U.S. Patent No. 6,671,714, entitled "Method, apparatus and business system for online communications with online and offline recipients" issued on December 30, 2003. The inventors, Frank Weyer and Troy Javaher, had previously been involved in the management of the .md top-level domain name, and in everymd.com, which markets domain names to doctors. The application was filed November 23, 1999, which makes the "critical date" for prior art under 35 U.S.C. 102(b) November 23, 1998. Hence in the ensuing discussion of "everyone does that", please stay focused on things before that date."

1. A method for assigning URL's and e-mail addresses to members of a group comprising the steps of:

assigning each member of said group a URL of the form "name.subdomain.domain"; and

assigning each member of said group an e-mail address of the form "name@subdomain.domain;"

wherein the "name" portion of said URL and said e-mail address is the same and unique for each particular one of said members such that an only difference between said URL and said e-mail address for said member is that in said URL the "@" symbol of the e-mail address is replaced with a "." and wherein said "subdomain" portion of said URL and said e-mail address is the same for all members of said group.

The second claim adds the limitation that the "members" are licensed professionals. It is not known at this time whether continuing applications of any kind were filed, which would leave one or more shoes remaining to drop.

Interestingly, services such as demon.co.uk were offering a combination email and URL deal in the late 1990's, and the "freeyellow" service is noted on the front page of the patent as having been considered. Without a review of the file history, it may or may not be the case that the applicants relied upon the "members of a group" limitation recited in claim 1. If that is the case, then someone is going to have to take a close look at a service which was provided as early as February 1995 to certain Anglican and Episcopal organizations by the Society of Archbishop Justus at Anglican.org, and operated, now as then, by the current director of operations for Google, Dr. Brian K. Reid, a formidable entrant in any "battle of the experts" one would care to wage."

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Ambler On The Net [ambler.net]