Electrical computers and digital processing systems: multicomput – Computer conferencing – Demand based messaging
Reexamination Certificate
1999-06-23
2002-07-30
Lim, Krisna (Department: 2153)
Electrical computers and digital processing systems: multicomput
Computer conferencing
Demand based messaging
C709S207000, C709S203000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06427164
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to the field of electronic mail management systems, and more specifically to new and useful methods, apparatus and computer programs for automatically forwarding electronic mail to an intended recipient when the recipient is otherwise unknown to the receiving entity.
The national and international packet switched public network, generically referred to as “the Internet” has existed for some time. Although often referred to as a single technological entity, the Internet is represented by a substantial complex of communication systems ranging from conventional analog and digital telephone lines through fiber optic, microwave and satellite communications links. The physical structure of the Internet is logically unified through the establishment of common information transport protocols, and addressing and resource referencing schemes that allow quite disparate computer systems to communicate both locally and internationally with one another.
Electronic mail over the Internet provides a quick and convenient way for computer users to communicate. This communication is typically initiated by a message sender who composes a message using a text editing program, provides the electronic mail address of the intended recipient, and often provides an indication of the content (subject matter) of the message by providing text in a “subject” field. Using well-understood technology, this composed message is then sent to the recipient's computer address. The recipient's computer receives the message and stores it in the recipient's inbox. The recipient eventually reads, deletes, responds to, or otherwise processes the message stored within the inbox by using any of a number of electronic mail programs well known in the art.
Because such electronic mail messages travel across networks, they generally are constructed according to the Standard for the Format of ARPA Internet Text Messages specification (RFC822). This specification can be found on the world wide web of the Internet at address “http://www.cis.ohio-state.edu/htbin/rfc/rfc822.html”. Messages formatted to the RFC822 standard have a header portion and an optional body portion that contains the text of the message. The header portion includes a number of fields that address and classify the message. For example, the header portion of a message contains fields composed of character strings comprising a field-name followed by a colon, followed by a field-body terminated with a carriage return/line feed. An example header field is:
“To: John Doe”. {cr}{
1
f}
In this example, the {cr} represents the ASCII carriage return character and the {
1
f} represents the ASCII line feed character. The header field-names are not case sensitive, thus, “to:” is equivalent to “TO:”, “To:” or “tO:”.
Today electronic mail service is typically provided by an electronic mail server connected to the Internet. Another dynamic information source is provided by independently operating list servers residing on computer systems that are, in general, connected to the Internet. A list server is typically an automated service that functions autonomously to repeat electronic mail messages received by a publicly-known list server electronic mail account to an established list of subscribers known to the list server by explicit or fully qualified electronic mail addresses. The list server is thus an automated electronic/relectronic mailer that allows a one-to-many distribution of electronic mail messages through the operation of the list server. The relectronic mailing of electronic mail messages is typically dynamic and, therefore, persistent messages are maintained, if at all, selectively by the subscribers of a particular mailing list. Furthermore, the list servers are themselves subject to extreme variability in location and operation since only a publicly available dedicated electronic mail address is required in substance to operate a list server.
Currently, when electronic mail is sent, it is packaged in various formats and sent from the sending user's computer system to an electronic mail server (sending server), via various means of electronic transmission, and a copy is generally retained on the sending machine. The sending server then packages the message into simple mail transfer protocol (SMTP) format, or Interim Mail Access Protocol (IMAP) format, or other electronic mail protocol formats, using Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (MIME) or Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) or other formatting protocols, and a connection is attempted with the recipient.
During this connection, the electronic mail message is sent from the sending server to a receiving server associated with the recipient of the message. In order to accept the electronic mail content from the sending server, the receiving server must generally be able to validate that there is indeed a user name corresponding exactly with the electronic mail recipient's name. The receiving server thus checks its database of electronic mail users and validates the electronic mail recipient's name (the part of the electronic mail address before the @ sign). If the recipient's name is not validated, the receiving server generally refuses the electronic mail content and returns an error message indicating that the recipient is “unknown”. One general exception to the foregoing is a receiving server which accepts all the mail for a domain (“mail-bagging”), in which case only the domain name is checked and all recipient mail content is accepted, to be validated at a later time (usually) by another server.
When the sending server receives the error message stating that the recipient is “unknown”, it generally sends a message back to the sending user that the recipient is unknown. This is typically the end of any automatic electronic mail service session. The sending user must interpret the error message (sent in various text and formats) and decide how to proceed.
The ability to change electronic mail addresses expediently has not kept pace with the rapid expansion of the Internet. As a result, many electronic mail users feel that they cannot leave their existing Internet Service Provider (ISP) because when and if they do, the ISP will erase their electronic mail name from the electronic mail server. All the mail that would be sent to them at that address would therefore be returned “user unknown”. It would take many hours to change all manual and automatic electronic mail addresses from the old address to the new address. Many of the users who do indeed change ISPs are forced to retain the old ISP service for several months until they are sure that all of their electronic mail is being sent to the correct address.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides systems and methods for automatically determining if the recipient of electronic mail that is unknown at the receiving server has left a “forwarding address” with another server (the “forwarding listserver”), thereby allowing either the receiving server, the sending server, or the sending user (e.g., computer system), or any other party to the communication, to automatically send the electronic mail content to the (new) correct address. In addition to this automatic “forwarding”, the sending user is notified as to the new electronic mail address so as to allow the sending user to update manually, or automatically via specialized software, the user's individual database of electronic mail addresses. No attempt is made to resolve an unknown user name to any of the existing user names that might be close in spelling. This would be a major security breach and go against most of the philosophy in the electronic mail concept.
The present invention provides that some or all participants in the electronic mail process (the sending user, the sending server, the receiving server, the receiving user, and any other participant) are aware that there is an entity, the “forwarding listserver”, which may have o
Gray Gerald T.
Lim Krisna
Mail Registry, Inc.
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