System and method for enabling the originator of an electronic mail message to preset an expiration time, date, and/or event, and to control and track processing or handling by all recipients

• US 6,721,784 B1
• Filed: 12/30/1999
• Issued: 04/13/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Resource Consortium Limited, LLC
• Original Assignee: Poofaway.Com, Inc.
• Inventors: Bernstein, Michael, Leonard, Jon N.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kincaid, Kristine
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, LE V
• Application Number:
  US09/475,112
• Time in Patent Office: 1,566 Days
• Field of Search: 345/748, 345/749, 345/752, 379/93.24, 709/204, 709/205, 709/206, 709/207, 713/165, 713/171, 713/167, 713/170, 380/277, 380/278
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/18 Commands or executable codes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/234 for tracking messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/48 Message addressing, e.g. address format or anonymous messages, aliases

Abstract

An electronic mail system and method enables the originator of a message sent by electronic mail to select a date, time, or event at which the message and all incarnations of the message to self-destruct, regardless of the number and types of computers or software systems that may have interacted with the message, and/or to include processing and handling limitations. The necessary control over the message is achieved by encrypting the message and enabling viewing only through a viewer applet arranged to facilitate destruction of the message upon the occurrence of the selected expiration time, date, or event, and/or to implement the handling and processing limitations. A central server can be used to exercise additional control over the message by serving as a proxy destination, and by transmitting the encrypted message to the viewer applet. In the case where a central mail server is required to enable forwarding of messages, the central server tracks the messages and compiles lists including the identities of all individuals or groups to whom the message has been forwarded, and information on handling of the message by those to whom the message has been sent or forwarded.

Claims

1. Electronic mail control software, comprising:

means for opening a window arranged to enable a user of the electronic mail applications program to select

(i) an original destination address to which an electronic mail message created using the electronic mail applications program is to be sent, and

(ii) control options to be applied to the electronic mail message; and

means for causing the electronic mail control software to automatically substitute, without manual entry of a substitute address by the user, an address of a central mail server for the original destination address selected by the user in order to divert said electronic mail message to said central mail server, said original destination address being appended by the electronic mail control software to the message so that it can be read by the central mail server, the central mail server being arranged to forward said electronic mail message to said original destination address and to implement said control options if one of said control options is selected.

2. Electronic mail control software as claimed in claim 1, wherein said control options include an expiration setting by which the user may select a date, time, or event, the occurrence of which will cause said message to expire.

3. Electronic mail control software as claimed in claim 1, wherein said control options include limitations on forwarding by a recipient of said message.

4. Electronic mail control software as claimed in claim 1, wherein said means for opening said window includes means for intercepting a send command generated by said electronic mail applications program and opening said window in response to interception of said send command.

5. Electronic mail control software as claimed in claim 1, further comprising means for modifying at least one entry in an address book of said electronic mail applications program to cause mail sent to said entry to be routed through said electronic mail server.

6. A method of adding lifespan and handling limitations to an electronic mail message, comprising the step of:

opening a window arranged to enable a user of the electronic mail applications program to select

(i) an original destination address to which an electronic mail message created using the electronic mail application program is to be sent, and

(ii) control options to be applied to the electronic mail message,

wherein, when one of said control options is selected by the user, the electronic mail application program automatically substitutes, without further entry of an address by the user, an address of a central mail server for the original destination address and appends the original destination address to the electronic mail message in order to divert the electronic mail message to a central mail server arranged to read the original destination address and forward the electronic mail message to said original destination address and to implement said control options.

7. A method as claimed in claim 6, wherein said control options include an expiration setting by which the user may select a date, time, or event, the occurrence of which will cause said message to expire.

8. A method as claimed in claim 6, wherein said control options include limitations on forwarding by a recipient of said message.

9. A method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the step of opening said window includes the step of intercepting a send command generated by said electronic mail applications program and opening said window in response to interception of said send command.

10. A method as claimed in claim 6, further comprising the step of modifying at least one entry in an address book of said electronic mail applications program to cause mail sent to said entry to be routed through said electronic mail server.

11. An electronic mail system, comprising:

a first computer on which is installed message origination software and which is connected to a network capable of carrying an electronic mail wrapper that includes an electronic mail message;

at least one recipient computer also connected to said network; and

a viewer applet installed on said recipient computer,

said viewer applet being arranged to decode control information appended to the electronic mail wrapper, search for sender-identity and message-origination fields in said wrapper and control, based on input to said message origination software, a manner in which information items in said sender-identity and message-origination fields in said wrapper are presented to a recipient of the message, said control including selection of which of said information items in said sender-identity and message-origination fields are to be presented, and control of coupling of the information and the message.

12. An electronic mail system as claimed in claim 11, further comprising a central electronic mail server connected to said network, said electronic mail server being arranged to cooperate with said viewer applet to achieve said control of the manner in which the electronic mail wrapper is presented to the recipient.

13. An electronic mail system as claimed in claim 12, wherein upon request by the recipient, said central mail server encrypts said electronic mail message and sends it to said viewer applet, and said viewer applet being arranged to decrypt said message so as to display said message with information deleted from said wrapper.

14. A method of controlling an electronic mail message transmitted over a network comprising the steps of:

before transmission of the electronic mail message over the network, enabling a user to attach limitations on processing and handling of the electronic mail message by a recipient;

initially transmitting said electronic mail message over said network to a central electronic mail server;

storing said electronic mail message at said electronic mail server;

upon request by the recipient, causing said electronic mail server to encrypt said electronic mail message;

causing the electronic mail server to send the encrypted electronic mail message to a viewer applet installed on said recipient computer;

causing the viewer applet to store said encrypted message on the recipient computer;

causing the viewer applet to enable viewing of said message by decrypting said electronic mail message using the viewer applet and a session key supplied by the central electronic mail server, wherein said message cannot be viewed by the recipient unless the viewer applet is used; and

causing said central electronic mail server and viewer applet to implement said processing and handling limitations.

15. A method as claimed in claim 14, wherein said session key is supplied by said central server each time said message is to be viewed.

16. A method as claimed in claim 14, wherein said session key must be renewed periodically in order to view said message.

17. A method as claimed in claim 14, wherein said viewer applet is required to establish communications with the central server periodically in order to ensure that a clock used by the viewer applet is functioning properly.

18. An electronic mail system, comprising:

A first computer on which is installed message origination software arranged to assign message processing limitations to an electronic mail message and which is connected to a network capable of carrying said electronic mail message;

at least one recipient computer also connected to said network;

w viewer applet; and

w central electronic mail server connected to said network, said message origination software being arranged to send said electronic mail message to said electronic mail server, said electronic mail server being arranged to store information concerning said electronic mail message and, upon request by the recipient, encrypt said electronic mail message and send it to said viewer applet, wherein said viewer applet is arranged to decrypt said electronic mail message as it is sent so as to display said message,

wherein said viewer applet is also arranged to store at least a portion of said message that has been stripped of said information by said central server,

wherein said message can only be viewed by the recipient using the viewer applet, and

wherein said processing limitations are implemented by said central electronic mail server and said viewer applet.

19. An electronic mail system as claimed in claim 18, wherein said message is encrypted by said central mail server using a public key generated by the viewer applet, said viewer applet being arranged to generate said public key and also a corresponding private key used to decrypt said message.

20. An electronic mail system as claimed in claim 18, wherein said viewer applet is further arranged to permit a user to request forwarding of said electronic mail message to a second recipient computer, said central mail server being arranged to strip and store information concerning said message, a copy of the viewer applet installed on said second recipient computer being arranged to store said stripped message.

21. A method of controlling an electronic mail message transmitted over a network, comprising the steps of:

before transmission of the electronic mail message over the network, attaching limitations on processing and handling of the electronic mail message by a recipient;

initially transmitting said electronic mail message over said network to a central electronic mail server;

storing said electronic mail message at said electronic mail server;

upon request by the recipient, encrypting said electronic mail message, sending the encrypted electronic mail message to a viewer applet installed on said recipient computer, and decrypting said electronic mail message as it is received by the viewer applet so as to display said message; and

causing said central server and viewer applet to implement said processing and handling limitations.

22. A method of controlling an electronic mail message as claimed in claim 21, further comprising the steps of encrypting said electronic mail message is carried out by said central electronic mail server using a public key generated by the viewer applet, said viewer applet being arranged to generate said public key and also a corresponding private key used to decrypt said message.

23. A method of controlling an electronic mail message as claimed in claim 21, further comprising g the steps of causing said viewer applet to request forwarding of said electronic mail message stored on said central mail server to a second recipient computer, encrypting said electronic mail message using a public key of a copy of said viewer applet installed on said second recipient computer, and sending said stripped electronic message to said second recipient computer for storage in a memory of the second recipient computer.

24. A method of developing mailing lists, comprising the steps of:

sending an electronic mail message to an initial list of recipients;

requiring that versions of said electronic mail message that are forwarded to first additional recipients by said initial recipients be routed through at least one central mail server, said first additional recipients including recipients initially unknown to the sender and the central mail server;

requiring that versions of said electronic mail message that are forwarded to second additional recipients by said first additional recipients be routed through said at least one central mail server, said second additional recipients including further recipients initially unknown to the sender and the central mail server;

tracking all transactions involving said electronic mail message, including transactions by said original recipients, said first additional recipients, and said second additional recipients; and

using a record of at least a portion of said transactions to expand said electronic mailing list to recipients not on the initial mailing list, and not initially known to the sender or to the central mail server.

25. A method as claimed in claim 24, further comprising the steps of:

before initial transmission of said message, attaching handling limitations to said message; and

encrypting said message so that it can only be viewed by a viewer applet supplied by said central server.

26. A method as claimed in claim 24, further comprising the steps of:

before transmission of the electronic mail message over an open network, attaching to the message a date, time, or event, the occurrence of which will cause said electronic mail message and all designated incarnations thereof to expire; and

encrypting said electronic mail message so that it can only be viewed before the occurrence of said time, date, or even using a viewer applet installed on a recipient computer.

27. A method as claimed in claim 24, wherein said record includes all addresses to which said message has been forwarded.

28. A method as claimed in claim 24, wherein said record includes a subset of the addresses to which said message has been forwarded.

29. A method as claimed in claim 24, further comprising the step of selling said expanded list.