Method, system, and apparatus for providing self-destructing electronic mail messages

• US 9,397,964 B2
• Filed: 03/21/2014
• Issued: 07/19/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/09/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Meadows, Vernon, Hartselle, William A., Short, Shannon M.
• Primary Examiner(s): TANG, KAREN C
• Application Number:
  US14/221,797
• Publication Number:
  US 20140207887A1
• Time in Patent Office: 851 Days
• Field of Search: 709/207, 709/206, 709/205
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 51/18 Commands or executable codes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/214 using selective forwarding
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/42 Mailbox-related aspects, e.g. synchronisation of mailboxes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/4025 where none of the additional parallel sessions is real time or time sensitive, e.g. downloading a file in a parallel FTP session, initiating an email or combinational services

Abstract

A method, system, and apparatus for providing a self-destructing e-mail messages are described. An e-mail client application provides a user interface through which the sender of an e-mail message can enter the message and a time period for destruction of the message. Once the sender has provided this information, the e-mail client application sends a request to an e-mail server application to transmit the self-destructing e-mail message. The e-mail client application may also receive self-destructing e-mail messages. When a self-destructing e-mail message is received, the destruction date associated with the e-mail message is identified and the message is destroyed at the specified time. The e-mail client application can also limit the number and type of operations that may be performed on a self-destructing e-mail. An e-mail server application is also provided that receives requests from the e-mail client application to transmit self-destructing e-mail messages and perform other functions.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a request, at an electronic mail server, from a sender to send a self-destructing electronic mail message, the request identifying a user specified time period from when a recipient closes the self-destructing electronic mail message after opening to when the self-destructing electronic mail message is to be destroyed, the request comprising a designation that prevents an electronic mail client of the recipient from performing prohibited operations that result in duplication of contents of the self-destructing electronic mail message;

sending a security warning to the sender when an electronic mail address of the recipient is located beyond a home domain of the sender, the security warning indicating that the self-destructing electronic mail message is to be sent beyond the home domain of the sender;

sending the request to an electronic mail client application in response to an indication that the sender selected to proceed with sending the self-destructing electronic mail message beyond the home domain of the sender; and

destroying instances of the self-destructing mail message after the user specified time period has elapsed, wherein the instances of the self-destructing mail message comprise a plurality of electronic copies of the self-destructing mail message stored in one of a computer system memory and a mass storage device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the prohibited operations comprise forwarding the self-destructing electronic mail message to another recipient.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the prohibited operations comprise printing the self-destructing electronic mail message.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the prohibited operations comprise copying contents of the self-destructing electronic mail message into a memory and pasting the contents of the self-destructing electronic mail message from the memory into a new document.

5. An apparatus comprising:

a processor; and

a memory to store computer program instructions, the computer program instructions when executed by the processor cause the processor to perform operations comprising;

receiving a request from a sender to send a self-destructing electronic mail message, the request identifying a user specified time period from when a recipient closes the self-destructing electronic mail message after opening to when the self-destructing electronic mail message is to be destroyed, the request comprising a designation that prevents an electronic mail client of the recipient from performing prohibited operations that result in duplication of contents of the self-destructing electronic mail message;

sending a security warning to the sender when an electronic mail address of the recipient is located beyond a home domain of the sender, the security warning indicating that the self-destructing electronic mail message is to be sent beyond the home domain of the sender;

sending the request to an electronic mail client application in response to an indication that the sender selected to proceed with sending the self-destructing electronic mail message beyond the home domain of the sender; and

destroying instances of the self-destructing mail message after the user specified time period has elapsed, wherein the instances of the self-destructing mail message comprise a plurality of electronic copies of the self-destructing mail message stored in one of a computer system memory and a mass storage device.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the prohibited operations comprise forwarding the self-destructing electronic mail message to another recipient.

7. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the prohibited operations comprise printing the self-destructing electronic mail message.

8. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the prohibited operations comprise copying contents of the self-destructing electronic mail message into a memory of a device of the recipient and pasting the contents of the self-destructing electronic mail message from the memory of the device of the recipient into a new document.

9. A computer readable storage device storing computer program instructions, which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

receiving a request, at an electronic mail server, from a sender to send a self-destructing electronic mail message, the request identifying a user specified time period from when a recipient closes the self-destructing electronic mail message after opening to when the self-destructing electronic mail message is to be destroyed, the request comprising a designation that prevents an electronic mail client of the recipient from performing prohibited operations that result in duplication of contents of the self-destructing electronic mail message;

sending a security warning to the sender when an electronic mail address of the recipient is located beyond a home domain of the sender, the security warning indicating that the self-destructing electronic mail message is to be sent beyond the home domain of the sender;

sending the request to an electronic mail client application in response to indication that the sender selected to proceed with sending the self-destructing electronic mail message beyond the home domain of the sender; and

destroying instances of the self-destructing mail message after the user specified time period has elapsed, wherein the instances of the self-destructing mail message comprise a plurality of electronic copies of the self-destructing mail message stored in one of a computer system memory and a mass storage device.

10. The computer readable storage device of claim 9, wherein the prohibited operations comprise forwarding the self-destructing electronic mail message to another recipient.

11. The computer readable storage device of claim 9, wherein the prohibited operations comprise printing the self-destructing electronic mail message.