Patent ID: 7433923

Claim:
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; truncating the body of said email message to a predetermined length; providing at least one filter means for analyzing particular aspect(s) of said truncated email body; sending said truncated email body through said at least one filter means; wherein said at least one filter means provides a pass/fail indication; rejecting said email message if said truncated email body fails at least one of said at least one 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 truncated email body passes all of said at least one 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 length is user settable.