System for policing junk e-mail messages

• US 7,779,080 B2
• Filed: 08/20/2007
• Issued: 08/17/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mind Fusion, LLC (Ascend Innovation Management, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Stephen Y.F. Pang
• Inventors: Pang, Stephen Y. F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Srivastava, Vivek
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, MINH CHAU
• Application Number:
  US11/841,883
• Publication Number:
  US 20080147808A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,093 Days
• Field of Search: None
• 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 system for policying an unsolicited e-mail communication. The system has a plurality of clients, each coupled together using a wide area network of computers, such as the Internet or an internet. Each of the clients is adapted to send an indication of an unsolicited e-mail message through an e-mail device for a display. The system also has a policying server coupled to each of the plurality of clients through the wide area network of computers. The policying server is adapted to receive the indication from at least one of the clients. The e-mail device comprises an SPAM icon on the display. The SPAM icon is adapted to send the indication from the client to the policying server.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method performed by a computer system including a processor and a memory programmed to perform the method comprising:

receiving, by the computer system, an indication that a sender that had previously initiated transmission of a first unwanted electronic communication to a first recipient has subsequently initiated transmission of a second unwanted electronic communication to the first recipient, despite a request initiated by the first recipient, after the first unwanted electronic communication was received by the first recipient, that the sender refrain from initiating further unwanted electronic communications to the first recipient, under direction of the processor;

updating, by the computer system, an unwanted electronic communication list in the memory to include reference to the second unwanted electronic communication under direction of the processor in response to the indication;

receiving, by the computer system, the second unwanted electronic communication destined to a second recipient, under direction of the processor;

determining, by the computer system, that the second unwanted electronic communication should be inhibited, under direction the processor, in response to the unwanted electronic communication list and in response to the second unwanted electronic communication; and

inhibiting sending, by the computer system, the second unwanted electronic communication to the second recipient when it is determined that the second unwanted electronic communication should be inhibited, under direction of the processor.

2. The computer implemented method of claim 1 wherein the first unwanted electronic communication comprises an e-mail message.

3. The computer implemented method of claim 1

wherein first data is associated with a property of the first unwanted electronic communication;

wherein the first data is associated with a property of the second unwanted electronic communication; and

wherein the property is selected from a group consisting of;

an e-mail SUBJECT property, an e-mail FROM property, an address associated with the sender, an e-mail message, header information.

4. The computer implemented method of claim 1 wherein inhibiting sending the second unwanted electronic communication to the second recipient comprises removing, by the computer system, the second unwanted electronic communication from an electronic mail inbox associated with the second recipient, under direction of the processor.

5. The computer implemented method of claim 1 further comprising sending, by the computer system, the indication to a server associated with a third-party, wherein the third-party is selected from a group consisting of:

an ISP associated with the sender, a United States State authority, a United States Federal authority, an unwanted electronic communication clearing house.

6. The computer implemented method of claim 1 wherein the unwanted electronic communication list comprises a filter-out list.

7. The computer implemented method of claim 1 wherein the request initiated by the first recipient comprises a request by a human recipient.

8. A computer system comprising:

a memory configured to store an unwanted electronic communication list; and

a processor coupled to the memory,

wherein the processor is configured to receive indication that a sender that had previously initiated transmission of a first unwanted electronic communication to a first recipient has subsequently initiated transmission of a second unwanted electronic communication to the first recipient, despite a request initiated by the first recipient, after the first unwanted electronic communication was received by the first recipient, that the sender refrain from initiating further unwanted electronic communications to the first recipient,

wherein the processor is configured to update the unwanted electronic communication list to include reference to the second unwanted electronic communication in response to the indication,

wherein the processor is configured to receive the second unwanted electronic communication destined to a second recipient,

wherein the processor is configured to determine that the second unwanted electronic communication should be inhibited in response to the unwanted electronic communication list that was updated and in response to the second unwanted electronic communication, and

wherein the processor is configured to inhibit sending the second unwanted electronic communication to the second recipient when it is determined that the second unwanted electronic communication should be inhibited; and

wherein the memory is also configured to store the unwanted electronic communication list that is updated.

9. The computer system of claim 8

wherein the first unwanted electronic communication comprises an e-mail message;

and

wherein the processor is configured to provide e-mail messages to the first recipient and to the second recipient.

10. The computer system of claim 8

wherein first data is associated with a property of the first unwanted electronic communication;

wherein the first data is associated with the property of the second unwanted electronic communication; and

wherein the property is selected from a group consisting of;

an e-mail SUBJECT property, an e-mail FROM property, an address associated with the sender, an e-mail message, header information.

11. The computer system of claim 8 wherein the processor is configured to remove the second unwanted electronic communication from an electronic mail inbox associated with the second recipient.

12. The computer system of claim 8 wherein the processor is configured to send the indication to a server associated with a third-party, wherein the third-party is selected from a group consisting of:

an ISP associated with the sender, a United States State authority, a United States Federal authority, a unwanted electronic communication clearing house.

13. The computer system of claim 8 wherein the unwanted electronic communication list comprises a filter-out list.

14. The computer system of claim 8 wherein the request initiated by the first recipient comprises a request by a human recipient.

15. A computer program product comprising a computer system including a processor, wherein the computer system executes computer code resident on a tangible media, the computer program product comprising:

code configured to direct the processor to receive indication that a sender who had previously initiated transmission of a first unwanted electronic communication to a first recipient has subsequently initiated transmission of a second unwanted electronic communication to the first recipient, despite a request initiated by the first recipient that the sender refrain from initiating further unwanted electronic communications to the first recipient, after the first unwanted electronic communication was received by the first recipient;

code configured to direct the processor to update an unwanted electronic communication list to include reference to the second unwanted electronic communication in response to the indication;

code configured to direct the processor to receive the second unwanted electronic communication destined to a second recipient;

code configured to direct the processor to determine that the second unwanted electronic communication should be inhibited in response to the unwanted electronic communication list that was updated and in response to the second unwanted electronic communication; and

code configured to direct the processor to inhibit sending the second unwanted electronic communication to the second recipient when it is determined that the second unwanted electronic communication should be inhibited.

16. The computer program product of claim 15

wherein the first unwanted electronic communication comprises an e-mail message;

and

wherein the processor is configured to provide e-mail messages to the first recipient and to the second recipient.

17. The computer program product of claim 15

wherein first data is associated with a property of the first unwanted electronic communication;

wherein the first data is associated with the property of the second unwanted electronic communication; and

wherein the property is selected from a group consisting of;

an e-mail SUBJECT property, an e-mail FROM property, an address associated with the sender, an e-mail message, header information.

18. The computer program product of claim 15 further comprising code configured to direct the processor to remove the second unwanted electronic communication from an electronic mail inbox associated with the second recipient.

19. The computer program product of claim 15 further comprising code configured to direct the processor to send the indication to a server associated with a third-party, wherein the third-party is selected from a group consisting of:

an ISP associated with the sender, a United States State authority, a United States Federal authority, a unwanted electronic communication clearing house.

20. The computer program product of claim 15 wherein the unwanted electronic communication list comprises a filter-out list.