Patent ID: 7543025

Claim:
An address inquiry system for informing an inquirer of a new address of a changer based on an old address of the changer via an Internet, the old address having been changed to the new address, the system comprising: a data base relationally storing at least the old address, the new address, and an address disclosing condition capable of setting a condition whereby the changer judges whether to give permission to disclose the new address such that the changer controls who has access to the new address; a means for searching the new address corresponding to the old address and the address disclosing condition from the data base when the inquirer sends an inquiry including the old address; a means for making the changer confirm whether the new address is disclosed when the address disclosing condition in searching includes the set condition; a means for informing the inquirer of the new address via the system when the changer permits the disclosure of the new address; and a means for refusing an inquiry from the inquirer via the system when the changer refuses to permit the disclosure of the new address, wherein the data base includes a list of specific inquirers who are refused inquiries about the new address, wherein the means for refusing adds the inquirer to the list and informs the inquirer that the inquiry is refused when the changer refuses to permit the disclosure of the new address, and refuses a subsequent inquiry from the inquirer included in the list until the changer changes a refusal status for the inquirer, and wherein, if the inquirer inquires of the new address twice and was refused, then future requests from the inquirers to the changer are not forwarded to the changer.