Source-specific electronic message addressing

• US 7,139,825 B2
• Filed: 09/30/2002
• Issued: 11/21/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Fulmer, David R., Gibbon, John L., Andaker, Kristian L. M., Davis, Malcolm
• Primary Examiner(s): Dharia, Rupal
• Assistant Examiner(s): BAYARD, DJENANE M
• Application Number:
  US10/262,626
• Publication Number:
  US 20040064513A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,513 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206, 709/245, 709/225, 709/207, 713/168
• US Class Current: 709/225
• 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: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources

Abstract

A recipient computer system submits an anonymous electronic message address to a source computing system for use when the source computing system is to send electronic messages to the recipient. When the electronic message server receives an electronic message, it reads the electronic message address and determines that the address corresponds to the recipient, but only if the electronic message originated from the source. If the electronic message were to originate from a different source computing system, the same electronic message address would not be respected for delivery to the recipient. Accordingly, the electronic message address is specific to a source, and thus sharing the electronic message address has little avail. The association between the address and the recipient may be revoked when the recipient no longer desires to receive messages from the source.

Claims

1. In a network environment configured to control distribution of an electronic message address to unauthorized sources, a method of monitoring leakage of a source-specific address in order to prevent receipt of unsolicited electronic messages, the method comprising the following:

an act of sending an electronic message address to a source computer system for using when the source computing system submits electronic messages to a recipient computing system;

an act of making the electronic message address source-specific based on a correlation between identifiers for both the recipient computing system'"'"'s address and the source computing system'"'"'s address, wherein the electronic message address conceals the identity of the recipient computing system'"'"'s address;

an act of receiving an electronic message that includes the electronic message address from an unauthorized computing device not associated with the source computing system indicating that the source computing system inappropriately shared the electronic message address; and

marking the source as untrusted such that additional source-specific electronic message addresses, other sensitive information, or both, will not be distributed to the source due to an abuse of a privilege of having a source-specific address.

2. A method in accordance with claim 1, further comprising the following:

an act of the recipient computing system notifying the electronic message server of the correlation between the electronic message address and the source computing system.

3. A method in accordance with claim 1, further comprising the following:

an act of the recipient computing system generating the electronic message address.

4. A method in accordance with claim 3, wherein the act of the recipient computing system generating the electronic message address comprises the following:

an act of generating a pseudo-random sequence of characters for at least a portion of the electronic message address.

5. A method in accordance with claim 3, wherein the act of the recipient computing system generating the electronic message address comprises the following:

an act of generating a sequence of characters based on a key that is shared between the recipient computing system and the electronic message server, but not with the source computing system.

6. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the electronic message is a data message.

7. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the electronic message is an e-mail.

8. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the electronic message is an instant message.

9. A method in accordance with claim 1, further comprising:

an act of the recipient computing system communicating, to the electronic message server, a revocation of a correlation between the electronic message address and the source computing system.

10. A method in accordance with claim 1, further comprising:

an act of the electronic message server revoking a correlation between the electronic message address and the source computing system after a predetermined time has elapsed since the correlation was made.

11. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein based on the marking of the sources as untrusted the method further comprises:

warning one or more recipient computing system—

that have a current electronic message address correlated to the source—

of the source'"'"'s abuse of privilege of having the source-specific address.

12. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein based on the marking of the sources as untrusted the method further comprises:

receiving from another recipient a request for a source-specific address corresponding to the source; and

warning the another recipient of the source'"'"'s abuse of privilege of other allowed subscriptions for source-specific addresses.

13. A computer program product for use in a network environment configured to control distribution of an electronic message address to unauthorized sources, the computer program product for implementing a method of monitoring leakage of a source-specific address in order to prevent receipt of unsolicited electronic messages, the computer program product comprising one or more computer-readable media have thereon the following:

computer-executable instructions for a recipient computing system causing an electronic message address to be sent to a source computer system for using when the source computing system submits electronic messages to the recipient computing system;

computer-executable instructions for making the electronic message address source-specific based on a correlation between identifiers for both the recipient computer system'"'"'s address and the source computing system'"'"'s address, wherein the electronic message address conceals the identity of the recipient computing system'"'"'s address;

computer-executable instructions for the recipient computing system detecting the receipt of an electronic message that includes the electronic message address from an unauthorized computing device not associated with the source computing indicating that the source computing system inappropriately shared the electronic message address; and

computer-executable instructions for marking the source as untrusted such that additional source-specific electronic message addresses, other sensitive information, or both, will not be distributed to the source due to an abuse of a privilege of having a source-specific address.

14. A computer program product in accordance with claim 13, wherein the one or more computer-readable media are physical storage media.

15. A computer program product in accordance with claim 13, wherein the one or more computer-readable media further have thereon the following:

computer-executable instructions for the recipient computing system communicating, to the electronic message server, a revocation of a correlation between the electronic message address and the source computing system.

16. A computer program in accordance with claim 13, wherein based on the marking of the sources as untrusted the method further comprises:

warning one or more recipient computing system—

that have a current electronic message address correlated to the source—

of the source'"'"'s abuse of privilege of having the source-specific address.

17. A computer program in accordance with claim 13, wherein based on the marking of the sources as untrusted the method further comprises:

receiving from another recipient a request for a source-specific address corresponding to the source; and

warning the another recipient of the source'"'"'s abuse of privilege of other allowed subscriptions for source-specific addresses.