Automatic expiration of messages communicated among end user communication devices

摘要

An exemplary method is implemented by a first end-user communication device for processing a received electronic communication that includes a digital packet having a header segment and a user data segment. The user data segment contains a first command and a user message, where the first command contains a first parameter representing automatic expiration and an associated first value representing how long the user message will be available for display by the first end-user communication device. Under the control of an enhanced services application program, the user message in clear text format is generated for display on a screen of the first end-user communication device. A determination is made of the expiration of the time set by the first value, and upon the expiration, the clear text user message is thereafter prevented from being accessed by the first end-user communication device.

主权项

1. A method for processing by a first end-user communication device a received electronic communication, the method comprising the steps of:
receiving the electronic communication by the first end-user communication device where the electronic communication comprises a digital packet having a user message and an automatic expiration command, the automatic expiration command representing that access to the user message is to be inhibited after a time specified by the automatic expiration command; under the control of an enhanced services application program, displaying the user message on a screen of the first end-user communication device after determining that access to the user message is not to be inhibited pursuant to the automatic expiration command; upon determining by the enhanced services application program that access to the user message is to be inhibited pursuant to the automatic expiration command, preventing the user message from being accessed by the first end-user communication device; restoring messages to an inbox of the first end-user communication device from a file created by storage of messages previously contained in the inbox, one of the messages stored in the file having an automatic expiration command indicating that the one message is to expire at a specified date and time, the restoring step including determining by the enhanced services application pro-am for each stored message prior to the message being restored in the inbox if an automatic expiration command is present in the message, upon determining that the one stored message contains an automatic expiration command that specifies a date and time that has already occurred preventing the one message from being restored to the inbox.