SPAM RESISTANT E-MAIL SYSTEM

• US 20080244021A1
• Filed: 06/29/2007
• Published: 10/02/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/02/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Chin Fang
• Original Assignee: Chin Fang
• Inventors: Fang, Chin
• Granted Patent: US 8,150,928 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/212 using filtering or selective blocking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/166 at the transport layer

Abstract

A spam resistant e-mail system employs communication via authenticated communication channels while providing a mechanism for rapidly growing a list of authenticated individuals and managing that list on a personal and collaborative basis to prevent spammers from joining the network.

Claims

1. A spam resistant e-mail system comprising:

at least one e-mail managing computer connected to the Internet to communicate with users on user computers via an authenticated communication protocol;

the e-mail managing computer and user computers executing stored programs to;

establish authenticated communications between the users and the e-mail managing computer;

allow each given user to form an initial trusted human chain listing other member users;

produce an augmented trusted human chain for the given user by recursively adding other users linked to member users by trusted human chains of the member users;

communicate e-mail messages between the given user and one or more specified users in the given user'"'"'s augmented trusted human chain.

2. The spam resistant e-mail system of claim 1 wherein each user in the augmented trusted human chain is identified by an e-mail address of a SMTP e-mail system.

3. The spam resistant e-mail system of claim 1 wherein the e-mail managing computer and user computers further execute the stored programs to:

communicate invitation messages using unauthenticated e-mail communications between the given users and potential users who have not established authenticated communications with the e-mail managing computer, the invitation message allowing the potential users to establish authenticated communications with the e-mail managing computer and to be added to the given user'"'"'s augmented trusted human chain.

4. The spam resistant e-mail system of claim 1 wherein the e-mail managing computer and user computers further execute the stored programs to:

allow the given user to delete users from the augmented trusted human chain.

5. The spam resistant e-mail system of claim 4 wherein the given user identifies a user to be deleted by selecting a message communicated by the user using the spam resistant e-mail system.

6. The spam resistant e-mail system of claim 1 wherein the e-mail managing computer and user computers further execute the stored programs to record for users in the augmented trusted human chain a join date of the user;

last date of communication by the user using the spam resistant e-mail system; and

wherein this data is usable by the given user to manage the given user'"'"'s augmented trusted human chain.

7. The spam resistant e-mail system of claim 1 wherein the e-mail managing computer and user computers further execute the stored programs to record for users in the augmented trusted human chain:

data defining a hierarchy of each user within the trusted human chain and data indicating any deletion of the user by one or more other users; and

wherein this data is usable by the given user to manage the given user'"'"'s augmented trusted human chain.

8. The spam resistant e-mail system of claim 1 wherein the e-mail managing computer and user computers further execute the stored programs to record for users in the augmented trusted human chain:

a tree of the user based trusted human chains linking the users to the given user and a distance along this tree between any two users; and

wherein this data is usable by the given user to manage the given user'"'"'s augmented trusted human chain.

9. The spam resistant e-mail system of claim 1 wherein the authenticated communications between the users and the e-mail managing computer uses an instant messaging protocol.

10. The spam resistant e-mail system of claim 9 wherein the instant messaging protocol is XMPP.

11. The spam resistant e-mail system of claim 1 wherein the e-mail managing computer further establishes an attachment storage file for each of the users;

and

wherein the communication of e-mail messages between an originating user and one or more receiving users in the given user'"'"'s augmented trusted human chain may provide a link to an attachment to the e-mail message invocable by the receiving users to transfer attachment data from a storage file for the originating user to a storage file from the receiving users; and

wherein the transfer is not performed until invocation of the link by the receiving user.

12. A method of providing a spam resistant e-mail system using at least one e-mail managing computer connected to the Internet to communicate with users on user computers via an authenticated communication protocol, the method comprising the steps of:

establishing authenticated communications between the users and the e-mail managing computer;

allowing each given user to form an initial trusted human chain listing other member users;

producing an augmented trusted human chain for the given user by recursively adding other users linked to member users by trusted human chains of the member users;

communicating e-mail messages between the given user and one or more specified users in the given user'"'"'s augmented trusted human chain.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein each user in the augmented trusted human chain is identified by an e-mail address of a SMTP e-mail system.

14. The method of claim 12 further including the step of:

communicating invitation messages using unauthenticated e-mail communications between the given users and potential users who have not established authenticated communications with the e-mail managing computer, the invitation message allowing the potential users to establish authenticated communications with the e-mail managing computer and to be added to the given user'"'"'s augmented trusted human chain.

15. The method of claim 12 further including the step of allowing the given user to delete users from the augmented trusted human chain.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the given user identifies a user to be deleted by selecting a message communicated by the user using the spam resistant e-mail system.

17. The method of claim 12 wherein the e-mail managing computer and user computers further operate to record for users in the augmented trusted human chain a join date of the user;

last date of communication by the user using the spam resistant e-mail system; and

wherein this data is usable by the given user to manage the given user'"'"'s augmented trusted human chain.

18. The method of claim 12 wherein the e-mail managing computer and user computers further operate to record for users in the augmented trusted human chain:

a hierarchy of the users based trusted human chains linking the users to the given user, and statistics of deletion of the users by one or more other users; and

wherein this data is usable by the given user to manage the given user'"'"'s augmented trusted human chain.

19. The method of claim 12 wherein the e-mail managing computer and user computers further operate to record for users in the augmented trusted human chain:

a tree of the user based trusted human chains linking the users to the given user and a distance along this tree between any two users; and

wherein this data is usable by the given user to manage the given user'"'"'s augmented trusted human chain.

20. The method of claim 12 wherein the authenticated communications between the users and the e-mail managing computer uses an instant messaging protocol.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein the instant messaging protocol is XMPP.

22. The method of claim 12 wherein the e-mail managing computer further establishes an attachment storage file for each of the users;

and

wherein the communication of e-mail messages between an originating user and one or more receiving users in the given user'"'"'s augmented trusted human chain may provide a link to an attachment to the e-mail message invocable by the receiving users to transfer attachment data from a storage file for the originating user to a storage file from the receiving users; and

wherein the transfer is not performed until invocation of the link by the receiving user.