Method and system for filtering unauthorized electronic mail messages

Abstract

A computer system and method for filtering unauthorized electronic mail messages that are sent by senders to a user. The system includes a list of the identifications of the senders who are authorized to send an electronic mail message to the user. When an electronic mail message is received, the system determines whether the sender of the electronic mail message is authorized by determining whether the identification of sender in the electronic mail message is in the list of the identifications of the senders who are authorized. When the sender of the electronic mail message is determined to be authorized, the system stores the electronic mail message in an Inbox folder. When the sender of the electronic mail message is determined to be not authorized, the system stores the electronic mail message in a Junk Mail folder. In this way, the electronic ail messages are automatically stored in the appropriate folder based on whether the sender is authorized so that the user can view the Inbox folder containing the electronic mail messages sent by authorized senders separately from the Junk Mail folder containing the electronic mail messages sent by unauthorized senders.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.