IP Library Granted Patent US 7,996,475
Granted Patent B2
US 7,996,475 · App. 12/167,547 · Granted Aug 9, 2011

Facilitating transmission of email by checking email parameters with a database of well behaved senders

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 7,996,475
App. No.
12/167,547
Granted
Aug 9, 2011
Kind
B2
Abstract

Facilitating email transmission by extracting email parameters, requesting data in the form of a dns query, and receiving a sender reputation as an IP address. Querying a database by sending a plurality of arguments concatenated to a dns request and receiving an IP address in reply. Operating a remote database as a dns server, receiving queries as domains and transmitting replies in the format of IPv4 or IPv6 addresses. Filtering email by querying a database with email parameters comprising an IP address and a domain of an email sender which may be extracted from an email header in the HELO, EHLO, MAIL FROM, or RETURN PATH. The smtp session is continued, modified or interrupted according to the result of the query submitted to a database operating as a dns server.

Claims (14)

1. A method for filtering an email between a Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) client and server, the method comprising

forming at least one set of email parameters from SMTP commands,

querying a reputation server before transmitting an SMTP reply code after a MAIL command,

receiving a reply, said reply in the form of an IP address whereby some variable information about the email parameters is encoded within the IP address format, and

facilitating transmission of the email according to the reply from the reputation server, wherein facilitating transmission comprises bypassing any additional filtering whereby the email is transmitted to a recipient when its email parameters match that of a sender without a history of sending spam;

wherein querying a reputation server before transmitting an SMTP reply code after the MAIL command, comprises

appending a certain suffix to a string and

querying a domain name system wherein a string comprises at least two email parameters concatenated in any order, wherein email parameters comprise at least two of the IP ADDRESS from a connect, the IP ADDRESS from an SMTP packet, HELO command, EHLO command, and the domain name argument of EHLO and domain name argument of HELO.

2. A method for facilitating delivery of email by skipping spam filtering, comprising the steps of:

accumulating a database of email parameters of senders of non-spam email;

operating a service as a domain name system server on a host having a hostname;

receiving a query at the domain name system server, the query comprising a plurality of email parameters appended to the hostname of the service, said email parameters extracted from an SMTP session operating on TCP; and

transmitting a reply from the domain name system server, said reply in the form of an IP address whereby some variable information about the email parameters is encoded within the IP address format, whereby the email is delivered to a recipient when the email parameters are found in the database, else the email is disposed when the email parameters are not found in the database wherein email parameters comprise a domain name and an IP address extracted from a TCP packet header and not the body of the email;

wherein the email is delivered to the recipient bypassing additional email filtering processes and forwarding the email to the recipients mail server.

Assignments (12)
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Mar 17, 2025
From: BARRACUDA NETWORKS, INC.
To: OAKTREE FUND ADMINISTRATION, LLC, AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 070529/0123 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Sep 3, 2022
From: BARRACUDA NETWORKS, INC.
To: UBS AG, STAMFORD BRANCH, AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 061377/0208 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Sep 3, 2022
From: BARRACUDA NETWORKS, INC.
To: KKR LOAN ADMINISTRATION SERVICES LLC, AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 061377/0231 →
RELEASE OF FIRST LIEN SECURITY INTEREST IN IP RECORDED AT R/F 045327/0877 Recorded Aug 16, 2022
From: GOLDMAN SACHS BANK USA, AS COLLATERAL AGENT
To: BARRACUDA NETWORKS, INC.
Reel/Frame 061179/0602 →
RELEASE OF SECOND LIEN SECURITY INTEREST IN IP RECORDED AT R/F 054260/0746 Recorded Aug 16, 2022
From: GOLDMAN SACHS BANK USA, AS COLLATERAL AGENT
To: BARRACUDA NETWORKS, INC.
Reel/Frame 061521/0086 →
SECOND LIEN INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Oct 30, 2020
From: BARRAUDA NETWORKS, INC.
To: GOLDMAN SACHS BANK USA, AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 054260/0746 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST IN INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RECORDED AT R/F 045327/0934 Recorded Apr 15, 2019
From: GOLDMAN SACHS BANK USA, AS COLLATERAL AGENT
To: BARRACUDA NETWORKS, INC.
Reel/Frame 048895/0841 →
FIRST LIEN INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Feb 14, 2018
From: BARRACUDA NETWORKS, INC.
To: GOLDMAN SACHS BANK USA, AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 045327/0877 →
SECOND LIEN INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Feb 14, 2018
From: BARRACUDA NETWORKS, INC.
To: GOLDMAN SACHS BANK USA, AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 045327/0934 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Jan 8, 2018
From: SILICON VALLEY BANK, AS ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT
To: BARRACUDA NETWORKS, INC.
Reel/Frame 045027/0870 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Oct 12, 2012
From: BARRACUDA NETWORKS, INC.
To: SILICON VALLEY BANK
Reel/Frame 029218/0107 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Sep 2, 2010
From: DRAKO, DEAN; LEVOW, ZACHARY
To: BARRACUDA NETWORKS, INC.
Reel/Frame 024935/0054 →