Spam control system requiring unauthorized senders to pay postage through an internet payment service with provision for refund on accepted messages
First Claim
1. A method for blocking unauthorized e-mail to at least one e-mail account comprising the steps of:
- providing an e-mail service system for receiving and routing e-mails to the at least one e-mail account;
providing an independent e-mail provider for receiving and routing e-mails to the at least one independent e-mail account;
interrogating the independent e-mail account on the independent e-mail provider from the e-mail service system to route and receive e-mail messages in the independent e-mail account to an e-mail account on the e-mail service system;
maintaining for each e-mail account an exception list of authorized addressers identified by at least their e-mail addresses;
providing a payment service system in cooperative operation with the said e-mail service system for executing a required payment from a unauthorized e-mail sender to assure delivery of e-mail to an intended recipient;
receiving e-mail at the e-mail service system from an addresser and comparing the address of the addresser of the e-mail to the maintained exception list of the intended recipient'"'"'s account;
upon finding the address of the addresser of the e-mail on the exception list, forwarding the e-mail to the intended recipient;
upon not finding the address of the addresser of the e-mail on the exception list, checking with the payment service system to see if the addresser has made at least the required payment for forwarding an e-mail to the intended recipient.;
upon finding that the addresser has made at least the required payment for forwarding an e-mail to the intended recipient, forwarding the e-mail to the intended recipient; and
, upon not finding that the addresser has made at least the required payment for forwarding an e-mail to the addressee, informing the addresser by e-mail that, without the required payment, forwarding an e-mail message from an addresser who is not on the addressee'"'"'s exception list will not occur.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An e-mail service system that maintains close cooperative interaction with a payment service system to provide the capability to control unsolicited e-mail messages commonly known as spam is coupled to an independent e-mail provider, typically by the ID/e-mail address and password on that independent e-mail account. Upon receiving messages from the independent e-mail provider, the e-mail service system checks whether this sender either has paid at least the preset amount by the recipient or is on the recipient'"'"'s exception list. If both are negative, the e-mail will be rejected with an e-mail notification. The rejection e-mail can be sent to this sender of the original e-mail either directly from the e-mail service system or alternatively through the independent e-mail system. The payment to the recipient can be automatically cancelled when the recipient replies to the e-mail or adds the sender to the exception list.
28 Citations
10 Claims
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1. A method for blocking unauthorized e-mail to at least one e-mail account comprising the steps of:
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providing an e-mail service system for receiving and routing e-mails to the at least one e-mail account;
providing an independent e-mail provider for receiving and routing e-mails to the at least one independent e-mail account;
interrogating the independent e-mail account on the independent e-mail provider from the e-mail service system to route and receive e-mail messages in the independent e-mail account to an e-mail account on the e-mail service system;
maintaining for each e-mail account an exception list of authorized addressers identified by at least their e-mail addresses;
providing a payment service system in cooperative operation with the said e-mail service system for executing a required payment from a unauthorized e-mail sender to assure delivery of e-mail to an intended recipient;
receiving e-mail at the e-mail service system from an addresser and comparing the address of the addresser of the e-mail to the maintained exception list of the intended recipient'"'"'s account;
upon finding the address of the addresser of the e-mail on the exception list, forwarding the e-mail to the intended recipient;
upon not finding the address of the addresser of the e-mail on the exception list, checking with the payment service system to see if the addresser has made at least the required payment for forwarding an e-mail to the intended recipient.;
upon finding that the addresser has made at least the required payment for forwarding an e-mail to the intended recipient, forwarding the e-mail to the intended recipient; and
,upon not finding that the addresser has made at least the required payment for forwarding an e-mail to the addressee, informing the addresser by e-mail that, without the required payment, forwarding an e-mail message from an addresser who is not on the addressee'"'"'s exception list will not occur. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. Apparatus for blocking unauthorized e-mail to at least one e-mail recipient comprising:
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an e-mail service system for receiving and routing e-mails to the at least one e-mail recipient;
an exception list of authorized addresses for e-mail recipients maintained at the e-mail service system;
an independent e-mail provider;
means for interrogating the independent e-mail provider from the e-mail service system whereby received e-mail messages in the independent e-mail account with the independent e-mail provider is routed to the e-mail account on the e-mail service system;
a payment service system for executing a required payment from a unauthorized e-mail sender to assure delivery of e-mail to an intended recipient;
the e-mail service system including means for receiving e-mail from an addresser and comparing the address of the addresser of the e-mail to the maintained exception list including means upon finding the address of the addresser of the e-mail on the exception list, forwarding the e-mail to the recipient, an interactive connection between the e-mail service system and the payment service system to enable the e-mail service system upon not finding the address of the addresser of the e-mail on the exception list to interact with the payment service system to see if the addresser has made at least a payment required for forwarding an e-mail to the addressee from an addresser who is not on the exception list of the addressee;
means at the e-mail service system upon finding that the addresser has made at least the required payment for forwarding an e-mail to the addressee; and
,means at the e-mail service system upon not finding that the addresser has made at least the required payment for forwarding an e-mail to the addressee from an addresser who is not on the exception list of the addressee to informing the addresser by e-mail of the required payment for forwarding an e-mail message to the addressee.
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Specification