System, method, and computer program product for filtering electronic mail

• US 20050108337A1
• Filed: 11/14/2003
• Published: 05/19/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Electronic Data Systems Corporation (Perspecta, Inc.)
• Inventors: Lorenz, Richard
• Application Number:
  US10/714,544
• Publication Number:
  US 20050108337A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/00 Data switching networks interconnection of, or transfer of information or other signals between, memories, input/output devices or central processing units G06F13/00
• 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 51/212 using filtering or selective blocking

Abstract

A system, method, and computer program product for filtering electronic mail. In one case, unwanted email is blocked at the server by employing automated methods to verify that the email is from either a known sender or an actual human user.

Claims

1. A method for filtering electronic mail, comprising:

receiving, in a data processing system, an electronic mail message;

determining if the electronic mail message includes an intro-word;

delivering the electronic mail message if the electronic mail message includes the intro-word; and

storing the electronic mail message if the electronic mail message does not include the intro-word.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the intro-word is located in a subject line of the electronic mail message.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising delivering the electronic mail message if the email address of a sender of the electronic mail message is on an authorized sender list.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising delivering the electronic mail message if the domain name of a sender of the electronic mail message is on an authorized domain list.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising, if the electronic mail message does not include the intro-word, then sending a confirmation message to the sender of the electronic mail message.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

receiving a response mail message corresponding to the confirmation message;

delivering the electronic mail message if the response mail message includes the intro-word; and

storing the electronic mail message if the response mail message does not include the intro-word.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

receiving a response corresponding to the confirmation message via an internet connection;

delivering the electronic mail message if the response includes the intro-word; and

storing the electronic mail message if the response does not include the intro-word.

8. The method of claim 5, further comprising sending an obscured image of the intro-word to the sender.

9. The method of claim 5, further comprising sending the intro-word to the sender in a non-machine-readable form.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising deleting the stored electronic mail message after a predetermined amount of time.

11. A data processing system having at least a processor and accessible memory, comprising:

means for receiving, in the data processing system, an electronic mail message;

means for determining if the electronic mail message includes an intro-word;

means for delivering the electronic mail message if the electronic mail message includes the intro-word; and

means for storing the electronic mail message if the electronic mail message does not include the intro-word.

12. The data processing system of claim 11, wherein the intro-word is located in a subject line of the electronic mail message.

13. The data processing system of claim 11, further means for comprising delivering the electronic mail message if the email address of a sender of the electronic mail message is on an authorized sender list.

14. The data processing system of claim 11, further comprising means for delivering the electronic mail message if the domain name of a sender of the electronic mail message is on an authorized domain list.

15. The data processing system of claim 11, further comprising means for sending a confirmation message to the sender of the electronic mail message if the electronic mail message does not include the intro-word.

16. The data processing system of claim 15, further comprising:

means for receiving a response mail message corresponding to the confirmation message;

means for delivering the electronic mail message if the response mail message includes the intro-word; and

means for storing the electronic mail message if the response mail message does not include the intro-word.

17. The data processing system of claim 15, further comprising:

means for receiving a response corresponding to the confirmation message via an internet connection;

means for delivering the electronic mail message if the response includes the intro-word; and

means for storing the electronic mail message if the response does not include the intro-word.

18. The data processing system of claim 15, further comprising means for sending an obscured image of the intro-word to the sender.

19. The data processing system of claim 15, further comprising means for sending the intro-word to the sender in a non-machine-readable form.

20. The data processing system of claim 11, further comprising means for deleting the stored electronic mail message after a predetermined amount of time.

21. A computer program product tangibly embodied in a machine-readable medium, comprising:

instructions for receiving, in a data processing system, an electronic mail message;

instructions for determining if the electronic mail message includes an intro-word;

instructions for delivering the electronic mail message if the electronic mail message includes the intro-word; and

instructions for storing the electronic mail message if the electronic mail message does not include the intro-word.

22. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein the intro-word is located in a subject line of the electronic mail message.

23. The computer program product of claim 21, further comprising instructions for delivering the electronic mail message if the email address of a sender of the electronic mail message is on an authorized sender list.

24. The computer program product of claim 21, further comprising instructions for delivering the electronic mail message if the domain name of a sender of the electronic mail message is on an authorized domain list.

25. The computer program product of claim 21, further comprising instructions for sending a confirmation message to the sender of the electronic mail message if the electronic mail message does not include the intro-word.

26. The computer program product of claim 25, further comprising:

instructions for receiving a response mail message corresponding to the confirmation message;

instructions for delivering the electronic mail message if the response mail message includes the intro-word; and

instructions for storing the electronic mail message if the response mail message does not include the intro-word.

27. The computer program product of claim 25, further comprising:

instructions for receiving a response corresponding to the confirmation message via an internet connection;

instructions for delivering the electronic mail message if the response includes the intro-word; and

instructions for storing the electronic mail message if the response does not include the intro-word.

28. The computer program product of claim 25, further comprising instructions for sending an obscured image of the intro-word to the sender.

29. The computer program product of claim 25, further comprising instructions for sending the intro-word to the sender in a non-machine-readable form.

30. The computer program product of claim 21, further comprising instructions for deleting the stored electronic mail message after a predetermined amount of time.