Collecting, aggregating, and managing information relating to electronic messages
First Claim
1. A method for managing information relating to electronic messages, comprising the steps of:
- receiving, from a plurality of message information collectors, message information that describes characteristics of a set of electronic messages received by the plurality of message information collectors,wherein the message information is separate and distinct from the set of electronic messages which it describes;
processing, at a data processing unit, the message information to generate message volume information, wherein the message volume information describes characteristics of a set of message senders of electronic messages over a period of time, wherein each of the set of message senders sent one or more of the set of electronic messages identified in the message information, andwherein the message volume information includes a prediction metric that indicates a likelihood that a particular message sender, of the set of message senders, has been sending unsolicited commercial electronic messages; and
providing, to an email gateway, the prediction metric and at least one other characteristic of the particular message sender described in the message volume information, wherein at least the prediction metric and the at least one other characteristic are used by the email gateway in determining whether to treat a particular electronic message, sent by the particular message sender, received by the email gateway, as an unsolicited commercial electronic message,wherein said particular message sender is a second email gateway;
wherein the email gateway is separate from the data processing unit;
wherein the step of processing, at the data processing unit, the message information to generate the message volume information comprises the step of;
determining how many requests for information about the particular message sender were received during a particular period of time;
wherein the method is performed by one or more computing devices.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method and apparatus for managing information relating to electronic messages is provided. A first set of data related to one or more message senders is obtained from a first source, such as an email sever or email gateway. Each message sender has sent one or more electronic messages. A second set of data related to the one or more message senders is obtained from a second source. Message volume information that describes the messages sent by the one or more message senders for a period of time is determined based on the first set of data and the second set of data. The message volume information may be used to determine whether a particular message sent by a particular message sender is unsolicited. If a particular message is determined to be unsolicited, various actions may be performed on messages sent by the sender of the particular message.
239 Citations
57 Claims
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1. A method for managing information relating to electronic messages, comprising the steps of:
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receiving, from a plurality of message information collectors, message information that describes characteristics of a set of electronic messages received by the plurality of message information collectors, wherein the message information is separate and distinct from the set of electronic messages which it describes; processing, at a data processing unit, the message information to generate message volume information, wherein the message volume information describes characteristics of a set of message senders of electronic messages over a period of time, wherein each of the set of message senders sent one or more of the set of electronic messages identified in the message information, and wherein the message volume information includes a prediction metric that indicates a likelihood that a particular message sender, of the set of message senders, has been sending unsolicited commercial electronic messages; and providing, to an email gateway, the prediction metric and at least one other characteristic of the particular message sender described in the message volume information, wherein at least the prediction metric and the at least one other characteristic are used by the email gateway in determining whether to treat a particular electronic message, sent by the particular message sender, received by the email gateway, as an unsolicited commercial electronic message, wherein said particular message sender is a second email gateway; wherein the email gateway is separate from the data processing unit; wherein the step of processing, at the data processing unit, the message information to generate the message volume information comprises the step of; determining how many requests for information about the particular message sender were received during a particular period of time; wherein the method is performed by one or more computing devices. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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25. A method of managing information relating to electronic messages, comprising the steps of:
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receiving at an email gateway, from a particular message sender, one or more electronic messages; sending, to a data processing unit that is separate from said email gateway, a request for message volume information related to the particular message sender; receiving the message volume information related to the particular message sender, wherein the message volume information describes a set of characteristics of the particular message sender over a period of time, wherein the message volume information is generated based on message information received from a plurality of message information collectors, wherein the message volume information includes a prediction metric that indicates a likelihood that the particular sender has been sending unsolicited commercial electronic messages, and wherein the message volume information includes a value based at least in part on the number of requests for information about the particular message sender that were received during a particular period of time; determining how to modify the delivery of a plurality of messages to one or more recipients, from the particular message sender based, at least in part, on the prediction metric and at least one other characteristic of the particular message sender described in the message volume information; and modifying the delivery of a plurality of messages to one or more recipients from the particular message sender based on the prediction metric in the message volume information; wherein said particular message sender is a second email gateway; wherein the method is performed by one or more computing devices. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 56)
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28. A machine-readable volatile or non-volatile medium storing one or more sequences of instructions for managing information relating to electronic messages, wherein execution of the one or more sequences of instructions by one or more processors causes the one or more processors to perform the steps of:
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receiving, from a plurality of message information collectors, message information that describes characteristics of a set of electronic messages received by the plurality of message information collectors; wherein the message information is separate and distinct from the set of electronic messages which it describes; processing, at a data processing unit, the message information to generate message volume information, wherein the message volume information describes characteristics of a set of message senders of electronic messages over a period of time, wherein each of the set of message senders sent one or more of the set of electronic messages identified in the message information, and wherein the message volume information includes a prediction metric that indicates a likelihood that a particular message sender, of the set of message senders, has been sending unsolicited commercial electronic messages; and providing, to an email gateway, the prediction metric and at least one other characteristic of the particular message sender described in the message volume information, wherein at least the prediction metric and the at least one other characteristic are used by the email gateway in determining whether to treat a particular electronic message, sent by the particular sender, received by the email gateway, as an unsolicited commercial electronic message, wherein said particular message sender is a second email gateway; wherein the email gateway is separate from the data processing unit; wherein the processing, at the data processing unit, the message information to generate the message volume information comprises; determining how many requests for information about the particular message sender were received during a particular period of time. - View Dependent Claims (29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51)
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52. A machine-readable volatile or non-volatile medium storing one or more sequences of instructions for managing information relating to electronic messages, wherein execution of the one or more sequences of instructions by one or more processors causes the one or more processors to perform the steps of:
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receiving at an email gateway, from a particular message sender, one or more electronic messages; sending, to a data processing unit that is separate from said email gateway, a request for message volume information related to the particular message sender; receiving the message volume information related to the particular message sender, wherein the message volume information describes a set of characteristics of the particular message sender over a period of time, wherein the message volume information is generated based on message information received from a plurality of message information collectors, wherein the message volume information includes a prediction metric that indicates a likelihood that the particular sender has been sending unsolicited commercial electronic messages, and wherein the message volume information includes a value based at least in part on the number of requests for information about the particular message sender were received during a particular period of time; determining how to modify the delivery of a plurality of messages to one or more recipients, from the particular sender based, at least in part, on the prediction metric and at least one other characteristic of the particular message sender described in the message volume information; and modifying the delivery of a plurality of messages to one or more recipients from the particular message sender based on the prediction metric in the message volume information; wherein said particular message sender is a second email gateway. - View Dependent Claims (53, 54, 57)
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55. A system for managing information relating to electronic messages, comprising:
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a plurality of message information collectors, wherein each of the plurality of message information collectors is configured to transmit message information to a data processing unit, wherein the message information that is sent by a particular message information collector, of the plurality of message information collectors, to the data processing unit describes characteristics of a set of electronic messages received by the particular message information collector, wherein the message information is separate and distinct from the set of electronic messages which it describes; and the data processing unit, wherein the data processing unit is configured to perform the steps of; processing the message information received by the data processing unit to generate message volume information, wherein the message volume information describes characteristics of a set of message senders of electronic messages over a period of time, wherein each of the set of message senders sent one or more of the set of electronic messages identified in the message information, and wherein the message volume information includes a prediction metric that indicates a likelihood that a particular message sender, of the set of message senders, has been sending unsolicited commercial electronic messages; and providing, to an email gateway, the prediction metric and at least one other characteristic of the particular message sender described in the message volume information, wherein at least the prediction metric and the at least one other characteristic are used by the email gateway in determining whether to treat a plurality of electronic messages, sent by the particular message sender, received by the email gateway, as unsolicited commercial electronic messages, wherein said particular message sender is a second email gateway; wherein the email gateway is separate from the data processing unit; wherein the processing the message information received by the data processing unit to generate the message volume information comprises; determining how many requests for information about the particular message sender were received during a particular period of time.
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Specification