Message screening system

• US 20020107950A1
• Filed: 03/09/2001
• Published: 08/08/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AOL LLC (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Lu, Larry L.
• Granted Patent: US 7,174,453 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/212 using filtering or selective blocking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/214 using selective forwarding
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/224 providing notification on incoming messages, e.g. pushed notifications of received messages

Abstract

A message screening system includes routing to a supervisory recipient an electronic message directed to an intended recipient. The supervisory recipient then is allowed to screen the electronic message by approving or rejecting the electronic message. The electronic message then is forwarded to the intended recipient if the electronic message is approved by the supervisory recipient.

Claims

1. A method for routing electronic messages, the method comprising:

routing an electronic message directed to an intended recipient to a supervisory recipient; and

enabling the electronic message to be screened by the supervisory recipient.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein routing the electronic message includes notifying the intended recipient that the electronic message has been routed to the supervisory recipient.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein routing the electronic message does not include notifying the intended recipient that the electronic message has been routed to the supervisory recipient.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein enabling the electronic message to be screened further comprises:

allowing the supervisory recipient to approve or reject the electronic message, and forwarding the approved electronic message to the intended recipient.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein enabling the electronic message to be screened further comprises:

comparing an electronic address of a sender of the electronic message to at least one sender list, and

approving or rejecting the electronic message based on a result of the comparison.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the at least one sender list includes a list of approved senders such that comparing the electronic address comprises comparing the electronic address of the sender to the list of approved senders.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein the at least one sender list includes a list of blocked senders such that comparing the electronic address comprises comparing the electronic address of the sender to the list of blocked senders.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising establishing the supervisory recipient for the intended recipient.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the intended recipient is a minor child and the supervisory recipient is a guardian for the minor child such that establishing the supervisory recipient includes establishing the guardian as the supervisory recipient for the minor child.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the intended recipient and the supervisory recipient have related accounts within an electronic mail service such that routing the electronic message includes routing the electronic message to an account for the supervisory recipient that is related to an account for the intended recipient.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the intended recipient and the supervisory recipient have unique screen names comprising a single Internet service provider account.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the intended recipient and the supervisory recipient have unrelated accounts such that routing the electronic message includes routing the electronic message to the supervisory recipient account unrelated to the intended recipient account.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the electronic message comprises an email message such that routing the electronic message includes routing the email message.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein the electronic message comprises an instant message such that routing the electronic message includes routing the instant message.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic message comprises a chat room message such that the routing includes routing the chat room message.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein the routing software module notifies the intended recipient that the electronic message has been routed to the supervisory recipient.

18. The system of claim 16 wherein the routing software module does not notify the intended recipient that the electronic message has been routed to the supervisory recipient.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the screening software module comprises:

a first software module that compares an electronic address of a sender of the electronic message to at least one sender list, and

a second software module that approves or rejects the electronic message based on a result of the comparison.

20. The system of claim 19 wherein the at least one sender list includes a list of approved senders.

21. The system of claim 19 wherein the at least one sender list includes a list of blocked senders.

22. The system of claim 16 further comprising a supervisor establishing software module that establishes the supervisory recipient for the intended recipient.

23. The system of claim 16 further comprising a software module for designating a minor child as the intended recipient and for designating a guardian for the minor child as the supervisory recipient.

24. The system of claim 16 further comprising a software module that relates accounts of the intended recipient and the supervisory recipient within an electronic mail service.

25. The system of claim 24 further comprising a software module that enables the intended recipient and the supervisory recipient to have unique screen names comprising a single Internet service provider account.

26. The system of claim 16 wherein the intended recipient and the supervisory recipient have unrelated accounts.

27. The system of claim 16 further comprising a software module for receiving an e-mail message as the electronic message.

28. The system of claim 16 further comprising a software module for receiving an instant message as the electronic message.

29. The system of claim 16 further comprising a software module for receiving a chat room message as the electronic message.

16. A system for routing electronic messages, the system comprising:

a routing software module that sends to a supervisory recipient an electronic message that would otherwise be routed to an intended recipient;

a screening software module that allows the electronic message to be screened by the supervisory recipient and allow the supervisory recipient to approve or reject the electronic message; and

a forwarding software module that forwards the electronic message to the intended recipient if approved by the supervisory recipient.

30. A computer readable medium having embodied thereon a computer program for processing by a computer, the computer program comprising:

a first code segment that causes the computer to route to a supervisory recipient an electronic message that would otherwise be routed to an intended recipient;

a second code segment that causes the computer to enable the electronic message to be screened by the supervisory recipient and allows the supervisory recipient to approve or reject the electronic message; and

a third code segment that causes the computer to forward the electronic message to the intended recipient if approved by the supervisory recipient.

31. The computer program of claim 30 wherein the first code segment causes the computer to notify the intended recipient that the electronic message has been routed to the supervisory recipient.

32. The computer program of claim 30 wherein the first code segment does not cause the computer to notify the intended recipient that the electronic message has been routed to the supervisory recipient.

33. The computer program of claim 30 wherein the second code segment causes the computer to:

compare an electronic address of a sender of the electronic message to at least one sender list, and

approve or reject the electronic message based on a result of the comparison.

34. The computer program of claim 33 wherein the at least one sender list includes a list of approved senders.

35. The computer program of claim 33 wherein the at least one sender list includes a list of blocked senders.

36. The computer program of claim 30 further comprising a fourth code segment that causes the computer to establish the supervisory recipient for the intended recipient.

37. The computer program of claim 36 further comprising a code segment that causes the computer to designate a minor child as the intended recipient a guardian for the minor child as the supervisory recipient.

38. The computer program of claim 30 further comprising a code segment that causes the computer to relate accounts of the intended recipient and the supervisory recipient within an electronic mail service.

39. The computer program of claim 38 further comprising a code segment that causes the computer to recognize unique screen names comprising a single Internet service provider account as the intended recipient and the supervisory recipient.

40. The computer program of claim 30 wherein the intended recipient and the supervisory recipient have unrelated accounts.

41. The computer program of claim 30 further comprising a code segment for causing the computer to receive an e-mail message as the electronic message.

42. The computer program of claim 30 further comprising a code segment for causing the computer to receive an instant message as the electronic message.

43. The computer program of claim 30 further comprising a code segment for causing the computer to receive a chat room message as the electronic message.