Electrical computers and digital processing systems: multicomput – Computer conferencing – Demand based messaging
Reexamination Certificate
1999-12-30
2004-04-13
Kincaid, Kristine (Department: 2174)
Electrical computers and digital processing systems: multicomput
Computer conferencing
Demand based messaging
C709S204000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06721784
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to various improvements on the electronic mail system and method described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/390,363, herein incorporated by reference.
The improvements are (i) the addition to the systems described in the parent application of an electronic mail control applet that allows the sender or originator of an electronic mail message to control the lifespan and handling of the message after it is sent while using his or her existing electronic mail application to create, modify, and send the message; (ii) the addition of a feature that allows, for purposes of maximizing the efficiency of lifespan and handling control of a message after sending, the addition or deletion of electronic mail wrapper information such as the time of sending; (iii) in embodiments where a central mail server is used, the use of session keys, key renewals, or required check-ins to enable central server control of message access while permitting storage of the message on the recipient's computer, or retention by the central server of parts of the electronic mail package, such as the message wrapper, handling and encryption key information, and/or portions of the message, with storage of the remainder of the message on the recipient's computer; and (iv) in embodiments that require handling of forwarded electronic mail message by a central mail server, the addition of message tracking and compilation of lists including the identities of individuals or groups to whom the message has been forwarded, and information on handling of the message by those to whom the message has been sent or forwarded.
2. Description of Related Art
The following description of “related art” consists of seven sections (i)-(vii). The first section begins with a general description of the properties of electronic mail that serve to define the context of the invention. The second section is a discussion of a prior art system that purports to provide a framework for controlling distribution of electronic documents in general, known as the “virtual distribution environment” (VDE) and disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,892,900, 5,910,987, 5,915,019, and 5,917,912. The third section of this description of related art describes systems specific to electronic mail and that provide controls of such processing or handling functions as forwarding and reply, while the fourth section describes a system, disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,870,548, that provides for cancellation of electronic mail messages after sending. The fifth section of this description of related art discusses a patent related to delivery of an interactive television program in relation to the feature of the invention involving distribution of a viewer applet to facilitate control of expiration date and processing functions. The sixth section summarizes the differences between the prior art and the concepts disclosed in the parent application, and the seventh section discusses the context and specific problems addressed by the improvements disclosed in the present continuation-in-part application.
(i) Definition of “Electronic Mail”
Electronic mail can be defined as a system or method for transmitting electronic data or text files from one computer to another based solely on a destination address without reference to the content of the files or, in general, to the route taken to reach the destination address, and in a form that permits the files to be accessed and manipulated at the destination address at the convenience of the recipient.
Electronic mail defined in this manner can be compared to postal mail, in which letters are routed solely to their destination based on addresses written on envelopes, the content of the messages being hidden in the envelopes, and the envelopes being placed in a mailbox for later retrieval at the convenience of the addressee.
Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the above definition is not the only possible definition of electronic mail, and that the systems, methods, and software described in the parent application and in the present continuation-in-part application, hereinafter referred to as “the invention,” are therefore not necessarily to be limited by this definition. Instead, the definition is intended as an aid to understanding the manner in which the invention differs from other types of systems and methods which might, like the present invention, provide for sender controls and a limited lifespan for the transferred files, but which do not have the above characteristics of electronic mail. Examples of conventional file or data transfer systems that do not fall within the definition of electronic mail, but in which control of information is retained by the originator or sender, include video pay-per-view systems that rely on signal scrambling and the use of converter “boxes” to unscramble the signal and permit viewing of a video when payment has been received, and shareware or demonstration software downloads that self-destruct after a trial period if the shareware is not registered.
The “convenience of the recipient” aspect of the definition is important because it distinguishes electronic mail from real time electronic data transfers such as the file transfer protocol (FTP), and implies that electronic mail files must be stored somewhere and directly accessible at least once by the recipient at some time following receipt. It is this storage that gives rise to the problem addressed by the present invention, namely the extended life of an electronic mail message. While storage is an essential aspect of electronic mail, it will be appreciated that the files do not need to be stored in plain text form, and that the local storage need not be on the recipient's computer or even on a network server such as an IMAP server.
Another important aspect of the definition of electronic mail is that the files transferred are data or text files that contain information, rather than executable programs. It is a trivial matter to program self-destruction into an executable program, but a data or text file cannot be deleted without the aid of an external program, which in conventional electronic mail systems is entirely under the control of the recipient.
A third important aspect of the definition of electronic mail is that the electronic mail messages are relayed through a network of intermediate hubs based solely on the destination address, much as envelopes are handled by a conventional postal mail delivery system. The contents of an electronic mail object do not affect its ability to be delivered anymore than does the content of an envelope, and thus the data fields or contents of an electronic mail object can be formatted in any desired manner (with the exception of certain fields reserved for the writing of routing or tracking information that can be used for debugging). In particular, it is possible to insert flags that cause actions to be performed at the receiving end of the transmission, and that are unique to the sending and receiving software, without requiring new data structures or substantive revision of the conventional electronic mail protocols, and without affecting the transmission. In the case of Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) transmission, these flags can be included as extensions of the destination address permitted by SMTP, or as an internal message header that is treated by SMTP as text or data and that is recognized only by the receiving software.
The broad definition of electronic mail given above can be implemented in numerous ways, and the present invention is intended to apply to all such implementations. The most common implementation is currently SMTP, which determines how electronic mail objects are routed to a destination address, and its related protocols, the Post Office Protocol (POP) or Internet Mail Access Protocol (IMAP), which set up “mailboxes” at the destination address, either locally or on a mail server, following transmission by SMTP. The invention is of course explicitly applicable to electro
Bernstein Michael
Leonard Jon N.
Bacon & Thomas PLLC
Kincaid Kristine
Nguyen Le
Poofaway.com, Inc.
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