Address couplet communication filtering
First Claim
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1. A method comprising:
- receiving, at a computing device, an inbound communication, the inbound communication comprising information identifying a sender of the inbound communication and an intended recipient of the inbound communication;
generating an inbound communication sender and recipient identifier using information from the received inbound communication;
matching the inbound communication sender and recipient identifier to a predefined identifier from a predefined list of sender and recipient identifiers, wherein the predefined list of sender and recipient identifiers comprises identifiers having wildcard designators for user names or domain names; and
routing the inbound communication based on a command associated with the predefined identifier from the predefined list, wherein the command indicates at least one routing criterion that depends on a time of day,wherein one of the identifiers in the predefined list of sender and recipient identifiers comprises an indication of a trusted third party, and wherein the method further comprises granting the trusted third party access privileges to edit the one of the identifiers in the predefined list.
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Abstract
A method, apparatus, and system are disclosed that provide an approved address couplet listing for communication handling. An inbound communication including sender and recipient field entries may be compared as a pair or couplet against the listing to determine whether the inbound communication should be discarded, subjected to additional (spam related) processing, or forwarded for storage or delivery purposes. The comparison may take place in conjunction with one or more hashing functions.
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Citations
16 Claims
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1. A method comprising:
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receiving, at a computing device, an inbound communication, the inbound communication comprising information identifying a sender of the inbound communication and an intended recipient of the inbound communication; generating an inbound communication sender and recipient identifier using information from the received inbound communication; matching the inbound communication sender and recipient identifier to a predefined identifier from a predefined list of sender and recipient identifiers, wherein the predefined list of sender and recipient identifiers comprises identifiers having wildcard designators for user names or domain names; and routing the inbound communication based on a command associated with the predefined identifier from the predefined list, wherein the command indicates at least one routing criterion that depends on a time of day, wherein one of the identifiers in the predefined list of sender and recipient identifiers comprises an indication of a trusted third party, and wherein the method further comprises granting the trusted third party access privileges to edit the one of the identifiers in the predefined list. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A communication apparatus, comprising:
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a processor; a computer-readable medium, storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the apparatus to; store a list of hashed sender and recipient address identifier pairs, wherein the list further comprises a pair having a wildcard designator for a user name or domain name; and route communications arriving at the apparatus based on a command associated with one of the hashed sender and recipient address identifier pairs in the stored list, wherein the command indicates at least one routing criterion that depends on a time of day, wherein one of the pairs in the list comprises an identification of a trusted third party, and wherein the method further comprises granting the trusted third party access privileges to edit the one of the pairs in the list. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A communication method comprising:
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receiving at a computing device, from a user, an identification of a sender from whom communications to the user are to be permitted; generating a hashed sender and recipient identifier value using address information for the user and the identified sender, wherein the generated hashed sender and recipient identifier value has associated therewith a command that indicates at least one routing criterion that depends on a time of day; storing a list of sender and recipient identifiers, wherein the list comprises identifiers having wildcard designators for user names or domain names; and using the hashed identifier value and the command to route incoming communications, wherein one of the identifiers in the list of sender and recipient identifiers comprises an indication of a trusted third party, and wherein the method further comprises granting the trusted third party access privileges to edit the one of the identifiers in the list. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16)
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Specification