Electronic Message System with Federation of Trusted Senders

Abstract

Systems and methods for allowing challenge messages to be sent directly to a recipient's inbox where normally the challenge message would be sent to a pending folder or deleted. Challenge messages sent between federated messaging services contain a federated token which can be identified, authenticated and validated to determine whether the challenge message should be sent to a recipient's inbox. The federated token can include an authentication portion and a validation portion. Authentication methods for the authentication portion can include, for example, checksums, salts, hashes and digital signatures. Once a federated token is authenticated by decrypting the authentication portion according to one or more of these authentication methods, the federated token is validated by determining the defined use-base and determining whether the receipt of the federated token satisfies the defined use.

1 . In a server included in an electronic messaging system capable of receiving challenge messages, a method of determining whether a challenge message should be delivered to an intended recipient's inbox comprising:
 receiving a challenge message;   analyzing the challenge message to identify whether the challenge message contains a federated token;   determining at least one of whether the federated token is authentic and whether the federated token is valid; and   delivering the challenge message to an intended recipient's inbox upon determining that the federated token is at least one of authentic and valid.   
     
     
         2 - 25 . (canceled)