Patent ID: 8799386

Claim:
A method implemented by a first end-user communication device for processing the receipt of an email, the method comprising: receiving the email that comprises a digital packet having a header and a user data segment, the user data segment containing a user message and an acknowledgement command where the acknowledgement command conveys a request from an originating device to acknowledge receipt of the subject email; preventing the display on a screen of the first end-user communication device of content of the received user message until input on the first end-user communication device is entered authorizing a reply to the acknowledgement request; upon receiving the input authorizing the reply: automatically generating by the first end-user communication device and transmitting a reply email with an acknowledgement to the originating device corresponding to the subject email; enabling the display of the content of the corresponding received user message on the screen of the first end-user communication device; and storing in the first end-user communication device a read message indicator having a value that represents that the reply email was authorized and the content of the received email enabled to be displayed; and wherein the email is transmitted from the originating device by using either simple mail transfer protocol or hypertext transfer protocol for delivery of the email to the first end-user communication device.