Control and management of electronic messaging

• US 20040205135A1
• Filed: 03/25/2003
• Published: 10/14/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/25/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: VeriSign, Inc.
• Original Assignee: VeriSign, Inc.
• Inventors: Hallam-Baker, Phillip Martin
• Granted Patent: US 7,676,546 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/212 using filtering or selective blocking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1079 of unsolicited session attempts, e.g. SPIT

Abstract

A method for controlling a message from a sender. A referee can evaluate a credential associated with a message to determine it'"'"'s desirability to the intended recipient, and take an action based upon the results of the determination. A sender that includes a trusted component can send a credential with the message, and the message can be controlled without a referee.

Claims

1. A method for controlling a message from a sender, the message having an intended recipient, including:

receiving at a referee at least part of a credential that is associated with a message that was sent to an intended recipient;

determining at the referee if the message is spam by evaluating the at least part of the credential;

performing an action with respect to the message based upon the results of the evaluation.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the credential includes a digital signature of the sender of the message.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the credential includes a digital certificate.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the message includes an e-mail message.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the message includes a telephonic message.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the message includes an instant message.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the message includes a videoconferencing message.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the message includes a fax message.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein performing an action with respect to the message includes causing the message to be blocked.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein performing an action with respect to the message includes causing a message warning to be sent.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein performing an action with respect to the message includes causing a message desirability rating or indicator to be sent.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein performing an action with respect to the message includes causing the message to be forwarded.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein evaluating the credential includes verifying a digital signature associated with the message.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein evaluating the credential includes identifying a desirability rating or indicator associated with a digital certificate that is associated with the message.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the rating or indicator associated with the digital certificate is stored in a distributed database.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein evaluating the credential includes verifying a Message Authentication Code associated with the message.

17. The method of claim 1, further including determining the desirability of the message based upon the destination address of the message.

18. The method of claim 1, further including determining the desirability of the message based upon at least part of the body of the message.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the desirability of the message includes applying a message status determination rule.

27. The method of claim 1, wherein the credential includes biometric information.

28. The method of claim 1, wherein the message is a Session Initiation Protocol message.

29. The method of claim 1, wherein the message is associated with a voice over IP signal.

30. The method of claim 1, wherein performing an action with respect to the message includes placing the message in a given folder.

31. The method of claim 1, wherein performing an action with respect to the message includes highlighting at least part of the message.

32. The method of claim 1, wherein performing an action with respect to the message includes showing the message with a spam indicator.

46. The system of claim 1, wherein the message includes a fax message.

20. A method for controlling messages, including:

creating a tamper resistant velocity indicator for a message;

sending the message velocity indicator to a recipient.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the tamper resistant message velocity indicator is created using a trusted component.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein the velocity indicator indicates the number of messages sent over a given period of time.

23. The method of claim 20, wherein the velocity indicator is signed using a private key at the sender of the message.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the velocity indicator is signed by signing a hash based upon the velocity indicator using a private key at the sender.

25. The method of claim 20, wherein a message authentication code based on the velocity indicator is sent to a recipient.

26. The method of claim 20, wherein a message is permitted to be sent only if the velocity indicator for messages sent over a given time period is less than a given threshold.

33. A system for controlling messages, including:

a tamper-resistant processor;

a tamper-resistant memory storing message control instructions that are adapted to be executed by said tamper-resistant processor to associate a credential with a message to be sent to an intended recipient.

34. The system of claim 33, wherein the credential includes a velocity indicator.

35. The system of claim 34, wherein said velocity indicator indicates the number of messages sent over a given period of time.

36. The system of claim 34, wherein said velocity indicator is signed using a private key at the sender of the message.

37. The system of claim 34, wherein a hash based upon said velocity indicator is signed using a private key stored at said tamper-resistant memory.

38. The system of claim 34, wherein the credential includes a message authentication code based on said velocity indicator.

39. The system of claim 35, wherein said instructions are further adapted to be executed by said tamper-resistant processor to send said message only if said velocity indicator is less than a given threshold.

40. The system of claim 33, wherein the credential includes a digital signature of the sender of the message.

41. The system of claim 33, wherein the credential includes a digital certificate.

42. The system of claim 33, wherein the message includes an e-mail message.

43. The system of claim 33, wherein the message includes a telephonic message.

44. The system of claim 33, wherein the message includes an instant message.

45. The system of claim 33, wherein the message includes a videoconferencing message.

47. A system for controlling messages, including:

means for receiving a credential that is associated with a message;

means for determining the desirability of the message to its intended recipient based upon an analysis of the credential.