Customized electronic messaging

• US 20040201625A1
• Filed: 01/05/2004
• Published: 10/14/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 01/03/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Surescripts, LLC (SureScripts-RxHub LLC)
• Original Assignee: Enli Health Intelligence Corp. (Cedar Gate Partners Holdings LLC)
• Inventors: Karamchedu, Murali M., Sponaugle, Jeffrey B.
• Granted Patent: US 7,461,397 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/752
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

Methods and apparatuses for customized electronic messaging are described. In one embodiment, a customized email address is dynamically generated based at least in part upon a custom address profile so as to be particularized to the recipient. An email message addressed to the recipient using the customized email address is received from a sending party, and a disposition for the email message is determined based upon either the custom address profile and/or the customized email address.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

dynamically generating a customized email address for a recipient, the customized email address particularized to the recipient based at least in part upon a custom address profile;

receiving an email message addressed to the recipient using the customized email address; and

determining a disposition for the email message based upon at least one of the custom address profile and the customized email address.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the custom address profile is specified by the recipient.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein determining a disposition for the email message comprises determining whether the email message is to be delivered to the recipient associated with the customized email address or whether the email message is to be blocked from being delivered to the recipient.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising authenticating the sender prior to delivering the email message to the recipient.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the custom address profile specifies a time period after which all email messages originating from the sending party are to be blocked.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the custom address profile specifies a maximum number of email messages addressed to the recipient using the customized email address that may be delivered to the recipient.

7. The method of claim 3, further comprising forwarding the email message to a second server to facilitate delivery of the email message to the recipient if it is determined that the email message is to be delivered to the recipient.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing the customized email address to a sending party.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the custom email address is provided to the sending party as part of an on-line registration process by the recipient.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the customized email address is generated by a first server and the email message addressed to the recipient is received by a second server.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the first server is a web server and the second server is a mail server.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the customized email address is generated based upon one or more characteristics of the sender including at least one of the sender'"'"'s identity, and a network domain of a sending client.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein one or more characteristics of the custom address profile are encoded within the customized email address.

14. A computing device comprising:

address generation services to dynamically generate a customized email address for a recipient, the customized email address particularized to the recipient based at least in part upon a custom address profile; and

listening services to identify an email message addressed to the recipient using the customized email address, and to determine a disposition for the email message based at least in part upon the custom address profile.

15. The computing device of claim 14, wherein the custom address profile is specified by the recipient.

16. The computing device of claim 15, wherein the listening services are further equipped to determine whether the email message is to be delivered to the recipient associated with the customized email address or whether the email message is to be blocked from being delivered to the recipient.

17. The computing device of claim 16, wherein the custom address profile specifies a time period after which all email messages originating from the sending party are to be blocked.

18. The computing device of claim 16, wherein the custom address profile specifies a maximum number of email messages addressed to the recipient using the customized email address that may be delivered to the recipient.

19. The computing device of claim 14, wherein the address generation services are equipped to generate the customized email address based upon one or more characteristics of the sender including at least one of the sender'"'"'s identity, and a network domain of a sending client.

20. The computing device of claim 14, wherein one or more characteristics of the custom address profile are encoded within the customized email address.

21. A system comprising:

a first computing device equipped with address generation services to dynamically generate a customized email address for a recipient, the customized email address particularized to the recipient based at least in part upon a custom address profile; and

a second computing device equipped with listening services to receive and identify an email message addressed to the recipient using the customized email address, and to determine a disposition for the email message based at least in part upon the customized email address.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the custom address profile is specified by the recipient.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the listening services are further equipped to determine whether the email message is to be delivered to the recipient associated with the customized email address or whether the email message is to be blocked from being delivered to the recipient.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the custom address profile specifies a time period after which all email messages originating from the sending party are to be blocked.

25. The system of claim 23, wherein the custom address profile specifies a maximum number of email messages addressed to the recipient using the customized email address that may be delivered to the recipient.

26. The system of claim 21, wherein the address generation services are equipped to generate the customized email address based upon one or more characteristics of the sender including at least one of the sender'"'"'s identity, and a network domain of a sending client.

27. The system of claim 21, wherein one or more characteristics of the custom address profile are encoded within the customized email address.