Communicating information about the content of electronic messages to a server

• US 20060031318A1
• Filed: 06/14/2004
• Published: 02/09/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/14/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Gellens, Randall Coleman
• Application Number:
  US10/868,301
• Publication Number:
  US 20060031318A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• 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 51/23 Reliability checks, e.g. acknowledgments or fault reporting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication

Abstract

Described are techniques and mechanisms for addressing unsolicited commercial, junk, or generally unwanted electronic messages. Very generally stated, a message server is provided that performs a message filtering analysis using resources local to the message server. The message server delivers to a remote device messages that do not fail the filter. In the situation where the message filtering analysis was incorrect, the remote device returns a notification of that fact to the message server with sufficient information that the message server can update its local resources accordingly.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for communicating information about content of an electronic message to a server, the method comprising:

receiving at a remote device an electronic message that includes tokens;

receiving an indication that the electronic message has been improperly identified by the server; and

issuing a return message to the server that the message has been improperly identified, the notification including sufficient information for the server to include the tokens in a resource local to the server.

2. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the tokens comprise any parseable series of characters within the electronic message.

3. The method recited in claim 2, wherein the tokens include ordinary words, numbers, combinations of letters and numbers, Internet Protocol addresses, host names, Universal Resource Locators, prices, symbols, and protocol elements.

4. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the remote device comprises a mobile device.

5. The method recited in claim 4, wherein the mobile device comprises a portable telephone.

6. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the remote device comprises a portable computer.

7. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the remote device comprises a remote desktop computer.

8. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the electronic message comprises an e-mail message.

9. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the electronic message comprises an MMS message.

10. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the electronic message comprises an instant messaging message.

11. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the indication that the message has been improperly identified comprises an instruction by a user to identify the electronic message as spam.

12. The method recited in claim 11, wherein the return message comprises a notification that the electronic message is a spam message, and wherein the improper identification comprises an identification that the message is not spam.

13. The method recited in claim 11, wherein the return message comprises a notification that the electronic message is not a spam message, and wherein the improper identification comprises an identification that the message is spam.

14. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for communicating information about content of an electronic message to a server, the instructions comprising:

receiving at a remote device an electronic message that includes a plurality of parseable series of characters;

receiving an indication that the electronic message comprises a spam message; and

issuing a return message to the server that the electronic message comprises the spam message and including in the return message the plurality of parseable series of characters for inclusion in a data store, local to the server and used by the server in an analysis of a spamicity of electronic messages.

15. A computer-implemented method for updating local resources to include additional information related to an analysis of incoming messages for spamicity, the method comprising:

analyzing an electronic message to calculate a spamicity value for the electronic message, the analysis being based on at least one data store that includes tokens found in messages, the tokens being characterized as either having occurred in spam messages or having occurred in non-spam messages;

making a decision whether the electronic message is spam based on the calculated spamicity value;

delivering the electronic message to a remote device; and

receiving a notification from the remote device that the decision was incorrect, the notification including sufficient information about the electronic message to update the at least one data store to include tokens from the electronic message.

16. The method recited in claim 15, wherein the tokens comprise any parseable series of characters.

17. The method recited in claim 15, wherein the tokens include ordinary words, numbers, combinations of letters and numbers, Internet Protocol addresses, host names, Universal Resource Locators, prices, symbols, and protocol elements.

18. The method recited in claim 15, wherein the remote device comprises a mobile device.

19. The method recited in claim 18, wherein the mobile device comprises a portable telephone.

20. The method recited in claim 15, wherein the remote device comprises a portable computer.

21. The method recited in claim 15, wherein the remote device comprises a remote desktop computer.

22. The method recited in claim 15, wherein the electronic message comprises an e-mail message.

23. The method recited in claim 15, wherein the electronic message comprises an MMS message.

24. The method recited in claim 15, wherein the electronic message comprises an instant messaging message.

25. The method recited in claim 15, wherein the analysis comprises a Bayesian analysis.

26. The method recited in claim 15, wherein the at least one data store includes a first component containing tokens found in messages determined to be spam, and a second component containing tokens found in messages determined not to be spam.

27. The method recited in claim 15, wherein the notification comprises an identifier of the electronic message if the electronic message is stored at the server.

28. The method recited in claim 15, wherein the decision is made by comparing the calculated spamicity to a pre-determined threshold.

29. The method recited in claim 15, wherein the sufficient information comprises the tokens from the electronic message.

30. The method recited in claim 15, wherein the sufficient information comprises an identifier for the electronic message if the electronic message is stored at the server.

31. The method recited in claim 15, wherein the sufficient information comprises a copy of the electronic message.