Patents by Inventor John Alsop

John Alsop has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 8572190
    Abstract: A system and method for recognizing an incoming email as a desired email examines outgoing email messages to arrange the email into fragments for which representations are created and stored. When an incoming message is received, the message is arranged into fragments for which representations are created. The representations of the incoming message are compared to the stored representations and if the matches between stored representations and the representations of the incoming message meet a predefined threshold test, the incoming message is recognized as being desirable. An incoming email message which has been recognized as being desirable can be subjected to a lesser examination to recognize a SPAM message, or to no further examination to recognize a SPAM message.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2013
    Assignee: Watchguard Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: John Alsop, Christopher Gabe, Robert Osborne
  • Patent number: 8223751
    Abstract: Sensor nodes (or addresses therefore), acting as real-time message decoys, are distributed across a real-time communications network to attract unsolicited real-time messages. Filtering rules are derived from the message characteristics (such as the source address) and messaging content of the traffic encountered at the sensor nodes. The filtering rules are distributed to filtering agents positioned in the communications network in such a way that they can filter traffic for legitimate users. The filtering agents may identify and control the disposition of real-time messaging traffic that is part of a mass communication campaign on behalf of legitimate users of the real-time messaging communication system. Disposition may include suppressing, diverting, or labeling.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2012
    Assignee: Watchguard Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Rod Gilchrist, Richard Fogel, Robert Osborne, John Alsop
  • Patent number: 8150002
    Abstract: A Voice over IP (VoIP) or Real Time Messaging (RTM) firewall device is claimed that protects VoIP or RTM network traffic by identifying and controlling the delivery of such network traffic that is unsolicited and undesired by the recipient (i.e. VoIP or RTM spam). The system involves applying a unique marking to RTM messages close to a point of message origination and then at a point close to message termination for the intended recipient examining a reputation store for information on the unique marking and using that information in conjunction with a set of policy rules to decide whether to pass, reject, pass on to an RTM store or otherwise filter the RTM message. The unique marking serves to identify a source characteristic of the message such as the message originator, a corporate affiliation for the originator, or a RTM network characteristic of the originator such as a transmission gateway.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2012
    Assignee: WatchGuard Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Rod Gilchrist, Richard Fogel, John Alsop
  • Publication number: 20100077052
    Abstract: A system and method for recognizing an incoming email as a desired email examines outgoing email messages to arrange the email into fragments for which representations are created and stored. When an incoming message is received, the message is arranged into fragments for which representations are created. The representations of the incoming message are compared to the stored representations and if the matches between stored representations and the representations of the incoming message meet a predefined threshold test, the incoming message is recognized as being desirable. An incoming email message which has been recognized as being desirable can be subjected to a lesser examination to recognize a SPAM message, or to no further examination to recognize a SPAM message.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 1, 2009
    Publication date: March 25, 2010
    Applicant: WATCHGUARD TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
    Inventors: John Alsop, Christopher Gabe, Robert Osborne
  • Publication number: 20100046727
    Abstract: Sensor nodes (or addresses therefore), acting as real-time message decoys, are distributed across a real-time communications network to attract unsolicited real-time messages. Filtering rules are derived from the message characteristics (such as the source address) and messaging content of the traffic encountered at the sensor nodes. The filtering rules are distributed to filtering agents positioned in the communications network in such a way that they can filter traffic for legitimate users. The filtering agents may identify and control the disposition of real-time messaging traffic that is part of a mass communication campaign on behalf of legitimate users of the real-time messaging communication system. Disposition may include suppressing, diverting, or labeling.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 2, 2009
    Publication date: February 25, 2010
    Applicant: WATCHGUARD TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
    Inventors: Rod Gilchrist, Richard Fogel, Robert Osborne, John Alsop
  • Publication number: 20100046723
    Abstract: A Voice over IP (VoIP) or Real Time Messaging (RTM) firewall device is claimed that protects VoIP or RTM network traffic by identifying and controlling the delivery of such network traffic that is unsolicited and undesired by the recipient (i.e. VoIP or RTM spam). The system involves applying a unique marking to RTM messages close to a point of message origination and then at a point close to message termination for the intended recipient examining a reputation store for information on the unique marking and using that information in conjunction with a set of policy rules to decide whether to pass, reject, pass on to an RTM store or otherwise filter the RTM message. The unique marking serves to identify a source characteristic of the message such as the message originator, a corporate affiliation for the originator, or a RTM network characteristic of the originator such as a transmission gateway.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 2, 2009
    Publication date: February 25, 2010
    Applicant: WATCHGUARD TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
    Inventors: Rod Gilchrist, Richard Fogel, John Alsop
  • Patent number: 7613923
    Abstract: A Voice over IP (VoIP) or Real Time Messaging (RTM) firewall device is claimed that protects VoIP or RTM network traffic by identifying and controlling the delivery of such network traffic that is unsolicited and undesired by the recipient (i.e. VoIP or RTM spam). The system involves applying a unique marking to RTM messages close to a point of message origination and then at a point close to message termination for the intended recipient examining a reputation store for information on the unique marking and using that information in conjunction with a set of policy rules to decide whether to pass, reject, pass on to an RTM store or otherwise filter the RTM message. The unique marking serves to identify a source characteristic of the message such as the message originator, a corporate affiliation for the originator, or a RTM network characteristic of the originator such as a transmission gateway.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 3, 2009
    Assignee: WatchGuard Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Rod Gilchrist, Richard Fogel, John Alsop
  • Patent number: 7613172
    Abstract: Sensor nodes (or addresses therefore), acting as real-time message decoys, are distributed across a real-time communications network to attract unsolicited real-time messages. Filtering rules are derived from the message characteristics (such as the source address) and messaging content of the traffic encountered at the sensor nodes. The filtering rules are distributed to filtering agents positioned in the communications network in such a way that they can filter traffic for legitimate users. The filtering agents may identify and control the disposition of real-time messaging traffic that is part of a mass communication campaign on behalf of legitimate users of the real-time messaging communication system. Disposition may include suppressing, diverting, or labeling.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 3, 2009
    Assignee: WatchGuard Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Rod Gilchrist, Richard Fogel, Robert Osborne, John Alsop
  • Publication number: 20070214220
    Abstract: A system and method for recognizing an incoming email as a desired email examines outgoing email messages to arrange the email into fragments for which representations are created and stored. When an incoming message is received, the message is arranged into fragments for which representations are created. The representations of the incoming message are compared to the stored representations and if the matches between stored representations and the representations of the incoming message meet a predefined threshold test, the incoming message is recognized as being desirable. An incoming email message which has been recognized as being desirable can be subjected to a lesser examination to recognize a SPAM message, or to no further examination to recognize a SPAM message.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 9, 2006
    Publication date: September 13, 2007
    Inventors: John Alsop, Christopher Gabe, Robert Osborne
  • Publication number: 20050201363
    Abstract: A Voice over IP (VoIP) or Real Time Messaging (RTM) firewall device is claimed that protects VoIP or RTM network traffic by identifying and controlling the delivery of such network traffic that is unsolicited and undesired by the recipient (i.e. VoIP or RTM spam). The system involves applying a unique marking to RTM messages close to a point of message origination and then at a point close to message termination for the intended recipient examining a reputation store for information on the unique marking and using that information in conjunction with a set of policy rules to decide whether to pass, reject, pass on to an RTM store or otherwise filter the RTM message. The unique marking serves to identify a source characteristic of the message such as the message originator, a corporate affiliation for the originator, or a RTM network characteristic of the originator such as a transmission gateway.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 25, 2005
    Publication date: September 15, 2005
    Inventors: Rod Gilchrist, Richard Fogel, John Alsop
  • Publication number: 20050141486
    Abstract: Sensor nodes (or addresses therefore), acting as real-time message decoys, are distributed across a real-time communications network to attract unsolicited real-time messages. Filtering rules are derived from the message characteristics (such as the source address) and messaging content of the traffic encountered at the sensor nodes. The filtering rules are distributed to filtering agents positioned in the communications network in such a way that they can filter traffic for legitimate users. The filtering agents may identify and control the disposition of real-time messaging traffic that is part of a mass communication campaign on behalf of legitimate users of the real-time messaging communication system. Disposition may include suppressing, diverting, or labeling.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 21, 2004
    Publication date: June 30, 2005
    Inventors: Rod Gilchrist, Richard Fogel, Robert Osborne, John Alsop