Processing rules for digital messages

• US 20050080864A1
• Filed: 10/14/2003
• Published: 04/14/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 10/14/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Daniell, W. Todd
• Granted Patent: US 7,996,470 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/212 using filtering or selective blocking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/54 Presence management, e.g. monitoring or registration for receipt of user log-on information, or the connection status of the users

Abstract

Systems and methods for handling email messages are described. Some embodiments are directed to determining whether an email message meets a predefined condition, and executing an action in an instant messaging (IM) system in response to determining that the email message meets the predefined condition. Other embodiments are directed to providing a programming interface, and storing inputs provided by a user at the programming interface. For those embodiments, the programming interface is adapted to receive user input in the form of a markup language. The inputs comprise a condition and an action. Yet other embodiments are directed to determining whether a digital message meets a predefined condition, and executing a filtering algorithm on the digital message in response to determining that the digital message does not meet the predefined condition. The digital message may be, for example, an email message or an IM message.

Claims

1. A method for handling digital messages, the method comprising the steps of:

determining whether an email message meets a predefined condition; and

executing an action in an instant messaging (IM) system in response to determining that the email message meets the predefined condition.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining whether the email message meets a predefined condition comprises the step of extracting contact information from the email message, the contact information being associated with a sender of the email message.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of executing the action in the IM system comprises the steps of:

determining a presence of the sender using the extracted contact information, the presence being indicative of whether the user is present online; and

initiating an IM chat session with the sender in response to determining that the sender is present online.

4. A method for handling digital messages, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a programming interface, the programming interface adapted to receive user input, the user input being provided in a markup language; and

storing inputs provided by a user at the programming interface, the inputs being provided in the markup language, the inputs comprising a condition, the inputs further comprising an action.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising the steps of:

receiving a digital message from a message sender;

determining whether the digital message meets the condition; and

executing the action in response to determining that the digital message meets the condition.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the step of determining whether the digital message meets the condition comprises the steps of:

determining whether the digital message includes a request for a file.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the step of executing the action comprises the steps of:

determining whether the file is accessible;

retrieving the file in response to determining that the file is accessible; and

transmitting the file to the message sender in response to retrieving the file.

8. A method for handling digital messages, the method comprising the steps of:

determining whether a digital message meets a predefined condition; and

executing a filtering algorithm on the digital message in response to determining that the digital message does not meet the predefined condition.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the predefined condition is selected from the group consisting of:

the digital message includes a specified Internet address of a sender;

the digital message includes a specified Internet address of a primary recipient;

the digital message includes a specified Internet address of a secondary recipient;

the digital message includes a specified Internet domain;

the digital message includes a specified word in a subject line of the digital message;

the digital message includes a specified word in a text body of the digital message;

the digital message includes a specified hypertext markup language (HTML) tag in the digital message;

the digital message includes a specified extensible markup language (XML) tag in the digital message;

the digital message has an empty subject line;

the digital message has no content;

the digital message exceeds a specified size;

the digital message originated from a specified source Internet protocol (IP) address; and

combinations thereof.

10. A computer-readable medium comprising:

computer-readable code adapted to instruct a programmable device to determine whether an email message meets a predefined condition; and

computer-readable code adapted to instruct a programmable device to execute an action in an instant messaging (IM) system in response to determining that the email message meets the predefined condition.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, further comprising computer-readable code adapted to instruct a programmable device to extracting contact information from the email message, the contact information being associated with a sender of the email message.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, further comprising:

computer-readable code adapted to instruct a programmable device to determine a presence of the sender using the extracted contact information, the presence being indicative of whether the user is present online; and

computer-readable code adapted to instruct a programmable device to initiate an IM chat session with the sender in response to determining that the sender is present online.

13. A computer-readable medium comprising:

computer-readable code representing a condition, the condition being in a markup language; and

computer-readable code representing an action, the action being in a markup language.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 13, further comprising:

computer-readable code adapted to instruct a programmable device to receive a digital message from a message sender;

computer-readable code adapted to instruct a programmable device to determine whether the digital message meets the condition; and

computer-readable code adapted to instruct a programmable device to execute the action in response to determining that the digital message meets the condition.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 14, further comprising:

computer-readable code adapted to instruct a programmable device to determine whether the digital message includes a request for a file.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, further comprising:

computer-readable code adapted to instruct a programmable device to determine whether the file is accessible;

computer-readable code adapted to instruct a programmable device to retrieve the file in response to determining that the file is accessible; and

computer-readable code adapted to instruct a programmable device to transmit the file to the message sender in response to retrieving the file.

17. A computer-readable medium comprising:

computer-readable code adapted to instruct a programmable device to determine whether a digital message meets a predefined condition; and

computer-readable code adapted to instruct a programmable device to execute a filtering algorithm on the digital message in response to determining that the digital message does not meet the predefined condition.

18. A system for handling digital messages, the system comprising:

means for determining whether an email message meets a predefined condition; and

means for executing an action in an instant messaging (IM) system in response to determining that the email message meets the predefined condition.

19. A system for handling digital messages, the system comprising:

condition-determination logic adapted to determine whether an email message meets a predefined condition; and

command execution logic adapted to execute an action in an instant messaging (IM) system in response to determining that the email message meets the predefined condition.

20. The system of claim 19, further comprising information-extraction logic adapted to extract contact information from the email message, the contact information being associated with a sender of the email message.

21. The system of claim 20, further comprising:

presence-determination logic adapted to determine a presence of the sender using the extracted contact information, the presence being indicative of whether the user is present online; and

IM-chat-initiation logic adapted to initiate an IM chat session with the sender in response to determining that the sender is present online.

22. A system for handling digital messages, the system comprising:

program-interface logic configured to provide a programming interface, the programming interface adapted to receive user input, the user input being provided in a markup language; and

input-storage logic configured to store inputs provided by a user at the programming interface, the inputs being provided in the markup language, the inputs, comprising a condition, the inputs further comprising an action.

23. A system for handling digital messages, the system comprising:

means for providing a programming interface, the programming interface adapted to receive user input, the user input being provided in a markup language; and

means for storing inputs provided by a user at the programming interface, the inputs being provided in the markup language, the inputs comprising a condition, the inputs further comprising an action.

24. A system for handling digital messages, the system comprising:

means for determining whether a digital message meets a predefined condition; and

means for executing a filtering algorithm on the digital message in response to determining that the digital message does not meet the predefined condition.

25. A system for handling digital messages, the system comprising:

condition-determination logic adapted to determine whether a digital message meets a predefined condition; and

command execution logic adapted to execute a filtering algorithm on the digital message in response to determining that the digital message does not meet the predefined condition.