Controlling sending of messages in a communication system

• US 20050153686A1
• Filed: 02/20/2004
• Published: 07/14/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 01/09/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Nokia Solutions and Networks US LLC (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Staack, Jens, Kall, Jan
• Application Number:
  US10/781,666
• Publication Number:
  US 20050153686A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/412.100
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2854 Wide area networks, e.g. public data networks

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for controlling the sending of messages in a communication system. The method comprises providing a network entity with restriction information associated with terminating parties in the communication system. The method further comprises determining at least one terminating party for a message to be sent and controlling sending of the message based on the restriction information.

Claims

1. A method for controlling sending of messages in a communication system, the method comprising:

providing a network entity with restriction information associated with terminating parties in the communication system;

determining at least one terminating party for a message to be sent; and

controlling sending of the message based on the restriction information.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the controlling step comprises deciding if the sending of the message is allowed or denied.

3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising, when the sending of the message is denied, providing a warning message in response to a sending command.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising defining the restriction information associated with the terminating parties to comprise a restriction level for sending the message to the at least one terminating party.

5. The method according to claim 4, further comprising defining the restriction level in function of a type of the message.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein defining the restriction level comprises classifying the message as private, confidential or public.

7. The method according to claim 4, further comprising defining the restriction level in function of a type of the at least one terminating party.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein defining the restriction level comprises classifying the terminating party as private, confidential or public.

9. The method according to claim 4, further comprising defining the restriction level for a receiver group address in function of an estimated amount of terminating parties.

10. The method according to claim 2, further comprising, when the sending of the message is denied, determining an action to be taken in relation to the message to modify the message into a form in which the sending is allowed.

11. The method according to claim 10, further comprising modifying the message by removing a selected type of attachment file before allowing the sending of the message.

12. A computer program, comprising program code means embodied on a computer readable medium, said computer program controlling a computer to perform the steps of:

providing a network entity with restriction information associated with terminating parties in a communication system;

determining at least one terminating party for a message to be sent; and

controlling sending of the message based on the restriction information.

13. A communication system, comprising:

a network entity configured to receive and manage restriction information associated with terminating parties in the communication system;

determining means configured to determine at least one terminating party for a message to be sent; and

controlling means configured to control sending of the message based on the restriction information.

14. The communication system according to claim 13, further comprising decision means configured to decide if the sending of the message is allowed or denied.

15. The communication system according to claim 14, further comprising response means configured to provide a warning message in response to a sending command when the sending of the message is to be denied.

16. The communication system according to claim 13, wherein the restriction information comprises a restriction level for sending the message to the at least one terminating party.

17. The communication system according to claim 16, wherein the restriction level is defined in function of a type of the message.

18. The communication system according to claim 17, wherein the message is classified as private, confidential or public.

19. The communication system according to claim 16, wherein the restriction level is defined in function of a type of the at least one terminating party.

20. The communication system according to claim 19, wherein the terminating party is classified as private, confidential or public.

21. The communication system according to claim 16, wherein the restriction level is defined for a receiver group address in function of an estimated amount of terminating parties.

22. The communication system according to claim 14, further comprising determining means configured to determine an action to be taken in relation to the message to modify the message into a form in which the sending is allowed.

23. The communication system according to claim 22, further comprising modifying means configured to modify the message in accordance with the determined action.

24. The communication system according to claim 23, wherein the modifying means are configured to select and remove attachment files in accordance with the determined action.

25. The communication system according to claim 13, wherein the network entity is selected from a group comprising at least one of a user equipment, a serving controller, an application server and a subscriber information register.

26. The communication system according to claim 13, wherein the network entity comprises an email server, the controlling means comprises a domain checking function block connected or included in the email server, and the terminating party comprises an email client of a receiver.

27. The communication system according to claim 13, wherein the network entity comprises a serving controller in an Internet Protocol Multimedia subsystem, the controlling means is included in an application server communicating with the serving controller, and the terminating party comprises a user equipment connected to the Internet Protocol Multimedia subsystem.

28. The communication system according to claim 13, wherein the network entity comprises a multimedia message service server, the controlling means is included in an application server communicating with the multimedia message service server and the terminating party comprises a multimedia message service user agent of a receiver.