E-mail forwarding system having archival database

• US 20060161633A1
• Filed: 03/17/2006
• Published: 07/20/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cufer Asset Ltd LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Pitney Bowes Incorporated (Böwe Systec AG)
• Inventors: Quine, Douglas B.
• Granted Patent: US 7,580,983 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1863 comprising mechanisms for improved reliability, e.g. status reports arrangements for detecting or preventing errors by carrying supervisory signal the return channel H04L1/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/214 using selective forwarding
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/23 Reliability checks, e.g. acknowledgments or fault reporting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/48 Message addressing, e.g. address format or anonymous messages, aliases
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4555 Directories for electronic mail or instant messaging

Abstract

A method for forwarding an e-mail message from a disfavored e-mail address to a forwarding e-mail address via a remote e-mail forwarding computer having a unique e-mail address. An e-mail message is sent from a user to the remote e-mail forwarding computer. The remote e-mail forwarding computer parses the intended e-mail address from the e-mail message to determine if there is a disfavored e-mail address associated with the intended e-mail address. The e-mail message is sent from the remote computer to a computer associated with at least one forwarding address if there is determined at least one disfavored e-mail address is associated with the intended e-mail address. If there is not a determined forwarding e-mail address than the remote computer stores at least the disfavored e-mail in archival for forwarding in the event a forwarding address is subsequently stored in the remote computer which is associated with the disfavored e-mail address.

Claims

1. A method for forwarding from a sender having a sender'"'"'s e-mail address an e-mail message from a disfavored e-mail address to a forwarding e-mail address wherein the e-mail message includes at least the parameters of the disfavored e-mail address and the sender'"'"'s e-mail address, the method comprising the steps of:

sending from the sender to a remote computer an e-mail message addressed to a disfavored e-mail address;

receiving at the remote computer, via e-mail, the e-mail message addressed to the disfavored e-mail address, said remote computer having an e-mail address different than said sender'"'"'s e-mail address;

parsing the disfavored e-mail address from the e-mail message in the remote computer to determine if there is a forwarding e-mail address stored in the remote computer associated with the disfavored e-mail address; and

storing in the remote computer at least the disfavored e-mail address if it is determined that there is no forwarding e-mail address associated with the disfavored e-mail address.

2. A method for forwarding an e-mail message as recited in claim 1 further including the step of sending the e-mail message from the remote computer to a computer associated with at least one forwarding address if it is determined that the disfavored e-mail address is associated with at least one forwarding e-mail address stored in the remote computer.

3. A method for forwarding an e-mail message as recited in claim 1 further including the step of determining if the stored disfavored e-mail address is associated with a forwarding e-mail address stored in the remote computer after a new disfavored e-mail address is stored in the remote computer.

4. A method for forwarding an e-mail message as recited in claim 3 further including the step of sending a message to the forwarding address that an e-mail sender at the sender'"'"'s e-mail address attempted to send a message to the disfavored e-mail address when it is determined that the disfavored e-mail address is associated with a forwarding e-mail address stored in the remote computer.

5. A method for forwarding an e-mail message as recited in claim 3 wherein the parsing step further includes the step of storing the e-mail message addressed to the disfavored e-mail address if it is determined that there is no forwarding e-mail address stored in the remote computer that is associated with the disfavored e-mail address.

6. A method for forwarding e-mail as recited in claim 5 further including the step of sending the e-mail message to the forwarding address when it is determined that the stored disfavored e-mail address is associated with a forwarding e-mail address stored in the remote computer after a predetermined amount of time has elapsed since when the determination for a forwarding e-mail address was performed in the parsing step.

7. A method for forwarding e-mail as recited in claim 6 further including the step of sending an e-mail message to the sender'"'"'s computer from the remote computer indicating that the e-mail message has been sent to a forwarding e-mail address.

8. A method for forwarding e-mail as recited in claim 1 wherein the parsing step further includes the step of sending an e-mail message to the sender'"'"'s computer from the remote computer indicating that the e-mail message was not forwarded to a forwarding e-mail address if a disfavored e-mail address is determined not associated with the intended e-mail address of the e-mail message.

9. A method for forwarding an e-mail message from a disfavored e-mail address to a forwarding e-mail address wherein the e-mail message includes at least the parameters of the disfavored e-mail address and the sender'"'"'s e-mail address, the method comprising the steps of:

sending an e-mail message from a senders computer having said sender'"'"'s e-mail address to a disfavored e-mail address;

receiving a message at the sender'"'"'s computer indicating that the e-mail message was not delivered to the disfavored e-mail address;

sending from the sender'"'"'s computer to a remote computer the e-mail message addressed to a disfavored e-mail address;

receiving at the remote computer, via e-mail, the e-mail message addressed to the disfavored e-mail address, said remote computer having an e-mail address different than said sender'"'"'s e-mail address;

parsing the disfavored e-mail address from the e-mail message in the remote computer to determine if there is a forwarding e-mail address stored in the remote computer associated with the disfavored e-mail address; and

storing in the remote computer at least the disfavored e-mail address if it is determined that there is no forwarding e-mail address associated with the disfavored e-mail address.

10. A method for forwarding an e-mail message as recited in claim 9 further including the step of sending the e-mail message from the remote computer to a computer associated with at least one forwarding address if it is determined that the disfavored e-mail address is associated with at least one forwarding e-mail address stored in the remote computer.

11. A method for forwarding an e-mail message as recited in claim 9 further including the step of determining if the stored disfavored e-mail address is associated with a forwarding e-mail address stored in the remote computer after a predetermined amount of time has elapsed since when the determination for a forwarding e-mail address was performed in the parsing step.

12. A method for forwarding an e-mail message as recited in claim 11 further including the step of sending a message to the forwarding address that an e-mail sender at the sender'"'"'s e-mail address attempted to send a message to the disfavored e-mail address when it is determined that the disfavored e-mail address is associated with a forwarding e-mail address stored in the remote computer.

13. A method for forwarding an e-mail message as recited in claim 12 wherein the parsing step further includes the step of storing the e-mail message addressed to the disfavored e-mail address if it is determined that there is no forwarding e-mail address stored in the remote computer that is associated with the disfavored e-mail address.

14. A method for forwarding e-mail as recited in claim 13 further including the step of sending the e-mail message to the forwarding address when it is determined that the stored disfavored e-mail address is associated with a forwarding e-mail address stored in the remote computer after a predetermined amount of time has elapsed since when the determination for a forwarding e-mail address was performed in the parsing step.

15. A method for forwarding e-mail as recited in claim 14 further including the step of sending an e-mail message to the sender'"'"'s computer from the remote computer indicating that the e-mail message has been sent to a forwarding e-mail address.

16. A method for forwarding e-mail as recited in claim 9 wherein the parsing step further includes the step of sending an e-mail message to the sender'"'"'s computer from the remote computer indicating that the e-mail message was not forwarded to a forwarding e-mail address if a disfavored e-mail address is determined not associated with the e-mail address of the e-mail message.