Controlling electronic messages
First Claim
1. A computing system for access by at least one potential sender in order for the potential sender to become acceptable to a receiver and thus be allowed to send one or more electronic messages to the receiver, the potential sender not having yet been determined to be acceptable to the receiver before the potential sender accesses the computing system, the computing system for executing a filter defined by the receiver, the filter including a communication for the potential sender and also including a criterion for applying to at least one fact whose value is to be provided in response to the communication, the computing system comprising:
- a processor; and
at least one computer readable medium for storing one or more software programs which are executed by the processor to cause the computing system to execute the filter and thereby;
present the communication to the potential sender to elicit the value of the fact from the potential sender;
receive the value of the fact from the potential sender;
provide the value of the fact to the filter;
make the filter apply the filter'"'"'s criterion to the value of the fact to determine whether or not the potential sender is acceptable to the receiver;
receive from the filter the determination about whether the potential sender is acceptable to the receiver; and
send at least one electronic message from the determined-acceptable potential sender to the receiver, all the while keeping the filter'"'"'s criterion inaccessible to the potential sender and also keeping the value of the fact confidential and undisclosed to anyone by preventing the value of the fact from leaving the computing system in a form which would enable anyone besides the potential sender, including the receiver and any third party, to learn the value of the fact.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A receiver is shielded from undesirable electronic messages, sometimes referred to as “spam”, by requiring any sender who wants to send an electronic message to the receiver to first submit to a filter. The filter is specified by the receiver. The receiver-specified filter can be downloaded to the sender'"'"'s computer and executed on the sender'"'"'s computer. By execution, the filter elicits information from the sender and uses it without disclosing it to authorize, or not, the sending of electronic messages (such as email) from the sender to the receiver. Another embodiment according to the invention allows a sender to prevent undesirable receivers from viewing the sender-sent electronic messages by requiring any receiver who wants to view an electronic message from an authorized sender to first submit to a filter. One or more third parties can be involved. For example, senders can be recommended to and/or approved for receivers by one or more certifying third parties, and receivers can be recommended to and/or approved for senders by one or more certifying third parties.
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Citations
41 Claims
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1. A computing system for access by at least one potential sender in order for the potential sender to become acceptable to a receiver and thus be allowed to send one or more electronic messages to the receiver, the potential sender not having yet been determined to be acceptable to the receiver before the potential sender accesses the computing system, the computing system for executing a filter defined by the receiver, the filter including a communication for the potential sender and also including a criterion for applying to at least one fact whose value is to be provided in response to the communication, the computing system comprising:
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a processor; and at least one computer readable medium for storing one or more software programs which are executed by the processor to cause the computing system to execute the filter and thereby; present the communication to the potential sender to elicit the value of the fact from the potential sender; receive the value of the fact from the potential sender; provide the value of the fact to the filter; make the filter apply the filter'"'"'s criterion to the value of the fact to determine whether or not the potential sender is acceptable to the receiver; receive from the filter the determination about whether the potential sender is acceptable to the receiver; and send at least one electronic message from the determined-acceptable potential sender to the receiver, all the while keeping the filter'"'"'s criterion inaccessible to the potential sender and also keeping the value of the fact confidential and undisclosed to anyone by preventing the value of the fact from leaving the computing system in a form which would enable anyone besides the potential sender, including the receiver and any third party, to learn the value of the fact. - 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, 25, 26, 27, 28)
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29. A computing system for access by at least one potential sender in order for the potential sender to become acceptable to a receiver and thus be allowed to send one or more electronic messages to the receiver, the potential sender not having yet been determined to be acceptable to the receiver before the potential sender accesses the computing system, the computing system for executing a filter defined by the receiver, the filter including a criterion for applying to at least one fact whose value is to be provided in response to the filter, the computing system comprising:
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a processor; and at least one computer readable medium for storing one or more software programs which are executed by the processor to cause the computing system to elicit the value of the fact from the potential sender, receive the value of the fact from the potential sender, and store the value of the fact and subsequently to execute the filter and thereby to; receive a request for the value of the fact from the filter; automatically provide the stored value of the fact to the filter; make the filter apply the filter'"'"'s criterion to the value of the fact to determine whether or not the potential sender is acceptable to the receiver; receive from the filter the determination about whether the potential sender is acceptable to the receiver; and send at least one electronic message from the determined-acceptable potential sender to the receiver, all the while keeping the filter'"'"'s criterion inaccessible to the potential sender and also keeping the value of the fact confidential and undisclosed to anyone by preventing the value of the fact from leaving the computing system in a form which would enable anyone besides the potential sender, including the receiver and any third party, to learn the value of the fact. - View Dependent Claims (30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41)
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Specification