Authorized email control system

Abstract

An authorized email control system receives email destined for a particular user. Inclusive, temporary, and exclusive address books are provided for the user. The inclusive address book lists all the sender email addresses and domains names that the user wants to allow into his mailbox. If the received email message's sender is listed in the user's inclusive or temporary address book then the email is placed in the user's main mailbox. If the sender is listed in the user's exclusive address book, then the message is deleted. The invention truncates the body of the received email message to a user settable length which is sent through at least one extensible message filter that provides a pass/fail indicator and optionally provides reasons for a fail indication. If the truncated email body passes all of the filters, then the sender is added to an accepted sender list. Otherwise, the sender is warned that its email was rejected and the reason(s) why. The sender's domain name is then placed on an unaware domain list. The user is conditionally notified if the sender has been added to the sender list or unaware domain list, giving the user the option to add the sender to his inclusive or exclusive address book.

1 . A process for detecting and challenging unsolicited electronic mail (email) sent to a user in a computer environment, comprising the steps of:
 providing an inclusive email address book comprising a list of email addresses and domain names;   receiving an email message destined for a particular user;   placing said email message into the user's main mailbox only if said email message is sent by an email address or a domain name in said inclusive address book;   providing an exclusive email address book comprising a list of email addresses and domain names;   deleting said email message if said email message is sent by an email address or a domain name in said exclusive address book;   applying a first filter that rejects email messages larger than a predetermined logical length;   providing at least one additional filter means for analyzing particular aspect(s) of email messages that are not rejected at said first filter;   sending said email message through said at least one additional filter means;   wherein said at least one additional filter means provides a pass/fail indication;   rejecting said email message if said email message fails at least one of said at least one additional filter means;   wherein if said email message is rejected, then said email message's sender is sent a message notifying said sender that said email message was rejected and any reasons why;   adding said email message's sender to an accepted sender list if said email body message passes all of said at least one additional filter means;   wherein the user is notified that said sender has been placed on said accepted sender list if said sender was added to said accepted sender list;   wherein the user can add said sender to said inclusive address book or said exclusive address book;   wherein if the user adds said sender to said exclusive address book, then said email message is deleted;   wherein if the user adds said sender to said inclusive address book, then said email message is added to said main mailbox; and   wherein said predetermined logical length is user settable.   
   
   
       2 . The process of  claim 1 , wherein said additional filter means analyzes said email message for any of: offending words, phrases, commercial content, phone numbers, mailing addresses, Web links, contact information, and attachments. 
   
   
       3 . A process for detecting and challenging unsolicited electronic mail (email) sent to a user in a computer environment, comprising the steps of:
 receiving an email message destined for a particular user;   applying a first filter that rejects email messages larger than a predetermined logical length;   providing at least one additional filter means for analyzing particular aspect(s) of said email message;   sending said email message through said at least one additional filter means;   wherein said at least one additional filter means provides a pass/fail indication;   rejecting said email message if said email message fails at least one of said at least one additional filter means; and   adding said email message's send to an accepted sender list if said email message passes all of said at least one additional message filter means;   wherein the user is notified that said sender has been placed on said accepted sender list if said sender was added to said accepted sender list;   wherein the user can add said sender to an address book; and   wherein if the user adds said sender to said address book, then said email message is added to the user's main mailbox.   
   
   
       4 . The process of  claim 3 , wherein said additional filter means analyzes said email message for any of: offending words, phrases, commercial content, phone numbers, mailing addresses, Web links, contact information, and attachments. 
   
   
       5 . The process of  claim 3 , wherein said predetermined length is user settable. 
   
   
       6 . The process of  claim 3 , wherein if said email message is rejected, then said email message's sender is sent a message notifying said sender that said email message was rejected and any reasons why. 
   
   
       7 . A process for detecting and challenging unsolicited electronic mail (email) sent to a user in a computer environment, comprising the steps of:
 providing an inclusive email address book comprising a list of email addresses and domain names;   receiving an email message destined for a particular user;   placing said email message into the user's main mailbox only if said email message is sent by an email address or a domain name in said inclusive address book;   applying a filter that rejects email messages larger than a predetermined logical length;   providing at least one additional filter means for analyzing particular aspect(s) of said email message;   sending said email message through said at least one additional filter means:   wherein said at least one additional filter means provides a pass/fail indication;   rejecting said email message if said email message fails at least one of said at least one additional filter means; and   adding said email message's sender to an accepted sender list if said email message passes all of said at least one additional filter means,   wherein the user is notified that said sender has been placed on said accepted sender list if said sender was added to said accepted sender list;   wherein the user can add said sender to said inclusive address book; and   wherein if the user adds said sender to said inclusive address book, then said email message is added to said main mailbox.   
   
   
       8 . The process of  claim 7 , further comprising the steps of:
 providing an exclusive email address book comprising a list of email addresses and domain names; and   deleting said email message if said email message is sent by an email address or a domain name in said exclusive address book.   
   
   
       9 . The process of  claim 8 , further comprising the step of:
 sending said email message's sender a challenge message if said sender is not listed in said inclusive address book and said exclusive address book; and   wherein said challenge message instructs said sender on how to properly respond to said challenge message.   
   
   
       10 . The process of  claim 9 , further comprising the steps of:
 receiving a response to said challenge message from said sender;   analyzing said response for proper response format,   adding said sender to an accepted sender list if said response is in the proper response format and said sender is not already on said accepted sender list; and   
   
   
       11 . The process of  claim 10 , further comprising the step of:
 adding said sender's domain name to an unaware domain list if said response is not in the proper response format and said sender is not already on said unaware domain list; and   wherein the user is notified that said sender has been placed on said unaware domain list if said sender's domain was added to said unaware domain list.   
   
   
       12 . The process of  claim 11 , wherein the user selects said sender to be placed in said inclusive address book. 
   
   
       13 . The process of  claim 7 , wherein said additional filter means analyzes said email, message for any of: offending words, phrases, commercial content, phone numbers, mailing addresses, Web links, contact information, and attachments. 
   
   
       14 . The process of  claim 7 , wherein said predetermined length is user settable. 
   
   
       15 . The process of  claim 7 , wherein if said email message is rejected, then said email message's sender is sent a message notifying said sender that said email message was rejected and any reasons why.