Privacy control system for electronic communication

• US 7,620,690 B1
• Filed: 10/25/2004
• Issued: 11/17/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Everglade Holdco LLC
• Original Assignee: LashBack, LLC (PerformLine, Inc.)
• Inventors: Castelli, Eric L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pwu; Jeffrey
• Assistant Examiner(s): SMARTH, GERALD A
• Application Number:
  US10/972,531
• Time in Patent Office: 1,849 Days
• Field of Search: 709/204, 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1416 Event detection, e.g. attack signature detection

Abstract

A privacy control system provides a centralized process for managing unsubscribe requests to unsolicited communications. The system receives reports of unsolicited communications, determines and follows the corresponding unsubscribe processes, and tracks the success of unsubscribe requests. The system can unsubscribe an individual or group of individuals through the centralized process, recording and monitoring the success of the request, independent of the email client used by the individuals.

Claims

1. A method for providing privacy control in a communication system;

receiving at a centralized processor a set of spam notices from a set of participants;

identifying a set of advertisers from said set of spam notices, wherein said identifying step is comprised of parsing said spam notices at said centralized processor;

determining at said centralized processor a set of unsubscribe mechanisms corresponding with said set of advertisers, wherein said determining step is comprised of automatically parsing and identifying key attributes associated with an unsubscribe function, and wherein said parsing and identifying further comprise the searching step selected from the group of steps consisting of;

searching for an email address in said spam notices;

searching for a reply action key attribute;

searching for an email address in web pages listed in said spam notices;

searching for request form key components in web pages listed in said spam report;

searching for email subscription key components in web pages listed in said spam report; and

searching for a one-click unsubscribe link; and

sending from said centralized processor a set of unsubscribe requests to said set of advertisers according to said corresponding set of unsubscribe mechanisms.

2. A method for providing privacy control in a communication system;

receiving at a centralized processor a set of spam notices from a set of participants, wherein the set of spam notices relates to unwanted email filtered by the participant;

parsing said set of spam notices at said centralized processor;

identifying at said centralized processor a set of advertisers from said set of spam notices;

determining at said centralized processor a set of unsubscribe mechanisms corresponding with said set of advertisers, wherein said parsing, identifying and determining steps further comprise automatically parsing and identifying key attributes associated with an unsubscribe function, and a searching step selected from the group of steps consisting of;

searching for an email address in said unwanted email messages;

searching for a reply action key attribute;

searching for an email address in web pages listed in said unwanted email messages;

searching for request form key components in web pages listed in said unwanted email messages;

searching for email subscription key components in web pages listed in said unwanted email messages; and

searching for a one-click unsubscribe link;

creating a set of probe accounts; and

sending from said centralized processor a set of unsubscribe requests to said set of advertisers according to said corresponding set of unsubscribe mechanisms and a set of unique unsubscribe requests corresponding with said set of probe accounts.

3. A method for providing privacy control in a communication system;

receiving at a centralized processor unwanted email filtered by a participant;

parsing said unwanted email at said centralized processor;

identifying at said centralized Processor a set of advertisers from said unwanted email independent of any email client used by said participant;

determining at said centralized processor a set of unsubscribe mechanisms corresponding with said set of advertisers, wherein said parsing, identifying and determining steps further comprise automatically parsing and identifying key attributes associated with an unsubscribe function, and a searching step selected from the group of steps consisting of;

searching for an email address in said unwanted email messages;

searching for a reply action key attribute;

searching for an email address in web pages listed in said unwanted email messages;

searching for request form key components in web pages listed in said unwanted email messages;

searching for email subscription key components in web pages listed in said unwanted email messages; and

searching for a one-click unsubscribe link;

creating at said centralized processor a spam report relating said set of advertisers with said unwanted email and said set of unsubscribe mechanisms;

sending from said centralized processor a set of unsubscribe requests to said set of advertisers according to said corresponding set of unsubscribe mechanisms to unsubscribe said participant from future unwanted email sent by said set of advertisers; and

recording a set of unsubscribe status results corresponding with said set of unsubscribe requests.

4. A method for unsubscribe processing in a communication system;

forwarding unwanted email messages to a centralized processor;

parsing said unwanted email messages at said centralized processor;

identifying at the centralized processor advertisers associated with the unwanted email message;

determining at the centralized processor a set of unsubscribe mechanisms corresponding with each advertiser, wherein said parsing, identifying and determining steps further comprise automatically parsing and identifying key attributes associated with an unsubscribe function, and a searching step selected from the group of steps consisting of;

searching for an email address in said unwanted email messages;

searching for a reply action key attribute;

searching for an email address in web pages listed in said unwanted email messages;

searching for request form key components in web pages listed in said unwanted email messages;

searching for email subscription key components in web pages listed in said unwanted email messages; and

searching for a one-click unsubscribe link; and

sending from the centralized processor a set of unsubscribe requests to each advertiser according to the corresponding set of unsubscribe mechanisms to unsubscribe a user from future unwanted email messages sent by said advertisers.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising the step of creating a spam report relating said advertisers with said set of unwanted email message and said set of unsubscribe mechanisms.

6. The method of claim 4 further comprising the steps of registering a set of subscribers and creating a set of probe accounts.