Controlling transmission of email

• US 20060047766A1
• Filed: 08/18/2005
• Published: 03/02/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: SquareAnswer, Inc.
• Original Assignee: SquareAnswer, Inc.
• Inventors: Spadea, Joseph R. III
• Application Number:
  US11/206,625
• Publication Number:
  US 20060047766A1
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/126 the source of the received data

Abstract

Techniques are disclosed for controlling the transmission of undesired bulk email by, for example, authenticating and classifying sender email addresses and aggregating recipient feedback to provide to participating senders. For example, senders may be separated into two classes—real people and bulk emailers. Senders may be authenticated in different ways depending on their classes. For example, a real person may be authenticated based on its email address and an identifying key, while a bulk emailer may be authenticated based on its email address, an identifying key, and its IP address. Similarly, feedback received from recipients may be provided differently to senders depending on their classes. For example, negative feedback about real people may be provided by limiting such people to sending a certain number of emails per day, while negative feedback about bulk emailers may be provided by charging such emailers a fee.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

(A) determining whether information received over a network from a first sender satisfies predetermined conditions indicating that the first sender is a person; and

(B) if the received information satisfies the predetermined conditions, adding an email address of the first sender to a set of email addresses for which the predetermined conditions have been satisfied.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein (B) comprises adding the email address of the first sender to a set of email addresses from which email is approved to be sent through a predetermined set of email servers.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

(C) prior to (A), transmitting a prompt to the first sender over the network; and

wherein the received information comprises information transmitted by the first sender in response to the prompt.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein (B) comprises determining that the received information satisfies the predetermined conditions if the received information matches a predetermined response to the prompt.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the prompt comprises a captcha.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

(C) after (B), receiving an email from a second sender;

(D) identifying an email address of the second sender;

(E) identifying a destination email address of the email; and

(F) transmitting the email to the destination email address only if the email address of the second sender is in the set of email addresses for which the predetermined conditions have been satisfied.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

(G) if the email address of the second sender is not in the set of email addresses for which the predetermined conditions have been satisfied, transmitting a Non-Delivery Report to the email address of the second sender.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the first sender is the same as the second sender.

9. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

(G) prior to (F), identifying a key associated with the email; and

wherein (F) comprises transmitting the email to the destination email address if the email address of the second sender is in the set of email addresses for which the predetermined conditions have been satisfied and the key matches a predetermined key associated with the second sender.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

(C) prior to (A), receiving the information over the network from the first sender.

11. A computer-implemented method comprising:

(A) adding an email address of a first sender to a list;

(B) adding to the list a first key corresponding to the first sender;

(C) adding an email address of a second sender to the list;

(D) adding to the list a second key corresponding to the second sender; and

(E) inserting the first key into an email originating from the first sender.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the second key differs from the first key.

13. A computer-implemented method comprising:

(A) receiving an email from a sender over a computer network;

(B) identifying an email address of the sender;

(C) identifying a destination email address of the email; and

(D) transmitting the email to the destination email address only if the email address of the sender is in a set of verified email senders who have satisfied predetermined conditions indicating that the verified email senders in the set are people.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

(E) if the email address of the sender is not in the set of verified email senders, transmitting a Non-Delivery Report to the email address of the sender.

15. A computer-implemented method comprising:

(A) attempting to extract from an email message a sender email address and a key associated with the sender email address; and

(B) transmitting the email message to a specified recipient of the email message only if the sender email address and key are successfully extracted and the sender email address and key are associated with an email sender.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein (A) comprises attempting to extract the key from a subject of the email message.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein (A) comprises attempting to extract the key from a header of the email message.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein (A) comprises attempting to extract the key from an attachment to the email message.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein (B) comprises:

(B)(1) determining whether the sender email address is a verified sender email address;

(B)(2) determining whether the key is associated with the verified sender email address; and

(B)(3) transmitting the email to the specified recipient only if the sender email address is a verified sender email address and the key is associated with the verified sender email address.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein (B) comprises transmitting the email message to a specified recipient of the email message only if the sender email address and key are successfully extracted and the sender email address and key are associated with an email sender that has satisfied predetermined conditions indicating that the email sender is a person.

21. The method of claim 15, wherein (B) comprises transmitting the email message to a specified recipient of the email message only if the sender email address and key are successfully extracted and the sender email address and key are associated with an email sender that has satisfied predetermined conditions indicating that the email sender is a participating bulk sender.

22. A computer-implemented method comprising:

(A) determining whether a sender email address is a verified sender email address;

(B) determining whether a key is associated with the verified sender email address; and

(C) providing over a network an indication whether the sender email address is a verified sender email address and whether the key is associated with the verified sender email address.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

(D) prior to (A), receiving a request to determine whether the sender email address and key are associated with a verified email sender; and

wherein (A), (B), and (C) are performed in response to (D).

24. A method comprising:

(A) identifying a plurality of email senders as verified and desired email senders;

(B) identifying a plurality of email servers as member email servers, the plurality of email servers having a plurality of email users; and

(C) providing a guarantee to one of the plurality of email senders that the plurality of member email servers will not identify emails transmitted by that email sender to any of the plurality of email users as undesired email.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein (C) comprises providing a guarantee to the one of the plurality of email senders that the plurality of member email servers will not block transmission of emails transmitted by that email sender to any of the plurality of email users as undesired email.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein (A) comprises:

(A)(1) identifying a plurality of email senders as verified and desired email senders, wherein each of the plurality of email senders satisfies at least one of the following criteria;

sending at least a predetermined minimum number of emails released by their recipients;

sending fewer than a predetermined maximum number of emails rejected by their recipients; and

sending greater than a minimum number of emails accepted by their recipients.

27. A computer-implemented method comprising:

(A) providing in an email message a tag specifying whether the email message is of a first class that requires the transmission of a Non-Delivery Report (NDR) upon failure to transmit the email message to its recipient or of a second class that does not require the transmission of an NDR upon failure to transmit the email message to its recipient; and

(B) transmitting the email message over a network.

28. The method of claim 27, further comprising:

(C) in response to identifying that the email message has failed to be transmitted to its recipient, identifying the class specified by the tag; and

(D) transmitting an NDR only if the specified class is the first class.

29. The method of claim 27, wherein (D) comprises:

(D)(1) identifying a sender of the email message; and

(D)(2) transmitting the NDR to the sender.

30. A computer-implemented method comprising:

(A) receiving an email message containing a tag specifying whether the email message is of a first class that requires the transmission of a Non-Delivery Report (NDR) upon failure to transmit the email message to its recipient or of a second class that does not require the transmission of an NDR upon failure to transmit the email message to its recipient;

(B) determining whether the email message has failed to be transmitted to its recipient;

(C) if the email message is determined to have failed to be transmitted to its recipient;

(C)(1) identifying the class specified by the tag; and

(C)(2) transmitting an NDR only if the specified class is the first class.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein (C)(2) comprises:

(C)(2)(a) identifying a sender of the email message; and

(C)(2)(b) transmitting the NDR to the sender.

32. A computer-implemented method comprising:

(A) receiving an email from a sender over a computer network;

(B) receiving feedback about the email from a designated recipient of the email;

(C) determining whether the sender is a bulk sender of email;

(D) if the sender is a bulk sender, processing the feedback using a first method; and

(E) if the sender is not a bulk sender, processing the feedback using a second method that differs from the first method.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein (B) comprises receiving a rejection of the email from the designated recipient, wherein (D) comprises registering a vote against the sender in a database of verified senders of email, and wherein (E) comprises removing an email address of the sender from the database of verified senders of email.

34. A computer-implemented method comprising:

(A) receiving a first email over a computer network, the first email specifying a sender email address;

(B) in response to receiving the first email, sending a message to the sender email address;

(C) determining whether the message is deliverable to the sender email address;

(D) identifying an intended recipient of the first email; and

(E) providing the intended recipient of the first email an indication whether the message is deliverable.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein (B) comprises sending a second email to the sender email address.