Patent ID: 7620691
Filing Date: 2009-11-17
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
1. In a system that provides an electronic messaging service to one or more clients, a method for managing electronic messages, the method comprising: detecting a website accessed by a user through a browser application executing on a client computer of the user; monitoring the browser application to detect when the user enters an email address of the user; receiving input from the user through the browser application defining a particular sequence of alphanumeric characters that is inserted into the email address of the user; inserting the particular sequence of alphanumeric characters directly into the email address of the user as a tracker incorporated into the email address of the user; at an electronic message server, associating the tracker with a domain name of the website accessed by the user as a particular sender that is authorized to send messages to the user; storing the tracker and the domain name of the website at the electronic message server prior to receiving any electronic messages that contain the stored tracker; receiving at the electronic message server a first electronic message from a first sender addressed to the user, the first electronic message including a first user address that includes a first tracker; at the electronic message server, comparing the first tracker with the stored tracker and performing at least one pre-determined action on the first electronic message that includes the first tracker in the first user address based on the comparison; and displaying the first tracker on a user interface of the client computer of the user so that the user can detect whether the first tracker contains the same particular sequence of alphanumeric characters previously input by the user, the particular sequence of alphanumeric characters serving as a mnemonic device so that the user can recognize the particular sequence of alphanumeric characters as being associated with the particular sender.