Method and system for blocking unwanted communications

Abstract

A method and system for authorizing communications sent from a sender to a recipient. The authorization system receives a communication sent from a sender to a recipient. The authorization system determines whether that sender is authorized to send communications to that recipient. If the authorization system determines that the sender is not authorized, then the authorization system sends an authorization communication to the sender. The authorization communication requests authorization information from the sender. When the authorization system receives the authorization information, it determines whether the information is correct. If correct, then the authorization system indicates that the sender is authorized and forwards the communication to the recipient. When a subsequent communication sent from the sender to the recipient is received, the authorization system may automatically determine that the sender is authorized and forward the communication to the recipient without re-contacting the sender.

Description

BACKGROUND[0001]Electronic communications such as e-mail are being increasingly used for both business and personal uses. Electronic communications has many advantages over non-electronic communications such as postal mail. These advantages include low cost, rapid delivery, ease of storage, and so on. As a result of these advantages, there is also an important disadvantage of electronic communications: junk mail, spam, and other types of unwanted electronic communications. Because of its low cost and speed, many organizations use electronic communications to advertise. For example, a mortgage company may purchase a list of e-mail addresses and send an e-mail message containing an advertisement for the mortgage company to each e-mail address. It is not uncommon for a person to receive many such unwanted and unsolicited e-mail messages a day. People receiving such junk e-mail messages typically find them annoying. Junk e-mail messages may also cause a person's inbox to become full and...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

As a result of these advantages, there is also an important disadvantage of electronic communications: junk mail, spam, and other types of unwanted electronic communications.

It is not uncommon for a person to receive many such unwanted and unsolicited e-mail messages a day.

People receiving such junk e-mail messages typically find them annoying.

Junk e-mail messages may also cause a person's inbox to become full and may make it difficult to locate and identify non-junk e-mail messages.

A disadvantage of these techniques for combating junk e-mail is that the recipients are responsible for specifying who is a junk sender and a non-junk sender.

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