Value-added electronic messaging services and transparent implementation thereof using intermediate server

• US 20040058673A1
• Filed: 09/26/2003
• Published: 03/25/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Postini, Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Maggi, Brian, Irlam, Gordon Raymond, Petry, Scott
• Granted Patent: US 7,236,769 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/412.1
• 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 51/214 using selective forwarding
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/42 Mailbox-related aspects, e.g. synchronisation of mailboxes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4511 using domain name system [DNS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4555 Directories for electronic mail or instant messaging
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles

Abstract

This disclosure provides for a unified, centralized, preprocessing electronic messaging solution that performs value-added tasks to electronic messages on behalf of the ISP or the end user, before these messages are delivered to the destination e-mail server. The service can detect and detain damaging or unwanted messages, such as spam, viruses or other junk e-mail messages, and route electronic messages from various sources covering a variety of topics to wired and wireless destinations, apart from the intended recipient e-mail address, in various formats. In some embodiments, the electronic messaging solution provides a stored user profile, associated with a user to whom an e-mail message is addressed, that has detection parameters for processing e-mail message data. In such embodiments, a processor is also provided for processing the e-mail message data to identify suspect e-mail messages according to the detection parameters in the user profile. A web page accessible by the user to set the detection parameters is also disclosed. Furthermore, various methods associated with various embodiments of the electronic messaging solution disclosed herein are also disclosed.

Claims

1. An electronic message delivery system for use in an e-mail network comprising a sending e-mail server and a destination e-mail server, wherein e-mail messages comprising e-mail message data may be delivered from the sending e-mail server to the destination e-mail server via an electronic message delivery path, the system comprising:

(a) a stored user profile, associated with a user to whom an e-mail message is addressed, having detection parameters for processing e-mail message data;

(b) a processor for processing the e-mail message data and configured to identify suspect e-mail messages according to the detection parameters in the user profile; and

(c) a web page accessible by the user to set the detection parameters.

5. A system according to claim 1, further comprising an intermediate pre-processing service associated with the processor and configured to receive the e-mail message data, the processor configured to identify the suspect e-mail messages simultaneously with the receiving of the e-mail message data by the intermediate pre-processing service.

6. A system according to claim 5, where the processor is comprised within the intermediate pre-processing service.

7. A system according to claim 5, wherein the intermediate pre-processing service is inserted into the electronic message delivery path by changing a Domain Name System entry containing an IP address of the destination e-mail server to contain an IP address of the intermediate pre-processing service.

8. A system according to claim 5, wherein a web page is accessible by an operator or agent of the destination e-mail server or a gateway to cause the intermediate pre-processing service to be inserted into the electronic message delivery path.

9. A system according to claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to identify a media part of the suspect e-mail messages and substitute different electronic content for the media part.

10. A system according to claim 9, wherein the different electronic content is derived from the media part.

11. A system according to claim 9, wherein the different electronic content is descriptive of the media part.

12. A system according to claim 9, further comprising, in response to a user action, delivering at least a portion of the media part.

13. A system according to claim 1, wherein the detection parameters are selected from the group consisting of:

content filtering parameters;

virus detection parameters; and

e-mail source and destination filtering parameters.

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to store but not deliver the suspect e-mail messages.

3. A system according to claim 2, wherein another web page is accessible by the user to inspect the suspect e-mail messages.

4. A system according to claim 3, where the web page to set the detection parameters is the same web page as the web page to inspect the suspect e-mail messages.

14. A method of providing electronic messaging service in an e-mail network comprising a sending e-mail server and a destination e-mail server, wherein e-mail messages comprising e-mail message data may be delivered from the sending e-mail server to the destination e-mail server via an electronic message delivery path, the method comprising:

(a) storing a user profile, associated with a user to whom an e-mail message is addressed, having detection parameters;

(b) processing the e-mail message data to identify suspect e-mail messages according to the detection parameters in the user profile; and

(c) accessing a web page by the user to establish the detection parameters.

15. A method according to claim 14, wherein the processing further comprises storing but not delivering the suspect e-mail messages.

16. A method according to claim 15, wherein the accessing further comprises accessing a web page by the user to inspect the suspect e-mail messages.

17. A method according to claim 16, where accessing a web page to inspect the suspect e-mail messages comprises accessing the web page used to set the detection parameters.

18. A method according to claim 14, further comprising receiving the e-mail message data with an intermediate pre-processing service, wherein the processing further comprises processing the e-mail message data to identify the suspect e-mail messages simultaneously with the receiving of the e-mail message data by the intermediate pre-processing service.

19. A method according to claim 18, wherein the processing is comprised within the intermediate pre-processing service.

20. A method according to claim 18, further comprising receiving the e-mail message data with an intermediate pre-processing service inserted into the electronic message delivery path by changing a Domain Name System entry containing an IP address of the destination e-mail server to contain an IP address of the intermediate pre-processing service.

22. A method according to claim 14, wherein the processing further comprises processing the e-mail message data to identify a media part of the suspect e-mail messages and substitute different electronic content for the media part.

23. A method according to claim 22, wherein the different electronic content is derived from the media part.

24. A method according to claim 22, wherein the different electronic content is descriptive of the media part.

25. A method according to claim 22, further comprising, in response to a user action, delivering at least a portion of the media part.

21.

26. A method according to claim 18, further comprising accessing a web page by an operator or agent of the destination e-mail server or a gateway to insert the intermediate pre-processing service into the electronic message delivery path.

27. A method according to claim 26, wherein less than all of the e-mail message comprising the e-mail message data is delivered to the destination e-mail server according to the processing done at the intermediate pre-processing service.

28. A method according to claim 26, wherein the processing comprises multicasting at least a portion of the e-mail message to destinations specified in the user profile.

29. A method according to claim 28, wherein different portions or versions of the e-mail message are delivered to different destinations.

30. A method according to claim 29, wherein the destinations include at least one wireless device.

31. A method according to claim 26, wherein processing the e-mail message data is selected from the group consisting of:

content filtering;

virus detection; and

e-mail source and destination filtering.

32. A method according to claim 26, further comprising identifying suspect e-mail messages and storing but not delivering the suspect e-mail messages.

33. A method according to claim 26, further comprising a user accessing a server to inspect suspect e-mail messages addressed to the user.

34. A method according to claim 26, wherein the stored user profile describes the preferences of a user who is an end user of the electronic messaging services.

35. A method according to claim 26, further comprising accessing a web page by an operator or agent of the destination e-mail server or a gateway to cause the intermediate pre-processing service to be inserted into the electronic message delivery path.

36. A method according to claim 26, wherein the processing includes delivering at least one e-mail message comprising the e-mail message data to one or more wireless network gateways.

37. A method according to claim 26, wherein the processing includes identifying a media part of the e-mail message data and substituting different electronic content for the media part.

41. A method according to claim 26, wherein the intermediate pre-processing service accepts a connection from a sending SMTP server, and simultaneously with the receiving of e-mail message data over that connection opens a connection to a receiving SMTP server.

42. A method according to claim 26, wherein the method is accomplished in the intermediate pre-processing service without providing standard mail server software in the intermediate pre-processing service.

43. A method according to claim 26, wherein processing the e-mail message data further comprises processing the e-mail message data with the intermediate pre-processing service.

26-1. A method of providing electronic messaging services in an e-mail network comprising a sending e-mail server and a destination e-mail server, wherein e-mails may be delivered from the sending e-mail server to the destination e-mail server via an electronic message delivery path, the method comprising:

(a) inserting an intermediate pre-processing service into the electronic message delivery path by changing a Domain Name System entry containing an IP address of the destination e-mail server to contain an IP address of the intermediate pre-processing service, the intermediate pre-processing service storing a user profile having detection parameters for processing e-mail message data, the user profile associated with a user to whom an e-mail message is addressed;

(b) receiving in the intermediate pre-processing service e-mail message data addressed to the destination e-mail server that has been routed to the intermediate pre-processing service, the user profile accessible through a web page by the user to set the detection parameters; and

(c) simultaneously with receiving the e-mail message data in the intermediate pre-processing service, processing the e-mail message data to identify suspect e-mail messages according to the detection parameters, and, if the processing instructs delivery to the destination e-mail server, delivering the e-mail message data to that server.

38.

44. A method according to claim 37 wherein the different electronic content is derived from the media part.

39. A method according to claim 44, wherein the different electronic content is descriptive of the media part.

40. A method according to claim 44, further comprising, in response to a user action, delivering at least a portion of the media part.

45. A system according to claim 44, wherein the processor is located within the intermediate pre-processing service.

46. A system according to claim 44, wherein the processor is configured to deliver less than all of the e-mail message comprising the e-mail message data to the destination e-mail server according to the processing.

47. A system according to claim 44, wherein the processor is configured to multicast at least a portion of the e-mail message to destinations specified in the user profile.

48. A system according to claim 47, wherein different portions or versions of the e-mail message are delivered to different destinations.

49. A system according to claim 48, wherein the destinations include at least one wireless device.

50. A system according to claim 44, wherein the detection parameters are selected from the group consisting of:

content filtering parameters;

virus detection parameters; and

e-mail source and destination filtering parameters.

51. A system according to claim 44, wherein the processor is further configured to identify suspect e-mail messages and store but not deliver the suspect e-mail messages.

52. A system according to claim 51, further including a web page accessible by a user to inspect suspect e-mail messages addressed to the user.

53. A system according to claim 52, wherein the web page accessible to inspect suspect e-mails is the same as the web page accessible to set the detection parameters.

54. A system according to claim 44, wherein the stored user profile describes the preferences of a user who is an end user of the system.

55. A system according to claim 44, further comprising a web page accessible by an operator or agent of the destination e-mail server or a gateway to cause the intermediate pre-processing service to be inserted into the electronic message delivery path.

56. A system according to claim 44, wherein the processor is further configured to deliver at least one e-mail message comprising the e-mail message data to one or more wireless network gateways.

57. A system according to claim 44, wherein the processor is further configured to identify a media part of the e-mail message data and substitute different electronic content for the media part.

58. A system according to claim 57, wherein the different electronic content is derived from the media part.

59. A system according to claim 58, wherein the different electronic content is descriptive of the media part.

60. A system according to claim 58, wherein the processor is further configured to deliver at least a portion of the media part in response to a user action.

61. A system according to claim 44, wherein the intermediate pre-processing service is further configured to accept a connection from a sending SMTP server and, simultaneously with the receiving of e-mail message data over that connection, open a connection to a receiving SMTP server.

62. A system according to claim 44, wherein the processor is configured to process the e-mail message data without providing standard mail server software in the intermediate pre-processing service.

44-2. An electronic message delivery system for use in an e-mail network comprising a sending e-mail server and a destination e-mail server, wherein e-mails may be delivered from the sending e-mail server to the destination e-mail server via an electronic message delivery path, the system comprising:

(a) an intermediate pre-processing service configured to be inserted into the electronic message delivery path by changing a Domain Name System entry containing an IP address of the destination e-mail server to contain an IP address of the intermediate pre-processing service;

(b) e-mail message data addressed to the destination e-mail server received by the intermediate pre-processing service, the intermediate pre-processing service having a stored user profile, associated with a user to whom an e-mail message is addressed, having detection parameters for processing the e-mail message data and being accessible through a web page by the user to set the parameters; and

(c) a processor associated with the intermediate pre-processing service for processing the e-mail message data simultaneously with the receiving of the e-mail message data by the intermediate pre-processing service to identify suspect e-mail messages according to the detection parameters in the user profile, the e-mail message data delivered to the destination e-mail server if the processing of the e-mail message data instructs delivery to that server.