Patent US5634932A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
EP0825752A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Method and apparatus providing personalized mailbox filters
Assignee: AT&T Inc
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Filing: 1997-08-06
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2017-08-06
Abstract
Abstract An electronic mailbox filters or sorts messages according to personalized or customized rules set by the owner of the mailbox through the use of address extensions. The addressee will assign an address extension to a prospective sender before the sender sends a message. The sender may use this address extension when addressing and sending a message to the addressee. The addressee can also provide a specific sender with multiple address extensions so that the sender could send messages relating to particular topics or projects. The addressee will maintain a look-up table of valid address extensions. This look-up table correlates address extensions with particular levels of priority. The addressee can change the priority associated with particular messages by reassigning the priority associated the corresponding address extension in the look-up table. Thus, even if a sender continues to use a particular address extension in the sending address, the mailbox may no longer treat such messages with the priority level expected by the sender.
Inventors
- 👤 Mark Meier Rochkind
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-24 16:15
CPC Classifications
H; H04; H04M; H04M3/00; H04M3/42; H04M3/50; H04M3/53; H04M3/533; H04L; H04L51/00; H04L51/21; H04L51/212; H04L51/42; H04L51/226; H04M2203/00; H04M2203/30; H04M2203/301; H04M3/42008; H04M3/53316; H04M3/53333; H04M3/5335
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 26
Claim 1
Independent Claim
87 words
A method for filtering messages from a sender to an
addressee, within a communication system, comprising the
steps of: (a) receiving a message from the sender, including
an address extension previously designated by the
addressee, that is connected with the addressee's
address; (b) correlating the address extension with one of a
plurality of message tags within a look-up table; (c) storing the message with the correlated message
tag; and (d) when requested by the addressee, playing back
the messages in an order based on the message tags.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
35 words
The method of claim 1, further comprising the step
of: (e) linking the message with other stored messages
on the basis of the message tag so that messages with the
same message tag are linked.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
55 words
The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps
of: (e) storing, when the sender has an unlisted
address, an alias address assigned by the sender without
the unlisted address being revealed to the addressee; and (f) substituting the unlisted address with the
alias address stored in said step (e) before said
correlating step (b).
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
27 words
The method of claim 1, wherein said receiving step
(a) receives, from the sender, a plurality of address
extensions corresponding to a plurality of message
subject areas.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
29 words
The method of claim 1, further comprising the step
of: (e) paging the addressee when the message is
correlated in said correlating step (b) with a specific
message tag.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
21 words
The method of claim 1, wherein said storing step (c)
stores the message and the correlated message tag in
sequential order.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
30 words
The method of claim 1, wherein said playing back
step (d) plays back the messages in an order defined by a
prioritization of the message tags predetermined by the
addressee.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
28 words
The method of claim 1, wherein said correlating step
(b) prospectively correlates the address extension and
the plurality of message tags when the addressee modifies
the look-up table.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
40 words
The method of claim 1, wherein said correlating step
(b) retroactively correlates the address extension and
the plurality of message tags when an addressee modifies
the look-up table to be applied to messages previously
received in said receiving step (a).
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
24 words
The method of claim 1, wherein said receiving step
(a) receives, from the sender, a submailbox address, that
is connected with the addressee's address.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
19 words
The method of claim 1, wherein the messages are
audio, video, electronic text, electronic graphics and/or
any combination thereof.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
131 words
A communication service system for filtering
electronic messages from a sender to an addressee, within
a communication system, comprising: a communication network through which a message from
the sender is received by the addressee, the message
includes an address extension, previously designated by
the addressee, that is connected with the addressee's
address; a processor connected to said communication network; a storage device connected to said processor, said
storage device containing, in a look-up table, a
correlation between the address extension and a message
tag, and storing the message from the sender with the
correlated message tag; and a play back device connected to said processor, said
play back device, when requested by the addressee, plays
back the messages stored in said storage device in the
linked order determined by said processor.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
24 words
The communication system of claim 12, wherein said
processor links the message with any other stored
messages on the basis of the message tag.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
57 words
The communication service system of claim 12,
wherein said communication network includes: a second storage device containing an alias address
assigned by the sender, when the sender has an unlisted
address, without the unlisted address being revealed to
the addressee; and a second processor substituting the unlisted address
with the alias address stored by said storage device.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
27 words
The communication service system of claim 12,
wherein the addressee receives, from the sender, a
plurality of address extensions corresponding to a
plurality of message subject areas.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
28 words
The communication service system of claim 12,
further comprising: a paging device, said paging device pages the
addressee when the message is linked with a specific
message tag.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
22 words
The communication service system of claim 12,
wherein said storage device stores the message with the
correlated message tag in sequential order.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
31 words
The communication service system of claim 12,
wherein said play back device plays back the messages in
an order defined by a prioritization of the message tags
predetermined by the addressee.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
28 words
The communication service system of claim 12,
wherein said storage device prospectively correlates the
address extension and plurality of message tags when the
addressee modifies the look-up table.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
40 words
The communication service system of claim 12,
wherein said storage device retroactively correlates the
address extension and the plurality of message tags when
the addressee modifies the look-up table to be applied to
messages previously received in said storage device.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
14 words
The communication service system of claim 12,
wherein the message includes a submailbox extension.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
21 words
The communication service system of claim 12,
wherein the messages are audio, video, electronic text,
electronic graphics and/or any combination thereof.
Claim 23
Independent Claim
83 words
A method for creating a look-up table to filter
messages from a sender to an addressee, within a
communication system, comprising the steps of: (a) receiving a plurality of address extensions
from the addressee; (b) receiving a plurality of message tags from the
addressee, each of the message tags being associated with
the address extensions; (c) receiving, from the addressee, a presentation
sequence associated with each of the message tags; and (d) storing the address extensions, the message
tags and the presentation sequences.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
16 words
The method of claim 23, wherein the message tags
include at least one predetermined message tag.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
34 words
The method of claim 23, further comprising the steps
of: (e) displaying to the addressee the look-up table
stored in said step (d); and (f) receiving from the addressee modifications to
the look-up table.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
52 words
The method of claim 25, further comprising the steps
of: (g) storing the look-up table modifications from
said receiving step (f) as at least one separate look-up
table; and (h) designating for use one of the look-up tables
stored in said step (d) and said step (g) based on the
addressee's selection.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
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