Patent ID: 7251676

Claim:
A method for handling an information item ( 10 ) which originates from an information provider, is made available by a service provider and can be called via a communications network, comprising the following method steps: a) having the service provider allocate an ident code ( 15 ) which identifies the information item ( 10 ) to the information provider; b) transferring the information item ( 10 ) from the information provider to the service provider, and making the transferred information item ( 10 ) publicly accessible at an identified address on the communication network; c) determining whether the ident code ( 15 ) has been transmitted to the service provider by the information provider within a monitoring period, deleting the information item from the service provider if the ident code has not been transmitted, and resetting the monitoring period and repeating step c) if the ident code has been transmitted to the service provider by the information provider; wherein the ident code is different from the identified address on the communication network.