Apparatus and method for precluding e-mail distribution

Abstract

E-mail addresses are converted by a hashing function into hash codes. An e-mail mass mailer that can have millions of addresses hash codes all addresses to which a message might be sent to form a first list. An entity that wishes to exclude delivery of a message to various e-mail addresses, hash codes such addresses to form a second list. Hash codes in the first list that are also in the second list are purged from the first list to yield a third list of hash codes, each of which represents an e-mail address to which a message may be sent.

1 . A method of controlling electronic mail (e-mail) message transmission over a network comprised of: 
 receiving a first set of encoded e-mail addresses;    compiling a second set of encoded e-mail addresses to which an e-mail message should not be sent; and    removing from said first set of encoded e-mail addresses, each encoded e-mail address that is in said second set of encoded e-mail addresses thereby yielding a third set of encoded e-mail addresses to which an e-mail message may be sent.    
   
   
       2 . The method of  claim 1  wherein said step of receiving a first set of encoded e-mail addresses includes the step of: 
 receiving a first set of hash coded e-mail addresses.    
   
   
       3 . The method of  claim 1  wherein said step of receiving a first set of encoded e-mail addresses includes the step of: 
 receiving hash coded e-mail addresses from an e-mail mass mailer.    
   
   
       4 . The method of  claim 1  further comprised of the steps of: 
 sorting said first set of encoded e-mail addresses into a first ordered list of encoded e-mail addresses wherein said encoded e-mail addresses are in ascending order;    sorting said second set of encoded e-mail addresses into a second ordered list of encoded e-mail addresses wherein encoded e-mail addresses are in ascending order; and    beginning with a first entry in said first ordered list of encoded e-mail addresses, and beginning with a first entry in said second ordered list, comparing the first entry in said first ordered list to the first entry in said second ordered list then successive entries in said second ordered list, until the value of an entry in said second ordered list equals or exceeds the value of the first entry in said first list; and    removing the first entry from said first list upon the detection in said second ordered list of the first entry in said first ordered list, thereby yielding a third set of encoded e-mail addresses to which an e-mail message may be sent.    
   
   
       5 . The method of  claim 1  further including the step of: sending said third set of encoded e-mail address to an e-mail mass mailer via a data network.  
   
   
       6 . The method of  claim 1  further including the step of identifying e-mail address that are encoded in said third set of encoded e-mail addresses.  
   
   
       7 . A method of controlling electronic mail (e-mail) message transmission over a network comprised of: 
 receiving a first set of hash codes, each of which represents an e-mail addresses;    receiving a second set of hash codes, each of which represents an e-mail addresses to which an e-mail message should not be sent; and    removing from said first set of hash codes, each hash code that is in said second set thereby yielding a third set of hash codes, each of which represents an e-mail addresses to which an e-mail message may be sent.    
   
   
       8 . The method of  claim 7  wherein said step of receiving a first set of hash codes includes the step of: 
 receiving a first set of hash codes from a mass e-mailer, each of which represents an e-mail address.    
   
   
       9 . The method of  claim 7  further comprised of the steps of: 
 i) sorting said first set of hash codes into a first ordered list of hash codes;    ii) sorting said second set of hash codes; and    iii) beginning with a first entry in said first ordered list of hash codes and beginning with a first entry in said second ordered list, comparing the first entry in said first ordered list of hash codes to said first entry in said second ordered list of hash codes and successive entries in said second ordered list of hash codes, until the value of an entry in said second ordered list equals or exceeds the value of the first entry in said first list, or until the last entry in the second ordered list of hash codes has been compared; and    iv) upon the detection in said first ordered list of hash codes, of an entry in said second ordered list of hash codes that is identical to said first entry in said first ordered list, removing the first entry from said first ordered list.    
   
   
       10 . The method of  claim 7  further including the step of: sending said third set of encoded e-mail address to an e-mail mass mailer via a data network.  
   
   
       11 . A method of controlling electronic mail (e-mail) message transmission over a network comprised of: 
 receiving a first set of hash codes, each of which represents an e-mail addresses;    receiving a second set of hash codes, each of which represents an e-mail addresses to which an e-mail message should not be sent; and    creating a third set of hash codes that is comprised of the first set of hash codes minus hash codes that appear in the second set of hash codes, said third set of hash codes, representing e-mail addresses to which an e-mail message may be sent.    
   
   
       12 . The method of  claim 11  wherein said step of receiving a first set of hash codes includes the step of: 
 receiving a first set of hash codes from a mass e-mailer, each of which represents an e-mail address.    
   
   
       13 . The method of  claim 11  further comprised of the steps of: 
 i) sorting said first set of hash codes into a first ordered list of hash codes;    ii) sorting said second set of hash codes into a second ordered list of hash codes; and    iii) creating a third set of hash codes by the steps of: 
 copying entries of said first ordered list of hash codes into a third set of hash codes that do not exist in said second ordered list of hash codes.  
   
   
   
       14 . The method of  claim 11  further including the step of: sending said third set of encoded e-mail address to an e-mail mass mailer via a data network.  
   
   
       15 . A method of controlling electronic mail (e-mail) message transmission over a data network comprised of: 
 receiving a first set of hash codes from an e-mail mass mailer, said first set of hash codes being received via said data network;    comparing said first set of hash codes to a second set of hash codes; and    removing from said first set of hash codes, hash codes that are in said second set of hash codes to yield a third set of hash codes to which an e-mail message may be sent.    
   
   
       16 . The method of  claim 16  further comprised of the step of: sending said third set of hash codes back to said e-mail mass mailer.  
   
   
       17 . The method of  claim 16  wherein said first and second sets of hash codes are comprised of alpha-numeric characters and are of the same length.  
   
   
       18 . A method of controlling electronic mail (e-mail) message transmission over a data network comprised of: 
 receiving a first set of hash codes from an e-mail mass mailer, said first set of hash codes being received via said data network;    comparing said first set of hash codes to a second set of hash codes; and    creating a third set of hash codes that is comprised of hash codes in said first set of hash codes that are not in said second set of hash codes.    
   
   
       19 . The method of  claim 19  further comprised of the step of: sending said third set of hash codes back to said e-mail mass mailer.  
   
   
       20 . The method of  claim 19  wherein said first and second sets of hash codes are comprised of alpha-numeric characters and are of the same length.  
   
   
       21 . A method of controlling electronic mail (e-mail) message transmission over a network comprised of: 
 receiving a first set of hash coded e-mail addresses;    compiling a second set of hash coded e-mail addresses to which an e-mail message should not be sent;    identifying hash coded e-mail addresses in said first set of hash coded e-mail addresses that do not appear in said second set of hash coded e-mail addresses; and    removing from said first set of hash coded e-mail addresses, each hash coded e-mail address that is not in said second set of hash coded e-mail addresses thereby yielding a third set of hash coded e-mail addresses to which an e-mail message may be sent;    
   
   
       22 . The method of  claim 22  further including the step of: sending said third set of hash coded e-mail address to an e-mail sender via a data network.  
   
   
       23 . A method of sending an electronic mail (e-mail) message to a plurality of e-mail addresses comprised of: 
 hash coding a first list of e-mail addresses to yield a first list of hash coded e-mail addresses;    transmitting said first list of hash coded e-mail addresses to an e-mail address filtration service provider.    
   
   
       24 . An apparatus for controlling electronic mail (e-mail) message transmission over a network comprised of: 
 a computer, operatively coupled to a data network and capable of receiving there from, a first set of encoded e-mail addresses;    a first memory device, operatively coupled to said computer, said first memory device storing a second set of encoded e-mail addresses to which an e-mail message should not be sent; and    said first memory device also storing program instructions which when executed cause said computer to:    store in said first memory device, at least part of said first set of encoded e-mail addresses;    remove from said first set of encoded e-mail addresses stored in said memory, each encoded e-mail address in said second set of encoded e-mail addresses that is also in said first set of encoded e-mail addresses thereby yielding a third set of encoded e-mail addresses, said third set of encoded e-mail addresses being encoded e-mail addresses to which an e-mail message may be sent; and    store at least part of said third set of encoded e-mail addresses in said memory.    
   
   
       25 . The apparatus of  claim 25  further including a first memory device that stores program instructions which when executed cause said computer to sort said first set of encoded e-mail addresses.  
   
   
       26 . An apparatus for controlling electronic mail (e-mail) message transmission over a network comprised of: 
 a computer, operatively coupled to a data network and capable of receiving there from, a first set of hash codes, said computer also being capable of executing program instructions;    a first memory device, operatively coupled to said computer, said first memory device storing a second set of hash codes; and    said first memory device also storing program instructions which when executed cause said computer to:    store in said first memory device, at least part of said first set of hash codes;    remove from said first set of hash codes, each hash code in said second set of hash codes, yielding a third set of hash codes, said third set of hash codes representing e-mail addresses to which an e-mail message may be sent; and    store at least part of said third set of encoded e-mail addresses in said memory.    
   
   
       27 . The apparatus of  claim 27  further including a first memory device that stores program instructions which when executed cause said computer to compare e-mail addresses that have been encoded using a hash code algorithm.  
   
   
       28 . The apparatus of  claim 27  further including a memory device that stores program instructions which when executed cause said computer to sort hash codes that represent e-mail addresses.  
   
   
       29 . The apparatus of  claim 27  further including a memory device that stores program instructions which when executed cause said computer to hash code a variable-length string of an e-mail address into a fixed-length string of alpha-numeric characters.  
   
   
       30 . The method of  claim 1  further including the step of: prior to the step of receiving said first set of encoded e-mail addresses, specifying an e-mail address domain name and purging from said first set of encoded e-mail addresses, all e-mail addresses having said domain name.  
   
   
       31 . The method of  claim 7  further including the step of: prior to the step of receiving said first set of hash codes, specifying an e-mail address domain name and purging all e-mail addresses having said domain name.