Methods and systems to provide a message in a messaging system without revealing an identity of the sending party

US6608888B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• BELLSOUTH INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY CORPORATION · US

Inventors

• James Carlton Bedingfield, Sr. · Lilburn, US
• Navneet Patel · Marietta, US
• Emily A. Candell · Waltham, US
• Ann V. McLaughlin · Sudbury, US
• Robert E. Braudes · Erie, US
• Janice C. Chung · Lexington, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Sep 25, 2001
• Grant date: Aug 19, 2003
• Expiry date: Sep 25, 2021

Classification

• Technology area (CPC H): Electricity
• CPC primary: H04Q3/0045
• WIPO field: Telecommunications
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

Methods and systems to send a message from a sending party to a recipient without the message revealing an identity of the sending party. The identity may be the name of the sending party, a calling line number associated with a calling line of the sending party, or an e-mail address of the sending party. The message may be a reply to a previous message or a forwarding message of an earlier message. In response to a message being received, a check is made to determine whether an anonymity feature is enabled for all messages received from the sending party, or whether the anonymity feature is enabled for the message. In response to finding the anonymity feature enabled for all messages or for the message, an anonymity indicator is included with the message. The presence of the anonymity indicator has the effect of withholding the identity of the sending party when the message is made available to or retrieved by the recipient. Despite the withholding of the identity of the sending party, the recipient may reply to the message. An embodiment provides that a message including an anonymity indicator may be rejected instead of routed to the recipient.