System and methods for electronic message content identification

• US 8,244,809 B2
• Filed: 06/20/2001
• Issued: 08/14/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• 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): Nguyen, Thu
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chang, Julian
• Application Number:
  US10/311,743
• Publication Number:
  US 20040148355A1
• Time in Patent Office: 4,073 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 51/23 Reliability checks, e.g. acknowledgments or fault reporting
• 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 computer-implemented method for sending electronic files to a customer, comprising:

storing, in a customer database, an approval from the customer indicating acceptable content for electronic files to be sent to the customer;

receiving, from a sender, a first electronic file containing a physical mailing address associated with the customer;

receiving a second electronic file containing message content from the sender, the message content comprising a message content identifier corresponding to the message content, 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;

extracting the physical address from the first electronic file;

prior to creating a third electronic file comprising the message content, querying the customer database based on the extracted physical mailing address, wherein the querying comprises comparing the message content identifier to the approval from the customer;

associating the message content identifier with message routing information;

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

if the message content identifier is consistent with the approval from the customer, then identifying an electronic mailing address associated with the customer, creating the third electronic file comprising the message content and the electronic mailing address, and delivering the third electronic file to an electronic mailbox of the customer; and

if the message content identifier is inconsistent with the approval from the customer, not routing the message content to the customer.

2. The method of claim 1, comprising:

sending an approved status report to the sender, if the third electronic file is delivered to the customer.

3. The method of claim 1, comprising:

sending a declined status report to the sender, if the message content identifier is not consistent with the approval from the customer and if the third electronic file is undeliverable.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the delivering stage comprises:

delivering the third electronic file to a folder within the electronic mailbox of the customer, the folder corresponding to the message content identifier.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the delivering stage comprises:

delivering the third electronic file to a pool folder, if the message content identifier is not consistent with the approval.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the stage of receiving the second electronic file from a sender further comprises:

using a program, at the sender, to apply the message content identifier to the electronic file.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the method is performed by a mail service having network connectivity with both the customer and the sender.

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

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic mailbox of the customer is stored in an electronic mailbox repository containing a plurality of electronic mailboxes.

10. A system for sending electronic files to a customer, comprising:

means for storing, in a customer database, an approval from the customer indicating acceptable content for electronic files to be sent to the customer;

means for receiving, from a sender, a first electronic file containing a physical mailing address associated with the customer;

means for receiving a second electronic file containing message content from the sender, the message content comprising a message content identifier corresponding to the message content, 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;

means for extracting the physical mailing address from the first electronic file;

means for querying the customer database based on the physical mailing address, wherein the querying comprises comparing the message content identifier to the approval from the customer prior to creating a third electronic file comprising the message content;

means for associating the message content identifier with message routing information;

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

means for, if the message content identifier is consistent with the approval from the customer, then identifying an electronic mailing address associated with the customer, creating the third electronic file comprising the message content and the electronic mailing address, and delivering the third electronic file to an electronic mailbox of the customer, and, if the message content identifier is inconsistent with the approval from the customer, not routing the message content to the customer.

11. The system of claim 10, further comprising means for sending an approved status report to the sender, if the third electronic file is delivered to the customer.

12. The system of claim 10, further comprising means for sending a declined status report to the sender, if the message content identifier is not consistent with the acceptable content indicated by the approval from the customer and the message content identifier.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the means for delivering further comprises means for delivering the third electronic file to a folder within an electronic mailbox, the folder corresponding to the message content identifier.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the means for delivering further comprises means for delivering the third electronic file to a pool folder, if the message content identifier is not consistent with the acceptable content.

15. The system of claim 10, further comprising means for using a program to apply the message content identifier to the second electronic file.

16. A system for sending electronic files to a customer, comprising:

a registration system that stores, in a customer database, an approval from the customer indicating acceptable content for electronic files to be sent to the customer;

a filtering system that receives, from a sender, a first electronic file containing a physical mailing address associated with the customer, and a second electronic file containing message content comprising a message content identifier corresponding to the message content, that extracts the physical address from the first electronic file, and that, prior to creation of a third electronic file comprising the message content, queries the customer database based on the physical mailing address, wherein the query comprises comparing the message content identifier to the approval from the customer, 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;

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

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

a message routing system that, if the message content identifier is consistent with the approval from the customer, then identifies an electronic mailing address associated with the customer, creates the third electronic file comprising the message content and the electronic mailing address, and delivers the third electronic file to an electronic mailbox of the customer and, if the message content identifier is inconsistent with the approval from the customer, not routing the message content to the customer.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the third electronic file comprises an e-mail message.

18. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium containing computer-readable instructions for:

storing, in a customer database, an approval from the customer indicating acceptable content for electronic files to be sent to the customer;

receiving, from a sender, a first electronic file containing a physical mailing address associated with the customer;

receiving a second electronic file containing message content from the sender, the message content comprising a message content identifier corresponding to the message content, 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;

extracting the physical mailing address from the first electronic file;

prior to creating a third electronic file comprising the message content, querying the customer database based on the physical mailing address, wherein the querying comprises comparing the message content identifier to the approval from the customer;

associating the message content identifier with message routing information;

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

if the message content identifier is consistent with the approval from the customer, then identifying an electronic mailing address associated with the customer, creating the third electronic file comprising the message content and the electronic mailing address, and delivering the third electronic file to an electronic mailbox of the customer, and

if the message content identifier is inconsistent with the approval from the customer, not routing the message content to the customer.