Method and apparatus for certified electronic mail messages
AssigneesSony Corporation, Sony Electronics Inc.
InventorsDavid Shan-Ming Wang, P. Robert Hsu
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A system allows users to send certified electronic mail messages. A server receives an electronic mail message designated for certified delivery. The server forwards the electronic mail message to a receiving account. Any action taken upon the message by the receiving account is conveyed to the server, which forwards that information to the sender.
Claims19
In a system for sending and receiving email using an interactive receiver and having at least one sending account and at least one receiving account, a method for providing certified email comprising the steps of:
- using an interactive receiver to generate a certified email message from the sending account;
- sending the certified email message to a mail server configured to store certified email messages;
- storing the certified email message in a storage device associated with the mail server;
- receiving a request from the receiving account to access the certified email message;
- delivering the certified email message from the mail server to the receiving account;
- receiving, from the receiving account to the mail server, notification of an action taken upon the certified email message;
- and
- selectively notifying the sending account of the action taken on the certified email message by the receiving account.
In a system for sending and receiving email using an interactive receiver and having at least one sending account and at least one receiving account, a method for providing certified email comprising the steps of:
- receiving at a mail server that is configured to store certified email messages a certified email message from the sending account;
- storing the certified email message in a storage device associated with the mail server;
- receiving a request from the receiving account to access the certified email message;
- delivering the certified email message from the mail server to the receiving account;
- receiving, by the mail server from the receiving account, notification of an action taken by the receiving account upon the certified email message;
- storing the notification in a database associated with the mail server;
- and
- selectively notifying the sending account of the action taken on the certified email message by the receiving account, whereby the interactive receiver is operative to receive broadcast information.
In a system for sending and receiving email using an interactive receiver and having at least one sending account and at least one receiving account, a method for providing certified email comprising the steps of:
- receiving at a mail server that is configured to store certified email messages a certified email message from the sending account;
- storing the certified email message in a storage device associated with the mail server;
- receiving a request from the receiving account to access the certified email message;
- delivering the certified email message from the mail server to the receiving account;
- receiving, by the mail server from the receiving account, notification that the certified email message was filtered by the receiving account;
- and
- selectively notifying the sending account that the certified email message was filtered by the receiving account.
In a system for sending and receiving email using an interactive receiver and having at least one sending account and at least one receiving account, a method for providing certified email comprising the steps of:
- receiving at a mail server configured to receive certified email messages a certified email message from the sending account;
- storing the certified email message in a storage device associated with the mail server;
- receiving a request from the receiving account to access the certified email message;
- delivering the certified email message from the mail server to the receiving account;
- receiving, by the mail server from the receiving account, notification that the certified email message was replied to by the receiving account;
- and
- selectively notifying the sending account that the certified email message was replied to by the receiving account.
In a system for sending and receiving email using an interactive receiver and having at least one sending account and at least one receiving account, a method for providing certified email comprising the steps of:
- receiving at a mail server, configured to receive certified email messages, a certified email message from the sending account;
- storing the certified email message in a storage device associated with the mail server;
- receiving a request from the receiving account to access the certified email message;
- delivering the certified email message from the mail server to the receiving account;
- receiving, by the mail server from the receiving account, notification that the certified email message was forwarded by the receiving account;
- and
- selectively notifying the sending account that the certified email message was forwarded by the receiving account.
In a system for sending and receiving email using an interactive receiver and having at least one sending account and at least one receiving account, a method for providing certified email comprising the steps of:
- receiving at a mail server, configured to store certified email messages, a certified email message from the sending account;
- storing the certified email message in a storage device associated with the mail server;
- receiving a request from the receiving account to access the certified email message;
- delivering the certified email message from the mail server to the receiving account;
- receiving, by the mail server from the receiving account, notification that the certified email message was saved by the receiving account;
- and
- selectively notifying the sending account that the certified email message was saved by the receiving account.
In a system for sending and receiving email using an interactive receiver and having at least one sending account and at least one receiving account, an apparatus for providing certified email comprising:
- a memory having program instructions, and
- a processor configured to use the program instructions to perform the steps of:
- using an interactive receiver to generate a certified email message from the sending account;
- sending the certified email message to a mail server that is configured to store certified email messages;
- storing the certified email message in a storage device associated with the mail server;
- receiving a request from the receiving account to access the certified email message;
- delivering the certified email message from the mail server to the receiving account;
- receiving, by the mail server from the receiving account, notification of an action taken upon the certified email message by the receiving account;
- and
- selectively notifying the sending account of the action taken on the certified email message by the receiving account.
In a system for sending and receiving email using an interactive receiver and having at least one sending account and at least one receiving account, an apparatus for providing certified email comprising:
- a memory having program instructions, and
- a processor configured to use the program instructions to perform the steps of:
- receiving at a mail server, that is configured to store certified email messages, a certified email message from the sending account;
- storing the certified email message in a storage device associated with the mail server;
- receiving a request from the receiving account to access the certified email message;
- delivering the certified email message from the mail server to the receiving account;
- receiving, by the mail server from the receiving account, notification of an action taken upon the certified email message by the receiving account;
- storing the notification in a database associated with the mail server;
- and
- selectively notifying the sending account of the action taken on the certified email message by the receiving account, whereby the interactive receiver is operative to receive broadcast information.
In a system for sending and receiving email using an interactive receiver and having at least one sending account and at least one receiving account, a computer-readable medium containing instructions for providing certified email, by:
- using an interactive receiver to generate a certified email message from the sending account;
- sending the certified email message to a mail server;
- storing the certified email message;
- receiving a request from the receiving account to access the certified email message;
- delivering the certified email message from the mail server to the receiving account;
- receiving, from the receiving account to the mail server, notification of an action taken upon the certified email message;
- and
- selectively notifying the sending account of the action taken on the certified email message by the receiving account.
In a system for sending and receiving email using an interactive receiver and having at least one sending account and at least one receiving account, a computer-readable medium containing instructions for providing certified email comprising the steps of:
- receiving at a mail server a certified email message from the sending account;
- storing the certified email message;
- receiving a request from the receiving account to access the certified email message;
- delivering the certified email message from the mail server to the receiving account;
- receiving, by the mail server from the receiving account, notification of an action taken upon the certified email message by the receiving account;
- storing the notification in a database associated with the mail server;
- and
- selectively notifying the sending account of the action taken on the certified email message by the receiving account, whereby the interactive receiver is operative to receive broadcast information.
In a system for sending and receiving email using an interactive receiver and having at least one sending account and at least one receiving account, a computer-readable medium containing instructions for providing certified email comprising the steps of:
- receiving at a mail server a certified email message from the sending account;
- storing the certified email message;
- receiving a request from the receiving account to access the certified email message;
- delivering the certified email message from the mail server to the receiving account;
- receiving, by the mail server from the receiving account, notification that the certified email message was filtered by the receiving account;
- and
- selectively notifying the sending account that the certified email message was filtered by the receiving account.
In a system for sending and receiving email using an interactive receiver and having at least one sending account and at least one receiving account, a computer-readable medium containing instructions for providing certified email comprising the steps of:
- receiving at a mail server a certified email message from the sending account;
- storing the certified email message;
- receiving a request from the receiving account to access the certified email message;
- delivering the certified email message from the mail server to the receiving account;
- receiving, by the mail server from the receiving account, notification that the certified email message was replied to by the receiving account;
- and
- selectively notifying the sending account that the certified email message was replied to by the receiving account.
In a system for sending and receiving email using an interactive receiver and having at least one sending account and at least one receiving account, a computer-readable medium containing instructions for providing certified email comprising the steps of:
- receiving at a mail server a certified email message from the sending account;
- storing the certified email message;
- receiving a request from the receiving account to access the certified email message;
- delivering the certified email message from the mail server to the receiving account;
- receiving, by the mail server from the receiving account, notification that the certified email message was forwarded by the receiving account;
- and
- selectively notifying the sending account that the certified email message was forwarded by the receiving account.
In a system for sending and receiving email using an interactive receiver and having at least one sending account and at least one receiving account, a computer-readable medium containing instructions for providing certified email comprising the steps of:
- receiving at a mail server a certified email message from the sending account;
- storing the certified email message;
- receiving a request from the receiving account to access the certified email message;
- delivering the certified email message from the mail server to the receiving account;
- receiving, by the mail server from the receiving account, notification that the certified email message was saved by the receiving account;
- and
- selectively notifying the sending account that the certified email message was saved by the receiving account.
In a system for sending and receiving email using an interactive receiver and having at least one sending account and at least one receiving account, an apparatus for providing certified email comprising:
- means for generating a certified email message from the sending account;
- means for sending the certified email message to a mail server capable of storing certified email messages;
- means for storing the certified email message at the mail server;
- means for receiving a request from the receiving account to access the certified email message;
- means for delivering the certified email message from the mail server to the receiving account;
- means for receiving, by the mail server from the receiving account, notification of an action taken upon the certified email message by the receiving account;
- and
- means for selectively notifying the sending account of the action taken on the certified email message by the receiving account.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.