System and method for address correction of electronic messages

• US 20030115279A1
• Filed: 12/14/2001
• Published: 06/19/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cufer Asset Ltd LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Pitney Bowes Incorporated (Böwe Systec AG)
• Inventors: Quine, Douglas B., Schumacher, Karl H.
• Granted Patent: US 7,543,026 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/207
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/00 User-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, transmitted according to store-and-forward or real-time protocols, e.g. e-mail
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/23 Reliability checks, e.g. acknowledgments or fault reporting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/48 Message addressing, e.g. address format or anonymous messages, aliases

Abstract

A method for providing a corrected e-mail address, whereby the domain portion of the e-mail address is parsed and, referring to a domain format rule database, a format rule or requirement corresponding to the domain is identified. A user is informed of the format rule so that the e-mail address can be checked and corrected as necessary. The method also checks whether the format rules have been complied with, and alternative spellings and suggested corrections are determined and provided.

Claims

1. A method for correcting an e-mail address, the method comprising:

parsing a domain portion of the e-mail address;

identifying a format requirement corresponding to the domain portion in a domain name database; and

providing a format suggestion based on the identified format.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

parsing an identifier portion of the e-mail address;

determining whether the identifier portion is consistent with the identified format requirement; and

providing an indication of whether the identifier portion is consistent with the identified format requirement.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the step of determining further comprises:

receiving addressee information about an addressee to whom a message is intended at the e-mail address; and

determining whether the addressee information is consistent with the identifier portion and the identified format requirement.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the addressee information is a name of the addressee.

5. The method of claim 2 wherein the identified format requirement is a function of an addressee'"'"'s name, and the step of determining further comprises:

comparing the identifier portion to a list of known names; and

making a determination of whether the identifier portion is consistent with one or more known names under the identified format requirement.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the identified format requirement is a function of the addressee'"'"'s first name and last name, the list of known names includes first names and last names, and the step of comparing the identifier portion to a list of known names further comprises:

comparing a first sub-portion of the identifier portion to the list of known first names; and

comparing a second sub-portion of the identifier portion to the list of known last names.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein the step of making the determination further comprises:

utilizing a statistical frequency of the known names to determine a likelihood whether the identifier portion is consistent with one or more known names under the identified format requirement.

8. The method of claim 2 further comprising the step of:

providing a suggested correction that complies with the identified format requirement.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising the step of:

receiving addressee information about an addressee to whom a message is intended at the e-mail address; and

wherein the step of providing the suggested correction includes generating the suggested correction based on the addressee information.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the addressee information is a name of the addressee.

11. The method of claim 9 further comprising the step of gathering the addressee information from the message intended to the addressee.

12. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

determining whether the domain portion complies with domain formulation rules; and

providing an indication whether the domain portion complies with domain formulation rules.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising the step of:

providing a suggested correction to the domain portion to comply with the domain formulation rules.

14. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

comparing the domain portion to a list of known domain names;

if the domain portion is not in the list of known domain names, determining one or more known domain names for which the domain portion may be a misspelling; and

providing the one or more known domain names as potential alternative spellings for the domain portion.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising the steps of:

identifying a second format requirement corresponding to the one or more known alternative spelling domain names; and

providing a preferred alternative spelling for the domain portion based on whether the second format requirement for the one or more known alternative domain spellings is consistent with the identifier portion of the e-mail address.

16. A method for correcting an e-mail address, the method comprising:

parsing a domain portion of the e-mail address;

parsing an identifier portion of the e-mail address;

identifying a format requirement corresponding to the domain portion in a domain name database; and

providing an indication of whether the identifier portion is consistent with the identified format requirement.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising the step of:

providing a suggested correction that complies with the identified format requirement.

18. The method of claim 17 further comprising the step of:

receiving addressee information about an addressee to whom a message is intended at the e-mail address; and

wherein the step of providing the suggested correction includes generating the suggested correction based on the addressee information.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the addressee information is a name of the addressee

20. The method of claim 18 further comprising the step of gathering the addressee information from the message intended to the addressee.

21. The method of claim 16 wherein the identified format requirement is a function of an addressee'"'"'s name, and the step of providing an indication further comprises:

comparing the identifier portion to a list of known names; and

making a determination of whether the identifier portion is consistent with one or more known names under the identified format requirement.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein the identified format requirement is a function of the addressee'"'"'s first name and last name, the list of known names includes first names and last names, and the step of comparing the identifier portion to a list of known names further comprises:

comparing a first sub-portion of the identifier portion to the list of known first names; and

comparing a second sub-portion of the identifier portion to the list of known last names.

23. The method of claim 21 wherein the step of making the determination further comprises:

utilizing a statistical frequency of the known names to determine a likelihood whether the identifier portion is consistent with one or more known names under the identified format requirement.

24. The method of claim 16 further comprising the steps of:

determining whether the domain portion complies with domain formulation rules; and

providing an indication whether the domain portion complies with domain formulation rules.

25. The method of claim 24 further comprising the step of:

providing a suggested correction to the domain portion to comply with the domain formulation rules.

26. The method of claim 16 further comprising the steps of:

comparing the domain portion to a list of known domain names;

if the domain portion is not in the list of known domain names, determining one or more known domain names for which the domain portion may be a misspelling; and

providing the one or more known domain names as potential alternative spellings for the domain portion.

27. A method for correcting an e-mail address, the method comprising:

parsing a domain portion of the e-mail address;

determining whether the domain portion complies with domain formulation rules; and

providing an indication whether the domain portion complies with domain formulation rules.

28. The method of claim 27 further comprising the step of:

providing a suggested correction to the domain portion to comply with domain formulation rules.

29. A method for correcting an e-mail address, the method comprising:

parsing a domain portion of the e-mail address;

comparing the domain portion to a list of known domain names;

if the domain portion is not in the list of known domain names, determining one or more known domain names for which the domain portion may be a misspelling; and

providing the one or more known domain names as potential alternative spellings for the domain portion.