CLAIMS
I claim:
1 . A method of composing search free mail, comprising the steps of:
providing a search free mail domain accessible from the Internet, the
domain including a mail server having at least one mail server storage device
for hosting mailboxes associated with members registered with the search
free mail domain, the domain further including a web server having at least
one web server computer for generating web pages and delivering web pages
to computers over the Internet;
at the search free mail domain, receiving a first input from a user
computer, the first input including an identifier of a member registered with
the search free mail domain;
sending from the search free mail domain to the user computer a
business ad web page associated with the member identifier, the business ad
web page including a password entry box for entering a password and means for sending a request by a user to compose an e-mail for sending to the
member;
receiving a request from the user computer to compose an e-mail for
sending to the member;
receiving a composed e-mail from the user computer; and
storing the composed e-mail in a mailbox associated with the member.
2. The method of composing search free mail according to claim 1 ,
wherein the business ad web page further comprises a link to a company or
business web page associated with the member identifier.
3. The method of composing search free mail according to claim 1 ,
wherein the identifier of the member registered with the search free mail
domain is a telephone number associated with the member.
4. The method for composing search free mail according to claim 1 ,
further comprising the step of registering a user as member with the search
free email domain, said registering step including the steps of:
receiving a member identification from a user computer associated
with user;
receiving a password from the user computer;
reserving a location on the mail server for a mailbox;
identifying a business ad web page; and
storing an association of the password, the member identification, the
mailbox location and the business ad web page.
ϊ
5. The method for composing search free mail according to claim 4,
wherein the step of registering. the user as a member further comprises the
steps of:
at the search free domain, sending a request to the user to specify a
payment means;
receiving at the search free domain a payment means specified by the
user; and
storing at the search free domain an association of the specified
payment means with the member identification.
6. The method for composing search free mail according to claim 4,
wherein the step of identifying a business ad web page comprises the steps
of:
receiving from the user computer information describing content for
the business ad web page; and
adding content to the business ad web page based on the information
from the user describing the content for the business ad web page.
7. The method for composing search free mail according to claim I 1
wherein the step of receiving a first input from a user computer comprises
the steps of:
sending to the user computer a log in web page for transmitting a
member identification from the user computer to the search free mail
domain; and
receiving the member identifier from the user computer.
8. The method for composing search free mail according to claim 7,
wherein the log in web page comprises:
member identifier entry means for receiving the member identifier
from the user;
means for transmitting a request from the user to become a member
of the search free mail domain; and
means for transmitting a user request to log in to the business ad web
page associated with the member.
9. A method for composing search free mail, comprising the steps of:
providing a search free mail domain accessible from the Internet, the
domain including a mail server having at least one mail server storage device
for hosting mailboxes associated with members registered with the search
free mail domain, the domain further including a web server having at least
one web server computer;
at the search free mail domain, receiving a first input from a user
computer, the first input including an identifier of a member registered with
the search free e-mail domain; and
sending from the search free mail domain to the user computer a
business ad web page associated with the member identifier, the business ad
web page including a password entry box for entering a password and means
for accepting a request at the user computer to compose an e-mail for
sending to the member.
1 0. The method for composing search free mail according to claim 9,
further comprising the steps of;
receiving from a computer associated with a first member the member
identifier associated with the first member;
receiving from the computer associated with the first member a
password;
verifying the password;
sending to the computer associated with the first member a user
interface for composing an e-mail;
receiving from the user computer e-mail information including
destination information for the e-mail and the text of a message for a
recipient associated with the destination information; and
delivering the e-mail information to the destination associated with the
destination information.
1 1 . The method for composing search free mail according to claim 10,
wherein the destination information comprises an e-mail address associated
with the destination.
1 2. he method for composing search free mail according to claim 10,
wherein the destination information comprises a member identifier of a
second member and wherein the step of delivering the e-mail to the
destination associated with the destination information further comprises
storing the e-mail in a mailbox associated with the member identifier of the
second member in the search free e-mail domain.
1 3. The method for composing search free mail according to claim 10,
wherein the step of verifying the password further comprises verifying that
the password matches a stored password associated with the member
identifier on the search free mail domain.
14. The method for composing search free mail according to claim 10,
further comprising the step of verifying an account status associated with the
identifier of the member.
1 5. The method for composing search free mail according to claim 1 0,
wherein the step of verifying an account status associated with the identifier
of the member further comprises verifying that a payment status associated
with the identifier of the member is current.
16. A system for composing search free mail, comprising a search free
mail domain accessible from the Internet, the domain including:
a mail server having at least one mail server storage device for hosting
mailboxes associated with members registered with the search free e-mail
domain;
a web server having at least one web server computer;
web page means for receiving a first input from a user computer, the
first input including an identifier of a member registered with the search free
mail domain;
means for storing business ad web pages associated with the
identifiers of members registered with the search free domain, each business
ad web page having:
a password entry box for entering a password; and
means for sending a request by a user to compose an e-mail for
sending to the member;
means for receiving a request from the user computer to compose an
e-mail for sending to the member; means for receiving a composed e-mail from the user computer; and
means for storing the composed e-mail in a mailbox associated with
the member.
1 7. The system for composing search free mail according to claim 1 6,
wherein the member identifier is a telephone number associated with the
member.
1 8. The system for composing search free mail according to claim 1 6,
wherein the business ad web page further comprises a link to a company or
business web page associated with the member identifier.
1 9. The system for composing search free mail according to claim 1 6,
further comprising means for registering a user as member with the search
free email domain, the means for registering including:
web page means for receiving a member identifier from a user
computer associated with user;
means for generating a web page including a password entry box for
receiving a password from the user computer;
means for reserving a location on the mail server for a mailbox;
means for identifying a business ad web page; and
storage means on the web server for storing an association of the
password, the member identifier, the mailbox location and the business ad
web page. |
SYSTEM AND METHOD OF COMPOSING SEARCH FREE MAIL
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1 . FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to an electronic communication
system, and particularly to a system and method for composing, sending and
receiving search free user e-mail.
2. DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART
[0002] Various systems are in use for communicating electronically over
the Internet. E-mail systems are particularly popular for exchanging
business communications. In a conventional e-mail system, a sender
composes an e-mail using an e-mail client program, addressing the e-mail
using the intended recipients e-mail address. Typically e-mail addresses are
composed of a combination of the recipient's identity, such as some portion
of the user's name, combined with a domain portion, which designates the
system hosting the mailbox the recipient uses to receive e-mail. For
example a recipient, John Smith, might have an e-mail address, such as
johnsmith@aol.com, wherein the initial or personal identifier portion of the
address "johnsmith" is a concatenation of John's first and last names, while
the trailing portion "aol.com" is the domain name of the system hosting
John's mail box. When the sender completes composing the e-mail and
sends the e-mail to the recipient using a system such as Simple Mail Transfer
Protocol (SMTP), the domain portion of the e-mail address is resolved to an
Internet Protocol (IP) address using a dynamic name server (DMS) system.
The IP address is used to route the e-mail to the destination server. The
initial portion of the address is used to locate the recipient's mailbox on the
destination server.
[0003] Two issues are associated with these conventional e-mail
systems. The first issue is that a sender may have difficulty in determining
the recipient's address, and a second issue is the problem of receiving large
amounts of unwanted e-mail when an e-mail address is made public.
[0004] In order to send an e-mail to a recipient, the sender must obtain
both the personal and the domain portion of the e-mail address. One
strategy is for the recipient to register an e-mail address that is easy for
senders to construct by using a domain name and a personal identifier that
portion that are simple combinations of the sender's name and organization.
However, personal names are not globally unique identifiers so that a natural
permutation of the personal name may result in the mail reaching the wrong
person at a given domain. Adding numeric characters to the personal name
in order to distinguish the mailboxes of persons with similar names makes
the e-mail address more difficult for senders to remember and impossible
for them to guess.
[0005] In addition, natural choices for e-mail addresses may be
unavailable because of cγber-squatting. Cyber-squatting is the practice of
registering a domain name that another person might chose with the
purpose of offering that person usually for monetary gain.
[0006] If an e-mail user succeeds in making his e-mail address publicly
available so that senders can contact him, the user must then deal with the
problem of unwanted e-mails. E-mail marketers attempt to harvest e-mail
addresses using various methods, compile those e-mails into mailing lists
and then send out unsolicited, bulk, and e-mail advertisements, commonly
referred to as "spam" using these mailing lists that may include millions of
addressees. Since the typical spamming advertising campaign has a low
success rate, bulk e-mailers rely on sending their advertisements in large
volumes. Many e-mail users receive spam on a daily bases and in some
cases users spend a significant portion of their time dealing with unwanted
e-mails which consume storage resources and bandwidth in the users'
systems and cause inefficiencies in dealing with desired e-mail
communications. E-mail recipients may address the problems of spam by
using filter systems to automate the process of screening e-mails, but filter
systems may not reject all spam and may also misidentify desired e-mail
communications as spam resulting in missing desired communications.
[0007] In addition to solving these problems, business users view
communication activities as opportunities to further their business interests.
When a sender attempts to contact a recipient, the recipient may want to
provide information to the sender concerning the recipient's interests or
business.
I
[0008] E-mail providers such as Yahoo.com and MSN.com provide
membership based e-mail services which require members to login to access
their e-mail, but these systems are susceptible to spamming and do not
provide opportunities for mail recipients to display a personalized business
ad web page to senders who wish to contact them.
[0009] Japanese Patent No. 2003-69,708, published March 2003,
describes a system for relating a telephone number to an e-mail address
using a translation database. Japanese Patent No. 2004-64,758, published
February 2004, describes a method of associating a phone number with an
e-mail address for the purpose of receiving e-mail messages at a telephone.
[0010] None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or
in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed. Thus, a
system and method of composing search free mail solving the
aforementioned problems is desired.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[001 1] The system and method for composing search free mail is a
web-based method for sending e-mail to registered members of a search
free mail domain. The method uses a web server and a mail server as
components of the search free mail domain. Registered members have
assigned mailboxes on the mail server. The web server generates a publicly
assessable web page through which system users may enter a member's
telephone number and gain access to a business ad web page for the
member. At the business ad web page, a user may operate a button or link
causing the web server to generate a web-based interface for composing and
sending an e-mail to the member's mailbox. The business ad web page is
customized by the member and may include information about the member's
business and interests, as well as a link to the member's company or
business web page.
[001 2] A sender desiring to compose and send e-mail to a registered
member of the search free mail system accesses the member's business ad
web page by entering a member's identifier at a log-in web page. The
member's identifier is preferably a publicly available telephone number
belonging to the member. Once the member's identifier is entered, the
system displays the member's business ad web page on the user's computer.
i
The member's business ad web page contains information concerning the
business and interests of the member. Requiring senders to visit the web
page in order to send mail to the user allows the member a chance to
communicate information to users, which could result in more business
opportunities for the member. Requiring senders to visit the web page in
order to send mail to the user also prevents bulk e-mail advertisers from
sending e-mail to the member's account. The business ad web page may
contain a link to the member's business or company web page.
[0013] The search free mail system provides for registering users as
members of the system. The log in page includes a button or link for a user
to request registration. To accomplish registration, the user enters his
telephone number at the login web page and sends a request to be
registered as a member. The system prompts the member to provide a
password, and then assigns a mailbox for the user, storing the password,
mailbox location, and member identification so that the password and
mailbox location can be retrieved by providing the member's identification.
The new member is then prompted to design or provide a business ad web
page. The business ad web page is stored on a server within the system and
is associated with the member's identification, and the location of the web
page is also stored so that the web page may be retrieved, using the
member's identification.
[0014] The operator of the system may require payment for providing
membership to the system. The system may request the member to provide
a method of payment, such as a billing address or a credit card account
number, before completing the registration.
[001 5] The system reserves some functionality for members. A member
may access his mailbox by entering his telephone number and password
using a web-based interface. The member will then be provided with a user
interface for managing aspects of his account on the search free mail system.
Using the password-protected user interface, the member may access mail in
his mailbox, compose e-mails to be sent to other members or to external e-
mai! addresses, and modify the design of the member's business ad web
page. Mail sent by the member is automatically provided with a 'From'
address of the member. To send mail to one or more members, the member
specifies the member identifiers for those members.
[0016] . These and other features of the present invention will become
readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and
drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0017] Fig. 1 is a block diagram of a network environment in which the
method for composing search free mail of the present invention may be
practiced.
[0018] Fig. 2 is a block diagram of a representative computer on which
the method of composing search free mail of the present invention may be
practiced.
[0019] Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing services available in the
system for composing search free mail according to the present invention.
[0020] Fig. 4 is a screen shot showing a representative entry point web
page for accessing the search free mail system according to the present
invention.
[0021 ] Fig. 5 is a screen shot showing a representative business ad web
page for a member of a search free mail system of the present invention.
[0022] Fig. 6 is a screen shot showing a representative page for
composing an e-mail by a non-member in a search free mail system
according to the present invention.
[0023] Fig. 7 is screen shot showing a representative page on which a
search free mail member manages e-mail in the search free mail system of
the present invention.
[0024] Fig. 8 is a screen shot of a representative new member sign up
page for a search free mail system according to the present invention.
[0025] Fig. 9 is a screen shot showing a representative new member's
initial web page in a search free mail system according to the present
invention.
[0026] Fig. 10 is a block diagram of showing the sending and receiving
of search free mail between a member and either a non-member or another
member of a system for composing search free mail according to the present
invention.
[0027] Fig. 1 1 is a block diagram showing messaging to a conventional
e-mail system from a system for composing search free mail according to
the present invention.
[0028] Fig. 12 is a screen shot illustrating a representative fortune
telling page in a system for composing search free mail according to the
present invention.
[0029] Fig. 13 is a screen shot showing a representative page for
composing an e-mail by a registered member in a search free mail system
according to the present invention.
[0030] Similar reference characters denote corresponding features
consistently throughout the attached drawings.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0031 ] The present invention is a method and system for receiving
search free mail and for presenting a business ad web page to e-mail
senders. The invention may be practiced in conjunction with a search free
mail system employing country-specific native domains, such as the system
described in U.S. Patent No. 6,728,759, issued to the present inventor and
hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
[0032] The invention may be practiced on a network system, such as the
system illustrated in Fig. 1 . Fig. 1 shows a search free mailing domain 20
named "Busiemail.com". The domain 20 comprises a web server 22, and a
mail server 24 connected to a local or wide area network 28. The domain 20
is connected to the Internet 34 via a high-speed link 32.
[0033] The web server 22 may comprise one or more computers. The
web server 22 includes application programs for generating web pages and
serving data and information upon demand using a protocol such as
hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP). The web server 22 also includes non¬
volatile storage for storing data structures associated with the invention.
Application programs stored in the web server 22 also process data provided
to the web server 22 via HTTP command or through other protocols. This
data may be stored, utilized to generate customized web pages, or used to
customize functions provided by the web server 22.
[0034] The mail server 24 contains facilities for receiving and sending
e-mail messages over the Internet. The mail server 24 may implement a
protocol such as Simple Mail Server Protocol (SMTP) for sending and receiving
electronic messages. The mail server 24 also includes non-volatile storage
such as hard drive based storage for storing electronic messages in a
mailbox for users or clients of the search free mail system.
[0035] Also shown are a number of user computers 26a-26c connected
to the Internet via a number of communication links 30a-30c. These
communication links may be wired or wireless. Alternatively, the user
computers 26a-26c may be connected to a local area network, which is in
turn connected to the Internet via a wired or wireless link. Preferably the
user communication links 30a-30c are broadband connections to the
Internet such as a cable modem or DSL connection. However dialup modem
connections and other lower speed connections to the Internet may also be
employed. The user computers 26a-26c are shown as personal computers,
but other computing devices such as personal digital assistants (PDAs),
mobile telephones, capable of rendering a web page may be used as the user
computer.
[0036] Fig. 2 illustrates a computer system 36 such as may be used for
the user computers 26a-26c or the web server 22 or mail server 24 shown in
Fig. 1 . The computer system 36 includes a system bus 38 that interconnects
various elements making up the computer 36. A processor subsystem 40, a
system memory 42, and a number of interface and adapter systems
supporting the connection of system and external devices to the computer
are connected to the system bus 38.
[0037] The system bus 38 may be comprised of a number of bus
subsystems. For example a PCI bus, an ISA bus, and an AGP connection
system may be provided. The system bus provides the means for moving
data between the various components of the personal computer 36.
[0038] The processor subsystem 40 comprises one or more central
processing units (CPU). The processor subsystem directs the overall
operation of the computer by retrieving and executing logical and arithmetic
instructions and issuing commands to control other computer components.
The system memory 42 may comprise read only memory (ROM) 44 and
random access memory (RAM) 46 components. The ROM 44 includes the
basic input/output system (BIOS) 48. The BIOS 48 includes routines that are
performed to initialize the computer during startup and to conduct low-level
operations between system components. The RAM 46 may store the
operating system 50, and may store instructions and data for executing
application programs in the application program 52 and program data 54
areas. The operating system may be a general-purpose operating system
such as Microsoft's XP, or Linux, or a special purpose operating system
adapted and optimize for a particular application or processor. The
information stored in the RAM 4δ may be loaded from a non-volatile storage
area such as ROM 44 or a hard drive 56 during startup of the system or upon
initiation of an application program.
[0039] Additional elements connected to the system bus 38 may include
a display adapter 66, a network interface 60, a USB host interface 62 , a hard
disk drive 58 interface, and a serial port interface 64. The display adapter 66
provides an interface for connecting an external monitor 68 to the computer.
The network interface 60 provides a network connection capability allowing
the computer to communicate to remote devices through a local area
network, an intranet or the Internet. The USB host controller 62 is connected
to the system bus 38 and provides an interface to a USB port 70. The USB
port 70 may supply electrical power and a data path for one or more USB
compatible peripherals. One or more hard drives 56 may be connected to
the computer 36 through the hard disk drive interface 58. The hard drive 56
provides non-volatile storage and may store the operating system,
application programs, and program data.
[0040] Input devices for accepting data input from users such as a
mouse 72, keyboard 74, or trackball (not shown) may be interfaced to the
system bus 38 via the serial interface 64. Alternatively a USB compatible
keyboard, mouse, or other input device may be connected to the computer
via the USB port 70. Additional devices such as an optical disk drive 76 for
reading from or writing to a removable optical disk such as a CD-ROM, CD-
R, DVD-ROM or other optical media may be connected to the computer
through an optical drive interface 78.
[0041 ] Those skilled in the art should appreciate that the list of
components given above is not an exhaustive one and that other types of
devices can be interfaced to the computer using the interfaces described
above or through the use of additional interfaces and controllers connected
to the system bus 38. Peripherals devices and associated interfaces and
control devices may be omitted if their functionality is not required. For
example a server system not requiring interactive user input from a
keyboard, may optionally not include peripheral devices such as a keyboard,
mouse, or monitor and the associated interfaces for the omitted peripheral
devices may also be optionally omitted.
[0042] The functions provided by the domain 20 shown in Fig. 1 may be
understood by referring to Figs. 1 and 3. A user at a computer such as 26a,
may access the system using a browser such as Microsoft's Internet Explorer,
Netscape Navigator, or Opera by Opera Systems, by entering the domains
web address at block 102. The web address such as "busiemail.com" or
"www.busiemail.com" is resolved to an Internet Protocol (IP) address using
dynamic name servers (DNS) as is known in the art, and resulting in the
user's request being delivered to the search free mail domain 20 at block
104. The web server 22 receives the request and responds by delivering the
entry point web page (business ad web page) to the user computer 26a at
block 106.
[0043] Fig. 4 shows the entry point web page displayed on the users
computer 26a. Users may be classified as a current member, a prospective
member, a non-member wishing to contact a current member, or a visitor.
Each class of user may access selected functionality of the search free mail
domain 20. Users may assume various roles when accessing the domain
20. For example a current member may elect to access the search free mail
domain as a visitor or as a non-member. However, only members who have
completed a registration process as described below may access functions
reserved for members.
[0044] A member who has completed the registration process will have
a registered telephone number, a password, a mail account including a
mailbox, and a business ad web page. Any user can access the member's
business ad web page can be accessed by any user by entering the member's
telephone number in the entry box 140 and clicking the submit or enter
button 142. When the submit or enter button 142 is clicked, the web server
22 will locate and retrieve the business ad web page associated with the
member's telephone number and return the business ad web page to the
user's computer 26a as shown at block 108 in Fig. 3.
[0045] Fig. 5 shows an example member's business ad web page 160.
This web page will be displayed both to member's who log in using their own
phone number or to non member's who enter the member's phone number
in order to communicate with the member. The business ad web page 160
includes a logo or heading 176 describing the business of the member. This
logo 1 76 may include a link to an externally hosted company or business
web page of the member. Alternatively a link to the company or business
web page may be provided elsewhere on the web page 1 60 using a
conventional URL anchor. The web page contains additional information 162
as provided by the member describing the member's business, interests or
any other information specified by the member including an image of the
member.
[0046] Accessible from the web page are buttons or links that provide
access to various communications facilities for communicating with the
member. As illustrated in Fig. 3, from the member's web page, a member or
a non-member user may communicate with the member by composing an
electronic message 1 10, Instant Messaging (IM) 1 12, Voice Messaging 114,
or through Audiovisual (A/V) conversation 1 16. These functions are
accessed from the member's business ad page 160 using buttons or links
164, 166, 168, or 170, respectively. The A/V conversation is a
communication facility employing a web camera (web cam) and microphone
to establish two-way communication with a member of the system.
[0047] When the user presses the "Compose" button 164 on the
member's business ad web page, the user can access a facility to send
compose and send an e-mail to that member. As illustrated in Fig. 3, the
user can compose and send an electronic mail at block 1 10 and send it to the
member's mailbox as shown in block 122 via path 128. Requiring mail from
a non-member to a member's mailbox to be sent via path 128 prevents
unwanted bulk electronic mail from being delivered to the member's
mailbox. Mail sent via a conventional path over the Internet and to the SMTP
mail server (24 in Fig. 1 ) does not get placed in the member's mailbox.
Requiring non-members to log in to the member's business ad page 160 in
order to send mail to a member, eliminates non-member advertisers use of
bulk mailing techniques (spam) to send mail to a member's search free mail
mailbox even if the bulk mailer's address list includes the e-mail address
associated with the member's account. This selective reception of electronic
e-mail may be accomplished by filtering or dropping e-mail for which the
return address is not within the search free domain. Because this filtering
method would still allow bulk mailers to circumvent the spam protection by
forging a search free domain return address, preferably the mail server 24
could be configured to reject mail delivered via directly over the Internet link
rather than via path 128.
[0048] As shown in Fig. 3, in order to access functions such as web
design 1 18, scheduling 120, and member mailbox functions 122 such as
checking mail 124 and composing mail 1 26 mail, the member must enter the
password associated with the members account at block 1 30. Presumably
only the owner of the member account knows the password.
[0049] Referring again to Fig. 5, the member associated with the web
page enters his password in the password entry box 1 72, and submits the
request to the search free mail web server (22 in Fig. 1 ) by pressing the enter
key or by clicking a button provided to indicate that password entry is
complete. In case the member has forgotten his password, the member may
click a provided button or link 1 74 to communicate to the web server 22 that
the password has been forgotten: A system operator for the search free mail
domain my contact the member using the registered telephone number or
via any other prearranged method of communication. Using the telephone
number or a prearranged method helps insure that security of the member's
password is maintained.
[0050] After receiving the password, system software in the domain
server 22 verifies the correctness of the password and provides access to the
member's e-mail system if the password is correct. A correct password
matches the password registered for the member. The system software may
additionally check to make sure the account is active.. For example the
system may operate the system on a subscription fee basis, requiring
periodic payment such as a monthly fee to maintain an active member
account. The system may be programmed to condition access to the account
based on the account being active. Account and payment status may be
maintained in one or more tables in a database with the information being
retrievable based on the identification of a specific user. Data stored in the
database for each member includes the location of the member's business ad
web page, the member's password, any configuration items associated with
the member's mail account, the location of the member's mailbox on the
mail server, as well as billing and account status information. The tables may
be segregated on different computers or different storage areas associated
with the web server. For example, sensitive information such as credit card
and other billing information may be stored on a server computer not directly
accessible over the Internet.
[0051 ] When a user logs in with a member's account number and
selects the "Compose" function from the member's business ad web page,
the compose e-mail screen 1 80 shown in Fig. 6 is displayed. For example if
a computer user accesses the member's account from computer 26a, the
search free mail domain web server will deliver the web page 180 to the
users computer 26a where it will be displayed via a conventional browser or
using specialized software stored on the user's computer for generating the
display 180.
[0052] As illustrated in Fig. 6, the title bar 192 indicates the name
associated with the member's account, the member being the intended
recipient of the mail. Because the recipient is known to be the member, the
sender only needs to enter sender's own addressing information in fields
1 82, 194, and 196. The sender's name is entered in box 182. The personal
portion (portion of the e-mail address to the left of the "@" character) of the
sender's e-mail address is entered into box 194, while the domain portion
(portion of the e-mail address to the right of the "@" character) of the
sender's e-mail address is entered in box 196. The address label 1 88
displays "From" indicating that the address entered is that of the sender. The
sender enters a subject line for the message in the subject entry area 190.
The sender then types the message into the message entry field 1 84.
[0053] Upon completing the message, the sender may submit the
message for delivery to the member using the "SAVE" button 186 which will
cause the message to be stored in the addressed member's search free
domain mail box. Conventional e-mail features, such as attachment of files
to the e-mail and requests for confirmation of receipt by the e-mail
recipient, may also be supported. As described above, upon completion, the
message is sent over the Internet to the web server 22 via an appropriate
protocol, such as HTTP. The web server 22 delivers the mail to the recipient
member's mailbox on the mail server 24.
[0054] As described above, a member user may access member
functions by logging in from the member's computer such as 26b in Fig. 1 ,
using his own telephone number via the login screen shown in Fig. 3, and
entering his password at his own business ad web page as shown in Fig. 5.
The web server confirms that the password is correct and may also confirm
that the member's account is active. A successful confirmation allows the
member to access the member's mail account display 200 shown in Fig. 7
from the member's computer 26b. The display is generated and
transmitted to the member's computer 26b from the domain web server 22
and is rendered by application software on the member's computer 26b such
as a general purpose browser or special purpose client software.
[0055] Referring to Fig. 7 the functionality accessible only to a member
who has logged in to his own account using his telephone number and
password may be understood. The display 200 includes a list 202 of the
electronic mail stored in the member's mailbox. The list 202 may include
the sender, subject line, the date of receipt and the size for each mail in the
sender's mailbox. The list 202 may also indicate other attributes associated
with the member's mail such as priority and desire by the sender for
confirmation of receipt of a mail item.
[0056] The member may manage items in his mailbox from the mailbox
display 200. For example, the member may create mailbox subfolders and
move mail from his inbox folder to one or more sub folders. The member
may designate messages in his mailbox as spam, and may delete mail from
his mailbox using controls provided on the display 200. The member may
also select an item from the e-mail list 202 to display for reading. These
features are restricted to the member associated with a particular account
because the member's telephone number and password must be entered in
order to reach this screen.
[0057] The member may also check the server for newly arrived mail by
clicking the check mail button 208, access the member's only compose e-
mail function by clicking the member compose button 210, access the web
design function by clicking the web design button 206, or access the
member's schedule function by clicking the scheduler button 204. Each of
these buttons is only accessible by the member owning the account because
they are on the password protected mailbox screen 200. For example, the
scheduler and compose buttons may be located on a separate display
accessible from a button on the mail account screen 200 since these screens
cannot be reached without entering the correct member account number and
password.
[0058] Clicking the "Scheduler" button 204 provides access to an
application for maintaining a personal calendar for the member. The
calendar program stores information concerning the appointments and
meetings of the member. The program store and display information
concerning tasks to be completed by the member and birthdays and other
special events the member wants to keep track of.
[0059] Access to additional member only functions may be provided by
including a button, link, or other access mechanism on a password protected
interface such as the member's mailbox display 200. For example, access to
facilities for changing the member's password, updating billing information,
and changing the member's phone number may securely provided by
providing a button or link on the member's mailbox display 200.
[0060] By referring to Figs. 1 , 3, and 8, the process for signing up a
prospective member to the search free mail domain may be understood. To
access the display shown in Fig. 8, a prospective member would access the
search free member domain from a user computer such as computer 26c,
resulting in the display from Fig. 3 being sent by the web server 22 to the
prospective member's computer 26c where the display is rendered using the
prospective member's browser or other application on the member's
computer. The prospective member would then use the data entry facilities
of computer 26c and application software such as a convention browser to
enter the member's telephone number and would then click the "Join" button
144, indicating his desire to become a member of the search free mail
domain. The telephone number and the join request are then
communicated to the web server using an appropriate protocol such as an
HTTP request, and the server would generate and return the data required to
generate the display shown in Fig. 8. Application software on the member's
computer 26c would render the display and accept user input.
[0061] The new member sign up display includes an entry box 360 for
entering the member's telephone number. Preferably the telephone number
entry box 360 includes the telephone number captured from the initial entry
at the log in screen. The account member then enters his name in the name
entry box 362. Finally the account member selects and enters a password
using the password entry box 364. Preferably, the password is not visibly
displayed while being typed into the password entry box 364, but rather non
descript characters such as asterisks are typed in allowing the prospective
member to keep track of the number of characters entered. In order to
guard against a typographic error resulting in the prospective member not
knowing what actual password is registered, the prospective member is
required to confirm his password by typing the identical password into a
confirmation entry box 366. Clicking the "Sign Up" button 368 transmits the
new member information to the web server 22. To maintain security of the
password information during transport over a public network, information
may be transmitted using a secure protocol such as Secure Socket Layer (SSL)
or a secure connection such as Secure HTTP (S-HTTP) may be used to
transmit the member's sign up data. Secure protocols can be used for any of
the data transmissions between user computers and servers required by the
invention.
[0062] Upon delivery of the new member information to the web server
22, software on the web server 22 verifies completeness and accuracy of the
new member information before establishing the member's account. The
i verification steps include checking that passwords are sufficiently long (have
at least a predetermined minimum number of characters, and that the
confirmation password matches the initial password. The verification step
may include checking that the phone number is a properly formatted number
and that a name for the account has been provided. The use of telephone
numbers as the identification helps insure that a unique account number is
available. Because phone numbers for members are publicly available and
are included on the member's business cards and in public directories, the
problem with searching for the member's e-mail address is eliminated.
[0063] The verification step may further include a request for payment
of a subscription fee. The domain name system may further request that a
method of payment such as a billing address, a credit card account number
or other financial arrangement be made prior to completing the registration.
Personalized information collected for billing purposes does not become part
of the information displayed with the member's business ad page, but the
information is stored securely for retrieval for account billing and account
status purposes. Preferably the information is stored so that it is not
accessible to unauthorized personnel via the Internet.
[0064] After the prospective member has completed the registration
process described above, the prospective member becomes a new member.
Because the new member has not yet designed a business ad web page, a
default business ad web page as illustrated in Fig. 9 will be displayed to
senders who log into the member's web page. Immediately after registration
is complete, the web server generates the default web page shown in Fig. 9.
The default web page displays instructions 370 detailing the process for
creating a new web page.
[0065] To access the facilities for creating a new web page, the new
member logs in to his mail account by entering his password in the password
entry box 172. Upon successfully entering the password, the password is
transmitted to the web server, preferably using a secure protocol. If the
password matches the new member's chosen password, the web server will
allow the new member to access his mail account by transmitting the display
illustrated in Fig. 7 to the member's computer 26c where application
software on the member's computer 26c renders the display. As described
above, members may access the facilities for designing or modifying their
business ad web page by clicking the "Web Design" button 206.
[0066] The web design facility may consist of conventional tools for
designing web pages. For example, clicking the "Web Design" button may
start up web page editor such as Microsoft's FrontPage. Alternatively, the
member may be instructed to upload a pre-designed web page which the
member has designed using any convenient tool. The web design facility
may comprise a facility for selecting a template, which the member modifies
to suit the member's needs. As another alternative, the member may be
presented with a design wizard which queries the member concerning layout
options, background, and other choices, and invites the member to upload
graphics such as a logo, a personal photograph and then generates a web
page based on the member's input. One the design is complete, the
member's business ad web page is stored on the web server 22 and the
location of the page is correlated with the member's identification. The web
server then generates the display illustrated in Fig. 5, displaying the
member's newly created business ad web page. The password entry box is
preferably designed so that the password is not displayed while being typed
into the entry.
[0067] By referring to Figs. 10 and 1 1 , the mail sending and receiving
facilities of the search free mail system may be understood. Beginning with
Fig. 10, the process of sending e-mail between a non-member and a
member will be detailed. Facilities associated with a member A's account are
shown within dotted line 300a while facilities associated with a second
member B's account are shown within dotted line 300b. Non-members such
as users 304 and 306 can log in to the account of a member 302a or 302b
using the respective member's telephone number (blocks 308a and 308b).
As described above, the result of the log in will be the display of the
member's web page (blocks 310a and 310b). From the member's web page,
the non-member users 304 and 306 have access to the publicly available
functionality, the non-members can select the composing e-mail function
(blocks 312a and 312b) from which the non-members can write e-mails
(blocks 314a and 314b) and send the e-mails (blocks 316a and 316b) to the
respective members account via paths 340a or 340b. As previously above,
requiring a non-member sender to log in to a member's account in order to
send mail to the member eliminates the possibility of sending bulk mail to a
member's account. The non-member user is able to send e-mail only to the
member's account into whose business ad web page he has logged. For
example, a non-member 304 logged into the business ad web page 310a of
member A 30Za, cannot address mail to the account of member B 302b,
without first logging out of member A's page and logging into member B's
web page 310b because the search free mail facility automatically addresses
non-member mail with the address of the member's account.
[0068] Members may log into the account of other members using the
non-member facilities, but member users have access to more extensive
electronic mail functions by logging into their own accounts using their own
phone numbers (blocks 308a and 308b). The members may reach their mail
accounts by entering their passwords on their respective business ad web
page (blocks 310a or 310b), which as described above will provide the
member with access to the member's respective mail account. The member
may check the mail server for new mail (blocks 322a or 322b), read the
member's mail (blocks 326a or 326b), or elect to compose mail (blocks 324a
or 324b).
[0069] Referring to Fig. 1 3, the member's facility for composing mail
may be understood. The display for 680 for the member's mail facility
includes a title bar 692 indicating the name of the account member. The
"From" address is specified automatically by the system to be the member's
name and search free mail address. The display includes an address entry
box 682 for specifying one or more destination addresses. The member may
specify addresses both internal to an external to the search free domain
system. The label 688 for the mail indicates "To" rather than "From" as for
the non-member's mail facility. Once the member has completed composing
the mail by specifying the destination addresses and typing the text of the
message into the message entry box 684 the message is submitted for
delivery by pressing the "Send" button 686. Delivery of e-mail to addresses
outside of the search mail domain is via conventional Internet based mail
facilities residing on the mail server 24 shown in Fig. 1 . Mail addressed to
members within the search free domain is stored directly to the respective
member's search free domain mailbox. Members are deterred from using
the system to send bulk e-mails to members because sending members' mail
addresses are included with each outgoing mail. The search mail system
may also maintain a log of mailing activity in order to track patterns of abuse
such as bulk mailing to addresses internal or external to the search free mail
domain.
[0070] Referring again to Fig. 10, members once accessing their mail
accounts by entering their passwords (blocks 320a and 32Ob) have access to
the facility to compose mail (blocks 324a or 324b). Members may write new
mails (blocks 328a and 328b), send those mails (blocks 330a and 330b) and
receive confirmation that the mail has been sent as intended (blocks 332a
and 332b). Members may send e-mail to the mailboxes of other members
via paths 344 or 342. As described above, members may send mail to
external addresses via paths 346 or 348.
[0071] Fig. 1 1 illustrates communication between a search free mail
domain account 500, and a mail account 400 hosted by a conventional
electronic mail provide such as Yahoo.com or hotmail.com. Search free mail
member account 500 is identical the member accounts 300a and 300b
shown in Fig. 10. A registered member of the conventional account 410
logs in to his account by entering his identification (block 402), password
(block 404). Typically the identification is an e-mail address assigned by the
e-mail provider. The conventional electronic mail system verifies the
password and logs the user into the system (block 406). From this point
member 410 can access his mailbox (block 408) to read, compose, and send
new mail. If the user of the conventional mail system attempts to address
mail to the mailbox of a member of the search free mail system 500 via path
418, the conventional system member will be unsuccessful in the attempt
because as described above the search free mail system will not deliver mail
using conventional Internet mailing facilities to a search free mail system
member's inbox.
[0072] Referring again to Fig. 4, the login display includes a button
labeled "Today's Fortune" 146, clicking this button 146 provides access to a
function available to visitors to the site who are non-members and are not
intending to send mail to search free main domain members. When the
"Today's Fortune" button 146 is clicked, the web server generates or retrieves
the web page shown in Fig. 1 2. To access the fortune, the visitor enters a
date of birth in the birth date entry boxes 602a-602c. The web server
retrieves the information entered by the user and displays a daily fortune 605
based on the data entered by the visitor. The display may also include
information about the search free mail domain to encourage visitors to
become members.
[0073] As described above, all mail composed using the search free mail
system addressed to a member is delivered to that member. Alternatively,
facilities may be provided for filtering mail addressed to a member. As
would be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the filtering may be based
on the sender's address or keywords in the subject line or text of the e-mail.
[0074] The identifiers used to access the account are described above
as telephone numbers. Alternatively any other uniquely assigned information
may be used as the identifier for the account. Preferably the identifier is
readily obtainable from public information so that the problem of searching
for the identifier is not introduced.
[0075] It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to
the embodiments described above, but encompasses any and all
embodiments within the scope of the following claims.