Apparatus and method for handling electronic mail
US7328250B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Jun 29, 2001 |
| Grant date | Feb 5, 2008 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Sep 12, 2024 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04L51/212
- WIPO fieldDigital communication
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A mail transfer agent adapted for determining the disposition of incoming e-mail from a sender includes a penalty count filter module which functions on the basis of current communication system resource usage, such as the number of concurrent TCP connections being maintained, and penalty counts assigned for cumulative undesirable sender activity such as sending large e-mail files. The penalty count filter module can operate in a selective-rejection state accepting e-mail from senders without a penalty count and randomly accepting other e-mail, and in a random-rejection state rejecting all e-mail from senders with a penalty count and randomly rejecting other e-mail. The rejection rates can be increased or decreased in response to a detected increase or decrease in the usage of system resources.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.