System using time or location with environment conditions of sender and addressee for controlling access to an electronic message

A method comprising:

• receiving and storing an electronic message, having a context, in an inaccessible state within a terminal wherein the context defines conditions that must be satisfied before the message can be accessed, wherein the electronic message includes context information identifying plural conditions concerning the environment of a sender of the electronic message;
• detecting a context of the terminal using one or more sensors;
• comparing the detected terminal context with the message context;
• enabling access to the electronic message when the detected terminal context corresponds to the message context.

An apparatus comprising:

• a memory configured to store a received electronic message and a message context that specifies one or more conditions that must be satisfied before the message can be accessed, wherein sender context information identifying plural conditions concerning the environment of the sender of the electronic message is stored in the electronic message;
• detection means for detecting context that varies with the environment of the apparatus and comparing the apparatus context with the corresponding stored message context;
• and
• enabling means for enabling access to the stored electronic message when the detected context corresponds to the message context.

A method comprising:

• receiving an electronic message by a specified addressee of the electronic message, wherein the electronic message includes a context of an originator of the electronic message identifying plural conditions concerning an environment of the originator and includes one or more conditions selected from a group consisting of a time condition of the addressee, a location of the addressee condition and at least one other condition concerning the environment of the addressee, wherein the message context defines conditions that must be satisfied before the addressee of the message can access a content of the electronic message;
• detecting the context of the addressee and comparing the context of the addressee with the message context;
• and
• enabling access by the addressee to the electronic message when the detected context of the addressee corresponds to the message context.

An apparatus comprising:

• a memory configured to store an electronic message and a message context that specifies one or more conditions that must be satisfied before the message can be accessed, wherein sender context information identifying plural conditions concerning the environment of the sender is stored in the electronic message;
• a detector configured to detect a context that varies with the environment of the apparatus and comparing the apparatus context with the corresponding stored message context;
• and
• a controller configured to enable access to the stored electronic message when the detected context corresponds to the message context.

A computer readable medium embodied with a computer program, the computer program having instructions which perform the operations comprising:

• receiving an electronic message by a specified addressee of the electronic message, wherein the electronic message includes a context of an originator of the electronic message identifying plural conditions concerning an environment of the originator and includes one or more conditions selected from a group consisting of a time condition of the addressee, a location of the addressee condition and at least one other condition concerning the environment of the addressee, wherein the message context defines conditions that must be satisfied before the addressee of the message can access a content of the electronic message;
• detecting the context of the addressee and comparing the context of the addressee with the message context;
• and
• enabling access by the addressee to the electronic message when the detected context of the addressee corresponds to the message context.