Method and system for filtering unauthorized electronic mail messages

Abstract

A computer system and method for filtering unauthorized electronic mail messages that are sent by senders to a user. The system includes a list of the identifications of the senders who are authorized to send an electronic mail message to the user. When an electronic mail message is received, the system determines whether the sender of the electronic mail message is authorized by determining whether the identification of sender in the electronic mail message is in the list of the identifications of the senders who are authorized. When the sender of the electronic mail message is determined to be authorized, the system stores the electronic mail message in an Inbox folder. When the sender of the electronic mail message is determined to be not authorized, the system stores the electronic mail message in a Junk Mail folder. In this way, the electronic mail messages are automatically stored in the appropriate folder based on whether the sender is authorized so that the user can view the Inbox folder containing the electronic mail messages sent by authorized senders separately from the Junk Mail folder containing the electronic mail messages sent by unauthorized senders.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD [0001] This invention relates generally to electronic mail systems and more particularly to the filtering of electronic mail messages. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] Electronic mail is becoming an increasingly popular form of communications. Electronic mail systems allow one user of a computer system (i.e., a sender) to send a message electronically to another user (i.e., a recipient). To create an electronic mail message, the sender designates the recipient to whom the electronic mail is to be sent and creates the body (e.g., text) of the electronic mail message. The electronic mail system then forwards the electronic mail message to the recipient via a communications mechanism such as a local area network or the Internet. When the recipient receives the electronic mail messages, the recipient can view the body of the electronic mail message. [0003] To ensure format compatibility among various electronic mail systems, the electronic mail messages are formatted i...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

This solution enables users to efficiently filter out unauthorized messages by separating them from authorized ones, improving the usability and effectiveness of electronic mail systems by reducing clutter and potential spam.

Problems solved by technology

Electronic mail addresses can be very complex strings of characters that identify countries, companies, divisions within companies, and individual users.

Recently, a problem has developed which seriously impairs the effectiveness of electronic mail systems.

A user may occasionally receive an unsolicited electronic mail message from such a promotional company.

However, because of the perceived benefits of advertising via the Internet, a user may now receive so many unsolicited electronic mail messages on a daily basis, that the unsolicited electronic mail messages vastly outnumber the electronic mails messages received from known senders.

The process of sending these promotional electronic mail messages indiscriminately to the various electronic mail addresses by the promotional companies is referred to as “spamming.” Because a recipient may receive so many unsolicited (i.e., junk) electronic mail messages, it may be very difficult for the recipient to sort through and determine which electronic mail messages are not junk.

Such sorting has been a serious impediment to the effectiveness of the electronic mail systems.

One potential solution to the problems resulting from the spamming practices has been tried, but unfortunately has been unsuccessful.

Recently, however, such de-spamming services have ceased offering the service because it has proved to be uneconomical.

However, with such electronic mail systems, a user cannot specify how to automatically handle electronic mail messages if they are unaware of any characteristic of the electronic mail message.

In particular, a user may not know in advance the identity of the sender of junk mail and thus cannot have the junk mail automatically deleted.

Images