Patent ID: 8156192

Claim:
In a multi-user e-mail messaging system interfaced through the Internet and including at least a first user group sharing at least a first server, which first server is, in turn, interfaced to the Internet such that any user of the first user group may compose an e-mail message for transfer to an intended recipient selected as at least one of another user in the first user group and a remote user interfaced to the Internet by a connection other than said first server, said e-mail message including a header section, which contains information regarding the originating user and the intended recipient, an apparatus comprising: a first arrangement for directing the e-mail message onto an e-mail enhancement path, after said e-mail message has been composed and sent via a standard messaging protocol by an originating user of the first user group, and configured for (i) receiving the e-mail message at said first server, (ii) altering the e-mail message including separating and modifying the header section in a predetermined way by inactivating said information regarding the originating user and intended recipient contained in the header section, and adding an alternate header section containing active information regarding an alternate sender and an alternate message recipient, and (iii) directing the altered e-mail message to a second server located on the e-mail enhancement path; a second arrangement for adding additional rich media content to said e-mail message using the e-mail enhancement path to produce an enhanced e-mail message; and a third arrangement for directing the enhanced e-mail message from the e-mail enhancement path to the intended recipient.