Patent ID: 6381634
Filing Date: 2002-04-30
Classification: H04L,H04Q

Abstract:
An Internet service control point, whereby an Internet user may change Internet Service Providers (ISPs) while maintaining a given well-known e-mail address, implemented by a computer, the Internet service control point comprising:an address designator that distinguishes the Internet service control point from an ISP; an e-mail address database having at least a well-known e-mail address field for storing at least part of a well-known e-mail address as a well-known e-mail address value, and a literal e-mail address field for storing a literal e-mail address value that corresponds to the well-known e-mail address value, said well-known e-mail address including a service control point indicator configured for alerting at least one of an ISP and an e-mail program to request an e-mail address translation from said well-known e-mail address to a corresponding literal e-mail address, to which e-mail is to be actually delivered; and a transaction processing object that, when called by an e-mail address translation request from at least one of said message initiating ISP and said sender's e-mail application program, the request having said well-known e-mail address value, accesses said e-mail address database, translates said well-known e-mail address value to said corresponding literal e-mail address value, and returns the corresponding literal e-mail address value to at least one of said message initiating ISP and said sender's e-mail application program, whereby an e-mail message is transmitted directly from at least one of said message initiating ISP and said sender's e-mail application program to said literal e-mail address, thereby bypassing said Internet service control point.