Email proxy server with first respondent binding

• US 8,458,264 B1
• Filed: 02/26/2008
• Issued: 06/04/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Chris Lee, Ronald L. Suciu
• Original Assignee: Chris Lee, Ronald L. Suciu
• Inventors: Lee, Chris, Suciu, Ronald L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chan, Wing F
• Assistant Examiner(s): YI, DAVID
• Application Number:
  US12/037,101
• Time in Patent Office: 1,925 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/48 Message addressing, e.g. address format or anonymous messages, aliases

Abstract

An email proxy server receives a registration request from a client having a private email address. The proxy server generates a public email address and associates the public email address with the private email address. Upon receipt of a first email message from a sender having a sender address, the sender address is also associated with the public email address, and a new_from address is generated which is unique. The first and any subsequent email messages which are received with a sender of [e-mail] and a recipient of [e-mail] is sent to the registered recipient by the proxy, using associated sender [e-mail] and registered address [e-mail]. Any reply from the private sender carries the recipient [e-mail] and sender [e-mail], which are translated by the proxy to [e-mail] and [e-mail], respectively. In this manner, each public address is bound to the first respondent, and is only usable by that respondent.

Claims

1. A process for forwarding an email message from a sender having an original sender email address to a recipient having a private email address, the process having:

a first step whereby a recipient registers said private email address which results in an automatic generation of a unique public email address, derived from symmetric encryption of said private email address;

a second step whereby upon receipt of an email message having a MAIL TO address and from a sender having a MAIL FROM email address, a private email address is extracted from said MAIL TO address and said email message is sent to said recipient private email address using a NEW FROM address derived from said MAIL FROM address as the sender address;

a third step whereby when an email message is received having a MAIL FROM email address, a private email address is extracted from said public email address, said private email address examined to determine whether said private email address is valid and;

rejecting said email message if said private email address is not valid;

sending said email message to said extracted private email address if said public email address is valid, where said third step sending said email message uses said extracted private email address as a recipient address and generating a NEW FROM address derived from said sender address.

2. The process of claim 1 where said third step rejecting said email message includes receiving an entire said email message from said sender, thereafter not sending it to said private email address extracted from said public email address.

3. The process of claim 1 where said third step of sending said email includes receiving an entire message from said sender before sending said message to said private email address extracted from said public email address.

4. The process of claim 1 where said third step of sending said email message includes sending said message in parts to said extracted private email address during the interval said message is being received from said sender.

5. The process of claim 1 where said third step receiving said email includes receiving a header part including a sender identification and a recipient identification, after which a determination is made to either reject or send said message to said private email address extracted from said public email address.

6. The process of claim 1 where said sender is associated with a first domain, said public address is associated with a second domain, and said private address is associated with a third domain, and at least two of said first, second, and third domain are unique.

7. The process of claim 1 where said private address is associated with more than one public address.

8. The process of claim 1 where said first step uses an HTTP or HTTPS protocol, and said second and said third steps use an SMTP protocol.

9. The process of claim 1 where said symmetric encryption uses functions f1 and f2 in combination with operands A and B, where B is a private key and A is the concatenation of fields including at least an index, a checksum, and said private email address, and where said functions f1 and f2 have the property f1(A,B)=C and f2(C,B)=A.

10. The process of claim 1 where said symmetric encryption of said private address and said public address is performed using a local key and optionally including an index.

11. A process for filtering email, the process having:

a registration step whereby a private email address derived from said private email address and a checksum computed from said private email address is symmetrically encrypted into, and where said public email address can be symmetrically encrypted into said private email address and said checksum for validity checking said translated private email address,

a receiving email to a public address from a particular sender step where a private email address and a checksum is extracted from said public email address;

where;

if said extracted private email address checksum matches a checksum computed from said private email address, receiving said email message from said sender and then sending said email to said extracted private email address;

if said extracted private email address checksum does not match a checksum computed from said private email address, filtering said message.

12. The process of claim 11 where said registration step uses HTTP or HTTPS protocol and at least one of said receiving said email, or sending said email uses an SMTP protocol.

13. The process of claim 11 where said symmetric encryption uses functions f1 and f2 in combination with operands A and B, where B is a private key and A is the concatenation of said private email address, an index, and a checksum derived from the concatenated parts, and where said functions f1 and f2 have the property f1(A,B)=C and f2(C,B)=A.

14. The process of claim 11 where said registration step uses a local key to perform said symmetric translation.

15. The process of claim 11 where said receiving email to said public address and extracting said private email address from said public address includes forming a NEW FROM recipient field which is at least partially derived from said sender email address.

16. The process of claim 11 where said sending said email to said extracted email address includes generating a NEW FROM email address field from the sender information for use as a MAIL FROM:

value of said sent message.

17. A process for sending and receiving emails between a sender and recipient including translating header information including a MAIL FROM:

field and a RCPT TO;

field, the process including;

a step of receiving a message including said headers;

a step of determining whether the RCPT TO;

field is a public email address or the MAIL FROM;

field is a private email address, said step performing a memoryless translation of said RCPT TO;

field to a translation value which includes an index part, a checksum part, an encrypted private address part, the encrypted private address decrypted into a decrypted private address which is checked for validity using said checksum part, and when said validity check is true, determining that said RCPT TO;

field is a public email address;

if said RCPT TO;

field is a public email address, forwarding said message by forming a new RCPT TO;

header using said decrypted private address and also generating a new MAIL FROM;

header derived from said original MAIL FROM;

field;

if said MAIL FROM;

field is a private email address, forwarding said message by using said RCPT TO;

field to derive a public email address and also generating a new MAIL FROM;

header using said original MAIL FROM;

field.

18. The process of claim 17 where determining whether said MAIL FROM:

field is a private email address is done by extracting a decrypted private email address from said MAIL FROM;

field and also extracting an index which is used to generate said new MAIL_FROM field.

19. The process of claim 17 where said RCPT TO:

field is a public email address if a checksum extracted from said RCPT TO;

field matches a checksum of an email address also extracted from said RCPT TO;

field.

20. The process of claim 17 where said RCPT TO:

field index part is used to form said MAIL_FROM;

header when said RCPT TO;

index field is a public email address.