System and method for providing filtering email messages

• US 20060168059A1
• Filed: 10/20/2005
• Published: 07/27/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Affini, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Affini, Inc.
• Inventors: Carlson, Josiah, Chang, William I.
• Granted Patent: US 8,606,860 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: G06Q 30/00 Commerce

Abstract

A method for filtering email messages for a user, includes (a) obtaining from the user a first set of email addresses over which the user asserts authority and a second set of email addresses from which email messages are to be accepted; (b) obtaining from the email messages the sender and recipient email addresses; and (c) filtering the email messages directed to any one of the email addresses in the first set of email addresses according to the second set of email addresses. In one implementation, accepted email addresses are generalized from the second set of email addresses. Once a user'"'"'s email address is accepted, email from email addresses owned by the same sender are automatically accepted.

Claims

1. A method for filtering email messages for a user, comprising:

Obtaining from the user a first set of email addresses over which the user asserts authority and a second set of email addresses from which email messages are to be accepted;

Obtaining from the email messages the sender and recipient email addresses; and

Filtering the email messages directed to any one of the email addresses in the first set of email addresses according the second set of email addresses.

2. A method as in claim 1, wherein the user further specify whether email messages from any of the addresses in the second set of email addresses are to be rejected.

3. A method as in claim 2, further comprising providing a mail-store to store email messages from addresses not identified in the second set of email addresses.

4. A method as in claim 1, wherein the second set of email addresses further comprises domain names.

5. A method as in claim 1, wherein accepted email addresses further comprises subdomain email addresses from the second set of email addresses further comprises subdomain email addresses from the second set of email addresses.

6. A method as in claim 4, wherein accepted email addresses further comprises subdomain email addresses from the second set of email addresses.

7. A method as in claim 1, wherein both the sender address and the recipient address belong to users of a trusted domain, the method further comprising accepting email messages sent from all address specified in the sender'"'"'s first set of email addresses subsequent to an email message from any one of the sender'"'"'s first set of email addresses is accepted by the recipient.

8. A method as in claim 1, wherein the method is applied to managing email messages in a mailbox.

9. A method as in claim 1, further comprising providing a mapping module that identifies the user given an address in the user'"'"'s first set of email addresses.

10. A method for managing email messages in a mailbox, comprising:

Accessing the mailbox to fetching header information from email messages in the mailbox;

Examining the header information of each email message to determine if the email message should be removed from the mailbox;

Removing from the mailbox the email messages determined to be removed; and

Logging the time the mailbox is accessed to indicate the email messages processed.

11. A method as in claim 10, wherein the mailbox is accessed using a POP3 protocol.

12. A method as in claim 10, wherein the examining is carried out user a white-listing service.

13. A method as in claim 10, wherein the email messages removed are transferred a mail-store.

14. A method as in claim 10, wherein email messages removed included email messages to be rejected and email messages to be further examined.

15. A method as in claim 13, further comprising returning email messages to the mailbox upon further examination of the email messages removed.

16. A method as in claim 15, wherein email messages returned to the mailbox are marked using an authenticated token in the header information.

17. A method as in claim 16, wherein the authenticated token includes information encoded using a predetermined hash-function.

18. A method for determining authority over a contested email address, comprising:

Sending an email message to the contested email address, wherein the email message includes an authenticated token;

Waiting for a user acting on the authenticated token in the email message; and

Awarding authority over the contested email address to the user and disqualifying outstanding claims to the email address at the time of the user acting on the authenticated token.

19. A method as in claim 18, further comprising rejecting any claim over the contested email address subsequent to the user acting on the authenticated token.

20. A method as in claim 18, wherein the authenticated token comprises a link to a resource in a wide area network.

21. A system comprising:

A subscriber profile database including electronic addresses and biographical and affinity information of subscribers to the system, wherein the subscribers cooperate on projects of a common purpose; and

an electronic address directory for retrieving from the subscriber profile database electronic addresses of selected subscribers based on a search criterion selecting a specified biographical or affinity profile.

22. A system as in claim 21, wherein the subscriber data base resides in an internal network of a corporation and wherein the subscribers comprise the employees of the corporation.

23. A system as in claim 21, further comprising an electronic message forwarding service allowing sending electronic messages to the electronic addresses retrieved.

24. A system as in claim 21, wherein the electronic addresses are electronic mail addresses.

25. A system as in claim 23, wherein the electronic mail forwarding service associates a sender'"'"'s fee on each electronic message sent to a subscriber.

26. A system as in claim 25, wherein the sender'"'"'s fee uses an artificial currency.

27. A system as in claim 25, wherein the sender'"'"'s fee for each message is determined according to the urgency of the message.

28. A method for a user to provide direct feedback regarding an advertisement, comprising:

displaying the advertisement of a predetermined type to a user on a computer screen;

along with the display of the advertisement, providing a selectable resource on the computer screen that the user may select to indicate whether or not the user desires to see more or less of advertisements of the predetermined type; and

adjusting the frequency in which advertisements of the predetermined type is displayed to that user based on the user'"'"'s selection of the selectable resource.

29. A method as in claim 28, wherein the selectable resource comprises a plurality of selectable hyperlinks.

30. A method as in claim 28, further comprising providing a reward to the user when the user selects the selectable resource.

31. A method as in claim 28, wherein the method is practiced with a plurality of users, the method further comprising:

analyzing selections by the plurality of users; and

compiling statistics based on the selections.

32. A method as in claim 31, wherein the statistics are reported to advertisers.