Patent ID: 7171450

Claim:
A method of determining if a message is spam in a system having a plurality of anti-spam modules comprising the steps of: a) invoking one of the plurality of anti-spam modules; b) receiving a spam confidence level from the one of the plurality of anti-spam modules; c) applying a tuning factor to the spam confidence level to create a tuned spam confidence level; d) adding the tuned spam confidence level to a summed spam confidence level; e) comparing the summed spam confidence level to at least one threshold; f) if the summed spam confidence level is greater than the at least one threshold, invoking an action associated with the at least one threshold; and g) repeating steps a–f if the summed spam confidence level is less than the at least one threshold, wherein the action includes one of the following: dropping a connection if the summed spam confidence level exceeds a first threshold level of the at least one threshold, returning a non-delivery message to a sender if the summed spam confidence level exceeds a second threshold level of the at least one threshold and is below the first threshold level, and delivering the message to a junk mail folder if the message exceeds a third threshold level of the at least one threshold and is below the second threshold level.