Blocking electronic mail content

• US 7,113,977 B1
• Filed: 06/26/2002
• Issued: 09/26/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Scott, David, Baker, La Veria
• Primary Examiner(s): Dharia, Rupal
• Assistant Examiner(s): Patel, Chirag R.
• Application Number:
  US10/180,230
• Time in Patent Office: 1,553 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206, 709/207
• 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

A method and system are provided for allowing an electronic mail user to block receipt of undesirable electronic mail content. An email user contacts her email service provider via an Internet-based web page. The user may designates certain keywords or text strings and certain email addresses associated with email she considers undesirable. Subsequently, when email messages are sent to the user, those messages are intercepted by the user'"'"'s email service provider at an email server. A database lookup is performed for the keywords, text strings or email addresses designated as undesirable by the user. The email service provider does not deliver email containing or from the designated undesirable keywords or text strings and certain email addresses. The user may designate a return message to be sent back to the sender of the undesirable email to alert the sender not to send future messages to the user containing the undesirable keywords or text. If desired, in an effort to cause the sender to abandon the user'"'"'s email address as a target for unsolicited and undesirable email, the email service provider may send a return message to the sender that indicates that the user'"'"'s email address is not operable and that the email to the user is undeliverable.

Claims

1. A method of blocking electronic mail delivery, comprising:

receiving email blocking instructions directed to an electronic mail (email) service provider to block delivery of email messages to an email receiver, the email blocking instructions describing aspects of an undesirable email;

receiving an email message addressed to the receiver at an email server operated by the email service provider;

at the email server, searching a database for the email blocking instructions received from the email receiver;

at the email server, parsing the email message addressed to the email receiver for information associated with the email blocking instructions; and

if the email message addressed to the email receiver contains information associated with the email blocking instructions from the email receiver,

blocking at the email server, according to the email blocking instructions directed to the electronic mail service provider, delivery of the email message addressed to the email receiver from delivery to the email receiver, and

providing from the email server, according to the email blocking instructions directed to the electronic mail service provider, a return email message to a sender of the blocked email message alerting the sender of the blocked email message to send no future email messages to an email address of the email receiver, the return email message indicating one of that the blocked email message is undeliverable because the email address of the email receiver is inoperable and that the sender should send no further email messages to the email address of the email receiver.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising, prior to receiving the email blocking instructions, contacting the email service provider at the email server for receiving the instructions to block delivery of email messages to the email receiver.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the email blocking instructions further comprises receiving keywords associated with email messages to be blocked from delivery to the email receiver.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the email blocking instructions further comprises receiving text strings embedded in email messages to be blocked from delivery to the email receiver.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the email blocking instructions includes receiving electronic mail addresses from which all electronic mail messages are to be blocked from delivery to the email receiver.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the email blocking instructions includes receiving a return email message to be sent to the sender of a blocked email message.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein receiving a return message to be sent to the sender of a blocked email message includes receiving a return message alerting the sender to send no future email messages to an email address of the email receiver.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein receiving a return message to be sent to the sender of a blocked email message includes receiving a return message to be sent to the sender that the email message addressed to the email receiver at the email server was undeliverable.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the return message further includes a message from the email service provider to the sender that the email address of the email receiver is not operable.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the email blocking instructions further comprises receiving an instruction to block all future email messages from a blocked email sender.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the email blocking instructions includes receiving an instruction to alert the email receiver of the occurrence of an email message that has been blocked from delivery to the email receiver.

12. The method of claim 1, the method further comprising, after receiving the email blocking instructions, the instructions at the email server database.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein searching a database for email blocking instructions from the email receiver includes searching for keywords, text strings or email addresses associated with email messages to be blocked from delivery to the email receiver.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein parsing the email message addressed to the email receiver for information associated with the email blocking instructions further comprises parsing the email message addressed to the email receiver for keywords, text strings or email addresses associated with email messages to be blocked from delivery to the email receiver.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein blocking at the email server delivery of the email messages addressed to the email receiver from delivery to the email receiver includes:

if the email message addressed to the email receiver contains keywords, text strings or email addresses associated with the email messages to be blocked from delivery to the email receiver, blocking at the email server delivery of the email message addressed to the email receiver from delivery to the email receiver.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein searching a database for email blocking instructions from the email receiver includes searching a database for a return message to be sent to the sender of the email messages addressed to the email receiver.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising of sending from the email server a return email message to the sender of the email message addressed to the email receiver.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein sending from the email server a return email message to the sender of the email message addressed to the email receiver includes sending a return message that future messages associated with the keywords, text strings, or email addresses are not to be sent to the email address of the email receiver.

19. The method of claim 17 wherein sending from the email server a return email address to the sender of the email message addressed to the email receiver includes sending a return message that the email message addressed to the email receiver was undeliverable.

20. The method of claim 17 wherein sending from the email server a return email address to the sender of the email message addressed to the email receiver includes sending a return message that the email message addressed to the email receiver was inoperable.

21. A system for blocking electronic mail delivery, comprising:

means for receiving email blocking instructions directed to an electronic mail (email) service provider to block delivery of email messages to an email receiver, the email blocking instructions describing aspects of an undesirable email;

means for receiving an email message addressed to the receiver;

means for searching a database for the email blocking instructions received from the email receiver;

means for parsing the email message addressed to the email receiver for information associated with the email blocking instructions;

means for blocking delivery of the email message addressed to the email receiver if the email message addressed to the email receiver contains information associated with the email blocking instructions from the email receiver; and

means for providing from the email server, according to the email blocking instructions directed to the electronic mail service provider, a return email message to a sender of the blocked email message alerting the sender of the blocked email message to send no future email messages to an email address of the email receiver, the return email message indicating one of that the blocked email message is undeliverable because the email address of the email receiver is inoperable and that the sender should send no further email messages to the email address of the email receiver.

22. The system of claim 21, further comprising:

means for receiving a return email message to be sent to the sender of a blocked email message; and

means for sending the return email message to the sender of the blocked email message.

23. The system of claim 22, further comprising means for sending a return message to the sender of the blocked email message that the email message addressed to the email receiver was undeliverable.

24. The system of claim 23, further comprising means for sending a return message to the sender of the blocked email message that the email address of the email receiver is not operable.