Email system automatically notifying sender status and routing information during delivery

• US 7,984,100 B1
• Filed: 04/16/2008
• Issued: 07/19/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/16/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: United Services Automobile Association
• Original Assignee: United Services Automobile Association
• Inventors: King, Linda Giessel, Sandoval, Christopher Andrew
• Primary Examiner(s): LUU, LE HIEN
• Application Number:
  US12/104,043
• Time in Patent Office: 1,189 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206, 709/217, 709/224, 709/238, 709/243, 709/244, 709/207, 705/40
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]

Abstract

An electronic communication such as an email may have multiple file wrappers of metadata added to it by a sender. Each time the email passes to a mail server during its transmission from the sender to a recipient, one of the file wrappers may be stripped off by the mail server and sent to the sender. The information sent back to the sender with the file wrapper may comprise the server name and Internet protocol (IP) address of the computing device the mail server received the email from and the name of the mail server itself, along with a timestamp. In this manner, the sender may be apprised of the location of the email at all times during its transmission, and may be apprised of the route it took during its transmission.

Claims

1. An electronic communication status checking method, comprising:

generating, by at least one hardware processor, an electronic communication at a sender, the electronic communication comprising a plurality of file wrappers;

transmitting, by at least one hardware processor, the electronic communication to a recipient over a network comprising a plurality of mail servers;

stripping off, by at least one hardware processor, one of the file wrappers at one of the mail servers;

generating, by at least one hardware processor, a notification based on the file wrapper that was stripped off that includes an address of the mail server where the file wrapper is stripped off; and

transmitting, by at least one hardware processor, the notification to the sender.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the notification comprises information used to confirm a route the electronic communication took over the network.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

stripping off additional file wrappers at additional mail servers as the electronic communication passes through the additional mail servers;

generating additional notifications based on the additional file wrappers; and

transmitting the additional notifications to the sender.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

stripping off an additional file wrapper at a recipient mail server when the electronic communication is received at the recipient mail server;

generating an additional notification based on the additional file wrapper; and

transmitting the additional notification to the sender.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the additional notification comprises information used to confirm that the recipient received the electronic communication.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising whitelisting the sender with a service provider associated with the recipient.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein a number of the plurality of file wrappers is based on a route the electronic communication is to take across the network, the route being determined or specified prior to transmitting the electronic communication to the recipient over the network.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-readable instructions for electronic communication status checking, said computer-readable instructions comprising instructions stored thereon that are executed by a processor to:

generate an electronic communication at a sender, the electronic communication comprising a plurality of file wrappers;

transmit the electronic communication to a recipient over a network comprising a plurality of mail servers;

strip off one of the file wrappers at one of the mail servers;

generate a notification based on the file wrapper that was stripped off that includes an address of the mail server where the file wrapper is stripped off; and

transmit the notification to the sender.

9. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the notification comprises information used to confirm a route the electronic communication took over the network.

10. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, further comprising instructions that:

strip off additional file wrappers at additional mail servers as the electronic communication passes through the additional mail servers;

generate additional notifications based on the additional file wrappers; and

transmit the additional notifications to the sender.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, further comprising instructions that:

strip off an additional file wrapper at a recipient mail server when the electronic communication is received at the recipient mail server;

generate an additional notification based on the additional file wrapper; and

transmit the additional notification to the sender.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the additional notification comprises information used to confirm that the recipient received the electronic communication.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, further comprising instructions that whitelist the sender with a service provider associated with the recipient.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein a number of the plurality of file wrappers is based on a route the electronic communication is to take across the network, the route being determined or specified prior to transmitting the electronic communication to the recipient over the network.

15. An electronic communication status checking system, the system comprising a computing device with a processor and memory for storing executable instructions that are executable by the processor to:

generate an electronic communication at a sender, the electronic communication comprising a plurality of file wrappers;

transmit the electronic communication to a recipient over a network comprising a plurality of mail servers;

strip off one of the file wrappers at one of the mail servers;

generate a notification based on the file wrapper that was stripped off that includes an address of the mail server where the file wrapper is stripped off; and

transmit the notification to the sender.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the notification comprises information used to confirm a route the electronic communication took over the network.

17. The system of claim 15, further comprising:

at least one subsystem that strips off additional file wrappers at additional mail servers as the electronic communication passes through the additional mail servers;

at least one subsystem that generates additional notifications based on the additional file wrappers; and

at least one subsystem that transmits the additional notifications to the sender.

18. The system of claim 15, further comprising:

at least one subsystem that strips off an additional file wrapper at a recipient mail server when the electronic communication is received at the recipient mail server;

at least one subsystem that generates an additional notification based on the additional file wrapper; and

at least one subsystem that transmits the additional notification to the sender.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the additional notification comprises information used to confirm that the recipient received the electronic communication.

20. The system of claim 15, further comprising at least one subsystem that whitelists the sender with a service provider associated with the recipient.

21. The system of claim 15, wherein a number of the plurality of file wrappers is based on a route the electronic communication is to take across the network, the route being determined or specified prior to transmitting the electronic communication to the recipient over the network.