Multilevel anti-spam system and method with load balancing

1. A computer-implemented method for managing spam within an email message stream directed from a server to a communications device, comprising:

defining a plurality of anti-spam filter levels with at least one anti-spam filter level at each one of the server and the communications device and including at least one anti-spam module configurable for filtering spam messages;

generating an anti-spam request at the communications device, the anti-spam request including a preferred anti-spam filter level;

communicating the anti-spam request to the preferred anti-spam filter level from the communication device;

implementing the anti-spam request at the preferred anti-spam filter level based on at least one predetermined criterion; and

determining if the anti-spam request cannot be implemented at the preferred anti-spam filter level and, if it is determined that the anti-spam request cannot be implemented at the preferred anti-spam level, implementing the anti-spam request at the uppermost anti-spam filter level having at least one anti-spam module with available processing capacity.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising generating the anti-spam request upon user confirmation of a proposed anti-spam request automatically generated from a received spam message.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising generating the anti-spam request based on one of user selection and user input.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein implementing the anti-spam request comprises processing an anti-spam action on an anti-spam address and any anti-spam subject specified in the anti-spam request, the anti-spam action being one of add, change, and cancel.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4 , further comprising:

at a given anti-spam filter level, comparing anti-spam addresses and any anti-spam subjects from at least two anti-spam requests;

determining if any anti-spam addresses or any optional anti-spam subjects have common portions of minimal length;

if there are any common portions of minimal length in at least one of the anti-spam addresses or anti-spam subjects, then proposing consolidation of the relevant anti-spam requests at a higher anti-spam filter level if available.

6. A system for managing spam within an email message stream directed from a server to a communications device, comprising:

a plurality of anti-spam filter levels with at least one anti-spam filter level at each one of the server and the communications device and including at least one anti-spam module configurable for filtering spam messages;

anti-spam request means for generating an anti-spam request at the communications device, the anti-spam request including a preferred anti-spam filter level;

means for communicating the anti-spam request to the preferred anti-spam filter level from the communication device;

means for implementing the anti-spam request on at least one anti-spam module in the preferred anti-spam filter level based on at least one predetermined criterion; and

means for determining if the anti-spam request cannot be implemented at the preferred anti-spam level and, if it is determined that the anti-spam request cannot be implemented at the preferred anti-spam level, implementing the anti-spam request at the uppermost anti-spam filter level having at least one anti-spam module with available processing capacity.

7. The system of claim 6 , further comprising means for generating the anti-spam request upon user confirmation of a proposed anti-spam request automatically generated from a received spam message.

8. The system of claim 6 , further comprising means for generating the anti-spam request based on one of user selection and user input.

9. The system of claim 6 , wherein the means for implementing the anti-spam request comprises means for processing an anti-spam action on an anti-spam address and any anti-spam subject specified in the anti-spam request, the anti-spam action being one of add, change, and cancel.

10. The system of claim 9 , further comprising:

means for comparing anti-spam addresses and any anti-spam subjects from at least two anti-spam requests at a given anti-spam filter level;

means for determining if any anti-spam addresses or any anti-spam subjects have common portions of minimal length;

means for proposing consolidation of the relevant anti-spam requests at a higher anti-spam filter level if there are any common portions of minimal length in at least one of the anti-spam addresses or anti-spam subjects.

11. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising code that, when loaded into a computing device, adapts the device to manage spam within an email message stream directed from a server to a communications device, the non-transitory computer readable medium including:

code for defining a plurality of anti-spam filter levels with at least one anti-spam filter level at each one of the server and the communications device and including at least one anti-spam module configurable for filtering spam messages;

code for generating in response to a selection an anti-spam request at the communications device, the anti-spam request including a preferred anti-spam filter level;

code for communicating the anti-spam request to the preferred anti-spam filter level from the communication device;

code for implementing the anti-spam request on at least one anti-spam module in the preferred anti-spam filter level based on at least one predetermined criterion; and

code for determining if the anti-spam request cannot be implemented at the preferred anti-spam filter level and, if it is determined that the anti-spam request cannot be implemented at the preferred anti-spam level, implementing the anti-spam request at the uppermost anti-spam filter level having at least one anti-spam module with available processing capacity.

12. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11 , further including code for generating the anti-spam request upon user confirmation of a proposed anti-spam request automatically generated from a received spam message.

13. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11 , further including code for generating the anti-spam request based on one of user selection and user input.

14. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11 , further including code for implementing an anti-spam action on an anti-spam address and any anti-spam subject specified in the anti-spam request, the anti-spam action being one of add, change, and cancel.

15. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11 , further including:

code for comparing anti-spam addresses and any anti-spam subjects from at least two anti-spam requests at a given anti-spam filter level;

code for determining if any anti-spam addresses or any anti-spam subjects have common portions of minimal length;

code for proposing consolidation of the relevant anti-spam requests at a higher anti-spam filter level if there are any common portions of minimal length in at least one of the anti-spam addresses or anti-spam subjects.