Telecommunications – Radiotelephone system – Message storage or retrieval
Reexamination Certificate
1999-12-06
2001-11-13
Trost, William G. (Department: 2681)
Telecommunications
Radiotelephone system
Message storage or retrieval
C455S418000, C329S350000, C709S206000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06317592
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to electronic mail systems for transmitting information between processors.
BACKGROUND ART
The use of computers to send and receive electronic mail messages is becoming very popular globally. Numerous companies (both network and software related) offer electronic mail packages (E Mail) and services. Currently, electronic mail services provide a convenient alternative to the more formal facsimile transmissions of memos and documents. Electronic mail is typically used to send relatively short informal messages between computers within an organization, or to a party located at a distant location or company. Electronic mail services are basically a wire line-to-wire line, point-to-point type of communications. Electronic mail, similar to facsimile transmissions, provides a one-way message. A recipient typically does not have to interact with the message. Electronic mail, unlike facsimile, is a non-real-time message transmission architecture.
FIG. 1
illustrates a block diagram of a typicai electronic mail system
10
in commercial use such as by AT&T Corporation. The electronic mail system
10
is comprised of a plurality of single processors or groups of processors #
1
-#N with N being any number with each group having individual processors A-N with N being any number. The groups of processors #
1
-#N may be distributed at locations which are linked by the public switch telephone network
12
. The individual processors may be portable personal computers with a modem which are linked to the public telephone switch network
12
through wired or RF communications as indicated by a dotted line. Groups of associated processors #
1
-#
3
may have diverse configurations with the illustrated configurations only being representative of possible architectures of groups of associated processors. The groups of associated processors may be connected to a host or mainframe computer through various communication mechanisms such as direct telephone communications (#
1
), communications through a local area network (#
2
), or communications through a private automatic branch exchange (#
3
). It should be understood that the illustrated architecture of the single and associated groups of processors is only representative of the state of the art with numerous variations being utilized. Many of the groups of associated processors are contained within the database network of a single company or organization located at distributed geographical locations throughout a country or in different countries.
Communications between an originating processor A-N, which may be any of the processors within the groups of associated processors #
1
-#
3
or processor #N and a destination processor A-N are completed through the public switch telephone network
12
to one or gateway switch with mailboxes
14
which function store the message for delivery to the destination processor at a later point in time. The gateway switches with mailboxes
14
have a storage location, associated with each subscriber which may be any of the computers A-N within the associated groups of computers #
1
-#
3
and individual computers #N, which provides retrieval capability of the electronic message when it is not delivered directly to the destination processor A-N such as when the destination processor does not go directly off hook in response to an attempt to deliver the message from storage in the electronic mail gateway mailbox storage location associated with the destination processor. In order to originate an electronic mail message, the originating processor A-N calls an associated gateway switch with mailboxes
14
via telephone through the usage of a modem connection. This connection is made through the public switch network
12
. A gateway switch with mailboxes
14
answers and provides a data connection to the originating processor A-N. The gateway switch with mailboxes
14
typically contains the originating processor A-N file and verifies that the sending processor is able to originate an electronic mail message via some form of password protection. Upon verification of the entry password, the electronic gateway switch with mailboxes
14
down loads software and entry screens that are displayed on the originating processor to permit a message to be composed. Thereafter, the message is composed and transferred from the originating processors gateway switch with mailboxes
14
to the destination processors gateway switch with mailboxes where the message is stored and an attempt is made to deliver the message to the destination processor via telephone connection through the public switch telephone network
12
.
Electronic mail systems have several common items that must be entered in order to originate and send (format) an electronic message. These items include the destination address, which consists of either the person or company's name, an abbreviated form of the person's company or name, or a series of digits or alphanumeric characters that must be entered to indicate to the electronic mail system the destination address of the recipient processor. Another item is an identification of the originating processor which may be an indication of the sender or the originator's name, company name, an abbreviated form of the originator'name or company name, or a numeric or alphanumeric entry that comprises the sender's name or address. This information is collectively an identification of the originating processor. Another item is the subject of the message which is typically a short reference as to the subject matter of the text or message that follows. Finally, the message or message text must be entered which is the information that is inputted by the person or machine which is originating the message at the originating processor A-N. Upon completion of the message text, the user or machine operating the originating processor A-N enters a series of commands or keystrokes on the originating processor to transmit the message to the gateway switch with mailboxes
14
associated with the originating processor A-N.
The transmission of the message from the originating processor's gateway switch with mailboxes
14
to the destination processor's electronic mail gateway switch with mailboxes is via analog or digital communications through the public switch telephone network. The destination gateway switch with mailboxes
14
contains the destination address of recipient destination processor.
Upon arrival of the information at the destination processor's gateway switch with mailboxes
14
, one of two events takes place. The information is typically stored in the destination processor's electronic mailbox for later retrieval by the destination processor through interaction by the user of the destination processor. This typically happens as a result of the fact that a person is not located at the destination processor at the time of delivery of the message to the gateway switch with mailboxes
14
or the destination processor is not turned on and connected to the public switch telephone network
12
. A second methodology is that the destination processor's gateway switch with mailboxes automatically dials the gateway processor's telephone number to deliver the information. In the situation where the destination processor is within a company or organization, the information may be delivered to the host computer. The destination processor's host computer stores the information until the destination processor calls the host computer to retrieve the information. In both of the methodologies described above, information delivery requires periodically calling a host computer or a mailbox at the gateway switch with mailboxes
14
to determine if new messages are present. This incurs additional costs in telephone calls and/or labor. If the host computer or gateway switch is not checked frequently, the information becomes untimely in its delivery. If the destination processor freque
Campana, Jr. Thomas J.
Ponschke Michael P.
Thelen Gary F.
Antonelli, Terry Stout & Kraus, LLP.
NTP Incorporated
Trost William G.
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