WO2005119992A1

WO2005119992A1 - A system for and method of storing and sending messages

Info

Publication number: WO2005119992A1
Application number: PCT/AU2005/000598
Authority: WO
Inventors: James Edward Murray
Original assignee: Living Memory International Pty Limited
Priority date: 2004-06-04
Filing date: 2005-04-29
Publication date: 2005-12-15

Abstract

The invention provides a message storage and sending system and method. The invention is particularly suitable for use by the Internet. The system of the invention has data storage means for storing information relating to a user. Also stored is information relating to a first addressee selected by the user and a second addressee selected by the user. The system includes message storage means for storing both a general message and a private message. After data input means in the system receives information as to a trigger event (such as death of the user), the system can send a general message to the first addressee and, optionally, the second addressee. The system is designed to send a private message to the second addressee after input of the trigger event information. The private message is scheduled to be sent at a preselected time interval or on a preselected day and month, subsequent to receipt of the trigger event information.

Description

A System for and Method of Storing and Sending Messages

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a system for and method of storing and sending messages. In particular, the invention is suitable to be used for storing messages to be 5 sent to designated recipients, following the death of a person using the system.

Background of the Invention

The invention is based upon the desire to provide a system and method which can permit an individual to compose an epitaph, store personal or private messages intended for others and to ensure that the epitaph and the personal or private messages o are not released until after verification of the death of the individual.

Object of the Invention

It is an object of the present invention to provide a system for and method of storing and sending messages which is capable of providing the abovementioned service, but which also provides facility for storing messages to be sent at a predetermined time or 5 date after verification of death.

Disclosure of the Invention

Accordingly, this invention provides a message storage and sending system including:

(a) data storage means for storing information relating to a user;

(b) data storage means for storing information relating to a first addressee0 selected by the user;

(c) data storage means for storing information relating to a second addressee selected by the user;

(d) message storage means for storing a general message;

(e) message storage means for storing a private message; (f) data input means for receiving information relating to a trigger event;

(g) means for sending the general message to the first addressee subsequent to input of the trigger event information; and

(h) means for sending the private message to the second addressee subsequent to input of the trigger event information ,wherein the means is adapted to send the private message at a preselected time interval or on a preselected day and month subsequent to receipt of the trigger event information.

The invention also provides a method for storing and sending messages, the method including the steps of: (a) storing information relating to a user;

(b) storing information relating to a first addressee selected by the user;

(c) storing information relating to a second addressee selected by the user;

(d) storing a general message;

(e) storing a private message; (f) receiving information relating to a trigger event;

(g) sending the general message to the first addressee subsequent to receipt of the trigger event information; and

(h) sending the private message to the second addressee after a preselected time interval or on a preselected day and month subsequent to receipt of the trigger event information.

Preferably, the system and method of the invention uses the Internet and preferably the user is a subscriber to or member of a website on the Internet.

A single database may be used to store the information relating to the user and the information relating to the first and second addressees, provided the database distinguishes between the user and the addressees. The first addressees and the second addressees may be in a single contact list, in which the first addressees, who are to receive the general message are designated and the second addressees, who are to receive the private message, are designated. Each addressee may be designated as both a first and second addressee, or the user may choose to designate some members of the contact list as first addressee only, some members of the contact list as second addressees only, and some members of the contact list as both first and second addressees. There may be some members of the contact list who are not designated as any addressee.

The contact list may be stored in the same database as that used to store information relating to the user, as well as the general and private messages.

Typically, the user will be an individual wishing to alleviate some of the burden which would normally fall on the user's relatives and friends following the user's death. The user's intention would be to provide names and addresses of persons whom the user wished to be notified upon the user's death and such persons would qualify as "first addressees", who would receive a general message. The user may choose to send the general message to some of all of the second addressees, also. The user may also intend to have a private message sent to a second addressee. There may be a number of second addressees, and a number of private messages, each composed by the user to be sent to a specified second addressee.

From the above it will be appreciated that, preferably, the trigger event is the death of the user. However, it is within the scope of this invention that the trigger event may be some other event, such as the birth of a child, where the user wishes to send a general announcement about the birth to selected first addressees and a personal or private message to any one or more of selected second addressees.

The general and private messages may be stored in any suitable manner. As envisaged above, preferably, the general message and the private messages are composed by the user and stored for release following the trigger event.

Preferably, the content and arrangement of the general and private messages can be altered as often as required by the user prior to the trigger event. The private messages may include legal details, such as the location of the user's will, legal representative details and executor details.

The preferred form of the invention is an online arrangement whereby a user logs on to a website as a member to arrange messages, etc.

Preferably, the user logs on to the website periodically to confirm that the user is still living. If the user has not logged on during a predetermined interval, the system and method of the invention may cause the user to be contacted by email or the like, to remind the user to log on to the site. Once another predetermined period of time has elapsed, a trusted referee maybe contacted to confirm the status of the user. Preferably, the trusted referee is contacted by email or the like.

Preferably, the system and method of the invention requires verification of the trigger event by a preselected person - for example, the trusted referee referred to above. Preferably, the system and method of the invention requires verification by at least three such referees. Where the trigger event is the death of the user, part of the verification procedure may require a certified copy of the death certificate. It is more preferable, however, that the system and method of the invention is designed to operate automatically to send the general message as soon as the required number of referees has logged on to the website and has verified the occurrence of the trigger event. Private messages which have been selected by the user to be sent at this time may also be sent automatically.

Where the trigger event is not the death of the user, the system and method of the invention may accept verification by the user alone.

Where the trigger event is the death of the user, preferably the general message comprises or includes an epitaph composed in advance by the user and stored in a membership website. Optionally, once the trigger event information has been received, the general message is sent not only to the first addressee or addressees, but also to a separate death notice website and/or to an entity such as a newspaper which publishes death notices.

Alternately, it is an option with the present invention that the epitaph is flagged as private, so that it can be accessed only by preselected first and/or second addressees. The system of the invention may provide means for addressees to leave comments on the website. Such comments can also be flagged as private.

The general and private messages may be sent by any suitable means, including email, 5 post or other methods as specified by the user. The messages can take any form of multimedia type messages. When the messages are to be sent by post, the letters can be prepared when setting up or updating the arrangement or can be electronically stored to be printed out and posted at the appropriate time. In a preferred form, the letters can be printed and posted in the country of the addressee. Any addressee may be o designated to receive a general or private message by email, by post or by any other transmission means.

The private messages are to be sent to the second addressees at a preselected time interval or on a preselected day and month, in both cases subsequent to receipt of the trigger event information. (Optionally, private messages may be sent to the second5 addressees upon receipt of the trigger event information, in a similar manner to the general messages, although each second addressee is to receive an individual private message in this option). The message to be sent after the preselected time interval or on a preselected day or month is intended to be particular to the interval or day and month. For example, when the trigger event is death of the user, a private message may be0 scheduled to be sent to a child of the user on the child's birthday (preselected day and month). The user may choose to repeat the private message to be sent on the birthday on every birthday occurring after the user's death. As another option, the user may compose a separate private message for each birthday, or a separate private message for "milestone" birthdays, for example, when the child turns 18, 21, 30, 40, etc. 5 The private message may be sent after a preselected time interval, such as three months after the trigger event or annually on the anniversary of the trigger event. The system and method of the invention may allow the user to select a wide range of time intervals and preselected days and months for sending private messages after the trigger event.

The system and method of the invention may include many other features, some of0 which will be discussed below, in the context of the user being a member of or subscriber to a website.

Once the user has registered as a member, the user may be able to set up the user's profile and preferences and confirm what information is to be made public and what information is to be kept private.

The user may be able to load names and addresses of contacts to be categorised as first addressees or second addressees, directly from the user's own email system. Alternately, the user may be able to key in such information manually. The user can nominate which of the contacts is to be in the category of the first addressee, so that those contacts will be sent the general message after the trigger event. The general message may be sent automatically upon input of the trigger event information.

The user may have facility to publish the user's life story on the website. The user may invite the user's contacts - first addressees or second addressees - to contribute to parts of the user's life story.

The website may permit the user to generate blogs - online logs - relating to specific groups - involved in, for example, sport, a profession, family or other special interest. Any of the members in the user's contact list maybe designated as having access to a user's blog.

The website may enable the user to publish the user's own portal page which could feature a snapshot of the user's life story and which may optionally include photographs, time lines, family trees, etc. The portal page may in effect represent a time capsule reflecting the user and the user's thoughts and can include the epitaph of the user. Other subscribers to the website, including relatives and friends of the user, may be able to view the user's portal page once the user chooses to make it available to them. The life story may include links to other members from the user's contact list, so that the life story can have a wealth of detail which may be explored, as desired, by an authorised viewer.

The website may enable the user to set up post-death instructions, farewell messages, epitaph and preset private messages. Importantly, the website may set up a current contact database for the user. This database may be automatically synchronised with every other person on the user's contact list - including the first addressees and second addressees. This can make it simple to manage relationships of the user across the user's different networks. Thus, a change in email address notified by a contact can effect a change in that email address wherever it is located in the user's list of contacts, including as first or second addressees. It is helpful if each contact is required to register with the website in order to maintain synchronicity.

The website may enable the user to invite members of the contact list, including first and second addressees, to contribute to the user's life story, or join a blog community and contribute. Through the website, the user may ask family and friends to undertake certain responsibilities upon the death of the user, for example, to carry out the user's final instructions.

The user is able to nominate contacts, including the first and second addressees, who may have access to any portal page of the user. The nominated persons may be automatically alerted when there has been new material posted to the portal page. Similarly, the system may alert the user when a third party has added something new to the portal page or to their blog.

The system and method of the invention may also allow the user to search other members of the website, to find individuals who may share a history, interests or other characteristics in common with the user.

Best Mode of Carrying Out the Invention

The invention will now be described in relation to a non-limiting embodiment thereof.

In this embodiment, there is provided an online membership based service that allows individuals to compose, maintain and schedule the delivery of personal private messages, letters and/or notices to family, friends and/or associates in the event of death.

A member can leave separate personal and private messages for each person in the family or may leave many different messages for the same person, each to be delivered one at different times over many years, eg, birthdays.

The member can ensure that friends and family are notified of the member's death in a timely manner. Notification can be in the form of a death notice.

The member can create the member's own epitaph in advance and this can be posted on the Internet on general or restricted sites.

A member can also ensure that location and details of the member's will are known.

The system provides for online notification of death, and optionally the sending of death notices to newspapers and generation of messages to be sent by email or post. Messages are available in multimedia form stored in databases with the associated information about members and addressees for the messages.

First, an individual joins the system. The individual may choose to take up one of two or more types of membership. For example, the individual may take up associate membership, in which case the individual will have limited access to certain parts of the system. For example, an associate member may be able to set up the associate member's profile, have access to a mail in-box, be able to contact the manager of the system, be able to conduct a search of members, be able to contribute to other members' information and be able to compose a farewell message to selected contacts.

Full membership, on the other hand, may give the member access to all the services provided to an associate member and also several other aspects of the system. For example, the full member may be able to enter and have notes stored, to have access to "six degrees" of contacts (to locate friends of friends), to be able to update information remotely, to be able to make direct contact with other members, to be able to control preferences, to enter and have stored the member's life story and/or biographical time line, to maintain a personal blog, to contribute to group blogging, to enter and have stored a photo album, to enter and have stored a family tree, to enter and save private messages and to enter and save final instructions.

Once an individual registers as a member, the individual sets up the individual's profile and preferences and decides what information is to be made public and what information is to be kept private.

The member loads names and addresses of contact directly from the member's own email system. Alternately, the member can key this information in manually. At this stage, the member selects the contacts who are to be notified of the member's passing automatically by the system. The member may then set up the member's farewell message, the member's instructions, preset private messages and epitaph. The messages are stored ready for sending on the occurrence of death of the member.

The member preferably nominates at least one person (ideally, three people) as referee to verify that the member has died so that the system does not inadvertently trigger the actions to be undertaken on death. The member preferably is required at predetermined intervals to log on to the site to indicate that the member is still living. Email messages or the like can be used to prompt the member to log on.

hi the event that a member does not log on, it is assumed that something may be amiss and a message is sent to the person or persons nominated as the referee to ascertain circumstances of the member. The person who is the referee is a registered user and replies as to the circumstances of death if indeed death has occurred. These details are entered as required and the system is triggered whereby, if death is verified by the required number of referees, death notices are sent out and messages are triggered to be sent at the preselected time. It is noted that membership preferably incurs an upfront fee and no further fees are incurred at the time of death. Naturally, if the member changes his membership details at any time during its term, fees may be charged for the changed arrangements.

The death notices portion of the system are triggered by the receipt of the verification of death of the member. The death notice is either on a publicly available site or can be flagged as private, whereby only predetermined persons are able to view the private notice. A newspaper advertisement option is also available. Visitors to the site can leave comments which in turn can be public or private.

The system may have a postal service portion, which is an arrangement whereby prepared letters are electronically stored with the details of the addressee. Upon the death of the member, or after the preselected time interval or on the chosen day and month, the stored letters are printed out in the country where the addressee resides, not always the country of residence of the user, and the letters are sent using the local postal services. A prepaid reply can be included in the arrangement. This postal service arrangement of the system can be used in other circumstances whereby a hard copy of a letter is posted using local postal services after being electronically stored, not necessarily being associated with the system of the preferred embodiment of the present invention.

A private or personal message can automatically be sent by email to a selected addressee. In this example, the personal message is to be sent a chosen number of days after the death of the member. As indicated above, the invention is not limited to this embodiment. The personal message may be sent on a chosen anniversary, either on a single basis or recurring on each anniversary.

It is an option for the member to publish the member's life story and the system can provide authoring tools for this. The member is able to selectively invite the member's contacts to contribute to parts of the member's life story.

The system permits a member to generate blogs around specific social groups, such as sporting groups, professional groups, family or special interests. The system may permit the member to publish the member's own portal page, which can feature, for example, a snapshot of the life story of the member, together with photos, a biographical time line, blogs, etc. Other members, including relatives and friends, are able to view the member's portal page if and when the original member makes it available to them.

The contact database for the member may be automatically synchronised with every other person on the member's list of contacts.

The system may also enable the member to search the member network to find people who share a history, interests or other characteristics in common with the member.

The system may also enable a member to be registered on behalf of another person who is, for example, not computer literate or too old or frail to do it for themselves or who has already died. This type of membership may have limited access to the full services provided by the system.

It will be appreciated that the system and method of the invention offer several advantages over traditional ways of dealing with life and death. By way of example, the system and method of the invention can provide a level of safety, because private messages and instructions may be encrypted until they are authorised for viewing by selected contacts. The data may be stored in a secure database, which is away from the member's premises and therefore protected from unauthorised reading, as well as from fire and theft.

The personal messages may be sent much more swiftly than may be the case with traditional letters. A schedule can be established for the sending of private messages, which are then stored in an individual in-box.

Throughout the specification, the word "comprise" and its derivatives are intended to have an inclusive rather than an exclusive meaning unless the context requires otherwise.

The foregoing describes only some embodiments of the present invention, and modifications obvious to those skilled in the art can be made thereto without departing from the scope of the present invention.

Industrial Applicability

It will be apparent to one skilled in the art that the system and method of the present invention provide a convenient, flexible and low cost arrangement for a person to arrange the person's affairs, to provide notification of the person's death if that is the trigger event, and to provide messages to be sent from the person to nominated addressees after the member's death, even for several years later.

Claims

1. A message storage and sending system including:

(a) data storage means for storing information relating to a user;

(b) data storage means for storing information relating to a first addressee 5 selected by the user;

(d) message storage means for storing a general message;

(e) message storage means for storing a private message;

o (f) data input means for receiving information relating to a trigger event;

(h) means for sending the private message to the second addressee subsequent to input of the trigger event information ,wherein the means is adapted to5 send the private message at a preselected time interval or on a preselected day and month subsequent to receipt of the trigger event information.

2. The system of Claim 1, wherein the data storage means for storing information relating to the user, the data storage means for storing information relating to the first addressee and the data storage means for storing information relating to the0 second addressee comprise a single database.

3. The system of Claim 1 or 2, wherein the trigger event is death of the user.

4. The system of any one of Claims 1 to 3, which includes means for sending the general message to the second addressee.

5. The system of any one of Claims 1 to 4, wherein the data storage means for storing5 information relating to the first addressee also stores information relating to a number of other first addressees.

6. The system of any one of Claims 1 to 5, wherein the data storage means for storing information relating to the second addressee also stores information relating to a plurality of other second addressees.

5 7. The system of any one of Claims 1 to 6, which includes means for verifying occurrence of the trigger event.

8. The system of any one of Claims 1 to 7, wherein the means for sending the general message operates by email or post.

9. The system of any one of Claims 1 to 7, wherein the means for sending the private o message operates by email or post.

10. The system of any one of Claims 1 to 9, which includes means for automatically updating the information relating to the first addressee or the second addressee upon input of updated information into the system.

11. A method for storing and sending messages, the method including the steps of: 5 (a) storing information relating to a user;

(b) storing information relating to a first addressee selected by the user;

(c) storing information relating to a second addressee selected by the user;

(d) storing a general message;

(e) storing a private message; 0 (f) receiving information relating to a trigger event;

12. The method of Claim 11 in which the information in steps (a), (b) and (c) is stored on a single database.

13. The method of Claim 11 or 12, wherein the trigger event is death of the user.

5 14. The method of any one of Claims 11 to 13, which includes the step of sending the general message to the second addressee subsequent to receipt of the trigger event information.

15. The method of any one of Claims 11 to 14, wherein step (b) stores information relating to a plurality of first addressees selected by the user.

10 16. The method of any one of Claims 11 to 14, wherein step (c) stores information relating to a plurality of second addressees selected by the user.

17. The method of any one of Claims 11 to 16, which includes the step of verifying trigger event information before sending the general and private messages.

18. The method of any one of Claims 11 to 17, wherein the general message is sent by 15 email or post.

19. The method of any one of Claims 11 to 17, wherein the private message is sent by email or post.

20. The method of any one of Claims 11 to 19, which includes the step of updating information relating to the first addressee or to the second addressee automatically

20 after entry of updated information into an available database.