Electronic Communication Relationship Management System And Methods For Using The Same

Abstract

A method performed by a validator computer system for facilitating electronic communications from a sender to an electronic message program associated with a recipient. The method includes registering the sender in the validator system, registering the recipient in the validator system, and receiving approval from the recipient to designate the sender as an authorized sender for the recipient in the validator system. The method further includes designating the approved sender as an authorized sender for the recipient in the validator system in response to the approval from the recipient and communicating with a message filter associated with the message program associated with the recipient to add the sender to an authorized sender list of the filter.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagram of an electronic communications system according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic of a Validator computer according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a flow chart showing a process by which a sender may register with the Validator.

FIG. 4 is a screen shot of a Web page form that the Validator may present to a registering sender.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart showing a process by which a recipient may register with the Validator.

FIG. 6 is a screen shot of a Web page form that the Validator may present to a registering recipient.

FIG. 7 is a flow chart showing a process by which a sender-recipient relationship may be created according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a flow chart showing a process by which a sender-recipient relationship may be created according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 9-10 are screen shots of a two Web page forms that the Validator may present to a registered recipient for authorizing a sender according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a screen shot of a Web page form that the Validator may present to a registered recipient for authorizing a sender according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method performed by a validator computer system for facilitating electronic communications from a sender to an electronic message program associated with a recipient, the method comprising: registering the sender in the validator system;registering the recipient in the validator system;receiving approval from the recipient to designate the sender as an authorized sender for the recipient in the validator system;designating the approved sender as an authorized sender for the recipient in the validator system in response to said approval from the recipient; andcommunicating with a message filter associated with the message program associated with the recipient to add the sender to an authorized sender list of the filter.

2. A method as set forth in claim 1 wherein the validator system includes a database and the step of registering the sender in the validator system includes: receiving from the sender authentication information including at least one authentication data item selected from a group of authentication data items consisting of a username, a password, a personal question, and a personal answer; andrecording the authentication information provided by the sender in the database of the validator.

3. A method as set forth in claim 1 wherein the validator system includes a database and the step of registering the sender in the validator system includes: receiving from the sender registration information including at least one registration data item selected from a group of registration data items consisting of a name of the sender, a physical address of the sender, and a phone number for the sender; andrecording the registration information provided by the sender in the database of the validator.

4. A method as set forth in claim 3 wherein the step of receiving registration information from the sender includes receiving at least one e-mail address of the sender and the method further comprises: receiving a request from the sender to change the e-mail address of the sender to a new e-mail address of the sender in the validator; andnotifying each recipient who has approved the senders as an authorized sender of the new e-mail address of the sender.

5. A method as set forth in claim 3 wherein the step of receiving registration information from the sender includes receiving at least one e-mail address from the sender and the method further comprises: receiving a request from the sender to change the e-mail address of the sender to a new e-mail address of the sender in the validator; andcommunicating with the message filter associated with the message program associated with the recipient to add the new e-mail address of the sender to the authorized sender list of the message filter.

6. A method as set forth in claim 1 wherein the step of registering the recipient in the validator system includes: receiving from the recipient registration information including at least one registration data item selected from a group of registration data items consisting of a name of the recipient, a physical address of the recipient, and a phone number for the recipient; andrecording the registration information provided by the sender in a database of the validator.

7. A method as set forth in claim 6 wherein the step of receiving registration information from the recipient includes receiving at least one e-mail address from the recipient and the method further comprises: receiving a request from the recipient to change the e-mail address of the recipient to a new e-mail address of the recipient in the validator; andnotifying each authorized sender associated with the recipient of the new e-mail address of the recipient.

8. A method as set forth in claim 6 wherein the step of receiving registration information from the recipient includes receiving at least one e-mail address from the recipient and the method further comprises: receiving a request from the recipient to change the e-mail address of the recipient to a new e-mail address of the recipient in the validator; andcommunicating with a message filter associated with a message program associated with the new e-mail address of the recipient to add the sender to an authorized sender list of the message filter associated with the new e-mail address of the recipient.

9. A method as set forth in claim 1 wherein the validator system includes a database and the validator system registering the recipient in the validator system includes: receiving from the recipient authentication information including at least one authentication data item selected from a group of authentication data items consisting of a username, a password, a personal question, and a personal answer; andrecording the authentication information provided by the recipient in the database of the validator.

10. A method as set forth in claim 1 further comprising: providing a unique electronic key to the sender for accessing the validator system; andgranting access to the sender when the sender presents said unique electronic key to the validator system.

11. A method as set forth in claim 1 further comprising: providing a unique electronic key to the recipient for accessing the validator system; andgranting access to the recipient when the recipient presents said unique electronic key to the validator system.

12. A method as set forth in claim 1 further comprising: registering additional senders in the validator system;receiving approval from the recipient to designate the additional senders as authorized senders for the recipient in the validator system;designating additional senders as authorized senders for the recipient in the validator system in response to said approval from the recipient; andcommunicating with the message filter associated with the message program associated with the recipient to add the additional senders to the list of authorized senders of the filter for allowing electronic messages from the designated additional senders to pass to the in-box.

13. A method as set forth in claim 1 further comprising: registering additional recipients in the validator system;receiving approval from the additional recipients to designate the sender as an authorized sender for the additional recipients in the validator system;designating the sender as an authorized sender for the additional recipients in the validator system in response to said approval from the additional recipients; andcommunicating with message filters associated with message programs associated with the additional recipients to add the sender to respective lists of authorized senders maintained by respective message filters of the additional recipients for allowing electronic messages from the sender to pass to respective in-boxes for the additional recipients.

14. A method as set forth in claim 1 wherein the communicating step includes the validation system or the electronic message program adding the sender to the authorized sender list of the filter for allowing electronic messages from the sender to pass to an in-box of the electronic message program associated with the recipient.

15. A method as set forth in claim 1 wherein: the receiving step includes receiving approval from the recipient to designate one or more e-mail addresses of the sender and/or one or more domain names of the sender as authorized;the designating step includes designating the one or more approved e-mail addresses and domain names as authorized in the validator system;the communicating step includes communicating with the message filter associated with the message program associated with the recipient to add the authorized e-mail addresses and/or domain names to the authorized sender list of the filter.

16. A method as set forth in claim 1 further comprising communicating with the message filter associated with the message program associated with the recipient to procure configuration information regarding the filter for facilitating communications between the validator system and the filter.

17. A method as set forth in claim 1 wherein each registering step includes: presenting Web page forms to the sender and the recipient into which the sender and the recipient enter information for registering;validating the entered information; andrecording the entered and validated information.

18. A method as set forth in claim 1 further comprising notifying the sender that they have been designated as an authorized sender in the validator system per recipient approval.

19. A method as set forth in claim 1 further comprising receiving confirmation from the filter associated with the recipient that the sender has been added to the authorized sender list of the message filter.

20. A method as set forth in claim 1 further comprising notifying the sender that they have been added to the authorized sender list of the message filter associated with the recipient.

21. A method as set forth in claim 1 further comprising enquiring of the recipient whether they want to approve the sender as an authorized sender, said enquiry being performed in response to a request of the sender for such an enquiry.

22. A method as set forth in claim 1 wherein said step of registering the recipient includes receiving registration information that the recipient entered into a Web site of the sender.

23. A method as set forth in claim 1 wherein said step of registering the recipient includes presenting a Web page form to the recipient in response to a request from the sender that the validator system present the Web page and/or in response to the recipient selecting a link in a Web site of the sender.

24. A method as set forth in claim 1 further comprising receiving control from the sender of programs and/or interfaces existing between the sender and the recipient, wherein at least one of the steps of registering the recipient and receiving approval are performed by the validator system by interacting with the recipient while having said control.

25. A method as set forth in claim 1 further comprising releasing said control of programs and/or interfaces between the sender and the recipient after the step of registering the recipient and/or the step of receiving approval.

26. A computer system for ensuring electronic communications from a sender are received to an in-box of an electronic message program associated with a recipient, the computer system comprising: a processor running at least one program;a database connected to the processor for storing information received from the processor and releasing the stored information to the processor upon request of the processor;an input/output interface connected to the processor by way of an input/output data bus for connecting the processor to a wide area network;a memory connected to said processor; andan e-mail validation program stored in said non-volatile memory and ran by the processor wherein the processor running the program: connects to the wide area network via said input/output interface;requests and receives registration information from a sender via the wide area network;stores the registration information received from the sender in the database;requests and receives registration information from a recipient over the wide area network;stores the registration information received from the recipient in the database;receives approval from the recipient to designate the sender as an authorized sender for the recipient in the computer system over the wide area network;designates the sender as an authorized sender for the recipient in the database in response to said approval from the recipient; andcommunicates with a message filter associated with the message program associated with the recipient to add the sender to an authorized sender list in the filter.

27. A communication system for ensuring electronic communications from a sender are received to an in-box of an electronic message program associated a recipient, the communication system comprising: a wide area network;a sender computer operatively connected to the wide area network;a recipient computer operatively connected to the wide area network;an electronic message program associated with the sender computer;an electronic message filter associated with the electronic message program; anda validating computer connected to the wide area network and including: a processor running at least one program;a database connected to the processor; andan e-mail validation program stored in said non-volatile memory and ran by the processor wherein the processor running the program: connects to the wide area network via said input/output interface;requests and receives registration information from a sender via the wide area network;stores the registration information received from the sender in the database;requests and receives registration information from a recipient over the wide area network;stores the registration information received from the recipient in the database;receives approval from the recipient to designate the sender as an authorized sender for the recipient in the validating computer over the wide area network;designates the sender as an authorized sender for the recipient in the database in response to said approval from the recipient; andcommunicates with a message filter associated with the message program associated with the recipient to add the sender to an authorized sender list in the filter.

28. A method performed by a validator computer system for facilitating electronic communications from a sender to an electronic message program associated with a recipient, the method comprising: communicating with the electronic message program associated with the recipient to procure configuration information regarding the filter for facilitating communications between the validator system and the filter and to enable all electronic messages from the validator system to pass to whom the validator is sending the electronic messages;registering the sender in the validator system;registering the recipient in the validator system;forming an alias e-mail address having a domain name of the validator system associated with a recipient having an actual e-mail address and storing the alias e-mail address and actual e-mail address and linking the addresses in a database of the validator system;receiving approval from the recipient to designate the sender as an authorized sender for the recipient in the validator system;receiving an electronic message from a transmitter to the alias address of the recipient;ensuring that the transmitter of the electronic message to the alias address associated with the recipient has been approved by the recipient an authorized sender for the recipient in the validator system; andforwarding the electronic message to the recipient if the transmitter of the message has been approved by the recipient as authorized sender for the recipient in the validator system.

29. A computer-readable medium product having computer program logic embodied therein for facilitating electronic communications from a sender to an electronic message program associated with a recipient, the computer program logic stored on the computer-readable medium to perform a method comprising: registering the sender in the validator system;registering the recipient in the validator system;receiving approval from the recipient to designate the sender as an authorized sender for the recipient in the validator system;designating the approved sender as an authorized sender for the recipient in the validator system in response to said approval from the recipient; andcommunicating with a message filter associated with the message program associated with the recipient to add the sender to an authorized sender list of the filter.