Rule-based electronic message processing

• US 20070106741A1
• Filed: 09/27/2006
• Published: 05/10/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Morgan Stanley Services Group Inc. (Morgan Stanley)
• Original Assignee: Morgan Stanley
• Inventors: Khodak, Denis, Sparkes, Stephen, Balasubramanyam, Sharada, Christoff, Max, Kidner, Eden, Sharer, Jullianne
• Granted Patent: US 8,621,007 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 51/00 User-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, transmitted according to store-and-forward or real-time protocols, e.g. e-mail
• 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 51/48 Message addressing, e.g. address format or anonymous messages, aliases

Abstract

In various embodiments, a computer-assisted method for processing an electronic message includes the steps of reviewing the recipients of the electronic message, evaluating whether any of the recipients of the electronic message are potentially incorrect, and prompting the sender of the electronic message to evaluate whether the potentially incorrect recipients are correct. This computer-assisted method, as it evaluates whether a recipient may be potentially incorrect, may provide an effective warning to the sender of the electronic message as opposed to previous systems which automatically, and often, spuriously, warned the sender that a recipient may be incorrect without ever evaluating the recipients.

Claims

1. A computer-assisted method for processing a first electronic message, said electronic message having a sender and at least one recipient, said method comprising the steps of:

reviewing the recipients of said electronic message;

evaluating whether any of the recipients of said electronic message are potentially incorrect; and

prompting said sender to evaluate whether said potentially incorrect recipients are correct.

2. The computer-assisted method of claim 1, said sender having a contact list, said evaluating step including:

determining whether said recipients are included in said contact list; and

deeming recipients not in said contact list as potentially incorrect.

3. The computer-assisted method of claim 2, further including adding at least one of said potentially incorrect recipients to said contact list after said sender determines that said potentially incorrect recipient is correct.

4. The computer-assisted method of claim 3, further including:

reviewing the recipients of a second electronic message, said second electronic message having a sender that is different from said sender of said first message;

evaluating whether any of the recipients of said second electronic message are potentially incorrect;

prompting said sender of said second electronic message to evaluate whether said potentially incorrect recipients are correct; and

adding said potentially incorrect recipients to said contact list after said sender of said second message determines that said potentially incorrect recipients are correct.

5. The computer-assisted method of claim 1, wherein said electronic message is an e-mail, and wherein said e-mail is addressed to e-mail accounts of said recipients, said sender having a contact list, said evaluating step including:

determining whether the domain names of said e-mail accounts are included in said sender'"'"'s contact list; and

deeming recipients having e-mail accounts with domain names not in said contact list as potentially incorrect.

6. The computer-assisted method of claim 1, wherein said electronic message is an e-mail, and wherein said e-mail is addressed to e-mail accounts of said recipients, said evaluating step including:

calculating a first number by counting the e-mail accounts of said recipients having the same domain name as the sender;

calculating a second number by counting the e-mail accounts of said recipients having a different domain name than the sender; and

prompting said sender to confirm that said recipients are correct if the ratio of said second number to said first number exceeds a predetermined value.

7. The computer-assisted method of claim 1, wherein said sender has a contact list, and wherein said evaluating step includes:

determining whether the name of a recipient is substantially similar to at least two names in said contact list; and

prompting said sender to confirm that said recipients are correct.

8. The computer-assisted method of claim 1, wherein said evaluating step includes examining said electronic message to determine whether it meets at least one of a set of rules, said method further including modifying at least one of said rules after said sender determines that said potentially incorrect recipient is correct.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein said instructions for evaluating include instructions for examining said electronic message to determine whether it meets at least one of a set of rules, said medium further including instructions for modifying at least one of said rules after said sender determines that said potentially incorrect recipient is correct.

9. A computer-readable medium for processing a first electronic message, said electronic message having at least one recipient, said medium comprising computer-executable instructions thereon for:

reviewing the recipients of said electronic message, said message having a sender;

evaluating whether any of the recipients of said electronic message are potentially incorrect; and

prompting said sender to evaluate whether said potentially incorrect recipients are correct.

10. The computer-readable medium of claim 9, said sender having a contact list, said medium further comprising computer-executable instructions thereon for:

determining whether said recipients are included in said contact list; and

deeming recipients not in said contact list as potentially incorrect.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, said medium further comprising computer-executable instructions thereon for adding said potentially incorrect recipients to said contact list after said sender determines that said potentially incorrect recipients are correct.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, said medium further comprising computer-executable instructions thereon for:

reviewing the recipients of a second electronic message, said second electronic message having a sender that is different from said sender of said first message;

evaluating whether any of the recipients of said second electronic message are potentially incorrect;

prompting said sender of said second electronic message to evaluate whether said potentially incorrect recipients are correct; and

adding said potentially incorrect recipients to said contact list after said sender of said second message determines that said potentially incorrect recipients are correct.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein said electronic message is an e-mail, and wherein said e-mail is addressed to e-mail accounts of said recipients, said sender having a contact list, said instructions for evaluating whether any of the recipients of said second electronic message are potentially incorrect including instructions for:

determining whether the domain names of said e-mail accounts are included in said sender'"'"'s contact list; and

deeming recipients having e-mail account domain names not in said contact list as potentially incorrect.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein said electronic message is an e-mail, and wherein said e-mail is addressed to e-mail accounts of said recipients, said instructions for evaluating whether any of the recipients of said second electronic message are potentially incorrect including instructions for:

calculating a first number by counting the e-mail accounts of said recipients having the same domain name as the sender;

calculating a second number by counting the e-mail accounts of said recipients having a different domain name than the sender; and

prompting said sender to confirm that said recipients are correct if the ratio of said second number to said first number exceeds a predetermined value.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 9, said sender having a contact list, said instructions for evaluating whether any of the recipients of said second electronic message are potentially incorrect including instructions for:

determining whether the names of said recipients are substantially similar to the names in said contact list; and

prompting said first sender to confirm that said recipients are correct.

17. A computer-assisted system for processing a first electronic message, said electronic message having a sender and at least one recipient, said system comprising:

an e-mail communication management module for;

reviewing the recipients of said electronic message;

evaluating whether any of the recipients of said electronic message are potentially incorrect; and

prompting said sender to evaluate whether said potentially incorrect recipients are correct.

18. The computer-assisted system of claim 17, said sender having a contact list, said module performing said evaluation by:

determining whether said recipients are included in said contact list; and

deeming recipients not in said contact list as potentially incorrect.

19. The computer-assisted system of claim 18, said module for further adding at least one of said potentially incorrect recipients to said contact list after said sender determines that said potentially incorrect recipient is correct.

20. The computer-assisted system of claim 19, said module for further:

reviewing the recipients of a second electronic message, said second electronic message having a sender that is different from said sender of said first message;

evaluating whether any of the recipients of said second electronic message are potentially incorrect;

prompting said sender of said second electronic message to evaluate whether said potentially incorrect recipients are correct; and

adding said potentially incorrect recipients to said contact list after said sender of said second message determines that said potentially incorrect recipients are correct.

21. The computer-assisted system of claim 17, wherein said electronic message is an e-mail, and wherein said e-mail is addressed to e-mail accounts of said recipients, said sender having a contact list, said module performing said evaluation by:

determining whether the domain names of said e-mail accounts are included in said sender'"'"'s contact list; and

deeming recipients having e-mail accounts with domain names not in said contact list as potentially incorrect.

22. The computer-assisted system of claim 17, wherein said electronic message is an e-mail, and wherein said e-mail is addressed to e-mail accounts of said recipients, said module performing said evaluation by:

calculating a first number by counting the e-mail accounts of said recipients having the same domain name as the sender;

calculating a second number by counting the e-mail accounts of said recipients having a different domain name than the sender; and

prompting said sender to confirm that said recipients are correct if the ratio of said second number to said first number exceeds a predetermined value.

23. The computer-assisted system of claim 17, wherein said sender has a contact list, said module performing said evaluation by:

determining whether the name of a recipient is substantially similar to at least two names in said contact list; and

prompting said sender to confirm that said recipients are correct.

24. The computer-assisted system of claim 17, said module performing said evaluating by examining said electronic message to determine whether it meets at least one of a set of rules, said module for modifying at least one of said rules after said sender determines that said potentially incorrect recipient is correct.