Device, method, and storage medium to block junk email

• US 7,058,684 B1
• Filed: 05/25/2000
• Issued: 06/06/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/27/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Ueda, Haruyasu
• Primary Examiner(s): Eng, David Y.
• Application Number:
  US09/577,594
• Time in Patent Office: 2,203 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206, 709/203, 709/207
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/00 User-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, transmitted according to store-and-forward or real-time protocols, e.g. e-mail
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/212 using filtering or selective blocking

Abstract

A server which delivers emails can receive emails addressed to a plurality of transmission destinations including portions that can be arbitrarily determined by a user as a transmission destination of each user. Upon receipt of email from a transmission line, the server extracts the transmission address from the email in a mail accepting unit, and makes a matching between the extracted address and the addresses or address patterns stored in a table within a processing contents storing unit. If they mismatch, the server performs normal mail processing for the user. If they match, the server performs the operations such as destroying the email, returning an error mail message, putting a mark on a predetermined area in the email, or adding a transmission destination address depending on the property of the email. If an encrypted pattern is included in the address, the server performs processing according to the command obtained by decrypting the pattern.

Claims

1. A device for routing junk email, comprising:

a mail address extracting unit extracting a mail address indicating a destination from received email;

a storing unit registering a plurality of processing methods available for processing the received email and corresponding destination mail addresses or destination address patterns; and

a mail processing unit matching the mail address indicating the destination of the received email with one of the corresponding destination mail addresses or destination address patterns registered in said storing unit, and processing the received email based on a processing method obtained as a result of the matching, including sending a delivery-error email message back to a sender of the received email stating that no receiver has been found at the destination of the received email when a character string in the mail address matches a predetermined character string designated for the destination.

2. The device according to claim 1, further comprising a specifying unit to specify use of one of the processing methods for email having a particular property.

3. The device according to claim 1, further comprising a unit to interpret an encrypted processing method for use as the processing method.

4. A method for routing junk emails, comprising:

extracting a mail address indicating a destination from received email;

registering a plurality of processing methods available for processing the received email and corresponding destination mail addresses or address patterns; and

matching the mail address indicating the destination of the received email with one of the corresponding the destination mail addresses or the destination address patterns registered previously; and

processing the received email based on a processing method obtained as a result of the matching, including sending a delivery-error email message back to a sender of the received email stating that no receiver has been found at the destination of the received email when a character string in the mail address matches a predetermined character string designated for the destination.

5. The method according to claim 4, further comprising specifying use of one of the processing methods for email having a particular property.

6. The method according to claim 4, further comprising interpreting an encrypted processing method for use as the processing method.

7. A computer-readable storage medium on which is recorded a program for causing a computer to perform a process, said process comprising:

extracting a mail address indicating a destination from received email;

registering a plurality of processing methods available for processing the received email and corresponding destination mail addresses or destination address patterns; and

matching the mail address indicating the destination of the received email with one of the corresponding Destination mail addresses or the destination address patterns registered previously; and

processing the received email based on a processing method obtained as a result of the matching, including sending a delivery-error email message back to a sender of the received email stating that no receiver has been found at the destination of the received email when a character string in the mail address matches a predetermined character string designated for the destination.