System and method for cleansing addresses for electronic messages

• US 6,895,427 B2
• Filed: 12/28/2000
• Issued: 05/17/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cufer Asset Ltd LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Pitney Bowes Incorporated (Böwe Systec AG)
• Inventors: Quine, Douglas B., Schumacher, Karl H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Etienne, Ario
• Assistant Examiner(s): SALAD, ABDULLAHI ELMI
• Application Number:
  US09/750,952
• Publication Number:
  US 20020087639A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,601 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206, 709245-246, 709/207, 709/217, 709/205, 709/203, 709/224
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]

Abstract

A method and system for forwarding an e-mail message intended to be delivered to a first e-mail address to a second e-mail address in the event the first e-mail address is disfavored. An e-mail message is sent from a from a first computer that was originally addressed to a first e-mail address to a second computer that is capable of forwarding the e-mail message to a second e-mail address. The second computer receives the e-mail message and parses the first e-mail address from the e-mail message to determine if there is a second e-mail address associated with the first e-mail address. If there is a second e-mail address associated with the first e-mail address, the second computer sends the e-mail message to a third computer associated with the second e-mail address. If there is not, then the second computer determines if it can suggest a username, or a new username format to be used for the username associated with the domain name address of the disfavored e-mail address.

Claims

1. A method for transmitting an e-mail message to a preferred e-mail address that has been sent from a sender address to a second address, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving the e-mail message at the second address;

parsing non-preferred e-mail address from the e-mail message at the second address and determining if there is a preferred e-mail address associated with the non-preferred e-mail address;

if yes, sending the e-mail message from the second address to the preferred e-mail address;

if no, parsing the non-preferred e-mail address to extract the domain name and determining if the domain name has been registered with the second address;

determining if a list of usernames for the parsed domain name has been registered with the second address;

determining if them is a closest match between a username of the non-preferred e-mail address and from said list of usernames for the parsed domain; and

sending the closest match username to the sender address if it is determined that there is a closest match.

2. A method as recited in claim 1 further including the step of sending an e-mail message to the sender address from the second address indicating that the e-mail has been sent to the preferred e-mail address.

3. A method as recited in claim 1 further including the step of sending an e-mail message to the sender address from the second address indicating that the e-mail message was not forwarded if the preferred e-mail address is not associated with the non-preferred e-mail address.

4. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein the parsing step includes the step of comparing the non-preferred e-mail address to a look-up table to determine if the non-preferred e-mail address is contained in the look-up table.

5. A method as recited in claim 1 further including the steps of:

receiving a response message at the second address indicating that the e-mail message was not delivered to the non-preferred email address; and

relaying the response message from the second address to the sender address.

6. A method for correcting an e-mail message that has been determined as being undeliverable via a remote e-mail correcting computer having a unique e-mail address, the method comprising the steps of:

prescribing at least one domain name in the remote e-mail forwarding computer by a subscriber;

prescribing at least one format for formatting e-mail addresses intended to be sent to the at least one domain name;

sending from a user to the remote computer an e-mail message addressed to an intended e-mail address;

receiving at the remote computer from a sender'"'"'s computer the e-mail message addressed to the intended e-mail address;

parsing the intended e-mail address from the e-mail message in the remote computer to determine if the domain name of the e-mail message has been prescribed with the remote computer;

sending a message to the sender'"'"'s computer indicating the prescribed at least one format for the parsed domain name address if the parsed domain name has been prescribed with the remote computer;

prescribing a plurality of correct usernames for the prescribed domain name in the remote computer;

determining in the remote computer if there is a closest match between one of the prescribed correct usernames with that of the intended email address sent to the remote computer; and

sending the closest match username to the sender address if it is determined that there is a closest match.

7. A method for forwarding an undeliverable e-mail message comprising the steps of:

receiving an e-mail message, from a first electronic location referencing a first e-mail address, at a second electronic location;

parsing the referenced e-mail address from the e-mail message at the second electronic location to determine if there is a second e-mail address associated with the referenced e-mail address;

if yes, sending the e-mail message from the second electronic location to a third electronic location associated with the second e-mail address; and

if no, parsing the referenced e-mail address to extract the domain name from the referenced e-mail address to determine if the domain name of the referenced e-mail address has been registered with the second electronic location;

determining if a list of usernames for the parsed domain name has been registered with the second electronic location;

determining if there is a closest match between the username of the e-mail and with any username registered with the second electronic location; and

sending the closest match username to the sender address if it is determined that there is a closest match.

8. A method as recited in claim 7 further including the step of sending the closest match username to a user of the first electronic location if it is determined that there is a closest match between the username of the e-mail message and with the usernames registered with the second electronic location.

9. A method as recited in claim 7, further including the step of forwarding the email message from the second electronic location to the third electronic location without notifying a user at the first electronic location of the second email address.

10. A method as recited in claim 7 further including the step of sending an e-mail message to the first electronic location from the second electronic location indicating that the e-mail has been sent to the second e-mail address.

11. A method as recited in claim 7 further including the step of sending an e-mail message to the first electronic location from the second electronic location indicating that the e-mail message was not forwarded to the second e-mail address if the second e-mail address is not associated with the referenced e-mail address.

12. A method as recited in claim 7 wherein the parsing step includes the step of comparing the referenced e-mail address to a look-up table to determine if the referenced e-mail address is contained in the look-up table.

13. A method as recited in claim 7 further including the steps of:

receiving a response message at the second electronic location from the third electronic location indicating that the e-mail message was not delivered to the third electronic location; and

relaying the response message from the second electronic location to the first electronic location.