System and method to control sending of unsolicited communications over a network

• US 20030074397A1
• Filed: 10/17/2001
• Published: 04/17/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 10/19/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Original Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Inventors: Morin, Noel, Holmquest, Hilary
• Granted Patent: US 6,748,422 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/016 After-sales
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0253 During e-commerce, i.e. online transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/212 using filtering or selective blocking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1408 by monitoring network traffic monitoring network traffic per se H04L43/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/20 for managing network security; network security policies in general filtering policies H04L63/0227

Abstract

A system and method to control sending of unsolicited communications over a network is provided. Typically, the network is the Internet and the system defines a SPAM prevention tool for users of an on-line service, such as an on-line bidding service. Users may contact an intended recipient with a contact form, which is forwarded to the recipient'"'"'s e-mail address by an on-line service provider. A link accessible from a Web site allows recipients of unsolicited e-mail to complain to the on-line service provider. Sanctions are implemented against the sender of unsolicited e-mail based on the frequency of complaints. When the complaint level against a sender reaches a certain threshold, the sender is unable to use the contact form for a predetermined time period.

Claims

1. A method to control sending of unsolicited communications over a network, the method including:

generating, at a network-based commerce facility, a contact form to receive a message to be communicated to a recipient user without a sending user viewing direct contact information of the recipient user, and communicating the contact form to the sending user; and

communicating, from the network-based commerce facility, an electronic communication including the message to the recipient user over the network.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the network-based commerce facility enables a user to engage in transactional communications relating to a transactional process in which users are engaged, and to engage in non-transactional communications unrelated to the transactional process.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the transactional process is one of a group of transactional processes including an auction process and a fixed price process.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the contact form includes a field to receive the message and a field to enter a user ID of the recipient user.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the communicating includes performing a look-up on the user ID.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein the network-based commerce facility parses information entered into the contact form by the sending user to extract the message and the user ID of the recipient user.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the electronic communication includes any one of a group of electronic communications including SMS, markup language documentation, FAX, and automated telephone calls.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the generating of the contact form is responsive to sending of a user ID of the recipient user to the network-based commerce facility.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the sending of the contact form includes a selection by the sending user of a link associated with the recipient user.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the direct contact information includes any one of a group of information types including fax, postal, e-mail, network, and telephone contact information.

11. The method of claim 1 which includes generating the electronic communication as a document including a user-selectable link to cause communication of a complaint form to the recipient user, the complaint form to receive complaint information regarding the sending user of an unsolicited electronic communication.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the complaint form includes user-selectable complaint classification information to be included within the complaint information.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the complaint classification information includes identification of an offer to transact outside the network-based commerce facility.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein the complaint classification information includes a textual description of the complaint.

15. The method of claim 11 which includes receiving and storing the complaint information at the network-based commerce facility, and associating the complaint information with the sending user of the unsolicited electronic communication.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the network-based commerce facility imposes sanctions on the sending user of the electronic communication based on frequency of complaints associated with the sending user.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the sanctions include not allowing the sending user to send a message to a recipient user with the contact form when the frequency of complaints associated with the sending user reaches a predetermined threshold.

18. The method of claim 1 wherein users gain access to the network-based commerce facility with a user ID, the user ID being visible to the other users of the network-based commerce facility.

19. The method of claim 1 wherein the network-based commerce facility associates a user ID of the recipient user with an e-mail address of the recipient user, the contact form being communicated to the e-mail address associated with the user ID selected by the sending user.

20. The method of claim 1 wherein the network-based commerce facility is a bidding service and the contact form is utilized by a sending user not engaged in a bidding transaction with a recipient user.

21. The method of claim 1 which includes providing a form accessible from the network-based commerce facility allowing a user to send another user a question regarding a bidding transaction without the sending user viewing the e-mail address of the recipient user.

22. The method of claim 21 which includes forwarding the form including the question to the recipient user by the network-based commerce facility via e-mail over the network.

23. The method of claim 1 wherein the users access the network-based commerce facility using one or more client computers coupled to the facility over the network.

24. The method of claim 1 wherein the network is the Internet.

25. A system comprising:

a page server to generate a contact form at a network-based commerce facility, the contact form to receive a message from a sending user to be communicated over the network to a recipient user without the sending user viewing direct contact information of the recipient user; and

a communications server to communicate an electronic communication including the message over the network.

26. The system of claim 25 wherein the page server enables a user to engage in transactional communications related to a transactional process in which users are engaged, and to engage in non-transactional communications unrelated to the transactional process.

27. The system of claim 26 wherein the transactional process is any one of a group of transactional processes including an auction process and a fixed price process.

28. The system of claim 25 wherein the contact form includes a field to receive the message and a field to enter a user ID of the recipient user.

29. The system of claim 28 wherein the electronic communication includes performing a look-up on the user ID.

30. The system of claim 28 wherein the network-based commerce facility parses information entered into the contact form by the sending user to extract the message and the user ID of the recipient user.

31. The system of claim 25 wherein the electronic communication includes any one of a group of electronic communications including SMS, markup language documentation, FAX, and automated telephone calls.

32. The system of claim 25 wherein the generating of the contact form is responsive to sending of a user ID of the recipient user to the network-based commerce facility.

33. The system of claim 32 wherein the sending of the contact form includes a selection by the sending user of a link associated with the recipient user.

34. The system of claim 25 wherein the direct contact information includes any one of a group of information types including FAX, postal, e-mail, network, and telephone contact information.

35. The system of claim 25 wherein the electronic communication is generated as a document including a user-selectable link to cause communication of a complaint form to the recipient user, the complaint form to receive complaint information regarding the sending user of an unsolicited electronic communication.

36. The system of claim 35 wherein the complaint form includes user-selectable complaint classification information to be included within the complaint information.

37. The system of claim 36 wherein the complaint classification information includes identification of an offer to transact outside the network-based commerce facility.

38. The system of claim 36 wherein the complaint classification information includes a textual description of the complaint.

39. The system of claim 35 wherein the network-based commerce facility receives and stores the complaint information and associates the complaint information with the sending user of the unsolicited electronic communication.

40. The system of claim 39 wherein the network-based commerce facility imposes sanctions on the sending user of the electronic communication based on frequency of complaints associated with the sending user.

41. The system of claim 40 wherein the sanctions include not allowing the sending user to send a message to a recipient user with the contact form when the frequency of complaints associated with the sending user reaches a predetermined threshold.

42. The system of claim 25 wherein users gain access to the network-based commerce facility with a user ID, the user ID being visible to the other users of the network-based commerce facility.

43. The system of claim 25 wherein the network-based commerce facility associates a user ID of the recipient user with an e-mail address of the recipient user, the contact form being communicated to the e-mail address associated with a user ID selected by the sending user.

44. The system of claim 25 wherein the network-based commerce facility is a bidding service and the contact form is utilized by a sending user not engaged in a bidding transaction with a recipient user.

45. The system of claim 25 wherein the network-based commerce facility includes a form accessible from the network-based commerce facility allowing a user to send another user a question regarding a bidding transaction without the sending user viewing the e-mail address of the recipient user.

46. The system of claim 45 wherein the form including the question is forwarded to the recipient user by the network-based commerce facility via e-mail over the network.

47. The system of claim 25 wherein the users access the network-based commerce facility using one or more client computers coupled to the facility over the network.

48. A machine-readable storage medium tangibly embodying a sequence of instructions executable by a machine to perform a method for controlling the sending of unsolicited communications over a network, the method comprising:

generating at a network-based commerce facility, a contact form to receive a message to be communicated to a recipient user without a sending user viewing direct contact information of the recipient user and communicating the contact form to the sending user; and

communicating from the network-based commerce facility, an electronic communication including the message to the recipient user over the network.

49. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 48 wherein the network-based commerce facility is to enable a user to engage in transactional communications relating to a transactional process in which users are engaged, and to engage in non-transactional communications unrelated to the transactional process.

50. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 49 wherein the transactional process is any one of a group of transactional processes including an auction process and a fixed price process.

51. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 48 wherein the contact form includes a field to receive the message and a field to enter a user ID of the recipient user.

52. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 51 wherein the communicating includes performing a look-up on the user ID recipient user.

53. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 52 wherein the network-based commerce facility parses information entered into the contact form by the sending user to extract the message and the user ID of the recipient user.

54. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 48 wherein the electronic communication includes any one of a group of electronic communications including SMS, markup language documentation, FAX, and automated telephone calls.

55. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 48 wherein the generating of the contact form is responsive to sending of a user ID of the recipient user to the network-based commerce facility.

56. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 55 wherein the sending of the contact form includes a selection by the sending user of a link associated with the recipient user.

57. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 48 wherein the direct contact information includes any one of a group of information types including fax, postal, e-mail, network, and telephone contact information.

58. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 48 which includes generating the electronic communication as a document including a user-selectable link to cause communication of a complaint form to the recipient user, the complaint form to receive complaint information regarding the sending user of an unsolicited electronic communication.

59. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 58 wherein the complaint form includes user-selectable complaint classification information to be included within the complaint information.

60. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 59 wherein the complaint classification information includes identification of an offer to transact outside the network-based commerce facility.

61. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 59 wherein the complaint classification information includes a textual description of the complaint.

62. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 58 which includes receiving and storing the complaint information by the network-based commerce facility, and associating the complaint information with the sending user of the unsolicited electronic communication.

63. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 62 wherein the network-based commerce facility imposes sanctions on the sending user of the electronic communication based on frequency of complaints associated with the sending user.

64. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 63 wherein the sanctions include not allowing the sending user to send a message to a recipient user with the contact form when the frequency of complaints associated with the sending user reaches a predetermined threshold.

65. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 48 wherein users gain access to the network-based commerce facility with a user ID, the user ID being visible to the other users of the network-based commerce facility.

66. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 48 wherein the network-based commerce facility associates a user ID of the recipient user with an e-mail address of the recipient user, the contact form being communicated to the e-mail address associated with a user ID selected by the sending user.

67. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 48 wherein the network-based commerce facility is a bidding service and the contact form is utilized by a sending user not engaged in a bidding transaction with a recipient user.

68. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 48 which includes providing a form accessible from the network-based commerce facility allowing a user to send another user a question regarding a bidding transaction without the sending user viewing the e-mail address of the recipient user.

69. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 68 which includes forwarding the form including the question to the recipient user by the network-based commerce facility via e-mail over the network.

70. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 48 wherein the users access the network-based commerce facility using one or more client computers coupled to the facility over the network.

71. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 48 wherein the network is the Internet.

72. A system to control sending of unsolicited communication over a network, the system including:

means for generating at a network-based commerce facility, a contact form to receive a message to be communicated to a recipient user without a sending user viewing direct contact information of the recipient user and communicating the contact form to the sending user; and

means for communicating at a network-based commerce facility, an electronic communication including the message to the recipient user over the network.

73. The system of claim 72 wherein the network-based commerce facility is to enable a user to engage in transactional communications relating to a transactional process in which users are engaged, and non-transactional communications unrelated to the transactional process.

74. The system of claim 73 wherein the transactional process is any one of a group of transactional processes including an auction process and a fixed price process.

75. The system of claim 72 wherein the contact form includes a field to receive the message and a field to enter a user ID of the recipient user.

76. The system of claim 75 wherein the communicating includes performing a look-up on the user ID of the recipient user.

77. The system of claim 75 wherein the network-based commerce facility parses information entered into the contact form by the sending user to extract the message and the user ID of the recipient user.