System and method for authorizing delivery of E-mail and reducing spam

• US 20060026246A1
• Filed: 07/08/2005
• Published: 02/02/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/08/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Alan S. Gin, Keith T. Fukuhara, Phillip Randolph Schlesinger, Samson Cheeyeung Kwok, Shane I. Sareli
• Original Assignee: Alan S. Gin, Keith T. Fukuhara, Phillip Randolph Schlesinger, Samson Cheeyeung Kwok, Shane I. Sareli
• Inventors: Sareli, Shane I., Schlesinger, Phillip Randolph, Kwok, Samson Cheeyeung, Gin, Alan S., Fukuhara, Keith T.
• Application Number:
  US11/177,215
• Publication Number:
  US 20060026246A1
• 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 51/48 Message addressing, e.g. address format or anonymous messages, aliases

Abstract

Methods and systems for blocking, from a user'"'"'s email account, emails sent by an unknown sender. In one embodiment, a method may include determining if a sender of a received email message is a trusted sender; if the sender of the received email message is not a trusted sender, administering one or more tests to the sender; and if the sender passes the one or more tests, accepting the received email message into the user'"'"'s email account. The method may also include if the e-mail is from an unknown sender who fails the one or more tests, providing for deleting or blocking the email without placing the email in the user'"'"'s email account.

Claims

1. A method for blocking e-mail from an unknown sender to a user'"'"'s e-mail account, comprising:

providing for the user to identify one or more approved senders; and

providing for the unknown sender to become an approved sender if the unknown sender passes one or more tests.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the operation of providing for the user to identify one or more approved senders includes providing a list of approved email addresses.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the operation of providing for the user to identify one or more approved senders includes providing a list of email addresses that can be approved by the user.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more tests include a CAPTCHA test.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more tests include a test that asks for confidential information.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more tests include a test that asks for security information.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

if the e-mail is from an unknown sender who fails the one or more tests, providing for deleting the email without placing the email in the user'"'"'s email account.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

if the e-mail is from an unknown sender who fails the one or more tests, providing for blocking the email from the user'"'"'s email account.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

if the e-mail is from an unknown sender who does not pass the one or more tests within a predetermined amount of time, providing for blocking the email from the user'"'"'s email account.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

if the e-mail is from an unknown sender who passes the one or more tests, providing for placing the email in the user'"'"'s email account.

11. A method for blocking, from a user'"'"'s email account, emails sent by an unknown sender, comprising:

determining if a sender of a received email message is a trusted sender;

if the sender of the received email message is not a trusted sender, administering one or more tests to the sender; and

if the sender passes the one or more tests, accepting the received email message into the user'"'"'s email account.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the determining operation further comprises:

providing a list of approved email addresses; and

determining whether an email address of the sender is in the list of approved email addresses.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the one or more tests include a CAPTCHA test.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

if the sender fails the one or more tests, deleting the received email message.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

if the sender fails the one or more tests, deleting the received email message without placing the email in the user'"'"'s email account.

16. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

if the sender fails the one or more tests, blocking the email from the user'"'"'s email account.

17. A computer program product comprising a computer usable medium having computer readable code embodied therein for blocking, from a user'"'"'s email account, emails sent by an unknown sender, the computer program product comprising:

computer readable program code devices configured to cause a computer to effect determining if a sender of a received email message is a trusted sender;

computer readable program code devices configured to cause a computer to effect if the sender of the received email message is not a trusted sender, administering one or more tests to the sender; and

computer readable program code devices configured to cause a computer to effect if the sender passes the one or more tests, accepting the received email message into the user'"'"'s email account.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, which further comprises computer readable program code devices configured to cause a computer to effect providing a list of approved email addresses and determining whether an email address of the sender is in the list of approved email addresses.

19. The computer program product of claim 17, which further comprises computer readable program code devices configured to cause a computer to effect if the sender fails the one or more tests, deleting the received email message without placing the email in the user'"'"'s email account.

20. The computer program product of claim 17, which further comprises computer readable program code devices configured to cause a computer to effect if the sender fails the one or more tests, blocking the email from the user'"'"'s email account.