Redundant email address detection and capture system

1. A method for automatically detecting unwanted messages in real time in a system that includes a message server for routing incoming message files to a directory, the method comprising the steps of:

accessing said directory and for identifying said message files;

locating any of an address-of-origin, subject, or other specified criteria within each said message file;

identifying whether each said message file should be considered spam;

separating said spam and non-spam message files logically; and

any of physically moving and renaming said message files in a predetermined fashion;

wherein said accessing step further comprising the steps of:

reading a RecentFileList from a RecentFile; and

loading said RecentFileList into a RecentListArray;

wherein if a BypassFileList is included, reading said BypassFileList into a BypassArray;

wherein said locating step further comprising the steps of:

creating a NewListArray;

opening said message files;

extracting message addresses of a sender as defined in any of MailInDirName, AddrLineLocator, and AddrInfoLocator fields;

loading said NewListArray with new message sender addresses and associated file names;

setting an arrival time for all records in said NewListArray;

combining said NewListArray into said RecentListArray;

marking new records as IsNew=True; and

sorting said RecentListArray by message sender addresses;

wherein said identifying step further comprising the steps of:

determining the age of a message sender address based upon a SecondsThreshold when a message sender address is retrieved from said RecentListArray;

if said message file is older than said threshold, marking said message file as IsExpired=True by Seconds Threshold;

determining whether said message sender address occurs more often than a SourceThreshold allows;

optionally, if yes, examining said message sender address to determine if it is to be passed anyway because it is identified in said BypassArray; and

marking said message file as IsSpam=True if said message file exceeds said SourceThreshold, and said SecondThreshold has not timed out, and optionally said message file is not listed in said BypassArray.

2. A method for automatically detecting unwanted messages in real time in a system that includes a message server for routing incoming message files to a directory, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving a message file at a host system;

routing said message file to said directory;

writing said message file with a prefix and/or suffix that allows it to be identified as a new message;

identifying all message files in said directory that are spam; and

any of renaming and moving said message files;

wherein said method requires minimum implementation parameters which comprise:

a path and/or name of a recent file;

a path and/or name of a bypass file;

an incoming mail directory;

a directory and/or file name suffix for non-spam mail;

a directory and/or file name suffix for spam mail;

a number of seconds to accumulate information before clearing it;

a number of occurrences of any one address to allow within a value; and

a string for which to search within each file processed to determine if said string should contain an address; wherein only a first occurrence of a locator within a file is evaluated.

3. A method for automatically detecting unwanted messages in real time in a system that includes a message server for routing incoming message files to a directory, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving a message file at a host system;

routing said message file to said directory;

writing said message file with a prefix and/or suffix that allows it to be identified as a new message;

identifying all message files in said directory that are spam; and

any of renaming and moving said message files;

said method implementation parameters optionally comprising:

partial file names to be excluded from processing; wherein any file including a specific string specified is excluded from processing;

partial file names to be included in processing; wherein only files including a string specified are processed;

a suffix for processed non-spam files (SetRenameSuffix); only optional if SetDestinationDirName is defined;

a destination directory path for non-spam files;

a suffix for processed spam files;

a destination directory path for spam files; and

a string defining what should be considered an address within a line previously identified.