Web-based communications addressing system and method

Abstract

A system and method is provided for sending and receiving authorized messages from a sender to a recipient in a network utilizing a Web-based mail server. The Web-based mail server communicates with a user via HTML or another general purpose language. The mail system makes use of a channelized address to send the message from the sender to the recipient. The channelized address comprises a common address portion that indicates the identity of the recipient in the network and a channel identifier portion for verifying that the message is authorized for delivery to the recipient.

1 . A server for handling messages transmitted to and from a plurality of clients over a network, the messages having addresses attached to them, the server comprising: 
 a network interface for communicating with the clients by transferring a markup language using a network protocol;    a mail server for sending and receiving messages over the network;    a channels assignment manager for assigning channel identifiers to be used as parts of the addresses; and    a channels gateway for determining whether messages are authorized messages based upon said channel identifiers.    
   
   
       2 . The server of  claim 1 , wherein said network protocol is a protocol for rendering using a markup language rendering tool  
   
   
       3 . The server of  claim 2 , wherein the markup language rendering tool is a browser.  
   
   
       4 . The server of  claim 2 , wherein said network protocol is selected from the group of protocols consisting of WAP and HTTP.  
   
   
       5 . The server of  claim 1 , wherein the markup language is a language selected from a group consisting of XML, HTML, SGML and WML.  
   
   
       6 . The server of  claim 1 , further comprising a message store for storing said messages.  
   
   
       7 . The server of  claim 6 , wherein messages received by the mail server from the network are filtered by the channels gateway before being stored in the message store.  
   
   
       8 . The server of  claim 7 , wherein the channel processing server performs a preliminary function on the messages before they are stored in the message store.  
   
   
       9 . The server of  claim 8 , wherein the preliminary function is stripping channel identifiers from the addresses.  
   
   
       10 . The server of  claim 8 , wherein the preliminary function is verifying digital signatures contained in the messages.  
   
   
       11 . The server of  claim 8 , wherein the preliminary function is decrypting the message.  
   
   
       12 . The server of  claim 1 , further comprising a personal channel agent for administering channels.  
   
   
       13 . The server of  claim 12 , wherein the network interface comprises at least one channel control page for transmission to and from said client allowing the client to access the personal channel agent.  
   
   
       14 . The server of  claim 13 , wherein the network interface further comprises at least one email administration page for transmission to and from said client.  
   
   
       15 . (canceled)  
   
   
       16 . A method for presenting a message to a recipient in a network, the message having an address for sending the message from a sender to the recipient wherein the address comprises a common address portion that indicates the identity of the recipient in the network and a channel identifier portion for verifying that the message is authorized, the method comprising the step of: 
 transmitting to the recipient for simultaneous display, information in the message and an identification of at least one correspondent from whom messages containing the channel identifier portion of the address are authorized.    
   
   
       17 . The method of  claim 16 , further comprising the step of providing at least one function for the recipient to manipulate said identification of correspondents.  
   
   
       18 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein said at least one function includes a function for closing a channel identified by the identifier portion of the address.  
   
   
       19 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein said transmitting step comprises transmitting using a markup language.  
   
   
       20 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein said transmitting step comprises transmitting using a network protocol for rendering using a markup language rendering tool.  
   
   
       21 . The method of  claim 20 , wherein the markup language rendering tool is a browser.  
   
   
       22 . The method of  claim 20 , wherein said network protocol is selected from a group consisting of HTTP and WAP.  
   
   
       23 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein the markup language is a language selected from a group consisting of XML, HTML, SGML and WML.  
   
   
       24 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the channel identifier portion is a substantially unguessable portion of the address.  
   
   
       25 . A method for authenticating mail sent through a network from a first correspondent to a second correspondent, comprising: 
 assigning a channel identifier for use by the first correspondent in sending messages addressed to the second correspondent;    storing said channel identifier in an open channel database;    receiving through the network from the first correspondent a message addressed using a modified address of the second correspondent wherein said channel identifier is added to an address identifying the second correspondent in the network;    verifying that the channel identifier in the modified address is in the open channel database, and    transmitting though the network to the second correspondent for simultaneous display information derived from the message and information derived from the open channel database.    
   
   
       26 . The method of  claim 25 , wherein the information derived from the message includes at least part of a non-address portion of a header of the message  
   
   
       27 . The method of  claim 25  wherein said transmitting step comprises transmitting using a markup language.  
   
   
       28 . The method of  claim 27 , wherein said transmitting step comprises transmitting using a network protocol for rendering using a markup language rendering tool.  
   
   
       29 . The method of  claim 28 , wherein the markup language rendering tool is a browser.  
   
   
       30 . The method of  claim 28 , wherein said network protocol is selected from a group consisting of HTTP and WAP.  
   
   
       31 . The method of  claim 27 , wherein the markup language is a language selected from a group consisting of XML, HTML, SGML and WML.  
   
   
       32 . The method of  claim 25 , wherein said channel identifier is substantially unguessable.  
   
   
       33 . A method for presenting a message to a recipient in a network, the message having an address to send the message from a sender to the recipient wherein the address comprises a common address portion that indicates the identity of the recipient in the network and a channel identifier portion for verifying that the message is authorized for delivery to the recipient, the method comprising the step of: 
 transmitting to the recipient for simultaneous display, an email administration pane and a channel administration pane.