Systems and methods for electronic message content identification

• US 8,166,115 B2
• Filed: 01/23/2007
• Issued: 04/24/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: United States Postal Service (Government of the United States of America)
• Original Assignee: United States Postal Service (Government of the United States of America)
• Inventors: Krause, Robert G., Orbke, Wayne H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chankong, Dohm
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chang, Julian
• Application Number:
  US11/656,416
• Publication Number:
  US 20070150533A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,918 Days
• Field of Search: 709204-207
• 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 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

An electronic message identification method and system is provided for identifying and managing electronic messages. The electronic message identification method and system may be used for sending an electronic file to a customer by receiving an approval from the customer indicating acceptable content for electronic files that are sent to the customer; receiving the electronic file from a sender, the electronic file including file content and a message content identifier corresponding to the file content; comparing the message content identifier to the approval from the customer; and delivering the file content to an electronic mailbox of the customer, if the message content identifier is consistent with the approval from the customer indicating acceptable content.

Claims

1. A method for sending an electronic file to a customer, comprising:

receiving, at a processor, a first electronic file containing a physical address list comprising a physical address;

receiving, at the processor, a second electronic file containing file content and a content identifier code at the processor, the content identifier code comprising a concatenated string including an industry segment identifier string, a company identifier string, a product-type identifier string, and a message integrity string;

extracting the physical address from the first electronic file;

prior to creating a third electronic file comprising the message content, querying a customer database based on the extracted physical address to retrieve a customer'"'"'s e-address and content filtering preferences associated with the physical address;

comparing the content identifier code to the content filtering preferences;

associating the content identifier code with message routing information;

storing the message routing information in the customer database for historical tracking;

if the content identifier code is consistent with the content filtering preferences, then combining the customer'"'"'s e-address and file content to create the third electronic file for delivery to the customer and sending the third electronic file to an electronic mailbox associated with the customer'"'"'s e-address; and

if the content identifier code is inconsistent with the content filtering preferences, not routing the file content to the customer.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending the third electronic file to a filter for identification of customer preferences.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

sending the third electronic file to a routing system for delivery to an appropriate folder in the customer'"'"'s electronic mailbox, and notifying a sender of the file content that the file content has been delivered.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the electronic mailbox of the customer is stored in an electronic mailbox repository containing a plurality of electronic mailboxes.

5. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

comparing the content identifier code to the customer preferences and, if the content identifier code is inconsistent with the customer preferences, sending the third electronic file to a pool folder.

6. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

comparing the content identifier code to the customer preferences, and if the content identifier code is inconsistent with the customer preferences, marking the file content as undeliverable, and notifying the sender of the file content that the file content is undeliverable.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the third electronic file comprises an e-mail message.

8. A system for composing and delivering an electronic message to a customer, comprising:

a component for uploading a first electronic file containing a physical address mailing list file comprising a physical address, and a second electronic file containing message content and coding, the message coding comprising a concatenated string including an industry segment identifier string, a company identifier string, a product-type identifier string, and a message integrity string;

an extracting component for extracting the physical address from the physical address mailing list file;

a content filter that, prior to a creation of an electronic message comprising the message content, filters the message content and coding to determine whether the message content is consistent with a customer'"'"'s content filtering preferences;

a processor that receives the uploaded physical mailing list file and message content and coding, queries a database for an e-address and the customer'"'"'s content filtering preferences associated with the physical address, and if the content filter determines that the message content is consistent with the customer'"'"'s content filtering preferences, then creates the electronic message;

an associating component that associates the message coding with message routing information;

a storing component that stores the message routing information in the database for historical tracking; and

a message routing system that, if the message content is consistent with the customer'"'"'s content filtering preferences, receives the message content and coding that has been successfully filtered and delivers the electronic message to a customer electronic mailbox and, if the message content is inconsistent with the customer'"'"'s content filtering preferences, does not route the electronic message to the customer electronic mailbox.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the content filter is located within the processor and filters the message content and coding before forwarding the electronic message, which has been developed from a successfully filtered message content and coding, to the message routing system.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein a notification is provided indicating successful delivery to the message routing system.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the content filter is located in the database and the filtering takes place as part of the query.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein an unsuccessfully filtered message content and coding is one of delivered to a pool and undelivered.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein a notification is provided indicating one of unsuccessful delivery to the message routing system and delivery to a pool.

14. A system, including a processor, for sending an electronic file to a customer, comprising:

an address matching component that parses a physical address from a first electronic file containing a physical address list comprising the physical address and constructs match codes for interrogating a match directory within the address matching component;

a key generation querying component that receives results from the address matching component, based on the interrogation of the match directory, and queries a database to obtain an electronic address list file and customer content preferences;

a content filtering component that receives a second electronic file containing a message and a message content identifier and, prior to a creation of a third electronic file comprising the message, filters the second electronic file based on the message content identifier to determine whether the message is consistent with the customer content preferences, the message content identifier comprising a concatenated string including an industry segment identifier string, a company identifier string, a product-type identifier string, and a message integrity string;

a mail merge processor that, after the second electronic file has been filtered based on the message content identifier, (i) receives the electronic address list file, (ii) receives the message and the message content identifier, and (iii) creates the third electronic file based on the received message and electronic address list file if the content filtering component determines that the message content identifier is consistent with the customer content preferences;

an associating component that associates the message content identifier with message routing information;

a storing component that stores the message routing information in the database for historical tracking; and

a routing component that, if the message content identifier is consistent with the customer content preferences, delivers the third electronic file that has been successfully filtered to the customer'"'"'s e-mail account and, if the message content identifier is inconsistent with the customer content preferences, does not deliver the message to the customer.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein a notification is provided indicating successful delivery of the third electronic file to the customer'"'"'s e-mail account.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein an unsuccessfully filtered message is one of delivered to a pool and undelivered.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein a notification is provided indicating one of unsuccessful delivery to the message routing system and delivery to a pool.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein the third electronic file comprises an e-mail message.