Method and apparatus for adding data attributes to e-mail messages to enhance the analysis of delivery failures

• US 6,959,324 B1
• Filed: 09/28/2000
• Issued: 10/25/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Snap, Inc.
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Ullmann, Lorin Evan, Kubik, Joseph
• Primary Examiner(s): VU, VIET DUY
• Application Number:
  US09/671,059
• Time in Patent Office: 1,853 Days
• Field of Search: 709/204, 709/206, 709/207, 709/217, 709/218, 709/223, 709/224, 709/225, 719/311, 719/328, 719/329
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/23 Reliability checks, e.g. acknowledgments or fault reporting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/48 Message addressing, e.g. address format or anonymous messages, aliases

Abstract

A dead e-mail identification locator discovers dead e-mail addresses without forwarding messages to valid recipients. Existing headers in the mail protocol are extended to include a test header. A mail server that supports the protocol extension of the present invention may send a reply if the address does not exist and may discard the message if the address does exist. The test header allows a sender to test an e-mail address for validity without the message being forwarded to the user, as will be described below. The sender may be a dead e-mail locator program, which tests a plurality of e-mail addresses. The sender and recipient mail servers may include attributes in the test header to enhance the analysis of delivery failures. Using these attributes, the dead e-mail address locator can pinpoint the location of e-mail message delivery failure and profile the performance of routing of messages and other details hidden from users.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

creating an electronic message having a recipient at an address on a server, wherein the electronic message includes at least one delivery attribute identifier for identifying at least one delivery attribute;

sending the electronic message to the recipient;

receiving a response, the response including validity information indicating whether that the address is an invalid address, and at least one delivery attribute value corresponding to the at least one delivery attribute, the at least one delivery attribute value including delivery information regarding the electronic message;

processing the at least one delivery attribute value to form delivery failure analysis information; and

presenting the delivery failure analysis information,

wherein the step of processing the at least one delivery attribute value comprises one of pinging the address and performing a simple network monitoring query for the address.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one delivery attribute identifier comprises at least one of a recipient mail system identifier, a recipient mail server identifier, a recipient router identifier, a sender mail system identifier, a sender mail server identifier, and a sender router identifier.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one delivery attribute value includes an address, the address comprising one of a recipient mail system address, a recipient mail server address, a recipient router address, a sender mail system address, a sender mail server address, and a sender router address.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing the at least one delivery attribute value in a storage.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the storage is a database.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the method is performed by a client.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the method is performed by a server.

8. An apparatus comprising:

creation means for creating an electronic message having a recipient at an address on a server, wherein the electronic message includes at least one delivery attribute identifier for identifying at least one delivery attribute;

sending means for sending the electronic message to the recipient;

receipt means for receiving a response, the response including validity information indicating that the address is an invalid address, and at least one delivery attribute value corresponding to the at least one delivery attribute, the at least one delivery attribute value including delivery information regarding the electronic message;

processing means for processing the at least one delivery attribute value to form delivery failure analysis information; and

presentation means for presenting the delivery failure analysis information,

wherein the processing means comprises one of means for pinging the address and means for performing a simple network monitoring query for the address.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the at least one delivery attribute identifier comprises at least one of a recipient mail system identifier, a recipient mail server identifier, a recipient router identifier, a sender mail system identifier, a sender mail server identifier, and a sender router identifier.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the at least one delivery attribute value includes an address, the address being one of a recipient mail system address, a recipient mail server address, a recipient router address, a sender mail system address, a sender mail server address, and a sender router address.

11. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising:

storage means for storing the at least one delivery attribute value.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the storage means comprises a database.

13. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the apparatus is embodied in a client computer.

14. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the apparatus is embodied in a server computer.

15. A computer program product, in a computer readable medium, comprising:

instructions for creating an electronic message having a recipient at an address on a server, wherein the electronic message includes at least one delivery attribute identifier for identifying at least one delivery attribute;

instructions for sending the electronic message to the recipient;

instructions for receiving a response, the response including validity information indicating that the address is an invalid address, and at least one delivery attribute value corresponding to the at least one delivery attribute, the at least one delivery attribute value including delivery information regarding the electronic message;

instructions for processing the at least one delivery attribute value to form delivery failure analysis information; and

instructions for presenting the delivery failure analysis information,

wherein the instructions for processing the at least one delivery attribute value comprises one of instructions for pinging the address and instructions for performing a simple network monitoring query for the address.