System and Method for Reducing Unsolicited E-Mails

• US 20130204950A1
• Filed: 12/21/2012
• Published: 08/08/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/03/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Richard A. Kramer
• Original Assignee: Richard A. Kramer
• Inventors: Kramer, Richard
• Granted Patent: US 9,497,149 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 51/234 for tracking messages

Abstract

A method for reducing unsolicited e-mails includes receiving an e-mail message from a sender, storing the e-mail message within a holding unit, and sending a confirmation response request e-mail to the sender in response to the e-mail message from the sender. The confirmation response request e-mail may include a request for at least one confirmation code from the sender according to at least one calculation type/method specified in the confirmation response request e-mail. The method may also include receiving a confirmation e-mail from the sender in response to the confirmation response request e-mail, determining whether the confirmation e-mail includes a code correctly computed according the at least one confirmation code calculation type, and performing an action with respect to the e-mail message based upon the confirmation e-mail. The sender'"'"'s support of the method creates an explicit agreement regarding legal jurisdiction governing any disputes arising out of the e-mail.

Claims

1. A method for reducing unsolicited e-mails comprising:

receiving an at least one e-mail message from a sender to a recipient, each of the at least one e-mail messages including a header indicating that the sender supports an e-mail vouching system;

storing the at least one e-mail message within a holding unit;

sending a confirmation response request e-mail to the sender in response to each of the at least one e-mail messages from the sender, the confirmation response request e-mail including a request for at least one confirmation code as calculated by one or more confirmation code calculation methods specified within the confirmation response request e-mail;

receiving a confirmation e-mail from the sender in response to the confirmation response request e-mail;

determining whether the confirmation e-mail includes a code correctly computed according to the one or more confirmation code calculation methods;

if the confirmation e-mail includes the correctly computed code, performing a first action with respect to the e-mail message; and

if the confirmation e-mail does not include the correctly computed code, performing a second action with respect to the e-mail message.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the first action is pre-determined by at least one of the recipient, the recipient'"'"'s internet service provider, and the e-mail vouching system, and includes at least one of delivering the e-mail message to the recipient, transferring the e-mail message to a filtering software, adding a confirmation e-mail result to the header, and notifying the recipient that the e-mail message is stored within the holding unit.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein the second action is pre-determined by at least one of the recipient, the recipient'"'"'s internet service provider, and the e-mail vouching system, and includes at least one of deleting the e-mail message, transferring the e-mail message to a filtering software, adding a confirmation e-mail result to the header, and notifying the recipient that the e-mail message is stored within the holding unit.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one confirmation code calculation method includes at least one selected from the group consisting of a null code, an 8 bit cyclic redundancy check, a 32 bit cyclic redundancy check, an 8 bit exclusive or redundancy check, and a 16 bit exclusive or redundancy check.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein the confirmation e-mail includes the code within the header information.

6. A method according to claim 5, wherein the confirmation e-mail header information also includes a message ID corresponding to the at least one e-mail message.

7. A method according to claim 1, wherein the confirmation response request e-mail includes header information that indicates the e-mail vouching system is able to receive the confirmation e-mail.

8. A method according to claim 1, wherein the sender'"'"'s support of the e-mail vouching system creates an explicit agreement regarding legal jurisdiction governing any disputes arising out of the e-mail.

9. A method according to claim 8, wherein the governing legal jurisdiction is the legal jurisdiction of the recipient.

10. A method according to claim 1, wherein the sender performs an initial redundancy check on the e-mail message prior to sending the e-mail message to the recipient, and stores a sender initial redundancy check result in a sender look-up table.

11. A method according to claim 1, wherein the sender performs a sender final redundancy check in response to the confirmation response request e-mail, the sender final redundancy check creating a sender final redundancy check result corresponding to the at least one confirmation code calculation method.

12. A method according to claim 11, wherein performing the final redundancy check includes performing the final redundancy check on at least part of the confirmation response request e-mail.

13. A method according to claim 1, wherein the recipient performs a e-mail vouching system final redundancy check prior to receiving the confirmation e-mail and stores a e-mail vouching system final redundancy check result in a e-mail vouching system look-up table.

14. A method according to claim 13, wherein determining includes comparing the e-mail vouching system final redundancy check result within the e-mail vouching system look-up table with the code within the confirmation response.

15. A method according to claim 1, wherein the confirmation response includes a cancel message if the sender would like the e-mail vouching system to cancel the e-mail message.

16. A method according to claim 1, wherein the confirmation response includes a deny message if the sender wishes to deny that it originated the e-mail message.

17. A method for reducing unsolicited e-mails comprising:

receiving an at least one e-mail message from a sender to a recipient, each of the at least one e-mail messages including a header indicating that the sender supports an e-mail vouching system;

storing the at least one e-mail message within a holding unit;

sending a confirmation response request e-mail to the sender in response to each of the at least one e-mail messages from the sender, the confirmation response request e-mail including a request for at least one confirmation code as calculated by one or more confirmation code calculation methods specified within the confirmation response request e-mail;

if a confirmation e-mail from the sender is received in response to the confirmation response request e-mail;

determining whether the confirmation e-mail includes a code correctly computed according to the one or more confirmation code calculation methods,

if the confirmation e-mail includes the correctly computed code, performing a first action with respect to the e-mail message,

if the confirmation e-mail does not include the correctly computed code, performing a second action with respect to the e-mail message; and

if a confirmation e-mail from the sender is not received in response to the confirmation response request e-mail, performing a third action with respect to the e-mail message.