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US 8,554,853 B2Granted
Hiding email identification using a configurable set of domains
AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation
InventorsJames E. Bostick, John M. Ganci, Jr., John P. Kaemmerer, Craig M. Trim
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method of delivering an electronic mail message. A mail server receives and stores a rule from a first user. Thereafter the mail server receives the electronic mail message from a second user comprising a sender. The mail server compares the rule with an email address in a field of the electronic mail message. Responsive to the rule being satisfied the email server takes an action with respect to the email address or the field to form a modified electronic mail message. Thereafter, the email server delivers the modified electronic mail message to a third user comprising a recipient. The first, second, and third users may all be different from each other.
Claims23
A method of delivering an electronic mail message, the method comprising:
- responsive to receiving, at a mail server comprising a processor unit, an electronic mail message from a sender, comparing, by the mail server, an email address in a field of the electronic mail message with a set of rules, wherein the set of rules specify what email addresses in the field are visible to a recipient of the email message based on at least one of a domain name, a precise email address, a type of email address, and a subset of a domain name;
- responsive to the rule being satisfied, taking an action with respect to the email address or the field to form a modified electronic mail message, wherein the action comprises causing the email address to be visible to the recipient, and wherein if the action were not taken the email address would be invisible to the recipient;
- and
- delivering the modified electronic mail message to the recipient.
1 more element
A computer program product for delivering an electronic mail message, the computer program product comprising:
- a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having computer readable program code embodied therewith, the computer readable program code comprising:
- computer readable program code configured to receive and store, at a mail server, a rule from a first user, the rule specifies what email addresses are visible to a recipient of the electronic mail message based on at least one of a domain name, a precise email address, a type of email address, and a subset of a domain name;
- computer readable program code configured to thereafter receive, at the mail server, the electronic mail message from a second user comprising a sender;
- computer readable program code configured to compare, at the mail server, the rule with an email address in a field of the electronic mail message;
- computer readable program code configured to, responsive to the rule being satisfied, take an action with respect to the email address or the field to form a modified electronic mail message, wherein the action comprises causing the email address to be visible to the recipient, and wherein if the action were not taken the email address would be invisible to the recipient;
- and
- computer readable program code configured to thereafter deliver the modified electronic mail message to a third user comprising a recipient.
4 more elements
A data processing system comprising:
- a bus;
- a processor unit connected to the bus;
- a memory connected to the bus, the memory storing a computer program product for delivering an electronic mail message, the computer program product comprising:
- computer readable program code configured to receive and store a rule from a first user, the rule specifies what email addresses are visible to a recipient of the electronic mail message based on at least one of a domain name, a precise email address, a type of email address, and a subset of a domain name;
- computer readable program code configured to thereafter receive the electronic mail message from a second user comprising a sender;
- computer readable program code configured to compare the rule with an email address in a field of the electronic mail message;
- computer readable program code configured to, responsive to the rule being satisfied, take an action with respect to the email address or the field to form a modified electronic mail message, wherein the action comprises causing the email address to be visible to the recipient, and wherein if the action were not taken the email address would be invisible to the recipient;
- and
- computer readable program code configured to thereafter deliver the modified electronic mail message to a third user comprising a recipient.
6 more elements
An email server comprising:
- a bus;
- a processor connected to the bus;
- a communication mechanism, connected to the bus, configured to route email messages;
- a memory connected to the bus, the memory storing a computer program product for delivering an electronic mail message, the computer program product comprising:
- computer readable program code configured to receive and store a rule from a first user, the rule specifies what email addresses are visible to a recipient of the electronic mail message based on at least one of a domain name, a precise email address, a type of email address, and a subset of a domain name;
- computer readable program code configured to thereafter receive the electronic mail message from a second user comprising a sender;
- computer readable program code configured to compare the rule with an email address in a field of the electronic mail message;
- computer readable program code configured to, responsive to the rule being satisfied, take an action with respect to the email address or the field to form a modified electronic mail message, wherein the action comprises causing the email address to be visible to the recipient, and wherein if the action were not taken the email address would be invisible to the recipient;
- and
- computer readable program code configured to thereafter deliver the modified electronic mail message to a third user comprising a recipient.
7 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.