Message distribution warning indication

Abstract

An apparatus and method for receiving and sending messages from a communication device is disclosed. Message recipient information is compared to stored information for potential recipients to determine whether a characteristic of the expression of the message on a device display should be changed such that the user perceives an unavoidable visual indication relating to the result of the comparison.

1 . A communication device configured to receive and send messages, comprising:
 a user interface including an input device for accepting identification of a recipient for a message including content, and a display for expressing said message to a user;   a microprocessor and associated memory, coupled to said user interface;   wherein said memory maintains a list of identifications of potential recipients and said microprocessor executes a stored program to compare said identifications in said list of potential recipients to said identification of said recipient and to unavoidably signal to the user via said display that said comparison has determined that said recipient identification has been found in said list.   
   
   
       2 . The communication device of  claim 1  wherein said display is adapted to unavoidably signal to the user by changing the background color of said message expressed in said display. 
   
   
       3 . The communication device of  claim 1  wherein said display is adapted to unavoidably signal to the user by changing the color of the window frame of said message expressed in said display. 
   
   
       4 . The communication device of  claim 1  wherein said accepted identification of a recipient and said maintained a list of identifications of potential recipients further comprises an email address or email address domain of a recipient and a list of email addresses or email address domains of potential recipients, respectively. 
   
   
       5 . The communication device of  claim 1  wherein said accepted identification of a recipient and said maintained a list of identifications of potential recipients further comprises a session key representation of a recipient and a list of session key representations of potential recipients, respectively. 
   
   
       6 . The communication device of  claim 1  wherein said memory further comprises a maintained second list of second identifications of potential recipients to be compared to a second identification of said recipient and said display adapted to unavoidably signal to the user via said display that said comparison has determined that at least one of said recipient identification and said recipient second identification has been found in said list. 
   
   
       7 . The communication device of  claim 1  further comprising a receiver for receiving said message when said message is addressed to said user. 
   
   
       8 . The communication device of  claim 1  further comprising a transmitter for sending said message to said recipient 
   
   
       9 . A method of receiving and sending messages from a communication device, comprising the steps of:
 accepting identification of a recipient for a message including content from an input device;   expressing said message to a user via a display;   maintaining a list of identifications of potential recipients in a memory associated with a microprocessor;   comparing said identifications in said list of potential recipients to said identification of said recipient; and   changing a characteristic of the expression of said message on said display to unavoidably signal to the user via said display that said comparison has determined that said recipient identification has been found in said list.   
   
   
       10 . The method of  claim 9  wherein said changing a characteristic further comprises a changing of the background color of said message expressed in said display. 
   
   
       11 . The method of  claim 9  wherein said changing a characteristic further comprises a changing of the background grayscale pattern of said message expressed in said display. 
   
   
       12 . The method of  claim 9  wherein said changing a characteristic further comprises a changing of the color of the window frame of said message expressed in said display. 
   
   
       13 . The method of  claim 9  wherein said accepting identification of a recipient and said maintaining a list of identifications of potential recipients further comprises accepting email address or email address domain of a recipient and maintaining a list of email addresses or email address domains of potential recipients. 
   
   
       14 . The method of  claim 9  wherein said accepting identification of a recipient and said maintaining a list of identifications of potential recipients further comprises decrypting a session key representation of a recipient and maintaining a list of session key representations of potential recipients. 
   
   
       15 . The method of  claim 9  further comprising:
 maintaining a second list of second identifications of potential recipients in a memory associated with a microprocessor;   comparing said second identifications in said list of potential recipients to a second identification of said recipient; and   changing a second characteristic of the expression of said message on said display to unavoidably signal to the user via said display that said comparison has determined that at least one of said recipient identification and said recipient second identification has been found in said list.   
   
   
       16 . A computer readable medium having stored therein a set of instructions that when executed cause a computer to implement a process of receiving and sending messages, said instructions comprising the steps of:
 accepting identification of a recipient for a message including content from an input device;   displaying said message and identification to a user;   maintaining a list of identifications of potential recipients;   comparing said identifications in said list of potential recipients to said identification of said recipient; and   unavoidably signaling to the user via said display that said comparison has determined that said recipient identification has been found in said list.   
   
   
       17 . The computer readable medium of  claim 16  wherein said unavoidably signaling to the user further comprises a changing of the background color of said message expressed in said display. 
   
   
       18 . The computer readable medium of  claim 16  wherein said unavoidably signaling to the user further comprises a changing of the background grayscale pattern of said message expressed in said display. 
   
   
       19 . The computer readable medium of  claim 16  wherein said unavoidably signaling to the user further comprises a changing of the color of the window frame of said message expressed in said display. 
   
   
       20 . The computer readable medium of  claim 16  wherein said accepting identification of a recipient and said maintaining a list of identifications of potential recipients further comprises accepting email address or email address domain of a recipient and maintaining a list of email addresses or email address domains of potential recipients. 
   
   
       21 . The computer readable medium of  claim 16  wherein said accepting identification of a recipient and said maintaining a list of identifications of potential recipients further comprises decrypting a session key representation of a recipient and maintaining a list of session key representations of potential recipients. 
   
   
       22 . The computer readable medium of  claim 16  further comprising the steps of:
 maintaining a second list of second identifications of potential recipients;   comparing said second identifications in said list of potential recipients to a second identification of said recipient; and   unavoidably signaling to the user via said display that said comparison has determined that at least one of said recipient identification and said recipient second identification has been found in said list.   
   
   
       23 . A method of receiving and sending messages from a communication device, comprising the steps of:
 accepting identification of a recipient for a message including content from an input device;   expressing said message to a user via a display;   maintaining a list of identifications of potential recipients in a memory associated with a microprocessor;   comparing said identifications in said list of potential recipients to said identification of said recipient; and   preventing the changing of a characteristic of the expression of said message on said display to unavoidably signal to the user via said display that said comparison has determined that said recipient identification has been found in said list.   
   
   
       24 . The method of  claim 23  wherein said accepting identification of a recipient and said maintaining a list of identifications of potential recipients further comprises accepting email address or email address domain of a recipient and maintaining a list of email addresses or email address domains of potential recipients. 
   
   
       25 . The method of  claim 23  wherein said accepting identification of a recipient and said maintaining a list of identifications of potential recipients further comprises decrypting a session key representation of a recipient and maintaining a list of session key representations of potential recipients. 
   
   
       26 . A computer readable medium having stored therein a set of instructions that when executed cause a computer to implement a process of receiving and sending messages, said instructions comprising the steps of:
 accepting identification of a recipient for a message including content from an input device;   displaying said message and identification to a user;   maintaining a list of identifications of potential recipients;   comparing said identifications in said list of potential recipients to said identification of said recipient; and   preventing an unavoidable signaling to the user via said display when said comparison has determined that said recipient identification has been found in said list.   
   
   
       27 . The computer readable medium of  claim 26  wherein said accepting identification of a recipient and said maintaining a list of identifications of potential recipients further comprises accepting email address or email address domain of a recipient and maintaining a list of email addresses or email address domains of potential recipients. 
   
   
       28 . The computer readable medium of  claim 26  wherein said accepting identification of a recipient and said maintaining a list of identifications of potential recipients further comprises decrypting a session key representation of a recipient and maintaining a list of session key representations of potential recipients.