Systems and Methods for Spam Filtering

• US 20110035451A1
• Filed: 08/04/2009
• Published: 02/10/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/04/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Yahoo Assets LLC
• Original Assignee: Xobni Corp. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: JACOBSON, Joshua Robert Russell, SMITH, Adam Michael
• Granted Patent: US 9,021,028 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

Systems and methods to reduce false positives in spam filtering. In one aspect, a method includes automatically generating profiles for persons identified in messages, such as incoming and outgoing emails. Messages flagged as spam can be checked against the profile to identify false positives.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method, comprising:

scanning, by a computer, a set of messages that are classified by a spam filter as spam;

determining, by the computer, one or more false positive spam messages from the set of messages classified as spam; and

presenting, by the computer, a list to identify the one or more false positive spam messages to a user.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the presenting comprises highlighting the one or more false positive spam messages when a list of the set of messages that are classified as spam is presented.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

moving the one or more false positive spam messages out of the set of messages that are classified as spam.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the moving is in response to a single command from a user of the computer.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the moving is in response to the computer receiving the one or more messages and determining that the one or more messages are false positive in spam filtering.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the presenting comprises highlighting the one or more messages when a list of incoming messages is presented on the computer.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the messages comprises one of:

email, instant message, and text message.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the computer is a server remote to a user terminal on which the list is displayed.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the computer is a user terminal configured to receive incoming messages for the user, send outgoing messages from the user, and display the list.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing a set of addresses; and

wherein the identifying comprises comparing sender addresses of the set of messages with the set of addresses to select the one or more false positive spam messages out of the set of messages when one or more sender addresses of each of the one or more messages are in the set of addresses.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing a set of addresses; and

wherein the identifying comprises comparing recipient addresses of the set of messages with the set of addresses to select the one or more false positive spam messages out of the set of messages when one or more recipient addresses of each of the one or more messages are in the set of addresses.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

scanning a set of received messages of the user to identify a set of addresses; and

storing the set of addresses;

wherein the identifying comprises comparing addresses used in the set of messages with the set of addresses to select the one or more false positive spam messages out of the set of messages.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the one or more messages are selected out of the set of messages classified as spam, when one or more addresses used in each of the one or more messages are in the set of addresses.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

scanning a set of sent messages of the user to identify at least a portion of the set of addresses.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the received messages and the sent messages are in a first account of the user;

the set of messages classified as spam are in a second account of the user;

the first account is associated with a first address of the user; and

the second account is associated with a second address of the user.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining of the one or more false positive spam messages comprises communicating via a Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) to identify the one or more false positive spam messages that at least have addresses listed on a server.

17. A user terminal, comprising:

a storage device to store for a user a first set of messages and a second set of messages, the second set of messages being classified by a spam filter as spam;

a profile builder to scan the first set of messages to identify a plurality of addresses, and to identify names of persons at the addresses to generate profiles of the persons; and

a false spam rescuer to compare addresses used in the second set of messages with addresses in the profiles, and to identify a false positive in the second set of messages in spam filtering if a message in the second set of messages is from an address in the profiles.

18. The user terminal of claim 17, wherein the profile builder and the false spam rescuer are implemented via at least one processor and a memory storing a set of instructions for the processor.

19. The user terminal of claim 17, wherein at least a portion of the profile builder and the false spam rescuer is implemented via an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA).

20. A tangible machine readable storage media storing a set of instructions, the instructions causing a processor to perform a method, the method comprising:

scanning, by the processor in an automated way, a set of messages of a user to identify a plurality of addresses used in the messages;

identifying names of persons at the addresses to generate profiles of the persons; and

filtering spam messages out of incoming messages for the user using the profiles.