Configurable Electronic Messaging System That Maintains Recipient Privacy

Abstract

A messaging service allows message senders to reach a web site owner in the way the owner wants. Users authorized by the owner drop a message into the message service of a site owner, and it gets delivered to the site owner in exactly the manner specified by the site owner. The site owner can organize incoming messages by time, calendar, user, viewing method, etc. The site owner can receive messages in the way she wants, but all her friends need to know is one address, the owner's site address.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An electronic messaging system, comprising:
 a message server accessible over a communications network;   software executing on said message server receiving account data from a message recipient, the account data including at least one mailbox address associated with the message recipient and at least one message routing rule, the at least one mailbox address including at least one of a phone number and an email address;   a selectable message link presented on a web page to, upon selection, send a message to the message recipient without providing the at least one mailbox address of the message recipient;   software executing on said message server receiving information from a message sender over the communications network, the information including a selection of the selectable message link and a message;   software executing on said message server determining, based at least in part upon the at least one message routing rule and the information, the at least one mailbox address to route the message to; and   software executing on said message server routing the message to the determined mailbox address over the communications network.   
     
     
         2 . The system according to  claim 1 , further comprising:
 software executing on said message server determining, based at least in part upon the account data and the information, whether the message sender is authorized to send the message to the message recipient.   
     
     
         3 . The system according to  claim 2 , wherein said software determining whether the message sender is authorized to send the message to the message recipient compares the information to the account data to identify unauthorized information. 
     
     
         4 . The system according to  claim 1 , wherein the at least one message routing rule includes at least one message block rule indicative of at least one of a plurality of message senders or at least one of a plurality of selectable message links for which messages will not be routed to the message recipient. 
     
     
         5 . The system according to  claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of selectable message links, wherein the account data includes a plurality of mailbox addresses, and wherein the at least one message routing rule identifies, for each of the plurality selectable message links, one of the plurality of mailbox addresses to route messages. 
     
     
         6 . The system according to  claim 1 , wherein the said selectable message link is comprised in a thumbnail image. 
     
     
         7 . The system according to  claim 1 , further comprising message recipient hardware in communication with said message server via the communications network, the message recipient hardware comprising one or more of the following: a computer, a laptop, a mobile device and a smartphone. 
     
     
         8 . The system according to  claim 1 , further comprising message sender hardware in communication with said message server via the communications network, the message sender hardware comprising one or more of the following: a computer, a laptop, a mobile device and a smartphone. 
     
     
         9 . The system according to  claim 8 , wherein the web page is accessed via the message sender hardware. 
     
     
         10 . The system according to  claim 1 , wherein the at least one message routing rule instructs routing of the message based on a message sender identity. 
     
     
         11 . The system according to  claim 1 , wherein the at least one message routing rule instructs routing of the message based on a time of the message. 
     
     
         12 . The system according to  claim 1 , wherein at least one message routing rule is comprise a matrix dependent upon two or more of the following parameters: a message sender identity, a time of day, a day of the week and a particular date. 
     
     
         13 . The system according to  claim 1 , wherein the at least one message routing rule specifies one or more formats in which the message recipient desires to receive messages. 
     
     
         14 . The system according to  claim 13 , further comprising message reformat software executing on said message server for translating the message into a specified format before routing the message to the at least one mailbox address. 
     
     
         15 . The system according to  claim 1 , wherein the message is received from the message sender via a non-public electronic mailbox address which is not displayed on the web page. 
     
     
         16 . An electronic messaging system, comprising:
 a message server accessible over a communications network;   a database comprising account data for a message recipient, the account data including a plurality of mailbox addresses associated with the message recipient and a plurality of message routing rules, the plurality of mail addresses including at least one of a phone number and an email address;   a selectable message link to, upon selection, send a message to the message recipient without providing one of the plurality of mailbox addresses of the message recipient;   software executing on said message server receiving from a message sender over the communications network a selection of the selectable message link and a message;   software executing on said message server determining, based at least in part upon the plurality of message routing rules, at least one of the plurality of mailbox addresses to route the message to; and   software executing on said message server routing the message to the determined mailbox address over the communications network.   
     
     
         17 . The system according to  claim 16 , further comprising:
 software executing on said message server for determining, based at least in part upon the account data, whether the message sender is authorized to send the message to the message recipient.   
     
     
         18 . The system according to  claim 16 , wherein the message is received from the message sender via a non-public electronic mailbox address which is not displayed on the web page. 
     
     
         19 . A method of routing electronic messages, comprising the steps of:
 providing a message server accessible over a communications network;   storing, via software executing on the message server, account data from a first messenger, the account data including at least one mailbox address associated with the first messenger and at least one message routing rule, the at least one mailbox address including at least one of a phone number and an email address;   displaying a selectable message link on a web page to, upon selection, send a message to the first messenger without providing the at least one mailbox address of the first messenger;   receiving, via software executing on the message server, information from a second messenger over the communications network, the information including a selection of the selectable message link and a message;   determining, based at least in part upon the at least one message routing rule and the information, the at least one mailbox address to route the message to; and   routing the message to the determined mailbox address over the communications network.   
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19 , further comprising the steps of:
 determining, via software executing on the message server, whether the second messenger is authorized to send the message to the first messenger, based at least in part on the account data and the information, prior to routing the message to the determined mailbox address.