Methods and system for creating and managing identity oriented networked communication

• US 20050198125A1
• Filed: 01/26/2004
• Published: 09/08/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 01/26/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Forte Internet Software, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Forte Internet Software, Inc.
• Inventors: Sidell, Mark Franklin, Macleod Beck, Christopher Clemmett, Powers, James Karl, Knuff, Charles Dazler, Gold, Thomas Knox
• Granted Patent: US 8,316,128 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1822 Conducting the conference, e.g. admission, detection, selection or grouping of participants, correlating users to one or more conference sessions, prioritising transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/42 Mailbox-related aspects, e.g. synchronisation of mailboxes

Abstract

A software application for managing routing of communiqués across one or more communication channels supported by a data-packet-network includes one or more workspaces for segregating communication activity; one or more unique user identities assigned per workspace; and one or more contact identities assigned to and approved to communicate with a workspace administrator of the one or more workspaces using the assigned user identities. In a preferred embodiment the application enforces a policy implicitly defined by the existing architecture of the workspaces and associated user and contact identities.

Claims

1. A software application for managing routing of communiqué

s across one or more communication channels supported by a data-packet-network comprising;

one or more workspaces for segregating communication activity;

one or more unique user identities assigned per workspace; and

one or more contact identities assigned to and approved to communicate with a workspace administrator of the one or more workspaces using the assigned user identities;

characterized in that the application enforces a policy implicitly defined by the existing architecture of the workspaces and associated user and contact identities.

2. The application of claim 1 wherein the data-packet-network is the Internet network.

3. The application of claim 1 wherein the one or more workspaces are created zones segregated primarily by genre.

4. The application of claim 1 wherein a user identity relates to a workspace in terms of a supported communication channel.

5. The application of claim 1 wherein the one or more contact identities include one or more user identities of other users also using an instance of the software application.

6. The application of claim 3 wherein the zones define user communication parameters for various social environments known to and engaged upon by the user.

7. The application of claim 1 wherein the routing of a communiqué

to a particular workspace is managed by contact identity and user identity pairing, the identities applicable to the supported communication channel used in communication.

8. The application of claim 1 wherein the communication channels include email, instant messaging, RSS, and voice channels.

9. The application of claim 8 wherein the voice channels include voice over Internet protocol and voicemail messages.

10. The application of claim 4 wherein a user identity is one of an email address, a telephone number, a machine address, an IP address, or an Enum address particular to the administrator for a particular workspace and communication channel.

11. The application of claim 1 further including user alerts generated according to violations of policy.

12. The application of claim 1 wherein the workspaces include at least one inbox for accepting incoming communiqué

s.

13. The application of claim 12 further including at least one file folder for holding certain content.

14. The application of claim 13 wherein the certain content includes newsletters received from news groups.

15. The application of claim 13 wherein the certain content includes binary files collected from a news server.

16. The application of claim 1 wherein the communiqué

s include one or a combination of email messages, voice messages, instant messages, facsimiles, newsletters, chat invitations, instant message invitations, and RSS feeds.

17. The application of claim 1 wherein one or more user identities per workspace are temporary identities created for correspondence and expiring when no longer needed for correspondence.

18. A firewall for directing handling of communiqué

s of multiple media types transmitted to a single interface over a data-packet-network according to detected identity information associated with corresponding parties involved comprising;

a identity analyzer for analyzing and validating the identities detected; and

a directory manager for managing validated identities for future reference;

characterized in that communiqué

s received at the interface having a sender and a user identification validated as a recognized identity pair are filed in one or more separate workspaces that support the identities detected and validated.

19. The firewall of claim 18 wherein the data-packet-network is the Internet network.

20. The firewall of claim 18 wherein the one or more workspaces are created zones segregated primarily by genre.

21. The firewall of claim 18 wherein an identity is one of a sender identity or a user identity and an identity pair is indicated by the existence of at least one of each for a communiqué

.

22. The firewall of claim 18 further including a content analyzer for searching content and or attachments of a communiqué

for information leading to identification and validation of the sender if correct sender identity is not detected by the identity analyzer.

23. The firewall of claim 18 further including policy violation alerts generated if identity paring cannot be accomplished for a communiqué

.

24. A method for routing communiqué

s received at a single interface according to identity information and workspace category comprising steps of;

(a) creating one or more workspaces to segregate communication;

(b) creating one or more user identities for each created workspace;

(c) assigning contact identities to certain ones of the created workspaces authorizing those contacts for communication using the workspace;

(d) receiving a communiqué

;

(e) determining the sender and user identities of the communiqué

; and

(f) filing the communiqué

into the appropriate workspace supporting the detected identities.

25. The method of claim 24 wherein the single interface is a third-party server.

26. The method of claim 24 practiced over the Internet network.

27. The method of claim 24 wherein in step (a) the one or more workspaces are zones administered by a user or a user group.

28. The method of claim 24 wherein in step (a) the one or more workspaces reflect social or business environments known to and engaged upon by the user.

29. The method of claim 24 wherein in step (b) the user identities are related to communication channels by contact information.

30. The method of claim 24 wherein in step (b) some of the user identities are temporary ad hoc identities.

31. The method of claim 24 wherein in step (c) the contact identities relate to contact parameters of appropriate media types.

32. The method of claim 24 wherein in step (c) some contact identities can be applied to more than one workspace.

33. The method of claim 24 wherein in step (a) creating a workspace includes creation of one or more inboxes and one or more additional file folders.

34. The method of claim 24 wherein in step (d) the communiqué

is one of an email, an instant message, a voice call, a voice message, a chat request, a facsimile, or a file transfer.

35. The method of claim 24 wherein in step (d) the communiqué

is handled by a media handler according to media type.

36. The method of claim 24 wherein in step (d) the communiqué

is received by a third party hosting service.

37. The method of claim 24 wherein in step (e) the determination is conducted by an identity analyzer as part of a firewall application.

38. The method of claim 24 wherein in step (e) content analysis is used to help determine the sender identity of the communiqué

.

39. The method of claim 24 wherein in step (f) a firewall application orders inbound and outbound routing according to identity pairing, the detected pair comprising the sender identity and the user identity.