Secure transactional communication

• US 8,010,612 B2
• Filed: 04/17/2007
• Issued: 08/30/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/17/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Mehta, Mayank, Dougherty, Jesse, Kay, Jeffrey B., Chandresh, Jain, Neto, Mayerber Carvalho, Costea, Mihai
• Primary Examiner(s): Chan; Wing F
• Assistant Examiner(s): Thieu; Benjamin M
• Application Number:
  US11/736,487
• Publication Number:
  US 20080263156A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,596 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206, 709/226, 709/245, 709/203, 709/219, 709/225
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/212 using filtering or selective blocking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/48 Message addressing, e.g. address format or anonymous messages, aliases

Abstract

Systems for providing sign-up email addresses are disclosed herein. A user may set up a sign-up email address for receiving emails from a trusted, Internet-based enterprise. The user may set up a dedicated mailbox folder associated with the sign-up email address or enterprise. The email server may automatically direct emails coming from that enterprise into that folder. To “unsubscribe,” the user needs only to delete the folder or the sign-up address. Emails from the enterprise to the sign-up address may be highlighted in the user'"'"'s main inbox. Thus, the user may be assured that any such email is truly from the enterprise, and not a phishing expedition or spam. Such systems also provide the user with effective tools to recognize phish or spam emails that appear to be from the trusted enterprise and not to act on them.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

when a user is presented with a user interface of an enterprise requesting an email address of the user, automatically displaying a pop-up window notifying the user that an email address is requested;

providing the user with an option in the pop-up window, to select a name, wherein the name is associated with a first email address;

automatically inserting the first email address as a sign-up email address into an email field of said user interface, the sign-up email address being different from a primary email address associated with the user;

providing to an email service an association between the sign-up email address and the primary email address;

providing to the email service an association between the sign-up email address and the enterprise; and

presenting an email directed from the enterprise to the sign-up email address in a manner that distinguishes the email from other emails directed to the primary email address, wherein;

the option to enter a sign-up email address an option to create a new sign-up address and associate a friendly name therewith;

the primary email address is one entry in a list displayed in the pop-up window; and

the pop-up window is configured to provide a warning associated with the primary email address when a cursor is placed over the primary email address.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising automatically detecting that the user has been requested to provide an email address into a web page provided by the enterprise.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the user with the option to enter a sign-up email address into the user interface comprises providing the user with an option to have the sign-up address automatically generated on behalf of the user and an option for the user to customize the sign-up address.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the user interface comprises providing a folder list that includes a dedicated folder that is associated with the sign-up email address.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the email directed from the enterprise to the sign-up email address is presented in the dedicated folder.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the email directed from the enterprise to the sign-up email address is annotated and presented in a mailbox associated with the primary email address.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing a list of previously-created sign-up addresses, along with a respective friendly name associated with each.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein providing the user with the option to enter a sign-up email address into the user interface comprises providing the user with an option to select one of the previously-created sign-up addresses from the list.

9. A method comprising:

automatically detecting when a user has been requested to provide an email address into a web page provided by an enterprise;

in response to said detecting, automatically displaying a pop-up window notifying the user that an email address is requested and providing the user with an option in the pop-up window, to select a name, wherein the name is associated with a first email address;

automatically inserting the first email address, which has been identified by the selection of the name, as a sign-up email address into an email address field of the user interface, the sign-up email address being different from a primary email address associated with the user;

providing an association between the sign-up email address and the primary email address associated with the user;

providing an association between the sign-up email address and the Internet-based enterprise; and

presenting an email directed to the sign-up address, in a form that distinguishes the email from other emails directed to the primary email address, wherein;

the option to enter a sign-up email address an option to create a new sign-up address and associate a friendly name therewith;

the primary email address is one entry in a list displayed in the pop-up window; and

the pop-up window is configured to provide a warning associated with the primary email address when a cursor is placed over the primary email address.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein providing the email to the email client comprises providing the email to a dedicated folder associated with the sign-up address.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising partitioning a mailbox associated with the user to create the dedicated folder.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising authenticating the identity of the sender of the email, and not annotating the email if the sender is not authenticated.

13. A system comprising:

a computing device executing computer-program instructions for providing an email client and a browser;

wherein the browser automatically detects when a user has been requested to provide an email address into a web page provided by an enterprise;

automatically displays a pop-up window that notifies the user that an email address is requested;

provides the user with an option in the pop-up window, to select a name, wherein the name is associated with a first email address;

automatically inserts the first email address as a sign-up email address into the user interface, the sign-up email address being different from a primary email address associated with the user;

provides to an email service an association between the sign-up email address and the primary email address; and

further provides to the email service an association between the sign-up email address and the enterprise; and

wherein the email service receives the association between the sign-up email address and the primary email address, receives the association between the sign-up email address and the enterprise, receives an email directed to the sign-up address from the enterprise, and provides the email to the email client in a form that distinguishes the email from other emails directed to the primary email address, wherein;

the option to enter a sign-up email address an option to create a new sign-up address and associate a friendly name therewith;

the primary email address is one entry in a list displayed in the pop-up window; and

the pop-up window is configured to provide a warning associated with the primary email address when a cursor is placed over the primary email address.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the email client provides a user interface wherein the email directed from the enterprise to the sign-up email address is presented in a manner that distinguishes it from emails directed to the primary email address.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the email service annotates the email directed to the sign-up address from the enterprise in a manner that distinguishes it from emails directed to the primary address, and the email client presents the email in an inbox associated with the primary address.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the email service provides the email to a dedicated folder in a mailbox associated with the user, and the email client presents the email in the dedicated folder.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the email service partitions the mailbox associated with the user to create the dedicated folder.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein the name is one entry in a list displayed in the pop-up window, and wherein the pop-up window is configured to provide a description associated with the name when a cursor is placed over the name.