Message processing system

A method of handling messages determines if a message is approved for a recipient of the message. If the message is approved, the method processes the message for subsequent viewing by the recipient. If the message is unapproved, the method notifies the recipient and stores the message.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a message handling process and a message processing system, which may be used to deal with unsolicited and unapproved electronic messages.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Electronic messaging, particularly the use of e-mail over the Internet, has been enthusiastically adopted by large numbers of people, who have taken advantage of the inherent efficiencies and convenience of electronic messaging. One unfortunate consequence of Internet e-mail however has been the proliferation of unsolicited and unwanted e-mail messages, often referred to as “spam”, which people receive. Various methods have been developed to restrict or prevent spam from reaching intended recipients. The methods have included both technical and legal measures which to date have met with mixed results. None have eliminated the problem of spam, nor prevented “spammers” from sending their messages and seeking to subvert the measures.

One of the technical measures includes applying a spam filter which processes an incoming message to determine whether it should forwarded to the recipient or not. The disadvantage associated with such filters is that inevitably useful messages for the recipient are inadvertently filtered and never received.

It is desired to provide a method and system which provides a useful alternative or which allows management of unsolicited messages without seeking to simply restrict or filter incoming messages.

SUMMARY OF CERTAIN INVENTIVE ASPECTS

The present invention relates to a message handling process, including:

determining if a message is approved for the recipient of the message;

processing the message for subsequent viewing by the recipient if the message is approved; and

notifying the recipient and storing the message if the message is unapproved.

The present invention also provides a message processing system, including:

means for determining if a message is approved for the recipient of the message;

means for processing the message for subsequent viewing by the recipient if the message is approved; and

means for notifying the recipient and storing the message if the message is unapproved.

The present invention also provides a message processing system, including:

an electronic message server for receiving and storing electronic messages for a recipient; and

an electronic message manager for processing electronic messages for a recipient to determine if the electronic messages are approved based on stored criteria, sending approved electronic messages for the recipient to a location for access by the recipient, and storing and sending a notification to the recipient of unapproved messages.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF CERTAIN INVENTIVE EMBODIMENTS

A message processing system2, as shown inFIG. 1, is provided by a computer which may be a Unix server. The system2includes standard web server software8and e-mail server software12so that the system2can operate as a web server and can also operate as an e-mail server, i.e. a standard POP3/SMTP/IMAP e-mail server. The system2also includes e-mail manager software10stored on the server which includes program code and database code that establishes a database on the server2. The code of the manager10causes the system to execute the message handling steps described below. Although shown on one machine, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that software components8,10and12of the system2can be distributed amongst a number of machines in different locations, provided the components8,10and12can communicate with one another, as shown inFIG. 1. Also it will be understood that the e-mail manager could be provided at least in part by application specific integrated circuits (ASICs) which execute the steps of the message handling process.

A user of the system2is able to access the system2via a communications network4using a standard computer6with a web browser. The communications network4may be, for example, the Internet or a LAN. For instance, the system2may be part of a corporate intranet, and act as a gateway for the intranet to the Internet. The system2may also be controlled by a service provider simply providing an e-mail service via the Internet. The service provider can then service any users which can connect via the Internet, including the users of corporate networks. Users, including companies, which use the system are registered and identified as being users by the e-mail manager10. All e-mails for the users are then directed to the system2.

The message handling method executed by the system2, and in particular the manager10, is shown inFIG. 2. For incoming e-mails received by the system2for the users, at step14, the manager10determines, at step16, whether the e-mail message is approved. Approval of an e-mail message can be based on a number of criteria, with the simplest being whether the sender of the message is on a list of approved senders for the intended recipient that is stored on the database of the e-mail manager10. If the message is approved at step16, a forward procedure is executed and a determination is made at step17as to whether the recipient collects e-mail messages from the e-mail server12directly. If so, the message is stored on the server12at step20for retrieval from the e-mail server12in the normal manner. Otherwise the e-mail server12forwards the message to the recipient's e-mail server at step22via the communications network4.

If it is determined at step16that the message is not approved, then the system2notifies the recipient, at step18, that it has disallowed a received message for the recipient. The recipient can be notified by a number of communications methods, such as by e-mail or by a telephone call over the network4. On receipt of the notification at step18, the recipient can direct their web browser to the web server8and view a list of disallowed messages. From the list, the user can execute a number of actions, such as read the message, select a sender of a message to be added to the approved list stored by the manager10or simply delete messages.

At step18, the sender of an e-mail that has been disallowed by the system2is notified by e-mail that their message has been held in a pending mailbox because they were not on the recipient's list of authorised e-mail senders. The sender is also informed by e-mail that if they wish to ensure that the recipient reads the e-mail, the sender should use other means, such as telephone, to inform the recipient that they have been sent an e-mail and ask that the recipient add the sender's e-mail address to the recipient's list of authorised senders.

The manager10uses the e-mail server12to send the notifications at step18by e-mail, and the e-mail for the recipient includes a URL for the web server8. A recipient can then respond to the notification by selecting the URL and pointing the browser to the web server8. The manager10determines at step24, after a predetermined period of time, whether or not the recipient has ignored the notification sent by e-mail. If the notification is ignored, the system2sends a return e-mail, at step26, notifying the sender that the sent message has not been the read by the recipient. The message is then deleted at step30.

If the recipient responds to the e-mail notification so as to direct the recipient's browser to the system2, the browser communicates with the web server8which sends a web page, designated by the URL. The web page displays a list of messages not approved by the manager10with the recently sent message being highlighted or selected. The e-mail manager10then enters a loop50which allows a number of functions to be executed. At step28the manager10determines whether the recipient has selected on the web page an option to add the sender of the highlighted message to the approved list maintained by the manager10. If not, operation of the manager10proceeds to step32, otherwise the manager10will update the recipient's approved list to add the sender, at step34, and then proceed to step32. At step32, the e-mail manager10determines whether the recipient has chosen an option on the web page to read the highlighted message, and if not, operation proceeds to step31. Otherwise, the message is displayed at step36for the recipient's browser, and operation proceeds to step31. At step31, the manager determines whether the recipient has selected an option on the web page to save the highlighted or read message, and if so, operation proceeds to step33to save the message. At step33, the forward procedure is called to execute step17for the message and proceed to either step20or22to save the message and then return to the loop50. At step35, the manager10determines whether the recipient has selected an option to delete the highlighted or read message. If so, the message is deleted at step37, and operation returns to the loop50. At step39, a determination is made, based on activity of the recipient, as to whether the recipient has directed its browser away from or closed the web page, and if so, the loop50is exited and operation ends at step40.

The manager10also executes scheduled tasks42to delete unapproved messages on which no action has been taken by recipients for a predetermined period of time, and notify senders as in step26. Alternatively, the scheduled tasks may be set for a recipient so that unapproved messages on which no action has been taken for a predetermined period of time are stored or saved automatically by calling the forward procedure to execute step17and proceed to either step20or22.

The above system2and management method are particularly advantageous as they provide users with the capability to manage unsolicited or unapproved e-mail messages without having the messages inadvertently removed by a message filter. The management facilities provided by the system2are web browser based, and provides significant additional management services to users of browser based e-mail services, such as those provided by Hotmail and Yahoo.

Many modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the present invention as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.