Directory with options for access to and display of email addresses

US6108691A · kind A · utility

Assignee

• Switchboard Incorporated · US

Inventors

• Eugene H. Lee · Cambridge, US
• Michael Adler · Nürnberg, DE
• Lisa A. Dalton · Johnston, US
• David A. Wright · Solana Beach, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Apr 17, 1998
• Grant date: Aug 22, 2000
• Expiry date: Apr 17, 2018

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G06Q10/107
• WIPO field: IT methods for management
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

A directory service allows a user to receive email messages from senders without requiring the user to reveal his/her email address. The directory service maintains users' email addresses but allows users to restrict the display of their email addresses. The directory service can cause a message to be sent from a sender to a recipient without revealing the recipient's email address.