Electronic messaging system with configurable delivery that maintains recipient privacy

• US 9,147,082 B2
• Filed: 08/10/2012
• Issued: 09/29/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: WhitServe LLC
• Original Assignee: Whorlr LLC
• Inventors: Whitmyer, Wesley W. Jr., Whitmyer, Declan
• Primary Examiner(s): Shiferaw, Eleni
• Assistant Examiner(s): GIDDINS, NELSON S
• Application Number:
  US13/571,943
• Publication Number:
  US 20120303734A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,145 Days
• Field of Search: 726/4
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6218 to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2141 Access rights, e.g. capability lists, access control lists, access tables, access matrices
• 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 51/214 using selective forwarding
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/48 Message addressing, e.g. address format or anonymous messages, aliases
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4547 for personal communications, i.e. using a personal identifier
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4555 Directories for electronic mail or instant messaging

Abstract

A messaging service allows message senders to reach a web site owner in the way the owner wants. Users authorized by the owner drop a message into the message service of a site owner, and it gets delivered to the site owner in exactly the manner specified by the site owner. The site owner can organize incoming messages by time, calendar, user, or viewing method. The site owner can receive messages in the way she wants, but all her friends need to know is one address, the owner'"'"'s site address.

Claims

1. An electronic messaging system, comprising:

message server hardware available over a network;

software executing on said message server hardware for receiving from a message sender over the network a message and a recipient name provided without an address associated with the recipient name;

software executing on said message server hardware for determining, based at least in part upon the recipient name and a sender identifier, whether the message sender is authorized to send the message to a message recipient identified by the recipient name;

software executing on said message server hardware for displaying to the message sender a plurality of mailbox categories associated with the message recipient and receiving from the message sender a selection of a least one of the plurality of mailbox categories, wherein said software for displaying omits specific identification of any addresses of any of a plurality of electronic mailboxes associated with the message recipient;

software executing on said message server hardware for determining to which of the plurality of electronic mailboxes associated with the message recipient to route the message based at least in part on the mailbox category selection and routing rules stored by the message recipient; and

software executing on said message server hardware for routing the message to the determined one of the electronic mailboxes over the network;

wherein the system keeps the addresses of all of the plurality of electronic mailbox categories private from the message sender.

2. The electronic messaging system according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of mailbox categories include at least one email category and at least one telephone category.

3. The electronic messaging system according to claim 2, wherein the plurality of mailbox categories include a facsimile category.

4. The electronic messaging system according to claim 2, wherein the at least one email category includes a work email category and a personal email category.

5. The electronic messaging system according to claim 1, wherein the routing rules are stored in a database accessible by said message server hardware and comprise at least one rule associating at least one email address with a mailbox category.

6. The electronic messaging system according to claim 1, wherein the routing rules are stored in a database accessible by said message server hardware and comprise at least one rule associating at least one telephone number with a mailbox category.

7. The electronic messaging system according to claim 1, wherein the message routing rules are dependent upon the sender identifier.

8. The electronic messaging system according to claim 1, wherein the message routing rules are dependent upon a time of day.

9. The electronic messaging system according to claim 1, wherein the message routing rules are dependent upon a day of the week.

10. The electronic messaging system according to claim 1, wherein the message routing rules are dependent upon a particular date.

11. The electronic messaging system according to claim 1, wherein the message routing rules comprise a matrix dependent upon two or more of the following parameters:

the message sender identifier, a time of day, a day of the week and a particular date.

12. The electronic messaging system according to claim 1, wherein the routing rules specify one or more formats in which the recipient desires to receive messages for each of the plurality of electronic mailboxes.

13. The electronic messaging system according to claim 12, further comprising message reformat software executing on the message server hardware for translating the message into a specified format before routing to the electronic mailbox.

14. The electronic messaging system according to claim 1, wherein the message and the recipient name are received from the message sender in response to a send message function being selected by the message sender on the private web page associated with the message recipient.

15. The electronic messaging system according to claim 1, wherein the message is received from the message sender via a private web page associated with the message recipient.

16. The electronic messaging system according to claim 1, wherein the message is received from the message sender via a non-public electronic mailbox address, whereby privacy of the message recipient is ensured.

17. The electronic messaging system according to claim 1, wherein network is the Internet.

18. The electronic messaging system according to claim 1, further comprising message recipient hardware connected to the network and in communication with said message server hardware.

19. The electronic messaging system according to claim 18, wherein the message recipient hardware comprises at least one of the following:

a computer, a laptop, a mobile device and a smartphone.

20. The electronic messaging system according to claim 1, further comprising message sender hardware connected to the network and in communication with said message server hardware.

21. The electronic messaging system according to claim 20, wherein the message sender hardware comprises at least one of the following:

a computer, a laptop, a mobile device and a smartphone.

22. A method of routing electronic messages comprising the steps of:

providing a message server available over a network;

receiving from a message sender over the network a recipient name provided without an address associated with the recipient name;

determining, based at least in part upon the recipient name and a sender identifier, whether the message sender is authorized to send a message to the message recipient;

receiving a message from the message sender over the network upon the message sender being authorized to send the message to the message recipient;

displaying to the message sender a plurality of mailbox categories associated with the message recipient and omitting from the display specific identification of any addresses of the plurality of electronic mailbox categories;

receiving from the message sender a selection of a least one of the plurality of mailbox categories;

determining, based at least in part upon the mailbox category selection from the sender and routing rules stored by the message recipient, to which of a plurality of electronic mailboxe s to route the message; and

routing the message, with the message server, to the determined one of the electronic mailboxes over the network while keeping the addresses of all of the plurality of electronic mailbox categories private from the message sender.

23. The method according to claim 22, wherein the plurality of mailbox categories include at least one email category and at least one telephone category.

24. The method according to claim 23, wherein the plurality of mailbox categories include a facsimile category.

25. The method according to claim 23, wherein the at least one email category includes a work email category and a personal email category.

26. The method according to claim 22, wherein the routing rules comprise at least one rule associating at least one email address with a mailbox category.

27. The method according to claim 22, wherein the routing rules comprise at least one rule associating at least one telephone number with a mailbox category.