Patent ID: 7660857

Claim:
A method for modifying mail filters associated with a user of a mail system, the method comprising: receiving a subscription request from a recipient to a sender, the subscription request including user information, wherein the subscription request is received as part of a web browser interaction before sending electronic mail between the sender and the recipient and wherein the subscription request is initiated by the recipient; generating a petition by the sender based on the user information, the petition comprising a request for the sender to be added to a list of approved mail senders, the list associated with the user, wherein inside the petition the sender specifies a set of methods that the sender will use to identify itself in a future time when the sender sends the electronic mail to the recipient; transmitting a token containing the petition from the sender to the recipient as a result of the subscription request and storing said token at a computing device where the recipient resides, wherein the petition is transmitted during said web browser interaction before sending electronic mail between the sender and the recipient; receiving a login request from the user to the mail system; checking for the token containing the petition in the computing device where said recipient resides; processing said token containing the petition if the token is found on the computing device where the recipient resides and modifying the mail filters associated with the user by adding the sender to the list of approved mail senders as specified in the petition; and transmitting an electronic mail message from the sender to the recipient, wherein the set of methods specified by the sender in the petition are employed by the recipient to verify the sender's identity that transmitted the electronic mail message.