Method, device and e-mail server for detecting an undesired e-mail

• US 20020147783A1
• Filed: 03/29/2002
• Published: 10/10/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Siemens AG
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Kuth, Rainer
• Application Number:
  US10/108,632
• Publication Number:
  US 20020147783A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/207
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/212 using filtering or selective blocking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/224 providing notification on incoming messages, e.g. pushed notifications of received messages

Abstract

The invention relates to a method, a device and an e-mail server (21) for detecting an undesired e-mail (300) before an addressee (27-31) of the undesired e-mail (300) reads the undesired e-mail (300). For the method, a first e-mail (300) which is intended for the addressee (27-31) is evaluated with at least one predetermined criterion before the addressee (27-31) reads the first e-mail (300). On the basis of the evaluation, a second e-mail (400, 500) with the notification that there is a possibly undesired e-mail for the addressee (27-31) is automatically generated and sent to the addressee (27-31) of the first e-mail (300).

Claims

1. A method for detecting an undesired e-mail, having the following method steps:

reception of a first e-mail (300) sent to an addressee (27-31) by means of an e-mail server (21),

automatic evaluation of the first e-mail (300) with at least one predetermined criterion, and

automatic generation and transmission of a second e-mail (400, 500), based on the evaluation of the first e-mail (300), to a computer (22-26) of the addressee (27-31) of the first e-mail (300) with a notification that there is a possibly undesired e-mail for the addressee (27-31), before the first e-mail (300) is passed on to the computer (22-26) of the addressee (27-31);

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, having the following additional method steps:

decision as to whether the addressee (27-31) of the first e-mail (300) would like to read the first e-mail on the basis of the notification of the second e-mail (27-31), and

passing on of the first e-mail (300) to the computer of the addressee if the latter would like to read the first e-mail, and automatic deletion of the first e-mail (300) if the addressee (22-27) would not like to read the first e-mail (300).

3. The method as claimed in one of claims 1 or 2, in which the criterion is a number of further addressees (27-31) to whom the first e-mail (300) is also addressed.

4. The method as claimed in one of claims 1 to 3, in which the criterion is a number of further e-mails which have been sent to the addressee (27-31) or further addressees (27-31) in a predefined time period and have the same reference (303) as the first e-mail (300).

5. The method as claimed in one of claims 1 to 4, in which the criterion is a number of further e-mails which have the same checksum of the data record of the reference (303) and/or of the message (304) as the first e-mail (300).

6. The method as claimed in one of claims 1 to 5, in which the first e-mail (300) is evaluated only if it has been sent by a computer (32) which is operated outside a local computer network (20), the local computer network (20) comprising the e-mail server (21) and the computer (22-26) of the addressee (27-31).

7. A device for detecting an undesired e-mail before an addressee (27-31) of the undesired e-mail reads the undesired e-mail, having

an e-mail server (21) and

a computer (27-31) which is connected to the e-mail server (21), for the purpose of reading e-mails which are intended for the addressee (27-31),

the e-mail server (21) being embodied in such a way that it evaluates a first e-mail (300) sent to the addressee (27-31), with at least one predetermined criterion, automatically generates a second e-mail (400, 500) on the basis of the evaluation of the first e-mail (300) and sends said second e-mail (400, 500) to the computer (22-26) of the addressee (27-31) of the first e-mail (300) before it passes on the first e-mail (300) to the computer (22-26) of the addressee (27-31), the second e-mail (400, 500) comprising a notification that there is a possibly undesired e-mail for the addressee (27-31).

8. The device as claimed in claim 7, in which, on the basis of a message, the e-mail server (21) passes on the first e-mail (300) to the computer of the addressee in response to the second e-mail (400, 500) if said addressee would like to read the first e-mail, and automatically deletes the first e-mail (300) if the addressee (22-27) would not like to read the first e-mail (300).

9. The device as claimed in one of claims 7 or 8, in which the criterion is a number of further addressees (27-31) to which the first e-mail (300) is also addressed.

10. The device as claimed in one of claims 7 or 8, in which the criterion is a number of further e-mails which have been sent to the addressees (27-31) or further addressees (27-31) in a predefined time period and have the same reference (303) as the first e-mail (300).

11. The device as claimed in one of claims 7 to 9, in which the criterion is a number of further e-mails which have the same checksum of the data record of the reference (303) and/or of the message (304) as the first e-mail (300).

12. The device as claimed in one of claims 7 to 11, in which the e-mail server (21) and the computer (22-26) of the addressee (27-31) form a local computer network (20), and the first e-mail (300) is evaluated only if it has been sent by a computer (32) which is operated outside the local computer network (20).

14. The e-mail server as claimed in claim 13, in which, on the basis of a message, the e-mail server (21) passes on, in response to the second e-mail (400, 500), the first e-mails (300) to the computer of the addressee if the latter would like to read the first e-mail, and automatically deletes the first e-mail (300) if the addressee (22-27) would not like to read the first e-mail (300).

13. An e-mail server which passes on e-mails which have been sent to an addressee (27-31) to a computer (22-26) of the addressee (27-31),

a computer program which evaluates a first e-mail (300) sent to the addressee (27-31), with at least one predetermined criterion, running on the e-mail server, and

the e-mail server (21) automatically generating a second e-mail (400, 500) on the basis of the evaluation of the first e-mail (300) and sending said second e-mail (400, 500) to the computer (22-26) of the addressee (27-31) of the first e-mail (300), before it passes on the first e-mail (300) to the computer (22-26) of the addressee (27-31), the second e-mail (400, 500) comprising a notification that there is a possibly undesired e-mail for the addressee (27-31).

15. The e-mail server as claimed in one of claims 13 or 14, in which the criterion is a number of further addressees (27-31) to which the first e-mail (300) is also addressed.

16. The e-mail server as claimed in one of claims 13 to 15, in which the criterion is a number of further e-mails which have been sent to the addressee (27-31) or further addressees (27-31) in a predefined time period, and have the same reference (303) as the first e-mail (300).

17. The e-mail server as claimed in one of claims 13 to 16, in which the criterion is a number of further e-mails which have the same checksum of the data record of the reference (303) and/or of the message (304) as the first e-mail (300).

18. The e-mail server as claimed in one of claims 13 to 17, in which the first e-mail (300) is evaluated only if it has been sent by a computer (32) which is operated outside a local computer network (20), the local computer network (20) comprising the e-mail server (21) and the computer (22-26) of the addressee (27-31).