Automatic highlighting of new electronic message address

• US 7,334,020 B2
• Filed: 09/20/2002
• Issued: 02/19/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/20/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: MyLifecom Incorporated (MyLife.com)
• Original Assignee: Goodcontacts Research Limited
• Inventors: Caughey, David A.
• Primary Examiner(s): LIN, KENNY S
• Application Number:
  US10/247,496
• Publication Number:
  US 20040059784A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,978 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/48 Message addressing, e.g. address format or anonymous messages, aliases
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99952 Coherency, e.g. same view to multiple users

Abstract

A method of notifying a user of an electronic communication system is disclosed. The method comprises the steps of: providing an electronic message including address data to an electronic communication process in execution within a computer system; identifying the address data within the provided electronic message; comparing address data within the provided electronic message with further address data stored on the computer within an address list; providing a notification to the user associated with the electronic message when a result of the comparison indicates that at least some of the identified address data is other than within the further address data, the notification other than a prompt to add the identified address data to the further address data.

Claims

1. A method of notifying a user of an electronic communication system comprising the steps of:

receiving an electronic message addressed to the user from a sender comprising a message body and at least one of a plurality of fields to an electronic communication process in execution within a computer system, the message body comprising at least signature address data;

identifying occurrences of first electronic address data within the received electronic message, said first electronic address data representing an identity of an enterprise associated with the sender within at least the signature address data;

associating with the first electronic address data a sender top level domain, the sender top level domain being a predetermined portion of the electronic address of the sender contained within the received electronic message;

identifying occurrences of second electronic address data within the received electronic message, said second electronic address data representing an electronic address formatted according to a protocol for directing the electronic message, the second electronic address data comprising at least the sender top level domain;

identifying occurrences of third electronic address data within the received electronic message, said third address data representing an electronic address formatted according to the protocol for directing the electronic message, the third electronic address data comprising at least a top level domain other than a top level domain of the user and the sender top level domain;

automatically comparing the second and the third electronic address data with fourth electronic address data stored on the computer; and

providing a notification to the user, the notification provided upon determining the presence of at least one of the second and the third electronic address data, the notification other than a prompt to add the identified second and the third electronic address data to the fourth electronic address data.

2. A method according to claim 1 wherein at least one of the electronic address of the sender contained within the received electronic message and the fourth electronic address data comprise data relating to an electronic address for directing of the received electronic message.

3. A method according to claim 2 wherein the fourth electronic address data—

consists of data stored within at least one of an electronic address book associated, with an electronic mail application and an electronic contact database not owned by the user, the data relating to an electronic address for directing of the electronic message.

4. A method according to claim 1 wherein the provided electronic message further comprises an electronic business card.

5. A method according to claim 1 wherein the provided electronic message is parsed to detect the first electronic address data relating to the enterprise identity from within the message body of the provided electronic message, said message body including “

Sender”

, “

To”

, “

From”

, “

Bcc”

, “

Subject”

, and “

Cc”

fields of an original electronic message included within the provided electronic message.

6. A method according to claim 1 further comprising:

selecting the received provided electronic message;

initiating at least one of a reply to the received electronic message and a forward of the received electronic message; and

including, automatically, at least some of the identified second electronic address data, and in dependence upon at least a user input, at least some of the third electronic address data.

7. A method according to claim 1 wherein,

identifying occurrences of the second and the third electronic address data further comprises associating contact data with each of the second and the third electronic address data, the associated contact data for being stored in conjunction with the second and the third electronic address data.

8. A method according to claim 1 wherein the step of providing notification includes a step of providing at least one of a first visual indication associated with the second electronic address data, a second visual indication associated with the third electronic address data, and a third visual indication of at least one of the sender top level domain and enterprise identity, the visual indication provided when the received electronic message is displayed to the user.

9. A method according to claim 8 wherein providing the visual indication when the received electronic message is displayed comprises providing the visual indication when the received electronic message is a least one of opened, forwarded and replied to.

10. A method according to claim 1 wherein the step of providing notification includes a step of providing and an audible indication associated with the provided electronic message.

11. A method according to claim 10 wherein the notification includes an audibly distinguishable indication of the presence of the second electronic address data, the presence of the third electronic address data and the presence of both the second and the third electronic address data.

12. A method according to claim 1 comprising the steps of:

selecting the received electronic message;

initiating an update of the fourth electronic address data; and

adding, automatically, at least some of the identified second and the third electronic address data, other than a sender address data, from the received electronic message to the fourth electronic address data stored on the computer.

13. A method according to claim 12 including the steps, performed prior to the step of adding automatically, of prompting the user with a list of electronic addresses relating to identified second and the third electronic address data and selecting from the list electronic addresses for which the second and the third electronic data is to be at least one of stored and used to modify the fourth electronic address data.

14. A method according to claim 12 including the step of automatically transmitting to each electronic address relating to the identified first, the second and the third electronic address data a request to at least one of verify and update address data relating to the identified second and the third electronic address data.

15. A method of notifying a user of an electronic communication system comprising the steps of:

receiving an electronic message comprising at a message body and at least one of a plurality of fields with an electronic communication process in execution within a first computer system, the electronic message having been received from another computer and being destined for a user of the first computer, the message body comprising at least signature address data;

identifying occurrences of the first electronic address data within the received electronic message, said first electronic address data representing an identity of an enterprise associated with the sender within at least the signature address data;

associating with the first electronic address data a sender top level domain, the sender top level domain being a predetermined portion of the electronic address of the sender contained within the received electronic message;

comparing at least one of the first electronic address data and the sender top level domain within the received electronic message with second electronic address data stored on the computer; and

providing a notification to the user associated with the received electronic message when a result of the comparison indicates that at least one of the sender top level domain and at least some of the first electronic address data is other than within the second electronic address data.

16. A method according to claim 15 wherein the second electronic address data comprises electronic data relating to an electronic address for directing of the received electronic message.

17. A method according to claim 16 wherein the second electronic address data consists of electronic data relating to at least one of a name of an enterprise and a name of a top level domain and an electronic address for automatically directing of the received electronic message.

18. A method according to claim 15 wherein the received electronic message is parsed to detect first electronic address data relating to the enterprise identity from within the message body of the received electronic message, said message body including “

Sender”

, “

To”

, “

From”

, “

Bcc”

, “

Subject”

, and “

Cc”

fields of an original electronic message included within the electronic message.

19. A method according to claim 15 wherein the received electronic message is parsed to detect first electronic address data relating to the enterprise identity from within the message body, the message body being a message field of the received electronic message.

20. A method according to claim 15 wherein identifying occurrences of the first electronic address data further comprises contact data for being stored in conjunction with the second electronic address dam and wherein the step of identifying the first electronic address data includes the step of parsing the received electronic message to detect the contact data from within a message field of the received electronic message.

21. A method according to claim 15 wherein the step of providing notification includes a step of providing a visual indication associated with at least one of the presence of the first electronic address data and indicative of the location of the first electronic address data within the received electronic message, the visual indication provided when the received electronic message is at least one of displayed and listed within a list of received electronic messages.

22. A method according to claim 21 wherein the visual indication includes a visually distinguishable indication of a field within the electronic message wherein the first electronic address data is identified.

23. A method according to claim 15 wherein the step of providing notification includes a step of providing an audible indication associated with the received electronic message.

24. A method according to claim 23 wherein the notification includes an audibly distinguishable indication of a field within the electronic message wherein the first electronic address data is identified.

25. A method according to claim 15 comprising the steps of:

selecting the received electronic message;

initiating an update of the second electronic address data; and

adding, automatically, at least some of the identified first electronic address data, the first electronic address data being other than the sender address data, from the selected electronic message to the second electronic address data when the result of the comparison indicates that at least one of the sender top level domain and at least some of the identified first electronic address data is within the second electronic address data.

26. A method according to claim 25 including the steps, performed prior to the step of adding automatically, of prompting the user with a list of electronic addresses relating to at least one of the identified first electronic address data and the sender top level domain and selecting from the list electronic addresses for which the second electronic data is to be at least one of stored and modified.

27. A method according to claim 25 including the stop of automatically transmitting to each first electronic address relating to the at least one of the identified first electronic address data and the sender top level domain a request to at least one of verify and update address data relating to the identified first electronic address data.

28. A computer readable medium having stored therein data according to a predetermined computing device format, and upon execution of the data by a suitable computing device a method for extracting electronic address data within an electronic message is provided, comprising:

receiving an electronic message addressed to the user from a sender comprising a message body and at least one of a plurality of fields to an electronic communication process in execution within a computer system, the message body comprising at least signature address data;

identifying occurrences of first electronic address data within the received electronic message, said first electronic address data representing an identity of an enterprise associated with the sender within at least the signature address data;

associating with the first electronic address data a sender top level domain, the sender top level domain being a predetermined portion of the electronic address of the sender contained within the received electronic message;

identifying occurrences of second electronic address data within the received electronic message, said second electronic address data representing an electronic address formatted according to a protocol for directing the electronic message, the second electronic address data comprising at least the sender top level domain;

identifying occurrences of third electronic address data within the received electronic message, said third address data representing an electronic address formatted according to the protocol for directing the electronic message, the third electronic address data comprising at least a top level domain other than a top level domain of the user and the sender top level domain;

automatically comparing the second and the third electronic address data with fourth electronic address data stored on the computer; and

resulting in providing a notification to the user, the notification provided upon determining the presence of at least one of the second and the third electronic address data, the notification other than a prompt to add the identified second and the third electronic address data to the fourth electronic address data.

29. A computer readable medium having stored therein data according to a predetermined computing device format, and upon execution of the data by a suitable computing device a method for extracting electronic address data within an electronic message is provided, comprising:

receiving an electronic message comprising at a message body and at least one of a plurality of fields with an electronic communication process in execution within a first computer system, the electronic message having been received from another computer and being destined for a user of the first computer, the message body comprising at least signature address data;

identifying occurrences of first electronic address data within the received electronic message, said first electronic address data representing an identity of an enterprise associated with the sender within at least the signature address data;

associating with the first electronic address data a sender top level domain, the sender top level domain being a predetermined portion of the electronic address of the sender contained within the received electronic message;

comparing at least one of the first electronic address data and the sender top level domain within the received electronic message with second electronic address data stored on the computer; and

resulting in providing a notification to the user associated with the received electronic message when a result of the comparison indicates that at least one of the sender top level domain and at least some of the identified first electronic address data is other than within the second electronic address data.