Limited-life electronic mail account as intermediary

• US 8,831,991 B2
• Filed: 01/21/2005
• Issued: 09/09/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/21/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Invention Science Fund I, L.L.C. (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: The Invention Science Fund I, L.L.C. (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Malamud, Mark A., Rinaldo, Jr., John D., Allen, Paul G., Jung, Edward K.Y., Levien, Royce A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ravetti, Dante
• Application Number:
  US11/041,894
• Publication Number:
  US 20060167800A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,518 Days
• Field of Search: 705/50, 705/16, 705/21, 705/59, 705/71, 380/44, 380/262, 380/278, 380/279
• US Class Current: 705/50
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/212 using filtering or selective blocking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0407 wherein the identity of one or more communicating identities is hidden cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for anonymous credentials or for identity based cryptographic systems H04L9/00

Abstract

In one aspect, a method includes but is not limited to detecting that a limited-use electronic mail account user has accessed a limited-use electronic mail account; accepting an input commanding the disposition of the item of electronic mail received by the limited-use electronic mail account; and disabling further use of the limited-use electronic mail account. In addition to the foregoing, other method and system aspects are described in the claims, drawings, and text forming a part of the present application.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

determining, by using one or more processing components, that a limited-use electronic mail account has received at least one item of electronic mail;

forwarding, by using one or more processing components, the at least one item of electronic mail from the limited-use electronic mail account to at least one secondary electronic mail account in accordance with at least one disposition command;

setting, by using one or more processing components, a pre-specified value corresponding to a minimum number of accesses to the limited-use electronic mail account in which the limited-use electronic mail account will be disabled;

determining, by the one or more processing components, a number of accesses to the limited-use electronic mail account reached or exceeded the pre-specified value, the determining a) based on the forwarding of the at least one item of electronic mail from the limited-use electronic mail account to at least one secondary electronic mail account or b) based on accesses to the limited-use electronic mail account;

based on the determining that the number of accesses to the limited-use electronic mail account reached or exceeded the pre-specified value, disabling the limited-use electronic mail account; and

implementing at least partially using at least one of hardware or firmware at least one of the a) determining that the limited-use electronic mail account has received at least one item of electronic mail, b) forwarding the at least one item of electronic mail, c) setting the pre-specified value, d) determining the number of accesses to the limited-use electronic mail account reached or exceeded the pre-specified value, or e) disabling the limited-use electronic mail account.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting that a user has accessed the limited-use electronic mail account.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting that a user has accessed the limited-use electronic mail account one time.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting that a user has accessed the limited-use electronic mail account multiple times; and

updating an item of data to indicate the number of times that the user has accessed the limited-use electronic mail account.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

disabling the limited-use electronic mail account based on the determining by the one or more processing components that a user accessed the limited-use electronic mail account the pre-specified number of times greater than 1.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sending at least one receipt to at least one sender of the at least one item of electronic mail.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the disabling the limited-use electronic mail account based on the number of accesses to the limited-use electronic mail account reaching or exceeding the pre-specified value comprises:

encrypting the limited-use electronic mail account in response to the number of accesses to the limited-use electronic mail account reaching or exceeding the pre-specified value.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the disabling the limited-use electronic mail based on the number of accesses to the limited-use electronic mail account reaching or exceeding the pre-specified value comprises:

preventing receipt of one or more additional items of electronic mail by the limited-use electronic mail account based on the determining of the number of accesses to the limited-use electronic mail account a) based, at least partially, on the forwarding the at least one item of electronic mail from the limited-use electronic mail account to at least one secondary electronic mail account or b) based, at least partially, on accesses to the limited-use electronic mail account.

9. One or more non-transitory computer readable media comprising one or more stored instructions, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to perform the steps of:

determining that a limited-use electronic mail account has received at least one item of electronic mail;

forwarding the at least one item of electronic mail from the limited-use electronic mail account to at least one secondary electronic mail account in accordance with at least one disposition command;

setting a pre-specified value corresponding to a minimum number of accesses to the limited-use electronic mail account in which the limited-use electronic mail account will be disabled;

determining a number of accesses to the limited-use electronic mail account reached or exceeded the pre-specified value, the determining a) based on the forwarding of the at least one item of electronic mail from the limited-use electronic mail account to at least one secondary electronic mail account or b) based on accesses to the limited-use electronic mail account; and

based on the determining that the number of accesses to the limited-use electronic mail account reached or exceeded the pre-specified value, disabling the limited-use electronic mail account.