System and method for filtering electronic messages using business heuristics

• US 20050240617A1
• Filed: 04/26/2004
• Published: 10/27/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Postini, Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Lund, Peter K., Petry, Scott M., Titus, Jason H.
• Granted Patent: US 7,647,321 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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

Abstract

Disclosed are systems and methods for use in filtering electronic messages using business heuristics. In one aspect, a method includes determining whether the electronic message is associated with a desirable business, and adjusting the likelihood of delivering the electronic message to an intended recipient of the message if the electronic message is determined to be associated with the desirable business. In a more specific embodiment, the method further includes assigning a spam-score to the electronic message based on a likelihood that the electronic message is not unwanted by the intended recipient, blocking delivery of the electronic message to the intended recipient when the spam-score does not cross an overall threshold, and delivering the electronic message to the intended recipient based on the adjusted likelihood when the electronic message is determined to be associated with the desirable business.

Claims

1. A method of filtering an electronic message using business heuristics, the method comprising:

determining whether the electronic message is associated with a desirable business; and

adjusting the likelihood of delivering the electronic message to an intended recipient of the message if the electronic message is determined to be associated with the desirable business.

2. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

assigning a spam-score to the electronic message based on a likelihood that the electronic message is not unwanted by the intended recipient;

blocking delivery of the electronic message to the intended recipient when the spam-score does not cross an overall threshold; and

delivering the electronic message to the intended recipient based on the adjusted likelihood when the electronic message is determined to be associated with the desirable business.

3. A method according to claim 2, wherein blocking delivery further comprises blocking delivery of the electronic message to the intended recipient when the spam-score does not exceed an overall threshold.

4. A method according to claim 3, further comprising decreasing the overall threshold to accomplish the delivering if the electronic message is determined to be associated with the desirable business.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein the determining comprises determining whether the source of the electronic message is associated with the desirable business, the adjusting further comprising adjusting the likelihood of delivering the electronic message to the intended recipient if the source of the electronic message is determined to be associated with the desirable business.

6. A method according to claim 5, further comprising decreasing the overall threshold to accomplish the delivering if the source of the electronic message is determined to be associated with the desirable business.

7. A method according to claim 5, wherein the source comprises an Internet Protocol (IP) address of a sending server of the electronic message.

8. A method according to claim 7, wherein determining whether the source is related to the desirable business comprises one or more of comparing the IP address of the source to at least one of an IP address of the intended recipient, prior connection attempts by the source IP address and the intended recipient, prior message traffic between the source IP address and the intended recipient, prior message traffic between the source IP address and other intended recipients within the business, or where the source IP address is assigned to be related to a particular business through external verification processes.

9. A method according to claim 1, wherein determining comprises determining the presence of business content in the electronic message likely to be used by the desirable business, the adjusting further comprising adjusting the likelihood of delivering the electronic message to the intended recipient if the business content is determined to be present in the electronic message.

10. A method according to claim 9, further comprising:

creating an effective threshold by adjusting the overall threshold based on the presence of the business content, and

blocking delivery of the electronic message to the intended recipient if the spam-score does not cross the effective threshold.

11. A method according to claim 9, further comprising establishing an business threshold to govern the determining of the presence of business content.

12. A method according to claim 11, further comprising creating an effective threshold by adjusting the overall threshold by an amount proportional to an amount of the business threshold.

13. A method according to claim 11, wherein the amount of the business threshold is established by an administrator of the method of filtering for the intended recipient.

14. A method according to claim 9, further comprising determining the presence of offending content in the electronic message corresponding to at least one base threshold, the presence of the offending content adjusting the overall threshold prior to creating the effective threshold.

15. A method according to claim 14, wherein the amount of the at least one base threshold is established by the intended recipient of the electronic message.

16. A method according to claim 14, wherein the at least one base threshold is a content-based tolerance of electronic messages associated with categories selected from the group consisting of sexually explicit content, get-rich-quick content, special-offers content, and racially insensitive content.

17. A method according to claim 14, further comprising adjusting the overall threshold by an amount proportional to an amount of the at least one base threshold.

18. A method according to claim 2, wherein the overall threshold is established by the intended recipient of the electronic message.

19. A method according to claim 1, wherein the desirable business is selected from the group consisting of the legal profession and financial professions.

20. A method according to claim 1, wherein the intended recipient is associated with the desirable business.

21. A system for filtering an electronic message using business heuristics, the system comprising:

a message handler configured to receive the electronic message;

a heuristics module associated with the message handler and configured to determine whether the electronic message is associated with a desirable business, the message handler further configured to adjust the likelihood that the electronic message will be delivered to the intended recipient if the electronic message is determined to be associated with the desirable business.

22. A system according to claim 21, further comprising a software module associated with the message handler and configured to assign a spam-score to the electronic message based on a likelihood that the electronic message is not unwanted by an intended recipient of the electronic message, the message handler further configured to block delivery of the electronic message to the intended recipient when the spam-score does not cross an overall threshold.

23. A system according to claim 22, wherein the message handler is further configured to block delivery of the electronic message to the intended recipient when the spam-score does not exceed an overall threshold.

24. A system according to claim 23, wherein the heuristics module is further considered to decrease the overall threshold to accomplish the delivery if the electronic message is determined to be associated with the desirable business.

25. A system according to claim 21, wherein the heuristics module is configured to determine whether the source of the electronic message is associated with the desirable business, the message handler configured to adjust the likelihood of delivering the electronic message to the intended recipient if the source of the electronic message is determined to be associated with the desirable business.

26. A system according to claim 25, wherein the heuristics module is further configured to decrease the overall threshold to accomplish the delivery if the source of the electronic message is determined to be associated with the desirable business.

27. A system according to claim 25, wherein the source comprises an Internet Protocol (IP) address of a sending server of the electronic message.

28. A system according to claim 27, wherein the heuristics module is further configured to determine whether the source is related to the desirable business by comparing one or more of the IP address of the source to at least one of an IP address of the intended recipient, prior connection attempts by the source IP address and the intended recipient, prior message traffic between the source IP address and the intended recipient, prior message traffic between the source IP address and other intended recipients within the business, or where the source IP address is assigned to be related to a particular business through external verification processes.

29. A system according to claim 21, wherein the heuristics module is further configured to determine the presence of business content in the electronic message likely to be used by the desirable business, the message handler further configured to adjust the likelihood of delivering the electronic message to the intended recipient if the business content is determined to be present in the electronic message.

30. A system according to claim 29, wherein the heuristics module is further configured to create an effective threshold by adjusting the overall threshold based on the presence of the business content, and the message handler is further configured to block delivery of the electronic message to the intended recipient if the spam-score does not cross the effective threshold.

31. A system according to claim 29, wherein the heuristics module comprises an business threshold to govern the determining of the presence of business content.

32. A system according to claim 31, wherein the heuristics module is further configured to create an effective threshold by adjusting the overall threshold by an amount proportional to an amount of the business threshold.

33. A system according to claim 31, wherein the amount of the business threshold is established by an administrator of the method of filtering for the intended recipient.

34. A system according to claim 29, the system further comprising a software module configured to determine the presence of offending content in the electronic message corresponding to at least one base threshold, and further configured adjust the overall threshold prior to creating the effective threshold based on the presence of the offending content.

35. A system according to claim 34, wherein the amount of the at least one base threshold is established by the intended recipient of the electronic message.

36. A system according to claim 34, wherein the at least one base threshold is a content-based tolerance of electronic messages associated with categories selected from the group consisting of sexually explicit content, get-rich-quick content, special-offers content, and racially insensitive content.

37. A system according to claim 34, wherein the software module is further configured to adjust the overall threshold by an amount proportional to an amount of the at least one base threshold.

38. A method according to claim 22, wherein the overall threshold is established by the intended recipient of the electronic message.

39. A method according to claim 21, wherein the desirable business is selected from the group consisting of the legal profession and financial professions.

40. A method according to claim 21, wherein the intended recipient is associated with the desirable business.