Patent ID: 8108476

Claim:
In a messaging system interfaced through the Internet, a method for processing a message from a sender and intended for delivery to at least one recipient, which sender is interfaced to the Internet through a sender server capable of communicating with a recipient server, said method comprising: at said sender server, receiving from said sender a plurality of discrete data packets for use in defining said message, at least one of said plurality of discrete data packets including recipient information and at least another one of said plurality of discrete data packets including message body; directing said plurality of discrete data packets through an application program interface to one of a plurality of external applications for performing at least one of (i) modifying said plurality of discrete data packets according to a first predetermined set of rules, (ii) adding additional data packets to said plurality of discrete data packets according to a second predetermined set of rules, and (iii) ordering said plurality of discrete data packets according to a third predetermined set of rules, and, consequently, for providing a plurality of resultant data packets; receiving said plurality of resultant data packets from said one of a plurality of external applications through said application program interface; if a group of messages is scheduled for delivery, ordering said plurality of resultant data packets within the group of messages based on said recipient information such that sending messages directed to a particular domain within the group of messages is evenly distributed over time; generating said message by combining at least a portion of said plurality of resultant data packets; establishing a connection through the Internet from said sender server to said recipient server; and directing said message through said connection to said recipient server for delivery to said recipient.