System for eliminating unauthorized electronic mail

• US 8,646,043 B2
• Filed: 05/08/2012
• Issued: 02/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/01/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Cufer Asset Ltd LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Howell V Investments LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Katsikas, Peter L.
• Primary Examiner(s): HOFFMAN, BRANDON S
• Application Number:
  US13/466,965
• Publication Number:
  US 20120284805A1
• Time in Patent Office: 637 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 726/3
• 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 63/0281 Proxies

Abstract

A system for eliminating unauthorized email sent to a user on a network employs an email-receiving server connected between the network and the user'"'"'s email client for receiving email addressed to the user and rejecting those in which the sender address does not match any of sender addresses maintained on an “authorized senders” list (ASL list). The ASL lists are maintained by an ASL manager in an ASL database operable with a spam processor module. A redirector module rejects the email if, upon sending a request for validation to the spam processor module, the sender'"'"'s address does not match any authorized sender address on the ASL list. Email rejected by the redirector module is redirected to a web-based messaging (WBM) module which sends a message to the sender to confirm that the sender is a legitimate sender of email to the intended recipient.

Claims

1. A method performed by a computing system using a processor, the method comprising:

receiving, at a server, a first message, wherein the first message identifies a sender address associated with a sender of the first message and a recipient address associated with an intended recipient of the first message;

determining whether the sender address is authorized to transmit messages to the recipient address by comparing a current time to a pre-determined time assigned to the sender address; and

in response to determining that the sender address is not authorized to transmit messages to the recipient address, preventing the sender from transmitting the first message to the recipient address.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the determining comprises checking an authorized senders list (ASL) of email addresses of senders authorized to send messages to the recipient address and determining that the sender address is not authorized where the sender address is not on the ASL.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising updating the ASL in accordance with user input received from the recipient by an ASL utility.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending a second message from the server to an ASL manager, the second message indicating that the sender address is not authorized to transmit messages to the recipient address.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising notifying the sender that the first message was rejected.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the notification to the sender that the first message was rejected includes instructions for the sender to confirm that the sender is a legitimate sender of messages to the intended recipient.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the instructions indicate a website, and the website allows the notified sender to be confirmed as a legitimate sender of messages to the intended recipient by performing an operation to identify human message senders.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the determining is based on a number of messages previously sent by the sender address to the recipient addresses.

9. A method performed by a computing system using a processor, the method comprising:

receiving a first message from a message-sending server intended for a message-receiving server, wherein the message identifies a sender address of a sender and a recipient address of an intended recipient;

determining whether the sender address is authorized to send the first message to the intended recipient by determining whether a volume of communications between the sender and the recipient is below a pre-determined threshold; and

in response to determining that the sender address is not authorized, preventing sending the first message to the message-receiving server.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the determining is based on a time frame.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein the determining includes comparing entries, comprising wild cards, in an authorized senders list (ASL) with parts of the sender address.

12. The method of claim 9 wherein the determining is based on the domain of the sender address.

13. A system for filtering messages, the system comprising:

at least one processor and memory;

an interface component configured to receive, at a server, a first message, wherein the first message identifies a sender address associated with a sender of the message and a recipient address associated with an intended recipient of the message;

an analysis component configured to determine whether the sender address is authorized to transmit messages to the receiver address by comparing, using wildcards, entries in an authorized senders list (ASL) with parts of the sender address; and

a restriction component configured to, in response to determining that the sender address is not authorized to transmit messages to the recipient address, prevent the sender address from transmitting the first message to the recipient address.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein the determining comprises checking the ASL containing email addresses of senders authorized to send messages to the recipient address, and determining that the sender address is not authorized where the sender address is not on the ASL.

15. The system of claim 14, further comprising an ASL utility for updating the ASL in accordance with user input received from the recipient.

16. The system of claim 14, further comprising a response component for sending a second message from the server to an ASL manager, the second message indicating that the sender address is not authorized to transmit messages to the recipient address.

17. A system for filtering messages, the system comprising:

at least one processor and memory;

an interface component configured to receive a first message from a message-sending server intended for a message-receiving server, wherein the first message identifies a sender address of a sender and a recipient address of an intended recipient;

an analysis component configured to determine whether the sender address is authorized to send the first message to the intended recipient by comparing a current time to a pre-determined time assigned to the sender address; and

a restriction component configured to, in response to determining that the sender address is not authorized, prevent sending the first message to the message-receiving server.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the determining is based on the domain of the recipient address.

19. The system of claim 17, further comprising a notifying component which notifies the sender when the first message is rejected.

20. The system of claim 19 wherein the notification to the sender includes instructions for confirming that the sender is a legitimate sender of messages to the intended recipient.

21. A computer-readable storage device storing instructions configured to, when executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform operations comprising:

receiving, at a server, a message, wherein the message identifies an address associated with a sender of the message and an address associated with an intended recipient of the message;

determining whether the address associated with the sender is authorized to transmit messages to the address associated with the intended recipient by determining whether a volume of communications between the sender and the recipient is below a pre-determined threshold; and

in response to determining that the address associated with the sender is not authorized to transmit messages to the address associated with the intended recipient, preventing the address associated with the sender from transmitting the message to the address associated with the intended recipient.

22. A computer-readable storage device storing instructions configured to, when executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform operations comprising:

receiving a message from a message-sending server intended for a message-receiving server, wherein the message identifies a sender address of a sender and a recipient address of an intended recipient;

determining whether the sender address is authorized to send the message to the intended recipient by comparing, using wildcards, entries in an authorized senders list (ASL) with parts of the sender address; and

in response to determining that the sender address is not authorized, preventing sending the message to the message-receiving server.