Anti-spam system, method, and computer program product
First Claim
1. A computer program product embodied on a non-transitory computer readable medium having a computer readable program code embodied therein, the computer readable program code adapted to be executed to implement a method, performed by a server computer comprising a first system portion and a second system portion, wherein the first system portion comprises a backend server portion and the second system portion comprises a frontend server portion, the method comprising:
- downloading, by the first system portion, a plurality of electronic mail messages from a plurality of Internet Service Providers (ISPs) utilizing a plurality of different protocols comprising two or more of post office protocol (POP3), Internet message access protocol (IMAP), and a proprietary protocol to the server computer via a network using a first address;
storing the plurality of electronic messages in a folder of the first system portion;
normalizing, by the first system portion, the plurality of electronic mail messages;
filtering, by the first system portion, the normalized electronic mail messages that are determined to be unwanted utilizing a filter engine of the first system portion, wherein the filter engine is configured by synchronizing the filter engine of the first system portion with settings included in the second system portion;
synchronizing a folder of the second system portion with the folder of the first system portion, wherein the electronic messages corresponding to the filtered normalized electronic mail messages are not transferred from the folder of the first system portion to the folder of the second system portion; and
delivering, by the second system portion, the filtered electronic mail messages to an electronic mail message manager using a second address.
11 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A system, method and computer program product are provided for filtering unwanted electronic mail messages. Included is a first portion capable of downloading electronic mail messages to a computer via a network using a first address. Such first portion is further capable of filtering the electronic mail messages that are unwanted. Further provided is a second portion capable of delivering the filtered electronic mail messages from the first portion to an electronic mail message manager using a second address. The first portion and the second portion reside on the computer.
35 Citations
12 Claims
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1. A computer program product embodied on a non-transitory computer readable medium having a computer readable program code embodied therein, the computer readable program code adapted to be executed to implement a method, performed by a server computer comprising a first system portion and a second system portion, wherein the first system portion comprises a backend server portion and the second system portion comprises a frontend server portion, the method comprising:
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downloading, by the first system portion, a plurality of electronic mail messages from a plurality of Internet Service Providers (ISPs) utilizing a plurality of different protocols comprising two or more of post office protocol (POP3), Internet message access protocol (IMAP), and a proprietary protocol to the server computer via a network using a first address; storing the plurality of electronic messages in a folder of the first system portion; normalizing, by the first system portion, the plurality of electronic mail messages; filtering, by the first system portion, the normalized electronic mail messages that are determined to be unwanted utilizing a filter engine of the first system portion, wherein the filter engine is configured by synchronizing the filter engine of the first system portion with settings included in the second system portion; synchronizing a folder of the second system portion with the folder of the first system portion, wherein the electronic messages corresponding to the filtered normalized electronic mail messages are not transferred from the folder of the first system portion to the folder of the second system portion; and delivering, by the second system portion, the filtered electronic mail messages to an electronic mail message manager using a second address.
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2. A method performed by a server computer comprising a first system portion and a second system portion, wherein the first system portion comprises a backend server portion and the second system portion comprises a frontend server portion, the method comprising:
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downloading, by the first system portion, a plurality of electronic mail messages from a plurality of Internet Service Providers (ISPs) utilizing a plurality of different protocols comprising two or more of post office protocol (POP3), Internet message access protocol (IMAP), and a proprietary protocol to the server computer via a network using a first address; storing the plurality of electronic messages in a folder of the first system portion; normalizing, by the first system portion, the plurality of electronic mail messages; filtering, by the first system portion, the electronic mail messages that are unwanted, utilizing a filter engine of a first system portion, the filter engine analyzing the normalized electronic mail messages; configuring the filter engine by synchronizing the first system portion with a second system portion, wherein the second system portion includes a configuration setting for the filter engine, the configuration setting provided to the filter engine via synchronization; and synchronizing the filtered electronic mail messages from the first system portion to an electronic mail message manager using a second address, utilizing a second system portion, wherein the electronic messages corresponding to the filtered normalized electronic mail messages are not delivered from the first system portion to the second system portion. - View Dependent Claims (3)
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4. A method for filtering unwanted electronic mail messages, the method performed by a server computer comprising a first system portion and a second system portion, wherein the first system portion comprises a backend server portion and the second system portion comprises a frontend server portion, the method comprising:
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retrieving, by the first system portion, a plurality of electronic mail messages from a plurality of Internet Service Providers (ISPs) utilizing a plurality of different protocols comprising two or more of post office protocol (POP3), Internet message access protocol (IMAP), and a proprietary protocol; normalizing the plurality of electronic mail messages by removing formatting specific to a protocol from the plurality of different protocols associated with each electronic mail message; processing the normalized electronic mail messages by the first system portion to determine which of the normalized electronic mail messages are unwanted utilizing a filter engine, the filter engine configured with settings synchronized from the second system portion; and synchronizing the second system portion with electronic messages from the first system portion without transferring electronic messages corresponding to the normalized electronic mail messages determined to be unwanted; wherein the processed electronic mail messages are capable of being retrieved utilizing the plurality of different protocols. - View Dependent Claims (5)
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6. A method for filtering unwanted electronic mail messages performed by a server computer comprising a first system portion and a second system portion, wherein the first system portion comprises a backend server portion and the second system portion comprises a frontend server portion, the method comprising:
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receiving, at the first system portion, a plurality of electronic mail messages; configuring a filter engine of the first system portion by synchronizing the first system portion with the second system portion, wherein the second system portion includes a configuration setting for the filter engine; filtering electronic mail messages that are unwanted from the plurality of electronic mail messages utilizing; virus scanning, hashing, and compound filtering based on an IP address, and specific text in subject headers, wherein; the plurality of electronic mail messages are filtered as being unwanted based on a comparison involving a probability that the electronic mail messages are unwanted and an associated user-defined threshold, filters are updated via a download, and a user is capable of adding personal filters utilizing a filter wizard; categorizing filtered electronic mail messages as being unwanted; and synchronizing the second system portion with electronic messages from the first system portion without transferring electronic messages corresponding to the electronic mail messages determined to be unwanted; wherein the filter engine of the first system portion is utilized for the filtering of the electronic mail messages that are unwanted. - View Dependent Claims (7)
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8. A method performed by a server computer comprising a first system portion and a second system portion, wherein the first system portion comprises a backend server portion and the second system portion comprises a frontend server portion, the method comprising:
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downloading, by the first system portion, a plurality of electronic mail messages from a plurality of Internet Service Providers (ISPs) utilizing a plurality of different protocols comprising two or more of post office protocol (POP3), Internet message access protocol (IMAP), and a proprietary protocol to the server computer via a network using a plurality of first addresses; storing the plurality of electronic messages in a folder of the first system portion; normalizing, by a first system portion, the plurality of electronic messages; filtering the plurality of electronic mail messages that are unwanted, utilizing the first system portion, wherein the first system portion includes an account list having the plurality of first addresses for downloading the electronic mail messages; configuring the account list by synchronizing the first system portion with a second system portion, wherein the second system portion includes a configuration setting provided to the first system portion via synchronization; and synchronizing, between the first system portion and the second system portion, remaining wanted electronic mail messages from the first system portion to an electronic mail message manager using a second address. - View Dependent Claims (9)
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10. A computer program product embodied on a non-transitory computer readable medium having a computer readable program code embodied therein, the computer readable program code adapted to be executed on a server computer to implement a method, the server computer comprising a first system portion and a second system portion, wherein the first system portion comprises a backend server portion and the second system portion comprises a frontend server portion, the method comprising:
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downloading, by a first system portion, a plurality of electronic mail messages from a plurality of Internet Service Providers (ISPs) utilizing a plurality of different protocols comprising two or more of post office protocol (POP3), Internet message access protocol (IMAP), and a proprietary protocol to the server computer via a network using a first address; normalizing, by the first system portion, the plurality of electronic mail messages; filtering electronic mail messages from the plurality of electronic mail messages by identifying unwanted normalized electronic mail messages, the filtering utilizing a filter portion of the first system portion configured with a setting obtained from a second system portion via synchronization; synchronizing, between the first system portion and the second system portion, remaining wanted electronic mail messages to an electronic mail message manager using a second address; wherein the first system portion that is utilized for the downloading and the second system portion that is utilized for the delivering reside on the server computer; wherein the first system portion is operable such that the electronic mail messages are downloaded into a first folder of the first system portion; wherein the second system portion is operable such that the electronic mail messages are delivered to the electronic mail message manager from a second folder of the second system portion; wherein the second folder of the second system portion is periodically synchronized with the first folder of the first system portion.
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11. A method performed by a server computer comprising a first system portion and a second system portion, wherein the first system portion comprises a backend server portion and the second system portion comprises a frontend server portion, the method comprising:
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downloading electronic mail messages from a plurality of Internet Service Providers (ISPs) utilizing a plurality of different protocols comprising two or more of post office protocol (POP3), Internet message access protocol (IMAP), and a proprietary protocol to a computer via a network using a first address, and filtering the electronic mail messages that are unwanted utilizing a filter engine of the first system portion; and synchronizing, between the first system portion and the second system portion, the filtered electronic mail messages from the first system portion to an electronic mail message manager using a second address, utilizing an electronic mail message manager of the second system portion; wherein the first system portion and the second system portion reside on the computer; wherein the first system portion is capable of downloading electronic mail messages from a first ISP utilizing a first protocol, downloading electronic mail messages from a second ISP utilizing a second protocol, and downloading electronic mail messages from a third ISP utilizing a third protocol; wherein the electronic mail messages are downloaded into a first folder of the first system portion; wherein the electronic mail messages are delivered to the electronic mail message manager from a second folder of the second system portion; wherein the second folder of the second system portion is periodically synchronized with the first folder of the first system portion; and wherein the filter engine of the first system portion is configured via synchronization with a setting from the second system portion. - View Dependent Claims (12)
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Specification