Electrical computers and digital processing systems: multicomput – Computer conferencing – Demand based messaging
Reexamination Certificate
1999-01-04
2001-07-24
Harrell, Robert B. (Department: 2152)
Electrical computers and digital processing systems: multicomput
Computer conferencing
Demand based messaging
C709S241000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06266692
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates in general to data processing, and more particularly to a system and a method for filtering incoming electronic mail.
PRIOR ART
The Internet is growing in popularity, and more and more people are conducting business over the Internet, advertising their products and services by generating and sending electronic mass mailings. These electronic mail (e-mail) are usually unsolicited and regarded as nuisances by the recipients because they occupy much of the storage space needed for the necessary and important data processing. For example, a mail server may have to reject accepting an important and/or desired e-mail when its storage capacity is filled to the maximum with the unwanted e-mail containing advertisements. Moreover, thin client systems such as set top boxes, PDA's, network computers, and pagers all have limited storage capacity. Unwanted mail in any one of such systems can tie up a finite resource for the user. In addition, a typical user wastes time by downloading voluminous but useless advertisement information. For example, many mobile and home users are still limited to 28.8K-56K connection speeds. Unwanted mail typically slows down users by forcing the mail to be downloaded when the mail is delivered. Because this type of mail is so undesirable, it has acquired a special name in the Internet community, SPAM.
Therefore, it is highly desirable to have a filter system for screening and turning away unwanted mails, while the desired e-mails pass through the system to reach the recipients. Presently, there are products that are capable of filtering out unwanted messages. For example, Qualcomm's Eudora Pro e-mail program can select e-mail and delete before reading on the basis of an unlimited set of user-specified character sequences, whether those sequences appear in a message's subject, in the main body of the text, or as part of the sender's name.
A SPAM block method also exists which keeps an index list of all SPAM agents, i.e., companies that generate mass unsolicited e-mails, and provides means to block any e-mail sent from a company on the list. A problem associated with this method is that it has no capability of screening new SPAM agents which are not on the list. Identifying the new SPAM agents and keeping the list up-to-date may prove to be expensive and not readily affordable.
Another “junk mail” filter currently available employs filters which are based on predefined words and patterns as mentioned above. An incoming mail is designated as an unwanted mail, if the subject contains a known SPAM pattern. If it is returned to a sender, the return message describes the pattern that was identified, while providing a passcode which can be used to resend the message so it will pass through the filter.
Yet another e-mail service forwards all incoming e-mail to another address, filtering SPAM sender addresses. A master junk mail file is used to filter incoming e-mail against a list of known “spammers.” In addition, a custom filter which is defined by a user may also be employed as a double filter to discard any unwanted e-mail.
The problem associated with the currently available filters is that if an unwanted mail does not contain a specific pattern or if sender's address is not in the list of spam agents, the mail can reach the recipient. Since the cost of sending out spam is so much smaller than the costs associated with paper mail, it is likely that people will continue to send spam. With the existing methods, new spam agents always get through until the list gets updated to include them. In addition, the database of spam agents will continue to grow and will introduce adverse system impact for the client or the server. Therefore, it is highly desirable to have an e-mail filter system which can always block unwanted mail, even as new spam agents emerge, without compromising system resources.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, to resolve the above shortcomings, the present invention provides a blocking process which requires that all senders be pre-approved before they can send an e-mail to a recipient. With the present invention, the incoming mail which does not contain a user-defined “passcode” may be blocked at the server.
The mechanism of the present invention provides a user with a private mailbox despite the fact that the user's e-mail address or pager identification is well known.
The present invention enables the user, i.e., a would be recipient, to provide a “passcode” to all potential senders. The passcode may be a phrase which the user defines and sends to all welcome e-mail participants. The user would maintain a distribution list of valid senders to which the user can send an updated passcode easily. The passcode may either be an ASCII character stream, or a randomly generated binary “key.” When sending an e-mail, a sender must specify the passcode which was provided by the recipient and which is inserted in a predefined field in a mail header. Any mail without a correct passcode identified as part of a mail header may not be delivered to the recipient. Unapproved mail, therefore, will be deleted, stored in a predefined storage space until deleted or approved, or returned to the sender by the processing mail server. The present invention enables blocking of unsolictied advertisers, and allows recipients of e-mail to change the passcode and easily prevent previously approved senders from continuing to send e-mail.
When distributing the passcode, a common passcode may be assigned to all senders, or alternately, individual passcodes may be given to each sender and kept on a virtual key-ring. The passcodes may be changed for individuals at any time, thereby preventing any one of the senders from writing to the recipient in the future.
The e-mail without valid passcodes may either be deleted or stored temporarily. In the latter case, an approval request to the recipient will be initiated to verify the rejection of the e-mail. Moreover, all e-mail sent within an intranet or inside a firewall may be configured to pass through the mail server even without appropriate passcodes. This isolation method allows all users inside a firewall to have open access to send mail, and is useful when there are no unwanted advertiser within the firewall.
In addition, the present invention provides for the senders of the e-mail to request approval to send, e.g., request a valid passcode of the recipient, before sending the e-mail, thereby preventing senders from writing the e-mail first only to find that it is rejected.
To provide the above functionalities, the present invention includes an e-mail client with passcode management capability, an e-mail server with ability to check passcodes, ability to process optional authorization requests, firewall server or mail gateway that can block Internet mail while allowing internal mail, and a passcode request tool for e-mail directories.
Further features and advantages of the present invention as well as the structure and operation of various embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, like reference numbers indicate identical or functionally similar elements.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5635918 (1997-06-01), Tett
patent: 5999932 (1999-12-01), Paul
patent: 6047310 (2000-04-01), Kamakura et al.
patent: 6073165 (2000-06-01), Narasimhan et al.
Harrell Robert B.
International Business Machines - Corporation
Kotulak, Esq. Richard M.
Scully Scott Murphy & Presser
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