Abstract:
Methods, apparatuses, and computer-readable media for automatically disabling disposable e-mail addresses based on user actions. A method embodiment for disabling disposable e-mail addresses comprises: receiving ( 205 ) at a disposable e-mail address server (DEA server) ( 330 ) an e-mail directed to the DEA server ( 330 ) via a disposable e-mail address, wherein the disposable e-mail address is associated with an un-aliased e-mail address; adding ( 220 ) tracking information to the e-mail; directing the e-mail to a e-mail client; classifying ( 245 ) the e-mail as unsolicited e-mail; ascertaining ( 260 ) creation data associated with the disposable e-mail address; conveying the creation data for subsequent interpretation; seeking ( 270 ) authorization to disable the e-mail address; and upon gaining authorization, directing ( 275 ) the DEA server ( 330 ) to disable the disposable e-mail address.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
   This invention pertains to the field of disposable e-mail addresses, and particularly to the automatic disablement of disposable e-mail addresses. 
   RELATED APPLICATION 
   This application is related to U.S. application Ser. No. 10/979,589 filed Nov. 1, 2004 and titled “Automatic Generation of Disposable E-mail Addresses,” which is herein incorporated in its entirety by reference. 
   BACKGROUND ART 
   Spam is a type of malicious computer code. It is sometimes referred to as electronic junk mail or junk newsgroup postings. Spam is generally e-mail advertising for some product sent to a mailing list or newsgroup. It can be generally defined as unsolicited and unwanted e-mail or other electronic messages. 
   In addition to wasting people&#39;s time with unwanted e-mail, spam also consumes a lot of network bandwidth. Consequently, there are many organizations, as well as individuals, who have taken it upon themselves to fight spam with a variety of techniques. As the Internet is public, little can be done to prevent spam, just as it is impossible to prevent paper junk mail from arriving in a real mailbox. However, some online services have instituted policies to prevent spammers from spamming their subscribers. One such technique involves using disposable e-mail addresses. 
   A disposable e-mail address is an alias of a real e-mail account. Oftentimes a web page or other online service of some type requires divulging an e-mail address to complete the transaction or request. Rather than providing a real e-mail address, one or more aliases are created that are used to interact with the requesting entity. From the entity&#39;s perspective, the entity has a legitimate e-mail address through which it may communicate. As shown in  FIG. 1  (Prior Art), e-mail using a disposable e-mail address is directed to a Disposable E-Mail server (DEA server)  110 . In many senses a DEA server operates as any other e-mail server. E-mails directed to the server are routed to the correct recipient. DEA servers operate under the presumption that a single user may have several disposable e-mails. These e-mails may be active or be disabled to help in the control of spam. The DEA server, therefore, first determines  120  whether the disposable e-mail address has been disabled. Typically, upon verification that spam exists, the disposable e-mail address corresponding to the spam is shut down  130  or canceled, stopping the unwanted spam from arriving in the user&#39;s inbox. In situations where the disposable e-mail address is active, the DEA server looks up  150  the real or un-aliased e-mail address associated with the disposable e-mail address, and forwards  160  the message to the real e-mail account. Some DEA servers also perform anti-spam checks  140  or apply anti-spam filters. Typically, a disposable e-mail server is interposed between the user or client computer and the regular e-mail server, website, news server, or the like. 
   Since a single user can have multiple disposable e-mail addresses, having a compromised disposable e-mail address resulting in a deluge of spam or other malicious code does not carry with it the connotations of having to cancel the user&#39;s e-mail service, contacting the user&#39;s legitimate contacts with a new e-mail address, and so forth. The solution to the compromised e-mail address is as simple as disposing of the disposable e-mail address. 
   The use of disposable e-mail addresses is not without its challenges. Twenty websites necessitating e-mail addresses to complete the transaction may require the generation of twenty or more aliases. Clearly the number of disposable e-mail addresses can grow quickly. While disposable e-mail servers manage the day to day forwarding of e-mail and other forms of electronic mail to the correct addresses, they still function only as a conduit for the e-mail. The user can still be deluged by an onslaught of unsolicited e-mail, this time sent via several disposable e-mail addresses. Several e-mail clients, such as Microsoft Outlook®, Lotus Notes®, and Eudora® possess options to manage spam. Most allow a user to identify unwanted e-mail as spam, junk mail, or the like, and to move the messages into a separate folder or delete the message entirely. This operation however, takes place locally, and while it may effectively control the contents of a user&#39;s inbox it fails to address diminished network bandwidth due to spam&#39;s presence. If a user wishes to disable the disposable e-mail address, he or she must communicate such intent with the disposable e-mail server. This duplication of effort, and the tedious nature of keeping track of what disposable e-mail address to delete, reduces the likelihood that the use of disposable e-mail addresses will reduce spam. Furthermore, the user is unaware of the how the originator of the spam obtained the user&#39;s e-mail address. While the spam is clearly tied to a disposable e-mail address associated with the user, the user, without significant investigation, is not informed of the originating activity that generated the disposable e-mail address, and thus may continue to support it. 
   There remains a need to automate the disablement of disposable e-mail addresses and to inform the user of the disposable e-mail address resulting in the spam. The present invention addresses these and other problems, as well as provides additional benefits. 
   DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION 
   Methods, apparatuses, and computer-readable media for automatically disabling disposable e-mail addresses based on user actions. A method embodiment for disabling disposable e-mail addresses comprises: receiving ( 205 ) at a disposable e-mail address server (DEA server) ( 330 ) an e-mail directed to the DEA server ( 330 ) via a disposable e-mail address, wherein the disposable e-mail address is associated with an un-aliased e-mail address; adding ( 220 ) tracking information to the e-mail; directing the e-mail to a e-mail client; classifying ( 245 ) the e-mail as unsolicited e-mail; ascertaining ( 260 ) creation data associated with the disposable e-mail address; conveying the creation data for subsequent interpretation; seeking ( 270 ) authorization to disable the e-mail address; and upon gaining authorization, directing ( 275 ) the DEA server ( 330 ) to disable the disposable e-mail address. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     These and other more detailed and specific objects and features of the present invention are more fully disclosed in the following specification, reference being to the accompanying drawings, in which: 
       FIG. 1  (Prior Art) is a flow diagram of typical processing of an e-mail message using a disposable e-mail address through a DEA server. 
       FIG. 2  is a flow diagram of one method embodiment of the present invention for automatically disabling disposable e-mail based on user actions. 
       FIG. 3  is a block diagram of one apparatus embodiment of the present invention for automated disablement of disposable e-mail addresses. 
       FIG. 4  is a block diagram of a network environment adapted to disable automatically disposable e-mail addresses in accordance with the present invention. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
   The present invention automatically disables disposable e-mail addresses based on a user&#39;s network activity. By monitoring a user&#39;s interaction with the Internet or other networks and use of an e-mail client, the present invention prompts the user to disable a disposable e-mail address when the user has associated it with spam or other unwanted e-mail content. The present invention can also inform the user of the origin of the unwanted e-mail to empower the user in his or her network selections. 
   The present invention offers the following advantages over the prior art:
         seamlessly integrating the disposal of disposable e-mail addresses with a user&#39;s e-mail client;   decreasing the procedural steps required to effectively dispose of a disposable e-mail address from a given sender;   increasing a user&#39;s control of spam through effective use of disposable e-mail addresses;   empowering the user&#39;s selection of network resources by informing the user of the source of unwanted e-mail solicitation; and   improving a user&#39;s e-mail and network environment by decreasing the presence of spam.       

   Spam has become ubiquitous, and, for most people, spam represents the scourge of e-mail. Unfortunately, spam, like junk mail that arrives daily in millions of physical mailboxes, spam is unlikely to disappear. A disposable e-mail address is one of the most effective tools available for fighting spam. The present invention facilitates the use of disposable e-mail addresses by monitoring a user&#39;s network activity though his or her e-mail client and actively prompting the user to discard a disposable e-mail address once the user has identified an e-mail as unwanted communications. This may occur by using an e-mail client such as Microsoft Outlook®, whereby the user may designate e-mail as junk mail. Upon the user identifying a specific e-mail as being spam, the present invention communicates with the disposable e-mail server to gain origin information and prompts the user to seek authorization to disable the disposable e-mail address. For the purpose of the present invention, a user may be a human user or a device. A computer, processor, machine, or the like may be a user of electronic message services. Embodiments involving a mechanical or electronic user can automate the authorization to disable disposable e-mail addresses. 
     FIG. 2  is a flow diagram of one embodiment of a method for disabling a disposable e-mail address based on user actions. As described herein, a disposable e-mail address is an alias of a user&#39;s real e-mail address. A disposable e-mail address server (“DEA server”) acts as a clearinghouse to receive e-mails directed to disposable e-mail addresses, and to forward the messages to the user&#39;s un-aliased e-mail address. As the DEA server receives  205  an e-mail directed to a disposable e-mail address, the DEA server first determines  210  whether the disposable e-mail address has been disabled. If the disposable e-mail address has been disabled, the e-mail message is discarded  285 , and the user is not informed of the existence of the e-mail. 
   In situations where the disposable e-mail address has not been disabled, the DEA server examines  215  its database that correlates disposable e-mail addresses to a user&#39;s un-aliased e-mail address. Once the user&#39;s un-aliased e-mail address is identified  215 , the present invention adds  220  tracking information to the e-mail to identify which disposable e-mail address originally conveyed the e-mail to the DEA server. In one embodiment, the added information is in the form of an X-header which lists a code by which the DEA server  330  can retrieve the correct disposable e-mail address. Network communications taking place via Simple Message Transport Protocol (SMTP), News Network Transfer Protocol (NNTP), and Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP). These protocols use Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (MIME) as a way to convey information regarding individual messages. MIME provides the capability of using X-headers. X-headers enable additional or extra information to be added to the header. According to MIME protocols, X-headers must be forwarded with their corresponding messages. Thus the X-header is a logical place to locate tracking information regarding the e-mail. 
   For illustration purposes, a typical appended X-header for a manually created disposable e-mail address may take the form of X-DEA-VIA: tops@deaserver.com. Similarly, the X-header for a disposable e-mail address created automatically may take the form of X-DEA-VIA: x24ij34x@deaserver.com. Both of these headers have validation headers such as X-DEA-VALIDATION: {[8 hex character]−[4 hex character]}−{[4 hex character]−[4 hex character]−[12 hex character]}. The validation header prevents tampering of the header information. Additional X-headers can be added to incorporate additional information regarding the e-mail. 
   Once tagged with tracking information, the e-mail is forwarded  225  to the e-mail server  330  responsible for receiving and managing the user&#39;s e-mail account. At this point, the e-mail is treated as any other e-mail directed toward the user&#39;s un-aliased e-mail address would be treated. Eventually, the user&#39;s e-mail client communicates with the e-mail server and retrieves  230  the user&#39;s e-mail. The user&#39;s e-mail client may be one of any number of popular e-mail client software products, such as Microsoft Outlook®, Outlook Express®, Eudora®, Lotus Notes®, or the like. Each possesses the capability of communicating with an e-mail server and retrieving messages directed to the user&#39;s e-mail address. Once retrieved, the e-mail message is directed to the user&#39;s inbox for review  235 . The present invention monitors whether the user identifies  240  a message as an unsolicited e-mail, junk mail, spam, or the like. In one embodiment, the present invention hooks a plug-in application to the e-mail client to use the e-mail client&#39;s filtering capability. In other embodiments, the detection may be through more independent detection means. 
   Once the user has identified  240  the e-mail message to the e-mail client as undesirable and unsolicited e-mail (spam), the present invention examines  250  the e-mail for tracking information. In one embodiment, the headers of the e-mail, including the X-header, are examined for tracking information added  220  as the e-mail passed  225  from the DEA server  330  to the e-mail server  320 . In other embodiments, tracking information may be embedded in the e-mail content. When the e-mail is found to contain tracking information, the present invention communicates  260  with the DEA server  330  to determine details regarding the relationship between the user&#39;s un-aliased e-mail address and the disposable e-mail address. Once provided with the disposable e-mail address, the DEA server  330  can communicate back to the user&#39;s computer  350  information such as a log outlining the use of the disposable e-mail address. Such a log may include the originator of the e-mail, the date and time of the transmission, and so forth. The DEA server  330  can also convey to the user&#39;s computer  350  the original designation of the disposable e-mail address. Provided with such information  265 , the user may identify what entity disclosed or sold the disposable e-mail address to the originator of the unsolicited e-mail. Empowered with such information, users can adjust their patronage accordingly. 
   When an e-mail designated  245  as spam by the user fails to possess any tracking information, the e-mail, in one embodiment, is directed  255  to a spam engine or trainable spam filter to improve the e-mail client&#39;s ability to detect future spam. The trainable filter or spam engine can identify characteristics of e-mails designated by the user as spam to filter future unsolicited e-mail. 
   Having identified the e-mail as spam, and being provided with information regarding the origin of the e-mail and its relationship with the disposable e-mail address, the user, in one embodiment, is prompted  270  to disable the disposable e-mail address. If the user concurs, the present invention communicates  275  with the DEA server  330  to disable the disposable e-mail address associated with the pending e-mail. As a result, further messages sent to this particular disposable e-mail address will not reach the user&#39;s inbox. In another embodiment, the e-mail address is disabled  275  automatically upon the user&#39;s determination  245  that the e-mail message is spam, bypassing the need for the user to authorize the disablement of the disposable e-mail address. 
     FIG. 3  is a block diagram of one embodiment of a network environment configured to disable disposable e-mail addresses based on user inputs. The present invention is contemplated to be equally effective in a remote, distributed, or localized configuration. As shown in  FIG. 3 , one configuration is to employ a proxy computer  310  interposed between an e-mail server  320  and a DEA server  330 . When an e-mail arrives at a DEA server  330  as directed by a disposable e-mail address, and upon verification that the disposable e-mail address is still active, the proxy computer  310  interacts with the DEA server to add  220  tracking information to the e-mail as it is forwarded  225  to the user&#39;s e-mail server  320 . When the user identifies  245  an e-mail message of this type as spam, a separate component of the present invention communicates  260  directly with the DEA server  330  to ascertain relational and creation information regarding the e-mail in question. A second configuration distributes the functional components of the present invention between a user computer  350  and the DEA server  330 . In this embodiment, the ability to add  220  tracking information to the e-mail, once the DEA server  330  has associated it with the user&#39;s un-aliased e-mail address, resides on the backend of the DEA server  330 . Monitoring the user&#39;s action with respect to the designation  245  of e-mails as spam is carried out locally on the user computer  350 , as is the capability to communicate  260  with the DEA server  330  to ascertain creation and historical information about the e-mail message. In both configurations, the DEA servers  330  and the e-mail servers  320  are coupled to a network  380  such as the Internet, a LAN, WAN, or similar network configuration. 
     FIG. 4  is a block diagram of an apparatus  400  embodiment for automatically disabling a disposable e-mail address based on user actions. A communications module  420  is interposed between and is communicatively coupled to an information module  410  and an identification module  430 . The information module  410  interacts with the DEA server  320  to ascertain whether the disposable e-mail address that directed the e-mail to the DEA server has been disabled  210 . In the case where the disposable e-mail address is active, the information module  410  works with the DEA server  320  to add  220  tracking information to the e-mail. With tracking information added  220  to the e-mail, the message is forwarded  225  to the user&#39;s e-mail server  320 , and in time retrieved  230  by the user&#39;s e-mail client. 
   The identification module  430  resides, in this embodiment, on the user computer  350  and interacts with the e-mail client to monitor whether the user designates  345  the e-mail as spam or an unsolicited e-mail message. Upon such a designation  345 , the identification module  430  interacts with the communication module  420  to gain detailed information about the creation and history of the disposable e-mail address that directed the e-mail first to the DEA server  330 , then to the user&#39;s e-mail server  320 , and ultimately to the user&#39;s inbox. The communications module  420  conveys creation and historical information to the identification module  430 , which provides  265  the user with data to determine whether the disposable e-mail address should be disabled. In the event the user elects to disable the disposable e-mail address, the communications module  420  conveys  275  the direction to the DEA server  320 . 
   The communication modules&#39;  420  interaction with the information module  410  and the identification module  430  allows the apparatus&#39; functionality to be distributed between the DEA server  320  and the user computer  350 . This is depicted on  FIG. 4  as the intersection of two Venn diagrams. A first association  440  shows the interaction between the communication module  420  and the identification module  430 , and a second association  450  illustrates the interaction between the communication module  420  and the information module  410 . 
   While it is contemplated that the present invention will be used on network computers, it is possible to apply the methodology presented here to network environments with multiple computers in several locations. Although not required, method embodiments of the invention can be implemented via computer-executable instructions, such as routines executed by a general purpose computer, e.g., a server or client computer. The computer-executable instructions can be embodied in hardware, firmware, or software residing on at least one computer-readable medium, such as one or more hard disks, floppy disks, optical drives, flash memory, Compact Disks, Digital Video Disks, etc. Those skilled in the relevant art will appreciate that the invention can be practiced with other computer system configurations including Internet appliances, hand-held devices, wearable computers, cellular or mobile phones, multi-processor systems, microprocessor-based or programmable consumer electronics, set-top boxes, network PCs, mini-computers, mainframe computers, and the like. 
   The invention can be embodied in a special purpose computer or data processor that is specifically programmed, configured, or constructed to perform at least one of the computer-executable instructions as explained herein. The invention can also be practiced in distributed computing environments where tasks or modules are performed by remote processing devices linked through a communications network. In a distributed computing environment, program modules may be located in both local and remote memory storage devices. Furthermore, for purposes of this patent application, malicious computer code comprises computer code commonly referred to as computer viruses, worms, Trojan horses, spam, spy-ware, and any other type of unauthorized or unsolicited computer code that appears in or on a computer without an authorized user&#39;s knowledge and/or without an authorized user&#39;s consent. 
   The above description is included to illustrate the operation of various embodiments of the invention, and is not meant to limit the scope of the invention. The elements and steps of the various embodiments described above can be combined to provide further embodiments. The scope of the invention is to be limited only by the following claims. Accordingly, from the above discussion, many variations will be apparent to one skilled in the art that would yet be encompassed by the spirit and scope of the present invention.