Message processing based on address patterns

• US 20030225850A1
• Filed: 05/28/2003
• Published: 12/04/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/28/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Alan H. Teague
• Original Assignee: Alan H. Teague
• Inventors: Teague, Alan H.
• Application Number:
  US10/447,332
• Publication Number:
  US 20030225850A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/207
• 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 51/48 Message addressing, e.g. address format or anonymous messages, aliases
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/56 Unified messaging, e.g. interactions between e-mail, instant messaging or converged IP messaging [CPM]

Abstract

Methods and apparatus, including computer program products, for message processing based on address patterns. The invention provides a method for processing messages. The method includes maintaining rules, each rule includes an address pattern key and processing instructions. An address pattern key is an expression that specifies one or more address pattern instances. The method includes receiving a first message, the first message including address information associated with the sender and the intended recipient of the first message. The method includes defining an address pattern instance of the first message, an address pattern instance of a message being a combination of address information associated with a sender and an intended recipient of the message. The method includes selecting a rule that includes an address pattern key with which the defined address pattern instance matches, and processing the first message in accordance to the instructions included in the rule selected.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for processing messages, the method comprising:

maintaining rules, each of which includes an address pattern key and one or more instructions for message processing, an address pattern key being an expression that specifies one or more address pattern instances;

receiving a first message, the first message including address information associated with the sender of the first message and address information associated with the intended recipient of the first message;

defining an address pattern instance of the first message, an address pattern instance of a message being a combination of address information associated with a sender of the message and address information associated with an intended recipient of the message;

selecting, from among the rules, a rule that includes an address pattern key with which the defined address pattern instance matches; and

processing the first message in accordance to the one or more instructions included in the rule selected.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying which of the rules includes an address pattern key to which the defined address pattern instance matches, wherein the selecting is based on an order of priority of the rules identified.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying which of the rules includes an address pattern key to which the defined address pattern instance matches, wherein the selecting is based on the specificity of the address pattern keys of the rules identified.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein selecting includes:

selecting the rule having a most specific address pattern key.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein:

maintaining rules include maintaining IF-THEN rules, an IF-THEN rule specifying that if a message'"'"'s address pattern instance matches with the rule'"'"'s address pattern key, then the message is to be processes in accordance with the rule'"'"'s instructions.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the intended recipient of the first message is a first user, and wherein at least one of the rules includes an address pattern key that specifies address pattern instances that include address information associated with the first user as an intended recipient, the at least one of the rules further including an instruction to accept messages for delivery, the method further comprising:

defining a new rule to not accept for delivery all messages addressed to the first user, the new rule including an address pattern key that specifies address pattern instances having address information associated with anyone as a sender and address information associated with the second user as an intended-recipient, the at least one of the rules including an address pattern key that is more specific than the address pattern key of the new rule, whereby messages having address pattern instances that do not match the address pattern key of the at least one of the rules are not accepted for delivery and messages having address pattern instances that do match the address pattern key of the at least one of the rules are accepted for delivery.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein:

the sender of the first message is a second user; and

the at least one of the rules includes an address pattern key that specify address pattern instances having address information associated with the second user as a sender and address information associated with the first user as the intended recipient, whereby messages from senders not already specified in the rules are not accepted for delivery and messages from the second user are accepted for delivery to the first user.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the intended recipient of the first message is a first user, the method further comprising:

in response to the first user sending a message to a second user, defining a new rule to accept for delivery to the first user messages from the second user, the new rule including an address pattern key that specifies the pattern instance that includes a combination of address information associated with the second user as a sender and address information associated with the first user as an intended recipient.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein maintaining rules includes:

maintaining a rule that includes an instruction to accept, for a number of instances, messages having address pattern instances that matches the address pattern key of the rule.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein maintaining rules includes:

maintaining a rule that includes an instruction to accept, until a date, messages having address pattern instances that matches the address pattern key of the rule.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein maintaining rules includes:

maintaining a rule that includes an instruction to accept, for an interval after a date, messages having address pattern instances that matches the address pattern key of the rule.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein maintaining rules includes:

maintaining a rule that includes an instruction to accept, upon confirmation, messages having address pattern instances that matches the address pattern key of the rule.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein maintaining rules includes:

maintaining a rule that includes an instruction to accept, upon verification, messages having address pattern instances that matches the address pattern key of the rule.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein maintaining rules includes:

maintaining a rule that includes an instruction to accept, upon verification and confirmation, messages having address pattern instances that matches the address pattern key of the rule.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein maintaining rules includes:

maintaining a rule that includes an instruction to define a new rule.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein maintaining rules includes:

maintaining a rule that includes an instruction to forward messages having address pattern instances that matches the address pattern key of the rule.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein:

processing the message includes processing the message at an SMTP server.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein:

receiving a message includes receiving an email, the email including address information associated with the sender of the email and address information associated with the intended recipient of the email.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein:

receiving an email includes receiving an email in which at least one of the address information associated with the sender and the address information associated with the intended recipient is a contact alias.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein:

maintaining rules includes maintaining rules that include address pattern keys include alias information.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein:

receiving a message includes receiving one of an outbound message and an inbound message.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein:

receiving a message includes receiving a short-message-service (“

SMS”

) message.

23. The method of claim 1, wherein:

receiving a message includes receiving a voice mail message.

24. The method of claim 1, wherein:

receiving a message includes receiving a fax message.

25. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

automatically updating the rules being maintained in response to input.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein:

automatically updating includes one of defining a new rule, modifying an existing rule, and deleting an existing rule.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein:

automatically updating in response to input includes automatically updating in response to one of receiving a message, sending a message, forwarding a message to a particular address, detecting a particular string in a message, input received through an administrative interface.

28. The method of claim 1, wherein:

maintaining rules includes maintaining rules that include address pattern keys that are regular expressions.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein:

one of the regular expressions specifies different email address domains.

30. The method of claim 28, wherein:

one of the regular expressions specifies different contact aliases for a given email address domain.

31. A computer program product, tangibly stored on a computer-readable medium, for processing messages, the product comprising instructions operable to cause a programmable processor to:

receive a first message, the first message including address information associated with the sender of the first message and address information associated with the intended recipient of the first message;

define an address pattern instance of the first message, an address pattern instance of a message being a combination of address information associated with a sender of the message and address information associated with an intended recipient of the message;

select, from among a set of rules, a rule that includes an address pattern key with which the defined address pattern instance matches, each of the set of rules including an address pattern key and one or more instructions for message processing, an address pattern key being an expression that specifies one or more address pattern instances; and

process the first message in accordance to the one or more instructions included in the rule selected.

32. The product of claim 31, further comprising instructions to:

identify which of the rules includes an address pattern key to which the defined address pattern instance matches, wherein the selecting is based on an order of priority of the rules identified.

33. The product of claim 31, further comprising instructions to:

identify which of the rules includes an address pattern key to which the defined address pattern instance matches, wherein the selecting is based on the specificity of the address pattern keys of the rules identified.

34. The product of claim 33, further comprising instructions to:

select the rule having a most specific address pattern key.

35. The product of claim 34, further comprising instructions to:

maintain IF-THEN rules, an IF-THEN rule specifying that if a message'"'"'s address pattern instance matches with the rule'"'"'s address pattern key, then the message is to be processes in accordance with the rule'"'"'s instructions.

36. The product of claim 35, wherein the intended recipient of the first message is a first user, and wherein at least one of the rules includes an address pattern key that specifies address pattern instances that include address information associated with the first user as an intended recipient, the at least one of the rules further including an instruction to accept messages for delivery, the product further comprising instructions to:

define a new rule to not accept for delivery all messages addressed to the first user, the new rule including an address pattern key that specifies address pattern instances having address information associated with anyone as a sender and address information associated with the second user as an intended-recipient, the at least one of the rules including an address pattern key that is more specific than the address pattern key of the new rule, whereby messages having address pattern instances that do not match the address pattern key of the at least one of the rules are not accepted for delivery and messages having address pattern instances that do match the address pattern key of the at least one of the rules are accepted for delivery.

37. The product of claim 36, wherein:

the sender of the first message is a second user; and

the at least one of the rules includes an address pattern key that specify address pattern instances having address information associated with the second user as a sender and address information associated with the first user as the intended recipient, whereby messages from senders not already specified in the rules are not accepted for delivery and messages from the second user are accepted for delivery to the first user.

38. The product of claim 31, wherein the intended recipient of the first message is a first user, the product further comprising instructions to:

in response to the first user sending a message to a second user, define a new rule to accept for delivery to the first user messages from the second user, the new rule including an address pattern key that specifies the pattern instance that includes a combination of address information associated with the second user as a sender and address information associated with the first user as an intended recipient.

39. The product of claim 31, further comprising instructions to:

maintain a rule that includes an instruction to accept, for a number of instances, messages having address pattern instances that matches the address pattern key of the rule.

40. The product of claim 31, further comprising instructions to:

maintain a rule that includes an instruction to accept, until a date, messages having address pattern instances that matches the address pattern key of the rule.

41. The product of claim 31, further comprising instructions to:

maintain a rule that includes an instruction to accept, for an interval after a date, messages having address pattern instances that matches the address pattern key of the rule.

42. The product of claim 31, further comprising instructions to:

maintain a rule that includes an instruction to accept, upon confirmation, messages having address pattern instances that matches the address pattern key of the rule.

43. The product of claim 31, further comprising instructions to:

maintain a rule that includes an instruction to accept, upon verification, messages having address pattern instances that matches the address pattern key of the rule.

44. The product of claim 31, further comprising instructions to:

maintain a rule that includes an instruction to accept, upon verification and confirmation, messages having address pattern instances that matches the address pattern key of the rule.

45. The product of claim 31, further comprising instructions to:

maintain a rule that includes an instruction to define a new rule.

46. The product of claim 31, further comprising instructions to:

maintain a rule that includes an instruction to forward messages having address pattern instances that matches the address pattern key of the rule.

47. The product of claim 31, wherein:

processing the message includes processing the message at an SMTP server.

48. The product of claim 31, further comprising instructions to:

receive an email, the email including address information associated with the sender of the email and address information associated with the intended recipient of the email.

49. The product of claim 48, further comprising instructions to:

receive an email in which at least one of the address information associated with the sender and the address information associated with the intended recipient is a contact alias.

50. The product of claim 31, further comprising instructions to:

maintain rules that include address pattern keys include alias information.

51. The product of claim 31, further comprising instructions to:

receive a message that is a short-message-service (“

SMS”

) message.

52. The product of claim 31, further comprising instructions to:

receive a message that is a voice mail message.

53. The product of claim 31, further comprising instructions to:

receive a message that is a fax message.

54. The product of claim 31, further comprising instructions to:

automatically update the rules being maintained in response to input.

55. The product of claim 54, wherein:

automatically updating includes one of defining a new rule, modifying an existing rule, and deleting an existing rule.

56. The product of claim 54, wherein:

automatically updating in response to input includes automatically updating in response to one of receiving a message, sending a message, forwarding a message to a particular address, detecting a particular string in a message, input received through an administrative interface.

57. The product of claim 31, further comprising instructions to:

maintain rules that include address pattern keys that are regular expressions.

58. The product of claim 57, wherein:

one of the regular expressions specifies different email address domains.

59. The product of claim 57, wherein:

one of the regular expressions specifies different contact aliases for a given email address domain.