Categorizing electronic messages based on trust between electronic messaging entities
First Claim
1. In an messaging server that is network connectable to one or more other messaging servers and a plurality of messaging clients, the messaging server including an information manager for collecting electronic message statistical data associated with electronic messages and storing the electronic message statistical data in an activity store, the messaging server also including a trust list indicating levels of trust between messaging entities, a method for categorizing an electronic message based on trust between a sending entity and a recipient entity, the method comprising:
- an act of accessing an electronic message, the electronic message including electronic message data that was sent from the sending entity to the recipient entity;
an act of identifying a sending messaging address from the accessed electronic message, the sending messaging address corresponding to the sending entity;
an act of calculating a reliability index for the sending messaging address based at least in part on trust list information in the trust list, the trust list information indicating a level of trust between the sending entity and the recipient entity and further based on the degree of separation between a recipient messaging address that corresponds to the recipient entity and the sending messaging address; and
an act of categorizing the accessed electronic message based at least in part on the calculated reliability index.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
The principles of the present invention provide for categorizing electronic messages based on trust between electronic messaging entities. Messaging servers maintain trust lists indicating levels of trust between electronic messaging entities. Trust lists can be generated from existing trust information, such as, for example, address book entries. Messaging servers also maintain activity stores that indicate messaging activity between messaging entities. Based on information in a trust list and, when appropriate, information in an activity store, a messaging server can categorize an accessed electronic message, such as, for example, as unwanted and/or unsolicited. Messaging servers can securely exchange trust list information to increase the possibility of identifying a level of trust between messaging entities, even between messaging entities that have not previously exchanged electronic messages. Exchanged trust list information increases the possibility that a messaging server will be able to appropriately categorize an accessed electronic message.
82 Citations
41 Claims
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1. In an messaging server that is network connectable to one or more other messaging servers and a plurality of messaging clients, the messaging server including an information manager for collecting electronic message statistical data associated with electronic messages and storing the electronic message statistical data in an activity store, the messaging server also including a trust list indicating levels of trust between messaging entities, a method for categorizing an electronic message based on trust between a sending entity and a recipient entity, the method comprising:
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an act of accessing an electronic message, the electronic message including electronic message data that was sent from the sending entity to the recipient entity; an act of identifying a sending messaging address from the accessed electronic message, the sending messaging address corresponding to the sending entity; an act of calculating a reliability index for the sending messaging address based at least in part on trust list information in the trust list, the trust list information indicating a level of trust between the sending entity and the recipient entity and further based on the degree of separation between a recipient messaging address that corresponds to the recipient entity and the sending messaging address; and an act of categorizing the accessed electronic message based at least in part on the calculated reliability index. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. In an requesting messaging server that is network connectable to one or more other messaging servers, the requesting messaging server including an information manager for collecting electronic message statistical data associated with electronic messages and storing the electronic message statistical data in an activity store, the electronic messaging server also including a trust list indicating levels of trust between messaging entities, a method for securely receiving trust information from a providing messaging server from among the one or more other messaging servers, the method comprising:
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an act of accessing a received messaging address, the received messaging address corresponding to a messaging entity that accesses electronic messages at one of the one or more other messaging servers; an act of generating a received address hash value from the received messaging address; an act of sending a request for remote messaging address associated with the received messaging address to the providing messaging server, the request including at least the received address hash value and a public key; an act of receiving a trust list entry data structure that represents the degree of separation between the received messaging address and a remote messaging address, the received trust list entry data structure including at least one encrypted remote address hash value, the at least one encrypted remote address hash value encrypted with the public key, the at least one encrypted remote address hash value representing a corresponding at least one remote messaging address associated associated with the received messaging address; an act of decrypting the at least one encrypted remote address hash value with a corresponding private key to reveal a corresponding at least one decrypted remote address hash value; and an act of assimilating the at least one decrypted remote address hash value in the trusted list. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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22. In providing messaging server that is network connectable to one or more other messaging servers, the providing messaging server including an information manager for collecting electronic message statistical data associated with electronic messages and storing the electronic message statistical data in an activity store, the providing messaging server also including a trust list indicating levels of trust between messaging entities, a method for securely sending trust information to a receiving messaging server from among the one or more other messaging servers, the method comprising:
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an act of receiving an indication that the providing messaging server is to search for locally stored messaging addresses associated with at least one received messaging address and determining that a pre-determined interval has occurred; an act of identifying at least one locally stored messaging address associated with a received messaging address that was selected from among the at least one received messaging addresses; an act of encrypting at least one local address hash value corresponding to the identified at least one locally stored messaging address with a public key, the public key being received from the receiving messaging server; and an act of sending the at least one encrypted local address hash value to the receiving messaging server, the at least one encrypted local address hash value indicating to the receiving messaging server that the identified at least one local messaging address is associated with the received messaging address. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25, 26, 27)
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28. A computer program product for use in an messaging server that is network connectable to one or more other messaging servers and a plurality of messaging clients, the messaging server including an information manager for collecting electronic message statistical data associated with electronic messages and storing the electronic message statistical data in an activity store, the messaging server also including a trust list indicating levels of trust between messaging entities, the computer program product for implementing a method for categorizing an electronic message based on trust between a sending entity and a recipient entity, the computer program product comprising one or more recordable-type computer-readable media having stored thereon computer executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the messaging server to perform the following:
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access an electronic message, the electronic message including electronic message data that was sent from the sending entity to the recipient entity; identify a sending messaging address from the accessed electronic message, the sending messaging address corresponding to the sending entity; calculate a reliability index for the sending messaging address based at least in part on trust list information in the trusted list, the trust list information indicating a level of trust between the sending entity and the recipient entity and further based on the degree of separation between a recipient messaging address that corresponds to the recipient entity and the sending messaging address; and categorize the accessed electronic message based at least in part on the calculated reliability index. - View Dependent Claims (29, 30)
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31. A computer program product for use in an requesting messaging server that is network connectable to one or more other messaging servers, the requesting messaging server including an information manager for collecting electronic message statistical data associated with electronic messages and storing the electronic message statistical data in an activity store, the electronic messaging server also including a trust list indicating levels of trust between messaging entities, the computer program product for implementing a method for securely receiving trust information from a providing messaging server from among the one or more other messaging servers, the computer program product comprising one or more recordable-type computer-readable media having stored thereon computer executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the requesting messaging server to perform the following:
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access a received messaging address, the received messaging address corresponding to an entity that accesses electronic messages at one of the one or more other messaging servers; generate a received address hash value from the received messaging address; send a request for remote messaging addresses associated with the received messaging address to the providing messaging server, the request including at least the received address hash value and a public key; receive a trust list entry data structure that represents the degree of separation between the received messaging address and a remote messaging address, the received trust list entry data structure including at least one encrypted remote address hash value, the at least one encrypted remote address hash value being encrypted with the public key, the at least one encrypted remote address hash value representing a corresponding at least one messaging address associated with the received messaging address; decrypt the at least one encrypted remote address hash value with a corresponding private key to reveal a corresponding at least one decrypted remote address hash value; and assimilate the at least one decrypted remote address hash value in the trusted list. - View Dependent Claims (32, 33)
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34. A computer program product for use in providing messaging server that is network connectable to one or more other messaging servers, the providing messaging server including an information manager for collecting electronic message statistical data associated with electronic messages and storing the electronic message statistical data in an activity store, the providing messaging server also including a trust list indicating levels of trust between messaging entities, the computer program product for implementing a method for securely sending trust information to a receiving messaging server from among the one or more other messaging servers, the computer program product comprising one or more recordable-type computer-readable media having stored thereon computer executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the providing messaging server to perform the following:
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receive an indication that the providing messaging server should search for locally stored messaging addresses associated with at least one received messaging address and determine that a pre-determined interval has occurred; identify at least one locally stored messaging address associated with a received messaging address that was selected from among the at least one received messaging addresses; encrypt at least one local address hash value corresponding to the identified at least one locally stored messaging address with a public key, the public key being received from the receiving messaging server; and send the at least one encrypted local address hash value to the receiving messaging server, the at least one encrypted local address hash value indicating to the receiving messaging server that the identified at least one local messaging address is associated with the received messaging address. - View Dependent Claims (35, 36)
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37. In providing messaging server that is network connectable to one or more other messaging servers, the providing messaging server including an information manager for collecting electronic message statistical data associated with electronic messages and storing the electronic message statistical data in an activity store, the providing messaging server also including a trust list indicating levels of trust between messaging entities, a method for responding to a trust list request, the method comprising:
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an act of configuring the providing messaging server to not reply to trust list requests from one or more particular messaging servers in the one or more other messaging servers and configuring the providing messaging server to not reply to requesting messaging servers in a specified domain; an act of receiving a trust list request from a requesting messaging server; an act of determining that the requesting messaging server is one of the one or more particular messaging servers and determining that the requesting messaging server is in a specified domain; and an act of terminating the trust list request such that the trust list request is not processed. - View Dependent Claims (38, 39)
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40. In a messaging server that is network connectable to one or more other messaging servers and a plurality of messaging clients, the messaging server including an information manager for collecting electronic message statistical data associated with electronic messages and storing the electronic message statistical data in an activity store, the messaging server also including a trust list indicating levels of trust between messaging entities, a method for categorizing an electronic message based on trust between a sending entity and a recipient entity, the method comprising:
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an act of accessing an electronic message, the electronic message including electronic message data that was sent from the sending entity to the recipient entity; an act of identifying a sending messaging address from the accessed electronic message, the sending messaging address corresponding to the sending entity; an act of calculating a reliability index for the sending messaging address based at least in part on trust list information in the trust list, the trust list information indicating a level of trust between the sending entity and the recipient entity and further based on electronic message statistical data stored in the activity store; and an act of categorizing the accessed electronic message based at least in part on the calculated reliability index.
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41. A computer program product for use in an messaging server that is network connectable to one or more other messaging servers and a plurality of messaging clients, the messaging server including an information manager for collecting electronic message statistical data associated with electronic messages and storing the electronic message statistical data in an activity store, the messaging server also including a trust list indicating levels of trust between messaging entities, the computer program product for implementing a method for categorizing an electronic message based on trust between a sending entity and a recipient entity, the computer program product comprising one or more recordable-type computer-readable media having stored thereon computer executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the messaging server to perform the following:
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access an electronic message, the electronic message including electronic message data that was sent from the sending entity to the recipient entity; identify a sending messaging address from the accessed electronic message, the sending messaging address corresponding to the sending entity; calculate a reliability index for the sending messaging address based at least in part on trust list information in the trusted list, the trust list information indicating a level of trust between the sending entity and the recipient entity and further based on electronic message statistical data stored in the activity store; and categorize the accessed electronic message based at least in part on the calculated reliability index.
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Specification