System and method for providing anonymous remailing and filtering of electronic mail

• US 6,591,291 B1
• Filed: 03/12/1998
• Issued: 07/08/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: WSOU Investments, LLC (WSOU Holdings, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Kristol, David Morris, Gibbons, Phillip B., Gabber, Eran, Mayer, Alain J., Matias, Yossi
• Primary Examiner(s): Jaroenchonwanit, Bunjob
• Application Number:
  US09/041,209
• Time in Patent Office: 1,944 Days
• Field of Search: 709/245, 709/206, 709/207, 709/249, 709/238, 709/219, 379/93.01, 380/24, 380/25, 380/49
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/365 Application layer names, e.g. buddy names, unstructured names chosen by a user or home appliance name
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/212 using filtering or selective blocking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/214 using selective forwarding
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/48 Message addressing, e.g. address format or anonymous messages, aliases
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/00 Network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/30 Managing network names, e.g. use of aliases or nicknames name-to-address mapping H04L61/45
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0407 wherein the identity of one or more communicating identities is hidden cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for anonymous credentials or for identity based cryptographic systems H04L9/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0435 wherein the sending and receiving network entities apply symmetric encryption, i.e. same key used for encryption and decryption cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for symmetric key encryption H04L9/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/04 Protocols for data compression, e.g. ROHC
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A system for, and method of, generating an alias source address for an electronic mail (“e-mail”) message having a real source address and a destination address and a computer network, such as the Internet, including the system or the method. In one embodiment, the system includes an alias source address generator that employs the destination address to generate the alias source address. The system further includes an alias source address substitutor that substitutes the alias source address for the real source address. This removes the real source address from the e-mail message and thereby renders the sender, located at the real source address, anonymous. Further-described are systems and methods for forwarding reply e-mail and filtering reply e-mail based on alias source address.

Claims

1. A system for generating an alias source address for an electronic mail (e-mail) message having a real source and a destination address, comprising:

an alias source address generator that employs said destination address to generate said alias source address;

an alias source address substitutor that substitutes said alias source address for said real source address, wherein said real source address is removed from said e-mail message; and

an e-mail filter configured to filter incoming reply mail by decoding a recipient address of said incoming reply mail to determine said destination address for which said alias source address was originally generated and validating said destination address against a sender address of said incoming reply mail to ensure said incoming reply mail originated from said destination address.

2. The system as recited in claim 1 wherein said alias source address generator employs a real source address of said e-mail message and said destination address to generate said alias source address.

3. The system as recited in claim 2 wherein said alias source address generator compresses said real source address to generate said alias source address.

4. The system as recited in claim 1 wherein said alias source address generator employs a secret key to generate said alias source address.

5. The system as recited in claim 1 further comprising:

a real source address generator that generates a real source address from said alias source address; and

a real source address substitutor, coupled to said real source address generator, that substitutes said real source address for said alias source address, said real source address generator and substitutor capable of cooperating to allow e-mail directed to said alias source address to be routed to said real source address, said system functioning as an e-mail forwarder.

6. The system as recited in claim 1 wherein said alias source address is longer than said real source address.

7. A method of generating an alias source address for an electronic mail (e-mail) message having a real source address and a destination address, comprising the steps of:

generating said alias source address based on said destination address;

substituting said alias source address for said real source address, wherein said real source address is removed from said e-mail message; and

filtering incoming reply mail by decoding a recipient address of said incoming reply mail to determine said destination address for which said alias source address was originally generated and validating said destination address against a sender of said incoming reply mail to ensure said incoming reply mail originated from said destination.

8. The method as recited in claim 7 wherein said step of employing comprises the step of employing a real source address of said e-mail message and said destination address to generate said alias source address.

9. The method as recited in claim 8 wherein said step of employing comprises the step of compressing said real source address to generate said alias source address.

10. The method as recited in claim 7 wherein said step of employing comprises the step of employing a secret key to generate said alias source address.

11. The method as recited in claim 7 further comprising the steps of:

generating a real source address from said alias source address; and

substituting said real source address for said alias source address to allow e-mail directed to said alias source address to be routed to said real source address thereby to forward said e-mail.

12. The method as recited in claim 7 wherein said alias source address is longer than said real source address.

13. A remailer for coupling to at least one of a plurality of computer systems of a computer network, for generating an alias source address for, and remailing, an e-mail message, comprising:

an alias source address generator that employs a destination address of said one of said e-mail messages to generate said alias source address;

an alias source address substitutor that substitutes said alias source address for said real source address of said one of said e-mail messages, wherein said real source address is removed from said one of said e-mail messages;

data transmission circuitry that remails said one of said e-mail messages to said destination address; and

an e-mail filter configured to filter incoming reply mail by decoding a recipient address of said incoming reply mail to determine said destination address for which said alias source address was originally generated and validating said destination address against a sender address of said incoming reply mail to ensure said incoming reply mail originated from said destination address.

14. The remailer as recited in claim 13 wherein said alias source address generator employs a real source address of said e-mail message and said destination address to generate said alias source address.

15. The remailer as recited in claim 14 wherein said alias source address generator compresses said real source address to generate said alias source address.

16. The remailer as recited in claim 13 wherein said alias source address generator employs a secret key to generate said alias source address.

17. The remailer as recited in claim 13 wherein said remailer further includes:

a real source address generator that generates a real source address from said alias source address; and

a real source address substitutor, coupled to said real source address generator, that substitutes said real source address for said alias source address, said real source address generator and substitutor capable of cooperating to allow e-mail directed to said alias source address to be routed to said real source address, said remailer thereby functioning as an e-mail forwarder.

18. The remailer as recited in claim 13 wherein said alias source address is longer than said real source address.

19. A system for generating an alias source address for an electronic mail (e-mail) message having a real source address and a destination address, comprising:

an alias source address generator that employs said destination address to generate said alias source address;

an alias source address inserter that places said alias source address in said e-mail message as at least part of an address; and

an e-mail filter configured to filter incoming reply mail by decoding a recipient address of said incoming reply mail to determine said destination address for which said alias source address was originally generated and validating said destination address against a sender address of said incoming reply mail to ensure said incoming reply mail originated from said destination address.

20. The system as recited in claim 19 wherein said alias source address generator employs a real source address of said e-mail message and said destination address to generate said alias source address.

21. The system as recited in claim 20 wherein said alias source address generator compresses said real source address to generate said alias source address.

22. The system as recited in claim 19 wherein said alias source address generator employs a secret key to generate said alias source address.

23. The system as recited in claim 19 further comprising:

a real source address generator that generates a real source address from said alias source address; and

a real source address inserter, coupled to said real source address generator, that places said real source address in said e-mail message.

24. The system as recited in claim 19 wherein said alias source address is longer than said real source address.

25. A system for generating an electronic mail (e-mail) message that comprises:

a destination address;

a generated alias source address based on said destination address and is at least part of an address of said e-mail message; and

an e-mail filter configured to filter incoming reply mail by decoding a recipient address of said incoming reply mail to determine said destination address for which said alias source address was originally generated and validating said destination address against a sender address of said incoming reply mail to ensure said incoming reply mail originated from said destination address.

26. The system as recited in claim 25 wherein said alias source address is a function of said destination address.

27. The system as recited in claim 25 wherein said alias source address is further based on a real source address of said e-mail message.

28. The system as recited in claim 25 wherein said system is operable on an e-mail sender'"'"'s computer.

29. A method of generating an electronic mail (e-mail) message, comprising the steps of:

placing a destination address on said e-mail message;

generating an alias source address based on said destination address;

placing said alias source address on said e-mail message as at least part of an address of said e-mail message; and

filtering incoming reply mail by decoding a recipient address of said incoming reply mail to determine said destination address for which said alias source address was originally generated and validating said destination address against a sender address of said incoming reply mail to ensure said incoming reply mail originated from said destination address.

30. The method as recited in claim 29 wherein said alias source address is a function of said destination address.

31. The method as recited in claim 29 wherein said alias source address is further based on a real source address of said e-mail message.

32. The method as recited in claim 29 wherein said method is carried out in an e-mail sender'"'"'s computer.