INFERRING EMAIL ACTION BASED ON USER INPUT

• US 20080177843A1
• Filed: 01/22/2007
• Published: 07/24/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/22/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Gillum, Eliot C., Stern, Pablo M.
• Application Number:
  US11/625,819
• Publication Number:
  US 20080177843A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]

Abstract

A computer implemented computer method for assisting email users. When a user selects an action with respect to email source such as an email address, the user'"'"'s intended action is inferred. The source validity is checked. Where a user provides input identifying an email as spam, the inferred action may be to add the email address associated with the message to a user block list. The address may be added only where the address or domain are identified as valid sources of email.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for assisting email users, comprising:

receiving an action from a user which can be inferred to be a request to add an email source to a block list associated with the user;

determining whether blocking the source would be effective against exposing the user to additional email from the source; and

adding the source to the user block list if adding the source is determined to be effective.

2. The computer implemented method of claim 1 wherein the step of determining includes one of determining:

whether or not an email passes a Sender ID authentication;

whether or not an email passes DomainKeys Identified Mail authentication;

whether or not an email is received from one or more Internet Protocol addresses;

or whether or not the address is on a global blocklist.

3. The computer implemented method of claim 1 further including determining whether at least a second email is received from the source following said step of determining that the source is a valid source

4. The computer implemented method of claim 3 further including the step of determining whether to remove a source from a list after said step of adding if a message is not received from the source within a period of time.

5. The computer implemented method of claim 3 wherein the step of determining whether to remove a source includes determining, if emails are received during the first period of time, whether emails are received during a second period of time.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the method is performed by a system having accounts for a plurality of users, and the method further includes the step of:

scanning user accounts for at least a subset of the plurality of users to determine whether information in at least a portion of the accounts of said plurality of users should cause a system-wide blocking of the source.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the system maintains a global block list and the method includes the step of elevating a source present in a number of user accounts to the global block list.

8. The method of claim 7 further including the step of removing the source from the user accounts.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the source is a user address.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the source is a domain.

11. A computer implemented method maintaining user email block lists according to source, comprising;

presenting at least a portion of an email message to a user for review;

presenting an action selection interface to the user;

receiving an action from a user which can be inferred to be a request to add the source to a user block list or safelist;

determining whether blocking the source would be effective against exposing the user to additional email from the source; and

if the determination is that blocking the source would be effective, adding the email to a block list or safelist based on the user action.

12. The computer implemented method of claim 11 wherein the step of determining comprises one of determining:

whether or not an email passes a Sender ID authentication;

whether or not an email passes DomainKeys Identified Mail authentication;

whether or not an email is received from one or more Internet Protocol addresses;

or whether or not the address is on a global block list.

13. The computer implemented method of claim 11 wherein the source is subject to a probationary period prior to said step of adding.

14. The computer implemented method of claim 11 wherein following said step of adding, the method includes the step of determining whether additional emails are received from the source within a period of time, and removing the source from the block list if less than a threshold number of emails are received within the time period.

15. The computer implemented method of claim 11 wherein the method is performed by a system having accounts for a plurality of users, and the method further includes the step of:

scanning accounts of at least a subset of the plurality of users to determine whether a source is present in multiple accounts.

16. The computer implemented method of claim 15.further including the step of elevating the source to a global block list and the step of removing the source from user accounts.

17. The computer implemented method of claim 11 further including the step of automatically safe-listing the email address.

18. A method implemented by an email service provider having a plurality of users accessing email via the provider, the method for assisting email users, comprising:

receiving a command from a user which can be inferred to be a request to add the source to a block list associated with the user;

determining whether blocking the source would prevent additional email from the source from reaching the user based upon one or more criteria identifying the source as a valid source I;

adding the source to the user block list if the source is determined to be effective.

19. The computer implemented method of claim 18 wherein the step of determining comprises one of determining:

whether or not an email passes a Sender ID authentication;

whether or not an email passes DomainKeys Identified Mail authentication;

whether or not an email is received from one or more Internet Protocol addresses;

or whether or not the address is on a global block list.

20. The computer implemented method of claim 18 wherein the method further includes the step of maintaining a global block list and sources found in multiple user block lists are added to the global block list.