Email Filtering Methods and Systems
First Claim
1. An email filtering method comprising:
- defining at least one heuristic that determines whether an incoming email message likely constitutes unsolicited commercial email by considering an established pattern that such unsolicited commercial email typically exhibits when it is sent;
applying said at least one heuristic to at least one email message; and
redirecting said at least one email message if application of said at least one heuristic indicates that said at least one email message likely constitutes unsolicited commercial email.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Various embodiments of the invention address two critical problems that current email service providers face. First, there is the problem of maintaining high levels of customer service when email server systems are inundated with spam. Second, there is the problem of reducing the system-wide impact that spam has on the email delivery system. Current embodiments are directed to determining whether an email message is an unwanted bulk email message without necessarily considering the message that is conveyed by any portion of the email message. Through analyses of patterns of delivery of these email messages, profiles are built that allow an email server to ascertain whether there is a likelihood that any one particular email message constitutes an unwanted email message. If an email message is determined to likely constitute an unwanted email message, then memory-saving measures are implemented. In preferred embodiments, one copy of the email message is saved at a central, shared location that can be accessed by each of the intended recipients. This avoids having to replicate the email message across the system for each of the recipients.
16 Citations
1 Claim
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1. An email filtering method comprising:
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defining at least one heuristic that determines whether an incoming email message likely constitutes unsolicited commercial email by considering an established pattern that such unsolicited commercial email typically exhibits when it is sent;
applying said at least one heuristic to at least one email message; and
redirecting said at least one email message if application of said at least one heuristic indicates that said at least one email message likely constitutes unsolicited commercial email.
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Specification