Message filtering techniques

• US 5,619,648 A
• Filed: 11/30/1994
• Issued: 04/08/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nokia of America Corporation (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Selman, Bart, Canale, Leonard M., Kautz, Henry A., Milewski, Allen E.
• Primary Examiner(s): AUVE, GLENN ALLEN
• Application Number:
  US08/346,715
• Time in Patent Office: 860 Days
• Field of Search: 395/650, 395/700, 395/200.08, 395/200.01
• 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

Techniques for reducing the amount of junk e-mail received by a user of an e-mail system. A recipient description containing non-address information is added to an e-mail message. The user has an e-mail filter which has access to information which provides a model of the user. The e-mail filter uses the non-address information and the model information to determine whether the e-mail message should be provided to the user. The e-mail filter further has access to information which provides models of the user'"'"'s correspondents. If the filter does not provide the message to the user, it uses the non-address information and the model information of the user'"'"'s correspondents to determine who the message might be forwarded to. A sender of e-mail can also use the model information of the sender'"'"'s correspondents together with the non-address information to determine who the message should be sent to. The techniques are used in a system for locating expertise.

Claims

1. Apparatus for automatically limiting the recipients of a message sent via a mail system implemented in a computer system, the apparatus comprising:

recipient specifying means in the message which uses non-address information to specify the recipients of the message;

message filtering means in the computer system having access to recipient information contained therein about at least one potential recipient and including means responsive to the non-address information and to the recipient information for providing the message to the at least one potential recipient if the non-address information and the recipient information together indicate that the at least one potential recipient is to receive the message; and

means, in the message filtering means, for sending a referral message to a source of the message when the message filtering means provides the message to the at least one potential recipient.

2. The apparatus set forth in claim 1 wherein:

the referral message contains an identification of the at least one potential receipient.

3. The apparatus set forth in claim 1 wherein:

the message is received by a plurality of users;

the message includes information specifying the users who received the message; and

the referral message further contains the information specifying the users who received the message.

4. An arrangement for locating expertise in a messaging system implemented in a computer system, comprising:

first means, included in a message, for indicating, via non-address information, expertise sought by a sender of the message;

second means in the computer system, for determining expertise of an addressee of the message;

third means in the computer system responsive to receipt of the message, for determining whether the expertise indicated by the first means matches the expertise of the addressee determined by the second means;

fourth means in the computer system responsive to a determination by the third means that the indicated expertise matches the determined expertise, for providing the message to the addressee, and responsive to a determination by the. third means that the indicated expertise does not match the determined expertise, for preventing the message from being provided to the addressee;

fifth means in the computer system, for determining expertise of contacts of the addressee;

sixth means responsive to a determination that the indicated expertise does not match the determined expertise of the addressee, for determining whether the indicated expertise matches the expertise of any said contacts determined by the fifth means; and

seventh means responsive to a determination by the sixth means that the indicated expertise matches the determined expertise of a contact, for sending the message to that contact.

5. The arrangement of claim 4 wherein:

the second, third, and fourth means are associated with the addressee.

6. The arrangement of claim 4 wherein:

the fifth and sixth means are associated with the addressee.

7. The arrangement of claim 4 further comprising:

eighth means responsive to a determination by the sixth means that the indicated expertise does not match the determined expertise of any contact, for discarding the message.

8. The arrangement of claim 7 wherein:

the eighth means are associated with the addressee.

9. The arrangement of claim 4 wherein:

the fifth means comprise

means for analyzing messages exchanged by the sender with the contacts to determine therefrom the expertise of the contacts.

10. The arrangement of claim 4 further comprising:

eighth means in the computer system responsive to the sixth means determining that the indicated expertise matches the determined expertise of a contact, for including referral information in the message to indicate that the message is being sent from the addressee to that contact.

11. The arrangement of claim 4 wherein:

the first means comprise

means for conveying a list of keywords.

12. An arrangement for locating expertise in a messaging system implemented in a computer system, comprising:

first means, included in a message, for indicating, via non-address information, expertise sought by a sender of the message;

second means in the computer system, for analyzing files of an addressess of the message to determine therefrom expertise of the addressee;

third means in the computer system responsive to receipt of the message, for determining whether the expertise indicated by the first means matches the expertise of the addressee determined by the second means; and

fourth means in the computer system responsive to a determination by the third means that the indicated expertise matches the determined expertise, for providing the message to the addressee, and responsive to a determination by the third means that the indicated expertise does not match the determined expertise, for preventing the message from being provided to the addressee.

13. An arrangement for locating expertise in a messaging system implemented in a computer system, comprising:

first means, included in a message, for indicating, via non-address information, expertise sought by a sender of the message;

second means in the computer system, for determining expertise of an addressee of the message;

third means in the computer system responsive to receipt of the message, for determining whether the expertise indicated by the first means matches the expertise of the addressee determined by the second means;

fourth means is in the computer system responsive to a determination by the third means that the indicated expertise matches the determined expertise, for providing the message to the addressee, and responsive to a determination by the third means that the indicated expertise does not match the determined expertise, for preventing the message from being provided to the addressee;

fifth means in the computer system for analyzing messages exchanged by the sender with potential recipients of the message to determine therefrom the expertise of the potential recipients; and

sixth means in the computer system responsive to generation of the message by the sender, for selecting addressees of the message from the potential recipients by matching the expertise sought by the sender with the expertise of the potential recipients determined by the fifth means.

14. The arrangement of claim 13 further comprising:

messaging means for sending the message to the selected addressees of the message.

15. The arrangement of claim 13 wherein:

the fifth and sixth means are associated with the sender.

16. An arrangement for locating expertise in a messaging system implemented in a computer system, comprising:

first means, included in a message, for indicating, via non-address information, expertise sought by a sender of the message;

second means in the computer system, for determining expertise of an addressee of the message;

third means in the computer system responsive to receipt of the message, for determining whether the expertise indicated by the first means matches the expertise of the addressee determined by the second means;

fourth means in the computer system responsive to a determination by the third means that the indicated expertise matches the determined expertise, for providing the message to the addressee, and responsive to a determination by the third means that the indicated expertise does not match the determined expertise, for preventing the message from being provided to the addressee; and

fifth means in the computer system responsive to the fourth means providing the message to the addressee, for sending a referral message to the sender to inform the sender that the message was provided to the addressee.