User interface and anti-phishing functions for an anti-spam micropayments system

• US 20060075028A1
• Filed: 09/07/2004
• Published: 04/06/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Iconix Incorporated (Matthews Group LLC)
• Original Assignee: Iconix Incorporated (Matthews Group LLC)
• Inventors: Zager, Robert Philip, Picazo, Jose Jesus Jr., Duvvoori, Vikram, Trytten, Chris David, Ames, William, Vempaty, Nageshwara Rao
• Granted Patent: US 7,422,115 B2
• 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 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/212 using filtering or selective blocking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/126 the source of the received data

Abstract

A protocol for protected email transmission using micropayments and a segregated inbox in which protected emails are displayed. The protocol also involves authentication of the sender to defeat phishers and an opt out protocol which can be used to block protected emails from sources from which the user no longer wishes to receive emails even if the source has made a micropayment. Branded email is also taught wherein a sender of protected emails can pay extra to have a miniature version of its brand logo or trademark displayed with its email in the segregated inbox. A white list is maintained on the protected email server (along with the opt out black list) so that recipients can designate specific senders who may send email to that recipient without paying a micropayment and still have the protected email displayed in the segregated inbox.

Claims

1. A process for defeating phishers and carried out in a distributed email system having a protected email server coupled via a wide area network to a plurality of client computers executing protected email software, comprising:

A) receiving an initiation message at a protected email server from a client computer executing a protected email sender process, said initiation message requesting a code in the form of a stemp for inclusion in the header of a proposed email addressed to a recipient, said initiation message including at least ID information which identifies said sender and includes secure information to which a phisher would not have access and including at least said header of said proposed email;

B) using said ID information and/or said secure information to determine the identity of the sender of said initiation message by looking up the owner of a protected email micropayments account associated with said ID information and/or said secure information;

C) authenticating the sender of the initiation message by determining if the purported sender of said initiation message is the owner of the protected email micropayments account determined from said ID information and/or secure information in said initiation message;

D) if the sender of said initiation message is not authentic, sending a warning message and denying said request for a stemp;

E) if said sender is authentic, determining if the request for a stemp from this sender is legitimate in terms of a stemp policy; and

, if not, denying said request for a stemp;

F) if said request for a stemp is within said stemp policy, using an encryption key to encrypt a stemp, said encrypted stemp including at least unique information which directly or indirectly identifies the sender;

G) saving said encryption key, said unique information, the identity of said sender or a pointer to the identity of said sender, any Truemark, generic logo or white list source icon associated with said sender and the encrypted version of said stemp in a table or database;

H) determining if said sender is on a white list of said intended recipient, and, if not, deducting a micropayment amount from a micropayments account owned by said sender;

I) sending said stemp back to the sender computer which sent said initiation message along with the header of said proposed email;

J) after a recipient computer receives an email purportedly from said sender computer, receiving at least the header of said email if said email had a stemp therein;

K) using the encrypted version of the stemp or a transaction number decrypted using a standard key from said encrypted stemp to look up a database record or table entry that pertains to said email;

L) determining the identity of the sender from said database record or table entry that pertains to said email, determining if said stemp is a valid paid-for stemp and determining if there is a source icon of a Truemark or white list variety associated with said email that should be displayed with said email when said email is displayed on said recipient computer;

M) determining if the sender ID decrypted from said stemp matches the sender who purportedly sent said email;

N) if said sender does not match, sending back a warning message to said recipient computer; and

O) if said sender matches, sending back a message to said recipient computer indicating said sender is authenticated and sending any Truemark or white list icon to be displayed with said email or data indicating which locally stored Truemark source icon should be displayed with said protected email or that the white list icon should be displayed with said protected email.

2. The process of claim 1 wherein step F further comprises encrypting in said stemp with tying information comprising some or all information from a header of said proposed email and/or a portion of said main body of said proposed email so as to ties said stemp to said proposed email, and wherein step M further comprises decrypting said tying information from said stemp and determining if the tying information matches information from the header or main body of said email so as to verify that the stemp sent back to the sender computer was in fact attached to said proposed email.

3. The process of claim 1 wherein step C further comprises the step of determining if said authenticated sender is on a black list or opt out list of the intended recipient, and, if so, denying said stemp to said sender thereby preventing said sender from sending a protected email to said recipient.

4. The process of claim 1 wherein step F further comprises encrypting said stemp with information indicating which one of a plurality of Truemarks to display in a segregated inbox when an email bearing said stemp is received when said sender has paid for a Truemark stemp service.

5. The process of claim 1 wherein step F further comprises encrypting said stemp with information indicating a white list source icon is to be displayed in a segregated inbox when an email bearing said stemp is received by a recipient computer when said sender has been designated by said intended recipient of said email to be on a white list of recipients that are allowed to send protected emails to said recipient without a micropayment.

6. The process of claim 1 wherein step F further comprises encrypting a stemp with information that associates said stemp with a generic logo when said sender is not on a white list of said recipient and has not paid a subscription for a Truemark branded stemp service.

7. A process for defeating phishers and carried out in a distributed email system having a protected email server coupled via a wide area network to a plurality of client computers executing protected email software, comprising:

A) receiving in a client computer executing a recipient computer protected email process an email;

B) examining a header of said email for the presence of a stemp;

C) if a stemp is not present, sending said email to an non protected email client application for display in a non segregated inbox;

D) if a stemp is present, sending the header of said email message to a protected email server to which said client computer is connected by a wide area network along with a message requesting validation of the sender of said message;

E) if a warning message is received back from said protected email server indicating the sender of said email message is not who she is passing herself off as, displaying said message to an operator of said recipient computer;

F) if a validated message is received back from said protected email server indicating said sender of said email message is who she purports to be, storing said email message in a segregated email inbox to be displayed when an icon representing said segregated email inbox is selected in said non protected email client application.

8. The process of claim 7 wherein step F further comprises receiving a Truemark source icon or a white list source icon from said protected email server with said validated message, and displaying said source icon with said protected email message to which it pertains in said segregated inbox.

9. A protected email server comprising:

a display;

a keyboard and pointing device;

a central processing unit programmed with an operating system and further programmed with one or more application programs which control said central processing unit to carry out the following process;

A) receiving an initiation message at a protected email server from a client computer executing a protected email sender process, said initiation message requesting a code in the form of a stemp for inclusion in the header of a proposed email addressed to a recipient, said initiation message including at least ID information which identifies said sender and includes secure information to which a phisher would not have access and including at least said header of said proposed email;

B) using said ID information and/or said secure information to determine the identity of the sender of said initiation message by looking up the owner of a protected email micropayments account associated with said ID information and/or said secure information;

C) authenticating the sender of the initiation message by determining if the purported sender of said initiation message is the owner of the protected email micropayments account determined from said ID information and/or secure information in said initiation message;

D) if the sender of said initiation message is not authentic, sending a warning message and denying said request for a stemp;

E) if said sender is authentic, determining if the request for a stemp from this sender is legitimate in terms of a stemp policy; and

, if not, denying said request for a stemp;

F) if said request for a stemp is within said stemp policy, using an encryption key to encrypt a stemp, said encrypted stemp including at least unique information which directly or indirectly identifies the sender;

G) saving said encryption key, said unique information, the identity of said sender or a pointer to the identity of said sender, any Truemark, generic logo or white list source icon associated with said sender and the encrypted version of said stemp in a table or database;

H) determining if said sender is on a white list of said intended recipient, and, if not, deducting a micropayment amount from a micropayments account owned by said sender;

I) sending said stemp back to the sender computer which sent said initiation message along with the header of said proposed email;

J) after a recipient computer receives an email purportedly from said sender computer, receiving at least the header of said email if said email had a stemp therein;

K) using the encrypted version of the stemp or a transaction number decrypted using a standard key from said encrypted stemp to look up a database record or table entry that pertains to said email;

L) determining the identity of the sender from said database record or table entry that pertains to said email, determining if said stemp is a valid paid-for stemp and determining if there is a source icon of a Truemark or white list variety associated with said email that should be displayed with said email when said email is displayed on said recipient computer;

M) determining if the sender ID decrypted from said stemp matches the sender who purportedly sent said email;

N) if said sender does not match, sending back a warning message to said recipient computer; and

O) if said sender matches, sending back a message to said recipient computer indicating said sender is authenticated and sending any Truemark or white list icon to be displayed with said email or data indicating which locally stored Truemark source icon should be displayed with said protected email or that the white list icon should be displayed with said protected email.

10. A computer-readable medium storing thereon computer-readable instructions which, when programmed into a computer, control said computer to perform the following process:

A) receiving an initiation message at a protected email server from a client computer executing a protected email sender process, said initiation message requesting a code in the form of a stemp for inclusion in the header of a proposed email addressed to a recipient, said initiation message including at least ID information which identifies said sender and includes secure information to which a phisher would not have access and including at least said header of said proposed email;

B) using said ID information and/or said secure information to determine the identity of the sender of said initiation message by looking up the owner of a protected email micropayments account associated with said ID information and/or said secure information;

C) authenticating the sender of the initiation message by determining if the purported sender of said initiation message is the owner of the protected email micropayments account determined from said ID information and/or secure information in said initiation message;

D) if the sender of said initiation message is not authentic, sending a warning message and denying said request for a stemp;

E) if said sender is authentic, determining if the request for a stemp from this sender is legitimate in terms of a stemp policy; and

, if not, denying said request for a stemp;

F) if said request for a stemp is within said stemp policy, using an encryption key to encrypt a stemp, said encrypted stemp including at least unique information which directly or indirectly identifies the sender;

G) saving said encryption key, said unique information, the identity of said sender or a pointer to the identity of said sender, any Truemark, generic logo or white list source icon associated with said sender and the encrypted version of said stemp in a table or database;

H) determining if said sender is on a white list of said intended recipient, and, if not, deducting a micropayment amount from a micropayments account owned by said sender;

I) sending said stemp back to the sender computer which sent said initiation message along with the header of said proposed email;

J) after a recipient computer receives an email purportedly from said sender computer, receiving at least the header of said email if said email had a stemp therein;

K) using the encrypted version of the stemp or a transaction number decrypted using a standard key from said encrypted stemp to look up a database record or table entry that pertains to said email;

L) determining the identity of the sender from said database record or table entry that pertains to said email, determining if said stemp is a valid paid-for stemp and determining if there is a source icon of a Truemark or white list variety associated with said email that should be displayed with said email when said email is displayed on said recipient computer;

M) determining if the sender ID decrypted from said stemp matches the sender who purportedly sent said email;

N) if said sender does not match, sending back a warning message to said recipient computer; and

O) if said sender matches, sending back a message to said recipient computer indicating said sender is authenticated and sending any Truemark or white list icon to be displayed with said email or data indicating which locally stored Truemark source icon should be displayed with said protected email or that the white list icon should be displayed with said protected email.

11. A protected email recipient client computer comprising:

a display;

a keyboard and pointing device;

a central processing unit programmed with an operating system and further programmed with one or more application programs which control said central processing unit to carry out the following process;

A) receiving in a client computer executing a recipient computer protected email process an email;

B) examining a header of said email for the presence of a stemp;

C) if a stemp is not present, sending said email to an non protected email client application for display in a non segregated inbox;

D) if a stemp is present, sending the header of said email message to a protected email server to which said client computer is connected by a wide area network along with a message requesting validation of the sender of said message;

E) if a warning message is received back from said protected email server indicating the sender of said email message is not who she is passing herself off as, displaying said message to an operator of said recipient computer;

F) if a validated message is received back from said protected email server indicating said sender of said email message is who she purports to be, storing said email message in a segregated email inbox to be displayed when an icon representing said segregated email inbox is selected in said non protected email client application.

12. The computer of claim 11 further programmed by said application program to carry out step F by receiving a Truemark source icon or a white list source icon from said protected email server with said validated message, and displaying said source icon with said protected email message to which it pertains in said segregated inbox.

13. A computer readable medium having stored thereon computer readable instructions, which when programmed into a computer, control said computer to carry out the following process:

A) receiving in a client computer executing a recipient computer protected email process an email;

B) examining a header of said email for the presence of a stemp;

C) if a stemp is not present, sending said email to an non protected email client application for display in a non segregated inbox;

D) if a stemp is present, sending the header of said email message to a protected email server to which said client computer is connected by a wide area network along with a message requesting validation of the sender of said message;

E) if a warning message is received back from said protected email server indicating the sender of said email message is not who she is passing herself off as, displaying said message to an operator of said recipient computer;

F) if a validated message is received back from said protected email server indicating said sender of said email message is who she purports to be, storing said email message in a segregated email inbox to be displayed when an icon representing said segregated email inbox is selected in said non protected email client application.

14. A process for defeating phishers and carried out in a distributed email system having a protected email server coupled via a wide area network to a plurality of client computers executing protected email software, comprising:

A) at a sender computer, receiving data from a sender to compose a proposed email message and receiving a user command to send proposed email message to a particular, identified recipient;

B) sending an initiation message to a protected email server requesting a code in the form of a stemp for inclusion in the header of said proposed email and passing information with said message which identifies said sender;

C) at said protected email server, authenticating the identity of the sender using information from said message and verifying the sender has an account with sufficient money in it to pay for the stemp requested in step B or that the sender is on a white list of said recipient;

D) at said protected email server, if conditions in step C are proper to send said proposed email, said protected email server generates a transaction number, encrypts a stemp with information which identifies the sender and encrypts the stemp with a transaction number associated with this particular email, saves the encryption key, deducts the amount of the micropayment from the account of the sender if the sender is not on the white list of the recipient, sends back to said sender the proposed email message header with said stemp encoded therein;

E) sending from said protected email server said encryption key used in step D and said transaction number generated in step D and, to a client computer operated by said recipient (recipient computer);

D) at said sender computer, attaching said header received from said protected email server to said proposed email message and sending said email message to said recipient via normal email sending processes;

E) at said recipient computer, receiving said encryption key, transaction number and Truemark or generic logo from said protected email server;

F) at said recipient computer, receiving said email message sent by said sender computer, and responding thereto by retrieving the encryption key used to encrypt said Truemark, generic stemp or white list stemp and attempting to decrypt said Truemark, generic stemp or white list stemp to retrieve the account number and transaction number encrypted therein;

G) if the Truemark, generic stemp or white list stemp decrypts properly and the decrypted transaction number matches the transaction number received from said protected email server, said recipient computer places said email in a segregated inbox folder and stores the appropriate Truemark, generic stemp or white list stemp with said email for display when a user gives a command to display the contents of said segregated inbox folder.

15. The process of claim 14 wherein step C further comprises the step of determining if said sender is on a black list or opt out list of the intended recipient, and, if so, blocking issuance of said stemp to said sender thereby preventing said sender from sending a protected email to said recipient.

16. The process of claim 14 wherein step D comprises encrypting a Truemark stemp when said sender has paid for a Truemark stemp service.

17. The process of claim 14 wherein step D comprises encrypting a white list stemp when said sender has been designated by said intended recipient of said email to be on a white list of recipient such that said sender can send protected emails to said recipient without a micropayment.

18. The process of claim 14 wherein step D comprises encrypting a stemp associated with a generic logo when said sender is not on a white list of said recipient and has not paid a subscription for a Truemark branded stemp service.

19. A process to defeat phishers carried out in a protected email server coupled via a wide area network to client computers executing protected email software, comprising:

A) authenticating the identity of the sender using information from a message received from a client computer executing a protected email sender process, said message requesting issuance of a code in the form of a Truemark, stemp or general logo to be used to gate an email message to be sent from said sender process into a segregated inbox maintained by a recipient process executing on a recipient computer;

B) using information in said message to verify the identity of the sender and that the sender has an account with sufficient money in it to pay for the code requested in step A and to verify that said sender is not on a black list or opt out list of the recipient and to determine if said sender is on a white list of a recipient operating receiver software executing on a recipient computer; and

C) if conditions in step B are proper to send said email, performing the following steps;

generating a transaction number;

encrypting a Truemark, generic stemp or white list stemp which contains the identification of the sender and the transaction number,

saving the encryption key;

deducting the amount of the micropayment from the account of the

sender if the sender is not on the white list of the recipient;

sending back to said sender the proposed email message header with said Truemark, generic stemp or white list stemp encoded therein;

sending said encryption key and said transaction number and said Truemark or generic logo to said recipient computer.

20. A process to defeat phishers carried out in a client computer running protected email software operated by a recipient (hereafter recipient computer) in a distributed email system including a protected email server coupled via a wide area network to client computers executing protected email software, comprising:

A) receiving said encryption key, transaction number from said protected email server;

B) receiving an email message sent by a client computer executing protected email software operated by a sender (hereafter sender computer);

C) responding to receipt of said email message by retrieving the encryption key sent by said protected email server which was used to encrypt said Truemark, generic stemp or white list stemp and attempting to decrypt said Truemark, generic stemp or white list stemp to retrieve the transaction number encrypted therein;

D) comparing said transaction number received from said protected email server with the transaction number decrypted from said Truemark, generic stemp or white list stemp in said header of said email message received from said sender computer;

E) if there is a match between transaction numbers, storing said email in a segregated email folder which contains only email that has a Truemark, generic stemp or white list stemp therein or which is sent by a sender on a white list of said recipient;

F) when a command is received to display the contents of said segregated email folder, displaying on said recipient computer selected information about each email in said segregated email folder in a predetermined way.

21. The process of claim 20 wherein step E further comprises the step of storing any Truemark, generic stemp or white list stemp received with said email in said segregated email folder if there is a match between transaction numbers.

22. The process of claim 21 wherein step A further comprises receiving a Truemark, generic stemp or white list stemp from said protected email server and storing said Truemark, generic stemp or white list stemp received from said protected email server with said email in said segregated email folder, and wherein step F further comprises displaying said Truemark, generic stemp or white list stemp with the email with which said Truemark, generic stemp or white list stemp is associated when the contents of said segregated email folder is displayed.

23. The process of claim 21 wherein step C further comprises using said encryption key to retrieve the account number of the sender which is encrypted in said Truemark, generic stemp or white list stemp, and using said account number to look up the appropriate Truemark or generic logo for display with said email, and step F further comprises displaying said Truemark or generic logo looked up from said table with the email with which said Truemark, generic stemp or white list stemp is associated when the contents of said segregated email folder is displayed.

24. A process to defeat phishers carried out in a client computer running protected email software operated by a sender of email (hereafter sender computer) in a distributed email system including a protected email server coupled via a wide area network to client computers executing protected email software, comprising:

a sender computer operating protected email software operated by a sender receives input data composing an email and identifying a recipient and a subject and including sender identification information which identifies the sender of said email in a protected email system, and receiving a command to send said email to said recipient;

said sender computer sends to a protected email server a message including said sender identification information and a header of said email which includes data which identifies the intended recipient of said email, said message requesting a code for inclusion in said header of said email which will cause said email to not be blocked by a computer executing protected email software operated by recipient (hereafter recipient computer);

sender computer receives said header back from said protected email server if said protected email server authenticates said sender, said header including said code;

sender computer integrates said header received from said protected email server with said email and sends said email in the manner every other email not part of said protected email system is sent.

25. A sender computer apparatus, comprising:

a keyboard for entering data and giving commands;

a monitor a monitor for displaying data, commands and menu options;

a pointing device;

a central processing unit coupled to said keyboard, monitor and pointing device and programmed to perform the following functions;

receive input data composing an email and identifying a recipient and a subject and including sender identification information which identifies the sender of said email in a protected email system;

receive a command to send said email to said recipient;

send to a protected email server a message including said sender identification information and a header of said email which includes data which identifies the intended recipient of said email, said message requesting a code for inclusion in said header of said email which will cause said email to not be blocked by a computer executing protected email software operated by recipient (hereafter recipient computer);

receive said header back from said protected email server if said protected email server authenticates said sender, said header including said code;

integrate said header received from said protected email server with said email and send said email in the manner every other email not part of said protected email system is sent.

26. A server computer in a protected email environment, comprising:

a keyboard for entering data and giving commands;

a monitor a monitor for displaying data, commands and menu options;

a pointing device;

a central processing unit coupled to said keyboard, monitor and pointing device and programmed to perform the following functions;

A) receive a message from a client computer coupled to said central processing unit via a wide area network and executing protected email software (hereafter sender computer) and operated by a sender, said message including sender identification information identifying said sender, said message requesting issuance of a code in the form of a Truemark, stemp or general logo to be used to gate an email message to be sent from said sender computer into a segregated inbox of a protected email system, said segregated inbox maintained by a protected email recipient process executing on a recipient computer;

B) authenticate the identity of said sender using said sender identification information in said message received from said sender computer,

C) if said sender is authentic, said central processing unit verifies that the sender has an account with sufficient money in it to pay for the code requested in the message received during step A and to verify that said sender is not on a black list or an opt out list of the recipient and to determine if said sender is on a white list of a recipient operating receiver software executing on a recipient computer; and

D) if conditions are determined in step C to be proper to send said email, performing the following steps;

i) generating a transaction number;

ii) encrypting a Truemark, generic stemp or white list stemp which contains the identification of the sender and the transaction number,

iii) saving the encryption key;

iv) deducting the amount of a micropayment from the account of the sender if the sender is not on the white list of the recipient;

v) sending back to said sender the proposed email message header with said Truemark, generic stemp or white list stemp encoded therein;

vi) sending said encryption key and said transaction number to said recipient computer.

27. The apparatus of claim 26 wherein said central processing unit is programmed to perform the following additional step when performing step D(vi):

sending to said recipient computer said Truemark or generic logo associated with the sender of the email to which said transaction number pertains.

28. A recipient computer in a protected email environment, comprising:

a keyboard for entering data and giving commands;

a monitor a monitor for displaying data, commands and menu options;

a pointing device;

a central processing unit coupled to said keyboard, monitor and pointing device and programmed to perform the following steps;

A) receiving an encryption key and transaction number regarding a protected environment email from a protected email server;

B) receiving an email message sent by a client computer executing protected email software operated by a sender (hereafter sender computer);

C) responding to receipt of said email message by retrieving said encryption key sent by said protected email server which was used to encrypt a Truemark, generic stemp or white list stemp included within said email received in step B, and attempting to decrypt said Truemark, generic stemp or white list stemp using said encryption key to retrieve a transaction number encrypted therein;

D) comparing said transaction number received from said protected email server with a transaction number decrypted from said Truemark, generic stemp or white list stemp in said header of said email message received from said sender computer;

E) if there is a match between transaction numbers, storing said email in a segregated email folder maintained by a protected email receiver process executing on said central processing unit, said segregated email folder containing only email that has a Truemark, generic stemp or white list stemp therein or which is sent by a sender on a white list of said recipient;

F) when a command is received to display the contents of said segregated email folder, displaying on said monitor of said recipient computer selected information about each email in said segregated email folder in a predetermined way.

29. The apparatus of claim 28 wherein said central processing unit is programmed to perform step F by displaying a navigation pane and a single content pane, said navigation pane having displayed therein an icon representing said segregated inbox of said protected email system, and when said recipient selects said icon, displaying the contents of said segregated inbox in said single content pane such that white list emails are interspersed with Truemark emails bearing the logo of a company which made a micropayment to get its email into said segregated inbox.

30. The apparatus of claim 28 wherein said central processing unit is programmed to perform step F by displaying a navigation pane and a single content pane with a friends tab and a logo mail tab, said navigation pane having displayed therein an icon representing said segregated inbox of said protected email system, and when said recipient selects said icon, displaying the contents of said segregated inbox in said single content pane such that only white list emails are displayed if said friends tab has been selected and only Truemark logo bearing emails are displayed if said logo mail tab has been selected.

31. The apparatus of claim 28 wherein said central processing unit is programmed to perform step F by displaying a navigation pane and a dual content pane, said navigation pane having displayed therein an icon representing said segregated inbox of said protected email system, and when said recipient selects said icon, displaying the contents of said segregated inbox in said dual content pane such that white list emails are displayed in a first pane of said dual content pane and Truemark emails bearing the logo of a company which made a micropayment to get its email into said segregated inbox are displayed in a second pane of said dual content pane.

32. A computer-readable medium having stored thereon computer executable instructions which control a computer to perform the following functions:

A) receive a message from a client computer coupled to said central processing unit via a wide area network and executing protected email software (hereafter sender computer) and operated by a sender, said message including sender identification information identifying said sender, said message requesting issuance of a code in the form of a Truemark, stemp or general logo to be used to gate an email message to be sent from said sender computer into a segregated inbox of a protected email system, said segregated inbox maintained by a protected email recipient process executing on a recipient computer;

B) authenticate the identity of said sender using said sender identification information in said message received from said sender computer,

C) if said sender is authentic, said central processing unit verifies that the sender has an account with sufficient money in it to pay for the code requested in the message received during step A and to verify that said sender is not on a black list or an opt out list of the recipient and to determine if said sender is on a white list of a recipient operating receiver software executing on a recipient computer; and

D) if conditions are determined in step C to be proper to send said email, performing the following steps;

i) generating a transaction number;

ii) encrypting a Truemark, generic stemp or white list stemp which contains the identification of the sender and the transaction number,

iii) saving the encryption key;

iv) deducting the amount of a micropayment from the account of the sender if the sender is not on the white list of the recipient;

v) sending back to said sender the proposed email message header with said Truemark, generic stemp or white list stemp encoded therein;

vi) sending said encryption key and said transaction number to said recipient computer.

33. A computer-readable medium having stored thereon computer executable instructions which control a recipient computer to perform the following process:

A) receiving an encryption key and transaction number regarding a protected environment email from a protected email server;

B) receiving an email message sent by a client computer executing protected email software operated by a sender (hereafter sender computer);

C) responding to receipt of said email message by retrieving said encryption key sent by said protected email server which was used to encrypt a Truemark, generic stemp or white list stemp included within said email received in step B, and attempting to decrypt said Truemark, generic stemp or white list stemp using said encryption key to retrieve a transaction number encrypted therein;

D) comparing said transaction number received from said protected email server with a transaction number decrypted from said Truemark, generic stemp or white list stemp in said header of said email message received from said sender computer;

E) if there is a match between transaction numbers, storing said email in a segregated email folder maintained by a protected email receiver process executing on said central processing unit, said segregated email folder containing only email that has a Truemark, generic stemp or white list stemp therein or which is sent by a sender on a white list of said recipient;

F) when a command is received to display the contents of said segregated email folder, displaying on said monitor of said recipient computer selected information about each email in said segregated email folder in a predetermined way.