Method and system for selective email acceptance via encoded email identifiers

• US 7,363,490 B2
• Filed: 09/12/2002
• Issued: 04/22/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Trend Micro Inc.
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Paulsen, Jr., Robert C., Wright, Jr., Cornell G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Moazzami, Nasser
• Assistant Examiner(s): Okoronkwo, Chinwendu C
• Application Number:
  US10/242,232
• Publication Number:
  US 20040054887A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,049 Days
• Field of Search: 726 22- 25
• US Class Current: 713/154
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload

Abstract

A method, system, apparatus, and computer program product are presented for providing a user with the ability to limit the receipt of unwanted email messages. An encoded email identifier is generated by combining the user'"'"'s local mailbox identifier along with encoded email acceptance parameter values that represent email acceptance criteria. The encoded email identifier is then used as the local-part portion of an email address in place of the user'"'"'s local mailbox identifier. After receiving an incoming email message in which the encoded email identifier is a portion of the destination address of the incoming email message, an email server delivers the email message in accordance with the local mailbox identifier that is embedded in the encoded email identifier in response to a determination that one or more characteristics of the email message satisfy one or more email acceptance criteria that are encoded within the encoded email identifier.

Claims

1. A method for processing email messages, the method comprising:

receiving an email message comprising a destination email address and a source email address;

retrieving a local-part portion of the destination email address;

retrieving a local mailbox identifier from the local-part portion of the destination email address;

in response to a determination that one or more characteristics of the email message satisfy one or more email acceptance criteria that are encoded within the local-part portion of the destination address, delivering the email message in accordance with the local mailbox identifier;

decrypting the local-part portion of the destination email address using a cryptographic key; and

decoding a set of email acceptance parameter values in the local-part portion of the destination email address.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

identifying an email acceptance criterion as a validity date in the set of email acceptance parameter values; and

determining that a date value that is associated with the email message is less than or equal to the validity date.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the validity date is an unencrypted value within the local-part portion of the destination email address.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

identifying an email acceptance criterion as a retrieved reduction value in the set of email acceptance parameter values; and

determining that the retrieved reduction value can be computed from the source email address.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising:

retrieving a domain name from the source email address;

computing a reduced value using the domain name as an input value to a reduction algorithm; and

comparing the computed reduced value against the retrieved reduction value.

6. An apparatus for processing email messages, the apparatus comprising:

means for receiving an email message comprising a destination email address and a source email address;

means for retrieving a local-part portion of the destination email address;

means for retrieving a local mailbox identifier from the local-part portion of the destination email address;

means for delivering the email message in accordance with the local mailbox identifier in response to a determination that one or more characteristics of the email message satisfy one or more email acceptance criteria that are encoded within the local-part portion of the destination address;

means for decrypting the local-part portion of the destination email address using a cryptographic key; and

means for decoding a set of email acceptance parameter values in the local-part portion of the destination email address.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 further comprising:

means for identifying an email acceptance criterion as a validity date in the set of email acceptance parameter values; and

means for determining that a date value that is associated with the email message is less than or equal to the validity date.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the validity date is an unencrypted value within the local-part portion of the destination email address.

9. The apparatus of claim 7 further comprising:

means for identifying an email acceptance criterion as a retrieved reduction value in the set of email acceptance parameter values; and

means for determining that the retrieved reduction value can be computed from the source email address.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 further comprising:

means for retrieving a domain name from the source email address;

means for computing a reduced value using the domain name as an input value to a reduction algorithm; and

means for comparing the computed reduced value against the retrieved reduction value.

11. A computer program product on a computer readable medium for use in a data processing system for processing email messages, the computer program product comprising:

means for receiving an email message comprising a destination email address and a source email address;

means for retrieving a local-part portion of the destination email address;

means for retrieving a local mailbox identifier from the local-part portion of the destination email address;

means for delivering the email message in accordance with the local mailbox identifier in response to a determination that one or more characteristics of the email message satisfy one or more email acceptance criteria that are encoded within the local-part portion of the destination address;

means for decrypting the local-part portion of the destination email address using a cryptographic key; and

means for decoding a set of email acceptance parameter values in the local-part portion of the destination email address.

12. The computer program product of claim 11 further comprising:

means for identifying an email acceptance criterion as a validity date in the set of email acceptance parameter values; and

means for determining that a date value that is associated with the email message is less than or equal to the validity date.

13. The computer program product of claim 12 wherein the validity date is an unencrypted value within the local-part portion of the destination email address.

14. The computer program product of claim 11 further comprising:

means for identifying an email acceptance criterion as a retrieved reduction value in the set of email acceptance parameter values; and

means for determining that the retrieved reduction value can be computed from the source email address.

15. The computer program product of claim 14 further comprising:

means for retrieving a domain name from the source email address;

means for computing a reduced value using the domain name as an input value to a reduction algorithm; and

means for comparing the computed reduced value against the retrieved reduction value.