System for selective delivery of electronic communications

• US 7,596,600 B2
• Filed: 08/15/2002
• Issued: 09/29/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cufer Asset Ltd LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Turnpike Data Processing LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Blue, Richard D, Quine, Douglas B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Srivastava; Vivek
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHOUDHURY, AZIZUL Q
• Application Number:
  US10/222,340
• Publication Number:
  US 20030187942A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,602 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/212 using filtering or selective blocking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/48 Message addressing, e.g. address format or anonymous messages, aliases

Abstract

The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for selective delivery of electronic communications to reduce the amount of unwanted email (spam) that is received. An electronic message is not delivered to a recipient until the sender address is verified. If the address is not verified, it can be compared to a database that includes known spammers. Also, records of spamming and forged emails can be compiled and forwarded to an enforcement agency.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving electronically a communication having associated trace data;

parsing the received communication to determine a sender electronic address associated with the received communication;

determining if the trace data associated with the received communication is valid;

transmitting a request to the sender electronic address to authenticate an origin of the received communication in response to a determination that the trace data is not valid;

storing the communication electronically until a response to the request to authenticate is received from the sender electronic address;

determining, in response to the request to authenticate being returned from the sender electronic address as undeliverable, a reason that the request to authenticate was undeliverable and delivering the received communication to the recipient electronic address if the reason the request to authenticate was returned as undeliverable indicates that the sender electronic address is associated with a legitimate entity; and

wherein determining the reason that the request to authenticate was undeliverable includes determining whether the request to authenticate was undeliverable due to an error, lack of disk space, server malfunction, or network malfunction.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

evaluating the reason that the request to authenticate was undeliverable; and

wherein the delivering the received communication to the recipient electronic address is in response to the evaluation.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

determining a default time interval, after which an unresponsive request to the sender electronic address to authenticate results in corrective action.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1 further comprising accumulating data relating to sender electronic addresses that are undeliverable.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

comparing the sender electronic address to a database; and

indicating when there is a match between the sender electronic address and a database entry.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising sending a notification to the recipient electronic address that the request to authenticate has been returned from the sender electronic address as undeliverable.

7. The method as claimed in claim 6 further comprising:

receiving, from the recipient electronic address, a request to deliver the received communication or a request to delete the received communication in response to the notification.

8. An article of manufacture including a computer readable medium having instructions stored thereon that, if executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform a method comprising:

determining whether associated trace data and a sender electronic address data associated with a received electronic communication are valid;

transmitting a request to the sender electronic address to authenticate the origin of the sender electronic address, in response to a determination that the trace data is invalid;

delivering the received electronic communication to a recipient electronic address in response to a returned request to authenticate that is returned as undeliverable, the returned undeliverable request to authenticate including information that identifies the sender electronic address as a legitimate entity; and

determining a reason that the request to authenticate was returned as undeliverable, the reason including at least one of a lack of disk space, a server malfunction, or a network malfunction.

9. The article of claim 8, wherein the instructions, if executed by the computing device, cause the computing device to perform the method further comprising determining if a default time interval has passed after the transmission of the request to authenticate, and in response to the default time interval passing, inquiring if the received communication is to be delivered to the recipient electronic address.

10. The article of claim 8, wherein the instructions, if executed by the computing device, cause the computing device to perform the method further comprising accumulating data relating to sender electronic addresses that are undeliverable.

11. The article of manufacture of claim 8, wherein the instructions if executed by the computing device, cause the computing device to perform the method further comprising:

comparing the sender electronic address to a database; and

indicating when there is a match between the sender electronic address and a database entry.

12. The article of manufacture of claim 8, wherein the instructions, if executed by the computing device, cause the computing device to perform the method further comprising:

sending a notification to the recipient electronic address that the request to authenticate has been returned from the sender electronic address as undeliverable.

13. The article of manufacture of claim 12, wherein the instructions if executed by the computing device, cause the computing device to perform the method further comprising:

receiving a request to deliver the received communication or a request to delete the received communication in response to the notification.

14. An apparatus comprising:

a receiver to receive an electronic communication from a sender electronic address, the received electronic communication having associated trace data;

a processor, coupled to the receiver, configured to determine whether the sender electronic address and the associated trace data are valid, and in response to a determination that the trace data is not valid, generate a request for authentication to authenticate the origin of the received communication; and

a transmitter to transmit the request for authentication to the sender electronic address, and to deliver the received electronic communication to a recipient electronic address in response to the apparatus receiving a response to the request for authentication, the response indicating the request to authenticate was undeliverable and that the sender electronic address is associated with a legitimate entity; and

wherein the processor is further configured to determine a reason the response was undeliverable, the reason being one or more of;

lack of memory space was available at the sender electronic address, a server malfunction occurred, or a network malfunction occurred.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, further comprising:

a memory to accumulate data relating to sender electronic addresses that respond to requests to authenticate with a response indicating the request to authenticate was undeliverable.

16. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the processor is further configured to compare the sender electronic address to a database and facilitate identification when there is a match between the sender electronic address and a database entry.

17. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the transmitter is further configured to transmit a notification to the recipient electronic address that the request to authenticate has been returned from the sender electronic address as undeliverable.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, where the receiver is further configured to receive a request to deliver the received communication or a request to delete the received communication in response to the notification.