System and methods for multiple email services having a common domain

• US 9,565,147 B2
• Filed: 06/30/2014
• Issued: 02/07/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Go Daddy Operating Company LLC (GoDaddy, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Go Daddy Operating Company LLC (GoDaddy, Inc.)
• Inventors: Meltzer, Jason, Haslup, Jason
• Primary Examiner(s): Parry, Chris
• Assistant Examiner(s): HOULIHAN, STEPHEN J
• Application Number:
  US14/320,258
• Publication Number:
  US 20150381561A1
• Time in Patent Office: 953 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/355 containing special suffixes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/37 E-mail addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/066 Format adaptation, e.g. format conversion or compression
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/214 using selective forwarding
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/48 Message addressing, e.g. address format or anonymous messages, aliases
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4511 using domain name system [DNS]

Abstract

Systems and methods provide an ability to split multiple email addresses having the same email domain across a plurality of email service providers. A first email server receives a forwarded email message from a second email server, the forwarded email message including an original domain and an intermediary domain, the intermediary domain added by the second email server. The first email server removes the intermediary domain from the recipient address and delivers the email message to a corresponding email account that is serviced by the first email server.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

at a second email server of a second email service configured to send email messages to a first email server of a first email service, creating an email forwarding account configured to forward an original email message to the first email server as a forwarded email message, the original email message having an original recipient address including a user name (NAME) and an original domain (origDOMAIN) and having a format of NAME@origDOMAIN, the forwarded email message having a forwarded recipient address including an appended intermediary domain (intDOMAIN) and having a format of [e-mail];

at the first email server, receiving the forwarded email message;

at the first email server, an email domain modification module detecting the intermediary domain in the forwarded recipient address and removing the intermediary domain from the forwarded recipient address to form a modified forwarded email message including a modified forwarded recipient address having a format of NAME@origDOMAIN, the modified forwarded recipient address matching the original recipient address;

at the first email server, delivering the modified forwarded email message to an email account having an address corresponding to the modified forwarded recipient address, the email account being serviced by the first email service;

adding one or more Internet Protocol (IP) addresses to an existing DNS MX record; and

altering a Domain Name System (DNS) Mail Exchange (MX) record to indicate an email message with an email address domain matching the intermediary domain is to be sent to the first email service and an email message with an email address domain matching the original domain is to be sent to the second email service.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

at the first email server, receiving the forwarded email message having the forwarded recipient address including the appended intermediary domain (intDOMAIN) and having the format of [e-mail], wherein the original domain further comprises an original domain name (origDOMAINNAME) and an original Top Level Domain (origTLD), the original domain having a format of origDOMAINNAME.origTLD, and wherein the intermediary domain further comprises an intermediary domain name (intDOMAINNAME) and an intermediary Top Level Domain (intTLD), the intermediary domain having a format of intDOMAINNAME.intTLD.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the first email service and the second email service each have at least one email account configured to service email messages with an email address domain matching the original domain.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

the second email server being configured to deliver at least one other email message to an email account serviced by the second email service, the at least one other email message having an email address domain matching the original domain and having a different user name than the original email message.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising:

configuring the second email server to service the email account corresponding to the email address of the at least one other email message after the first email server has been configured to service an email account corresponding to the email address of the at least one other email message.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

at the first email server, the email domain modification module at least one of operating as a part of a Mail Transfer Agent (MTA) of the first email server and operating in coordination with the MTA of the first email server.

7. A method comprising:

at a first email server associated with a first email service, receiving a forwarded email message from a second email server associated with a second email service, the forwarded email message including a forwarded recipient address including a user name (NAME), an original domain (origDOMAIN), and an intermediary domain (intDOMAIN), the forwarded recipient address having a format of [e-mail] and being a forwarded version of an original email message, the original email message including an original recipient address including the user name and the original domain and having a format of NAME@origDOMAIN;

at the first email server, adding one or more IP addresses to an existing Domain Name System (DNS) Mail Exchange (MX) record to indicate the first email service as the proper recipient email service for any email message having an email address domain matching the intermediary domain and indicates the second email service as the proper recipient email service for any email message having an email address domain matching the original domain;

at the first email server, removing the intermediary domain from the forwarded recipient address by an email domain modification module to form a modified forwarded email message having a modified forwarded recipient address having a format of NAME@origDOMAIN, the modified forwarded recipient address matching the original recipient address;

delivering the modified forwarded email message to an email account having an address corresponding to the modified forwarded recipient address, the email account being serviced by the first email service.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising:

at the first email server, receiving the forwarded email message having the forwarded recipient address format of [e-mail], wherein the original domain further comprises an original domain name (origDOMAINNAME) and an original Top Level Domain (origTLD), the original domain having a format of origDOMAINNAME.origTLD, and wherein the intermediary domain further comprises an intermediary domain name (intDOMAINNAME) and an intermediary Top Level Domain (intTLD), the intermediary domain having a format of intDOMAINNAME.intTLD.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein the first email service and the second email service each have at least one email account configured to service email messages with an email address domain matching the original domain.

10. The method of claim 7 further comprising:

the second email server being configured to deliver at least one other email message to an email account serviced by the second email service, the at least one other email message having an email address domain matching the original domain and having a different user name than the original email message.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

configuring the second email server to service the email account corresponding to the email address of the at least one other email message after the first email server has been configured to service an email account corresponding to the email address of the at least one other email message,

configuring the first email server to service the email account having the address corresponding to the modified forwarded recipient address after the second email server has been configured to service an email account having an address corresponding to the original recipient address, wherein the original recipient address matches the modified forwarded recipient address.

12. The method of claim 7 further comprising:

at the first email server, the email domain modification module at least one of operating as a part of a Mail Transfer Agent (MTA) of the first email server and operating in coordination with the MTA of the first email server.

13. An email server configured to be associated with a first email service, the email server comprising:

a network interface configured to receive a forwarded email message from a different email server associated with a second email service, the forwarded email message being a forwarded version of an original email message, the original email message having an original recipient address including a user name (NAME) and an original domain (origDOMAIN) and having a format NAME@origDOMAIN, the forwarded email message having a forwarded receipt address including an intermediary domain (intDOMAIN) and having a format [e-mail], wherein a Domain Name System (DNS) Mail Exchange (MX) record is altered by adding one or more IP addresses to an existing DNS MX record to indicate an email message with an email address domain matching the intermediary domain is to be sent to the first email service and an email message with an email address domain matching the original domain is to be sent to the second email service;

an email domain modification module configured to detect the intermediary domain in the forwarded recipient address and remove the intermediary domain from the forwarded recipient address to form a modified forwarded email message including a modified forwarded recipient address having a format of NAME@origDOMAIN, the modified forwarded recipient address matching the original recipient address; and

a Mail Transfer Agent (MTA) configured to effect delivery of the modified forwarded email message to an email account corresponding to the modified forwarded recipient address, the email account being serviced by the first email service.

14. The email server of claim 13 further comprising:

the network interface configured to receive the forwarded email message having the forwarded receipt address having the format [e-mail], wherein the original domain further comprises an original domain name (origDOMAINNAME) and an original Top Level Domain (origTLD), the original domain having a format of origDOMAINNAME.origTLD, and wherein the intermediary domain further comprises an intermediary domain name (intDOMAINNAME) and an intermediary Top Level Domain (intTLD), the intermediary domain having a format of intDOMAINNAME.intTLD.

15. The email server of claim 13 further comprising:

the network interface configured to receive the forwarded email message from the different email server associated with the second email service, wherein the first email service and the second email service each have at least one email account configured to service email messages with an email address domain matching the original domain.

16. The email server of claim 13 wherein the email domain modification module is at least one of a part of the MTA and configured to operate in coordination with the MTA.