E-mail forwarding system having archival database

• US 7,580,983 B2
• Filed: 03/17/2006
• Issued: 08/25/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Cufer Asset Ltd LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Turnpike Data Processing LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Quine, Douglas B
• Primary Examiner(s): Vaughn, Jr.; William C
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bayard; Djenane M
• Application Number:
  US11/378,192
• Publication Number:
  US 20060161633A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,257 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206, 709/203, 709/218, 709/204, 709/219
• 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 comprising:

receiving, from a sender, at a computer remotely disposed from the sender, via e-mail, a message identified as undeliverable for being addressed to a defunct e-mail address, said sender and said remote computer having e-mail addresses, and said remote computer having an e-mail address different than said sender'"'"'s e-mail address;

parsing the defunct e-mail address from the message in the remote computer to determine whether there is a subscriber account associated with the defunct email address and if there is a forwarding e-mail address associated with the defunct e-mail address; and

storing at the remote computer at least the defunct e-mail address and the sender'"'"'s e-mail address based on a determination that there is no subscriber account associated with the defunct e-mail address.

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

3. The method as recited in claim 1 further including determining whether the stored defunct 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. The method as recited in claim 3 further including sending another message to the associated forwarding address when it is determined that the defunct e-mail address is associated with a forwarding e-mail address stored in the remote computer.

5. The method as recited in claim 3 further including storing the message addressed to the defunct 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 defunct e-mail address.

6. The method as recited in claim 5 further including sending the message to the associated forwarding address when it is determined that the stored defunct 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.

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

8. The method recited in claim 1 further including sending an e-mail message to the sender'"'"'s computer from the remote computer indicating that the message was not forwarded to a forwarding e-mail address if a disfavored e-mail address is determined not associated with the defunct e-mail address of the message.

9. An article of manufacture including a computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon that, if executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform a method comprising:

receiving, from a sender via e-mail, a message identified as undeliverable for being addressed to a defunct e-mail address, said sender and said computing device having e-mail addresses, and said computing device having an e-mail address different than said sender'"'"'s e-mail address;

parsing the defunct e-mail address from the message to determine if there is a subscriber account including a forwarding e-mail address, stored in the computing device, wherein the subscriber account is associated with the defunct e-mail address; and

storing at least the defunct e-mail address and the sender'"'"'s e-mail address if it is determined that there is no subscriber account including the forwarding e-mail address associated with the defunct e-mail address.

10. The article of manufacture of claim 9, wherein the instructions, if executed by the computing device, cause the computing device to perform a method further comprising sending the message from the device to a computer associated with at least one forwarding address if it is determined that the defunct e-mail address is associated with at least one forwarding e-mail address stored in the device.

11. The article of manufacture of claim 9, wherein the instructions, if executed by the computing device, cause the computing device to perform a method further comprising determining whether the stored defunct e-mail address is associated with a forwarding e-mail address stored in the computing device after a new disfavored e-mail address is stored in the remote computer.

12. The article of manufacture of claim 11, wherein the instructions, if executed by the computing device, cause the computing device to perform a method further comprising sending another message to the associated forwarding e-mail address when it is determined that the defunct e-mail address is associated with a forwarding e-mail address stored in the computing device.

13. The article of manufacture of claim 11, wherein the instructions, if executed by the computing device, cause the computing device to perform a method further comprising storing the message addressed to the defunct e-mail address if it is determined that there is no forwarding e-mail address stored in the computing device that is associated with the defunct e-mail address.

14. The article of manufacture of claim 13, wherein the instructions, if executed by the computing device, cause the computing device to perform a method further comprising sending the message to the associated forwarding e-mail address when it is determined that the stored defunct e-mail address is associated with a forwarding e-mail address stored in the computing device after a predetermined amount of time has elapsed since when the determination for a forwarding e-mail address was performed.

15. The article of manufacture of claim 14, wherein the instructions, if executed by the computing device, cause the computing device to perform a method further comprising sending an e-mail message to the sender'"'"'s computer from the computing device, the e-mail message to indicate that the e-mail message has been sent to a forwarding e-mail address.

16. An apparatus comprising:

a memory;

a receiver, coupled to the memory, to receive, from a sender, an e-mail message previously identified as undeliverable for being addressed to a defunct e-mail address, said sender and said apparatus having e-mail addresses, and said apparatus having an e-mail address different than said sender'"'"'s e-mail address;

a processor, communicatively coupled to the receiver and memory; and

a plurality of programming instructions stored on the memory, which when executed, enable the processor to;

parse the defunct e-mail address from the e-mail message and determine whether there is a subscriber account associated with the defunct email address and if there is a forwarding e-mail associated with the defunct e-mail address; and

store at least the defunct e-mail address and the sender'"'"'s e-mail address in the memory based on a determination that there is no subscriber account associated with the defunct e-mail address.

17. The Apparatus of claim 16, further comprising:

a transmitter, communicatively coupled to the receiver, to send the e-mail message to a computer associated with at least one forwarding e-mail address if it is determined that the defunct e-mail address is associated with at least one forwarding e-mail address stored in the memory.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the transmitter is further adapted to send an e-mail message to the sender'"'"'s e-mail address indicating that the e-mail message has been sent to a forwarding e-mail address.

19. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the programming instructions are further adapted to enable the processor to determine whether the stored defunct e-mail address is associated with a forwarding e-mail address stored in the memory after a disfavored e-mail address is stored in the memory.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, further comprising:

a transmitter, communicatively coupled to the receiver, to send a message to the associated forwarding e-mail address when it is determined that the defunct e-mail address is associated with a forwarding e-mail address stored in the memory.

21. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the memory is adapted to store the e-mail message addressed to the defunct e-mail address if it is determined that there is no forwarding e-mail address associated with the defunct e-mail address stored in the memory.