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US 2001/0027478 A1Published application
Messaging system
OwnerAlan James Meier, Paul Ernest Meierinventors
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OwnerAlan James Meier, Paul Ernest Meierinventors
Estimating the term…
The system allows for the allocation of email addresses to almost every possible person within a country, and allows for easy lookup and/or addressing of messages whether by email, telephone, mail or fax to those subscribers. It makes use of a combination of the subscriber's telephone number and an alphabetical component chosen from their name, for individuals, or an alphabetical description of a department within a business, together with a database server that stores information about each subscriber, and their preferred mode of delivery. The system requires users to create or modify their primary account by a telephone interface, as the system allows for delivery of email messages to subscribers by telephone, mail or fax, to those subscribers who do not have access to a computer and thus access to software to read their emails.
Apparatus for delivering emails including:
Software for delivering emails to a subscriber, wherein the software contains or controls a database made up of a plurality of records corresponding to the entries in a telephone directory, each record defining an account holder and an email address, the email address containing at least (in whole or in part) the account holder's telephone number and (in whole or in part) the account holder's name, wherein each record follows a predetermined structure to facilitate use of that email address by another person.
A method for delivering messages by email to a recipient, wherein an ISP allocates to each person within a defined group, an email address prefix and a defined ISP suffix, the email address prefix being made up of a unique alphanumeric identification code, each of which codes incorporates a predetermined combination of a telephone number, and an alphabetic component, allowing users of the system to address an email to a recipient by entering the unique alphanumeric identification code with that ISP suffix, transmitting the desired email message to the ISP, the ISP then redirecting the email message to the recipient in a manner determined by the recipient (when registered with the ISP).
A database for use in routing messages to account holders, the database containing a plurality of records corresponding to one or more telephone directories, each record in the database defining at least an account holder and an email address, the email address containing at least (in whole or in part) the account holder's telephone number and (in whole or in part) the account holder's name, wherein each record follows a predetermined structure to facilitate use of that email address by another person.
A messaging system including a message storage or redirection centre which makes use of an identification system for individuals, which identification system involves allocation to each individual in a group, a unique alphanumeric identification code, each of which codes incorporates a predetermined combination of:
Apparatus for delivering emails including:
Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 or claim 21 wherein the email may comprise one or more of text, image data, voice or sound data, SMS message, WAP message.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.