Automating the reduction of unsolicited email in real time

An apparatus for reducing unsolicited bulk emails to a computer network comprising:

• an at least one gateway to a computer network for receiving or transmitting information whereby incoming emails are initially examined for being suspect as unsolicited bulk emails;
• a mail queue;
• and
• a delay queue, whereby suspect incoming emails are placed on the delay queue for an appropriate and configurable time period, whereby at least one characteristic of the emails placed on the delay queue is examined to determine whether the emails is likely to be desirable to the intended recipient.

A method of reducing unwanted email messages received at a computer network, the method comprising:

• (a) storing an email message on a delay queue;
• (b) identifying at least one characteristic of the email message stored on the delay queue;
• and
• (c) comparing said at least one characteristic of the email message stored on the delay queue with corresponding characteristics of other email messages stored on the delay queue to determine a likelihood that the email message is an unwanted e-mail message.

A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for causing an email server to perform the steps comprising:

• placing emails on a delay queue;
• identifying at least one characteristic of the emails placed on the delay queue;
• and
• comparing said at least one characteristic of the emails placed on the delay queue to determine a likelihood that emails with similar characteristics are likely unsolicited bulk emails.