Filtering of electronic information to be transferred to a terminal

• US 20050259604A1
• Filed: 07/26/2005
• Published: 11/24/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/03/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Conversant Wireless Licensing S.à.r.l. (f/k/a Core Wireless Licensing S.a.r.l.) (MOSAID Technologies Inc. (f/k/a Conversant Intellectual Property Management))
• Original Assignee: Matti Salmi
• Inventors: Salmi, Matti
• Granted Patent: US 7,729,301 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/310
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1859 adapted to provide push services, e.g. data channels
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/189 in combination with wireless systems selective distribution or broadcast in wireless communication networks H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/10 Multimedia information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/212 using filtering or selective blocking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/564 Enhancement of application control based on intercepted application data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/184 Messaging devices, e.g. message centre

Abstract

The object of the invention is a system, a device, a terminal and a method for filtering electronic information to be transferred to the terminal through a telecommunication connection. The invention comprises attaching a specific filtering parameter (30-32) by the device transferring the electronic information to the electronic information for the purpose of filtering before the electronic information is transferred to the terminal through the telecommunication connection, and informing the terminal of said filtering parameter (30-32) before the electronic information is transferred to the terminal through the telecommunication connection. In the terminal, the steps comprise checking said informed filtering parameter (30-32) and allowing or preventing the receiving of the electronic information on the basis of said filtering parameter (30-32). In response to said allowing of the receiving, the electronic information is transferred to the terminal through the telecommunication connection, and in response to said preventing of the receiving, the electronic information is not transferred to the terminal through the telecommunication connection.

Claims

1-29. -29. (canceled)

30. A filtering method for filtering electronic information to be transferred to a terminal through a telecommunication connection, wherein the method comprises the steps wherein:

associating a specific filtering parameter classifying a type of the electronic information by a device transferring the electronic information to the electronic information for the purpose of filtering before the electronic information is transferred to the terminal through the telecommunication connection; and

the steps of

informing the terminal of said filtering parameter before the electronic information is transferred to the terminal through the telecommunication connection to allow the terminal check said informed filtering parameter;

in response to said terminal allowing the transfer of the electronic information to the terminal, transferring the electronic information to the terminal through the telecommunication connection;

in response to said terminal preventing the transfer of the electronic information to the terminal, abstaining from transferring the electronic information to the terminal through the telecommunication connection.

31. A method according to claim 30, wherein the telecommunication connection is a wireless connection.

32. A method according to claim 30, wherein said filtering parameter is sent to the terminal in a notification message to be transmitted separately and the electronic information is subsequently transferred separately to the terminal only if the terminal allows the transfer of the electronic information to the terminal.

33. A method according to claim 30, wherein the electronic information comprises a header part and a base part, and said filtering parameter is included in the header part of the electronic information and that in the method

the filtering parameter of said header part is first sent to the terminal;

and

the base part of the electronic information is sent to the terminal only if the terminal allows the transfer of the electronic information to the terminal.

34. A method according to claim 30, wherein said filtering parameter comprises the information on at least one class of a number of predetermined classes, on the basis of which the electronic information has been classified into said class.

35. A method according to claim 30, wherein said filtering parameter comprises information for identifying the original source of the electronic information.

36. A method according to claim 30, wherein said filtering parameter comprises information for identifying the content of the electronic information.

37. A method according to claim 34, wherein said class denotes whether the electronic information is one of the following:

a personal message, a commercial advertisement and information relating to a specific subject.

38. A method according to claim 30 further comprising forming a header of a data unit conformant to a WAP protocol and including the filtering parameter in said header.

39. A method according to claim 30, wherein the filtering parameter comprises a classification parameter that identifies the electronic information by a type that is not in a format of the electronic information.

40. A method according to claim 30, wherein the filtering parameter comprises a combination of a classification parameter and a source of the electronic information and the method further comprises:

determining if the electronic information is to be rejected based on the classification parameter; and

if the electronic information is to be rejected, determining if the source will allow the receiving of the electronic information.

41. A method in a transmitting device for transmitting electronic information through a telecommunication connection to a terminal, comprising

associating a specific filtering parameter to the electronic information for the purpose of filtering before the electronic information is transferred to the terminal through the telecommunication connection, which filtering parameter is intended to automatically allow the terminal either to prevent or allow the transfer of the electronic information to the terminal over the telecommunication connection on the basis of said filtering parameter.

42. A method according to claim 41, further comprising waiting for a response from the terminal.

43. A method according to claim 42, further comprising transmitting the electronic information through a telecommunication connection to a terminal if the response is positive or if no negative response is received.

44. A method according to claim 41, further comprising:

informing the terminal of said filtering parameter before the electronic information is transferred to the terminal through the telecommunication connection.

45. A method according to claim 41, wherein said filtering parameter comprises the information on at least one class of a number of predetermined classes, on the basis of which the electronic information has been classified into said class.

46. A method according to claim 45, wherein said filtering parameter further comprises the information for identifying the original source of the electronic information.

47. A method according to claim 45, wherein said filtering parameter further comprises the information for identifying the content of the electronic information.

48. A method according to claim 45, wherein said class denotes whether the electronic information is one of the following:

a personal message, a commercial advertisement and information relating to a specific subject.

49. A method according to claim 46, wherein the filtering parameter further comprises the information for identifying the original source of the electronic information.

50. A method according to claim 46, wherein the filtering parameter further comprises the information for identifying the content of the electronic information.

51. A method for transmitting electronic information through a telecommunication connection to a terminal, comprising:

associating a specific filtering parameter to the electronic information for the purpose of filtering before the electronic information is transferred to the terminal through the telecommunication connection, which filtering parameter is intended to allow the terminal either to prevent or allow the transferring of the electronic information to the terminal over the telecommunication connection on the basis of the filtering parameter;

wherein the filtering parameter comprises the information on at least one class of a number of predetermined classes, on the basis of which the electronic information has been classified into the class, the class denoting whether the electronic information is a personal message, a commercial advertisement or information relating to a specific subject.

52. A method according to claim 51, wherein the device further comprises means for informing the terminal of the filtering parameter before the electronic information is transferred to the terminal through the telecommunication connection.