ADAPTIVE JUNK MESSAGE FILTERING SYSTEM

• US 20080010353A1
• Filed: 07/17/2007
• Published: 01/10/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Heckerman, David, Kadie, Carl, Goodman, Joshua, Rounthwaite, Robert, Platt, John
• Granted Patent: US 7,640,313 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 51/212 using filtering or selective blocking

Abstract

The invention relates to a system for filtering messages—the system includes a seed filter having associated therewith a false positive rate and a false negative rate. A new filter is also provided for filtering the messages, the new filter is evaluated according to the false positive rate and the false negative rate of the seed filter, the data used to determine the false positive rate and the false negative rate of the seed filter are utilized to determine a new false positive rate and a new false negative rate of the new filter as a function of threshold. The new filter is employed in lieu of the seed filter if a threshold exists for the new filter such that the new false positive rate and new false negative rate are together considered better than the false positive and the false negative rate of the seed filter.

Claims

1. A data filter, comprising:

a first filter for filtering messages, and having first accuracy data associated therewith; and

a second filter for filtering the messages, and having associated therewith second accuracy data, the second filter evaluated with the first accuracy data, the data used to determine the first accuracy data are utilized to determine the second accuracy data as a function of threshold, wherein the second filter is employed if a threshold exists for the second filter such that the second accuracy data is considered better than the first accuracy data.

2. The filter of claim 1, the second filter employed at least one of in combination with the first filter and in lieu of the first filter.

3. The filter of claim 1, the second filter employed when the second accuracy rate is at least the same as the first accuracy rate.

4. The filter of claim 1, at least one of the first accuracy data and the second accuracy data comprises a false positive rate and a false negative rate.

5. The filter of claim 1, the first accuracy data and the second accuracy data determined based at least upon one of message text and message content.

6. The filter of claim 1, the first filter being a seed filter derived from processing other user e-mail data.

7. The filter of claim 1, the first accuracy data determined according to a user-correction process wherein a user reviews the data, which data is a message, and tags the message as one of a junk message and a non-junk message.

8. The filter of claim 1, the first accuracy data determined according to a predetermined set of data known with a high degree of certainty to be correct.

9. The filter of claim 8, the predetermined set of data including at least one of a message that is tagged by the user as a non-junk message, a message that is read and deleted by the user, a message that is forwarded by the user, and a message that is replied to by the user.

10. The filter of claim 1, the first accuracy data determined by a probability value that is received from a calibrated filter, which probability value is used to estimate a false positive rate of the first accuracy data.

11. A method of filtering data, comprising:

receiving at least a first filter and a second filter;

determining a first accuracy data of the first filter;

training the second filter utilizing the first accuracy data;

determining a second accuracy data of the second filter as a function of threshold; and

employing the second filter when a predetermined threshold value is reached.

12. The method of claim 11, the second filter employed at least one of in combination with the first filter and in lieu of the first filter.

13. The method of claim 11, the second filter employed when the second accuracy rate is at least the same as the first accuracy rate.

14. The method of claim 11, at least one of the first accuracy data and the second accuracy data comprises a false positive rate and a false negative rate.

15. The method of claim 11, the first accuracy data and the second accuracy data determined based at least upon one of e-mail text and e-mail content.

16. The method of claim 11, the first filter being a seed filter derived from processing other user e-mail data.

17. The method of claim 11, the first accuracy data determined according to a user-correction process wherein a user reviews the data, which data is an e-mail message, and tags the e-mail message as one of a junk message and a non-junk message.

18. The method of claim 17, the user-correction process includes overriding an initial classification of the e-mail message, the initial classification performed automatically by the first filter when the e-mail message is received.

19. The method of claim 11, further comprising employing the second filter when the threshold value that is used to generate the second filter is at least as efficient as the first filter based upon a p* function where N is at least twenty.

20. The method of claim 11, the first accuracy data determined according to a predetermined set of data known with a high degree of certainty to be correct.