal computer.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the disabling the limited-use electronic mail account including at least overwriting the limited-use electronic mail account at least partly in response to detecting that the user has accessed the item of electronic mail sent to the limited-use electronic mail account comprises:

disabling the limited-use electronic mail account including at least preventing the limited-use electronic mail account from accepting a further item of electronic mail and overwriting the limited-use electronic mail account at least partly in response to detecting that the user has accessed the item of electronic mail sent to the limited-use electronic mail account.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the creating a limited-use electronic mail account for a user at least partly in response to an interaction between a smart card and a computer, which limited-use electronic mail account is limited to one access by the user to an item of electronic mail sent to the limited-use electronic mail account comprises:

creating a limited-use electronic mail account for a user at least partly in response to an interaction between a smart card and a computer, which limited-use electronic mail account is operable during a defined time window and limited to one access by the user to an item of electronic mail sent to the limited-use electronic mail account.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

disabling the limited-use electronic mail account upon expiration of the defined time window.

10. A system comprising:

at least one processor;

at least some memory;

circuitry configured for creating a limited-use electronic mail account for a user at least partly in response to an interaction between a smart card and a computer, which limited-use electronic mail account is limited to one access by the user to an item of electronic mail sent to the limited-use electronic mail account;

circuitry configured for detecting that the user has accessed the item of electronic mail sent to the limited-use electronic mail account;

circuitry configured for disabling the limited-use electronic mail account including at least overwriting the limited-use electronic mail account at least partly in response to detection of user access to the item of electronic mail sent to the limited-use electronic mail account; and

circuitry configured for sending a receipt to a sender of the item of electronic mail signifying that the limited-use electronic mail account is no longer operational at least partly in response to disablement of the limited-use electronic mail account.

11. The system of claim 10, further comprising:

circuitry configured for updating an item of data to reflect a total number of accesses by the user to the limited-use electronic mail account.

12. The system of claim 10, further comprising:

circuitry configured for sending a receipt to the sender of the item of electronic mail signifying that the user has accessed the item of electronic mail.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the circuitry configured for creating a limited-use electronic mail account for a user at least partly in response to an interaction between a smart card and a computer, which limited-use electronic mail account is limited to one access by the user to an item of electronic mail sent to the limited-use electronic mail account comprises:

circuitry configured for creating a limited-use electronic mail account for a user at least partly in response to an interaction between a smart card and one or more of the following types of devices;

wireless handheld device, laptop computer, or personal computer.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the circuitry configured for creating a limited-use electronic mail account for a user at least partly in response to an interaction between a smart card and a computer, which limited-use electronic mail account is limited to one access by the user to an item of electronic mail sent to the limited-use electronic mail account comprises:

circuitry configured for creating a plurality of limited-use electronic mail accounts for a user at least partly in response to an interaction between a smart card and a computer, which plurality of limited-use electronic mail accounts include at least one limited-use electronic mail account that is limited to one access by the user to an item of electronic mail sent to the at least one limited-use electronic mail account.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the circuitry configured for detecting that the user has accessed the item of electronic mail sent to the limited-use electronic mail account comprises:

circuitry configured for detecting that the user has accessed using one or more of the following types of devices the item of electronic mail sent to the limited-use electronic mail account;

wireless handheld device, laptop computer, or personal computer.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein the circuitry configured for disabling the limited-use electronic mail account including at least overwriting the limited-use electronic mail account at least partly in response to detection of user access to the item of electronic mail sent to the limited-use electronic mail account comprises:

circuitry configured for disabling the limited-use electronic mail account including at least preventing the limited-use electronic mail account from accepting a further item of electronic mail and overwriting the limited-use electronic mail account at least partly in response to detection of user access to the item of electronic mail sent to the limited-use electronic mail account.

17. The system of claim 10, wherein the circuitry configured for creating a limited-use electronic mail account for a user at least partly in response to an interaction between a smart card and a computer, which limited-use electronic mail account is limited to one access by the user to an item of electronic mail sent to the limited-use electronic mail account comprises:

circuitry configured for creating a limited-use electronic mail account for a user at least partly in response to an interaction between a smart card and a computer, which limited-use electronic mail account is operable during a defined time window and limited to one access by the user to an item of electronic mail sent to the limited-use electronic mail account.

18. The system of claim 17, further comprising:

circuitry configured for disabling the limited-use electronic mail account upon expiration of the defined time window.

19. A system comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least some memory including at least;

one or more instructions for creating a limited-use electronic mail account for a user at least partly in response to an interaction between a smart card and a computer, which limited-use electronic mail account is limited to one access by the user to an item of electronic mail sent to the limited-use electronic mail account;

one or more instructions for detecting that the user has accessed the item of electronic mail sent to the limited-use electronic mail account;

one or more instructions for disabling the limited-use electronic mail account including at least overwriting the limited-use electronic mail account at least partly in response to detecting that the user has accessed the item of electronic mail sent to the limited-use electronic mail account; and

one or more instructions for sending a receipt to a sender of the item of electronic mail signifying that the limited-use electronic mail account is no longer operational at least partly in response to disabling the limited-use electronic mail account.