Multi-stage email interception method

• US 7,058,688 B2
• Filed: 02/12/2002
• Issued: 06/06/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/12/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Accton Technology Corporation
• Original Assignee: Accton Technology Corporation
• Inventors: Lin, Feng-Hui
• Primary Examiner(s): Najjar, Saleh
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ismail, Shawki Saif
• Application Number:
  US10/072,886
• Publication Number:
  US 20030154294A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,575 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206, 709/207, 707/3, 707/6
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/48 Message addressing, e.g. address format or anonymous messages, aliases
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99936 Pattern matching access

Abstract

A multi-stage email interception method. First, an email message is received. Then, the receiving number corresponding to the email message is queried from an array according to the related information of the email message. The email message is rejected if the receiving number is higher than a first setting value and the email message conforms to the email characteristics recorded in a specific email record; the email message is accepted first and then deleted if the receiving number is higher than a second setting value and the email address of the recipient of the email message does not appear in the recipient field of the email message; and the email message is accepted and forwarded to a specific mailbox if the receiving number is lower than the second setting value and more than a third setting value and the email address of the recipient of the email message does not appear in the recipient field of the email message.

Claims

1. A multi-stage email interception method, comprising the steps of:

receiving an email message;

querying a receiving number corresponding to the email message from an array according to related information of the email message;

rejecting the email message if the receiving number is higher than a first setting value and the email conforms to email characteristics recorded in a specific email record;

recording the email characteristics corresponding to the email message into the specific email record if the receiving number is higher than a second setting value and an email address of the recipient of the email message does not appear in at least one recipient field of the email message;

accepting the email message first and then deleting the email message if the receiving number is higher than the second setting value and the email address of the recipient of the email message does not appear in the recipient field of the email message; and

accepting and forwarding the email message to a specific mailbox if the receiving number is higher than a third setting value and the email address of the recipient of the email message does not appear in the recipient field of the email message.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1 further recording the related information of the email message into the array.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the array is a first-in-first-out array.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the related information comprises the subject of the email message.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the related information comprises the text information of the email message.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the email characteristics comprise the network address of the host sending the email message.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the email characteristics comprise the sender information.

8. The method as claimed in claim 7 wherein the sender information comprise the name of the sender.

9. The method as claimed in claim 7 wherein the sender information comprise the email address of the sender.

10. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the email characteristics comprise the subject.

11. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the recipient field comprises the field of direct recipients.

12. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the recipient field comprises the field of copy recipients.

13. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the recipient field comprises the field of hidden copy recipients.

14. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the first setting value is larger than the second setting value, and the second setting value is larger than the third setting value.