Apparatus and methods for managing content exchange on a wireless device

• US 20060256012A1
• Filed: 03/06/2006
• Published: 11/16/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/25/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Cassett, Tia Manning, Hwang, Jihyun, Fok, Kenny
• Granted Patent: US 9,288,078 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 342/457
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/56 Computer malware detection or handling, e.g. anti-virus arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/566 Dynamic detection, i.e. detection performed at run-time, e.g. emulation, suspicious activities
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2101 Auditing as a secondary aspect
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2149 Restricted operating environment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/212 using filtering or selective blocking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/214 using selective forwarding
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/00 Arrangements for metering, time-control or time indication ; Metering, charging or billing arrangements for voice wireline or wireless communications, e.g. VoIP
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8088 involving increased rates, e.g. spam messaging billing differentiation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing

Abstract

Apparatus, methods, computer readable media and processors operable on a wireless device may provide an anti-spam engine operable to intercept content intended for and/or generated by client applications, and filter out unwanted content. The anti-spam engine may include a configurable module having a spam filter that may determine whether content is unwanted. Based on the result of subjecting the content to the spam filter, the anti-spam engine may forward the content to the intended client application and/or a network destination, and/or may generate a spam log. The anti-spam module may be further operable to forward the spam log to another device, such as a user manager device, operable to analyze the log and generate a report which may be viewable by an operator.

Claims

1. A method for filtering content on a wireless device, comprising:

intercepting content on the wireless device prior to delivery of the content to a content destination;

analyzing the content based on a content filter to determine if the content comprises unwanted content, wherein the content filter is selected from a plurality of content filters based on at least one of a network service provider associated with the wireless device, a hardware characteristic associated with the wireless device, a predetermined characteristic associated with the content destination, and a hardware requirement associated with the content; and

based upon the analyzing of the content, forwarding the content to the content destination or quarantining the content.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein intercepting further comprises intercepting prior to delivery to a client application resident on the wireless device.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein forwarding further comprises forwarding the content to at least one of a browser client, an Internet Messenger client, a short message service (SMS) client, a multimedia message service (MMS) client, and an E-mail client.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein intercepting further comprises intercepting prior to transmitting the content from the wireless device to a wireless network.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the hardware characteristic comprises at least one of a processor capability, a speaker capability, a ringer capability, a display capability, and a memory capability.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the predetermined characteristic associated with the content destination comprises at least one of an identification of a destination client application resident on the wireless device, and a number content destinations associated the content.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the hardware requirement comprises at least one of a wireless device processor requirement, a wireless device audio component requirement, a wireless device video component requirement, and a wireless device memory component requirement.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein quarantining further comprises deleting the content based on a storage limit parameter.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving the content filter from across a wireless network.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing predetermined information associated with the content; and

transmitting the predetermined information to a remote device for analysis of the predetermined information.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein storing predetermined information further comprises storing at least one of a portion of the content, an identification of a source of the content, a calculated filter test result associated with the content, and an identification of the content destination.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising receiving a reporting parameter associated with the content filter, wherein transmitting the predetermined information further comprises transmitting based on the reporting parameter.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein transmitting the predetermined information further comprises establishing a limited-access communications channel across a wireless network based on a predefined limited service configuration.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein analyzing further comprises:

applying the content filter to the content;

calculating a filter test result based upon application of the predetermined content filter to the content;

comparing the calculated filter test result to a predetermined filter test result; and

classifying the content as unwanted content based upon the comparison of the calculated filter test result and the predetermined filter test result.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a revised content filter based on analyzing the content, and replacing the content filter with the revised content filter.

16. A machine-readable medium comprising instructions which, when executed by a machine, cause the machine to perform operations including:

intercepting content on the wireless device prior to delivery of the content to a content destination;

analyzing the content based on a content filter to determine a content classification, wherein the content filter is selected from a plurality of content filters based on at least one of a network service provider associated with the wireless device, a hardware characteristic associated with the wireless device, a predetermined characteristic associated with the content destination, and a hardware requirement associated with the content; and

based upon the content classification, forwarding the content to the content destination or quarantining the content.

17. At least one processor configured to perform the actions of:

intercepting content on the wireless device prior to delivery of the content to a content destination;

analyzing the content based on a content filter to determine a content classification, wherein the content filter is selected from a plurality of content filters based on at least one of a network service provider associated with the wireless device, a hardware characteristic associated with the wireless device, a predetermined characteristic associated with the content destination, and a hardware requirement associated with the content; and

based upon the content classification, forwarding the content to the content destination or quarantining the content.

18. A wireless device, comprising:

means for intercepting content on the wireless device prior to delivery of the content to a content destination;

means for analyzing the content based on a content filter to determine a content classification, wherein the content filter is selected from a plurality of content filters based on at least one of a network service provider associated with the wireless device, a hardware characteristic associated with the wireless device, a predetermined characteristic associated with the content destination, and a hardware requirement associated with the content; and

means for forwarding the content to the content destination or quarantining the content, based upon the content classification.

19. A wireless device, comprising:

an anti-spam engine operable to intercept content on the wireless device prior to delivery of the content to a content destination, the anti-spam engine comprising a content filter selected from a plurality of content filters based on at least one of a network service provider associated with the wireless device, a hardware characteristic associated with the wireless device, a predetermined characteristic associated with the content destination, and a hardware requirement associated with the content; and

control logic associated with the anti-spam engine and operable to apply the content filter to the content and determine if the content comprises unwanted content, wherein the control logic is further operable to forward the content to the content destination if the content does not comprise unwanted content or quarantine the content if the content comprises unwanted content.

20. The wireless device of claim 19, further comprising a memory having at least one client application, and wherein the content destination comprises the client application.

21. The wireless device of claim 20, wherein the control logic is further operable to forward the content to at least one of a browser client, an Internet Messenger client, a short message service (SMS) client, a multimedia message service (MMS) client, and an E-mail client.

22. The wireless device of claim 19, further comprising a memory having at least one client application operable to generate the content, and wherein the content destination comprises a destination wirelessly connectable with the wireless device.

23. The wireless device of claim 19, wherein the hardware characteristic comprises at least one of a processor capability, a speaker capability, a ringer capability, a display capability, and a memory capability.

24. The wireless device of claim 19, wherein the predetermined characteristic associated with the content destination comprises at least one of an identification of a destination client application resident on the wireless device, and a number content destinations associated the content.

25. The wireless device of claim 19, wherein the hardware requirement comprises at least one of a wireless device processor requirement, a wireless device audio component requirement, a wireless device video component requirement, and a wireless device memory component requirement.

26. The wireless device of claim 19, further comprising a memory having a quarantine log and a storage limit parameter, wherein the control logic is further operable to store the content in the quarantine log based on a storage limit parameter.

27. The wireless device of claim 19, further comprising a memory having a spam log, wherein the control logic is further operable, if the content comprises unwanted content, to store predetermined information associated with the content in the spam log and transmit the spam log to a remote device for analysis of the predetermined information.

28. The wireless device of claim 27, wherein the control logic is operable to generate a calculated filter test result based on the application of the content filter to the content, and wherein the predetermined information further comprises at least one of a portion of the content, an identification of a source of the content, the calculated filter test result associated with the content, and an identification of the content destination.

29. The wireless device of claim 27, wherein the memory further comprises a reporting parameter associated with the content filter, and wherein the control logic is further operable to transmit the predetermined information based on the reporting parameter.

30. The wireless device of claim 27, wherein the memory further comprises a limited service configuration, and wherein the anti-spam engine is further operable to transmit the predetermined information by establishing a limited-access communications channel across a wireless network based on the limited service configuration.

31. The wireless device of claim 19, wherein the anti-spam engine is further operable to receive the content filter from across a wireless network.

32. The wireless device of claim 19, further comprising a memory having a predetermined filter result corresponding to the content filter, wherein the control logic is further operable to apply the content filter to the content to generate a filter test result, compare the calculated filter test result to the predetermined filter test result, and classifying the content as unwanted content based upon the comparison of the calculated filter test result and the predetermined filter test result.

33. The wireless device of claim 19, further comprising receiving a revised content filter based on analyzing the content, and replacing the content filter with the revised content filter.

34. A method for managing the filtering of content on a wireless device, comprising:

providing a predetermined content filter and a reporting parameter to the wireless device;

receiving, based on the reporting parameter, a spam log relating to content on the wireless device and subjected to the predetermined content filter; and

generating a report based on the spam log.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein the predetermined content filter is selected from a plurality of content filters based on at least one of a network service provider associated with the wireless device, a hardware characteristic associated with the wireless device, a predetermined characteristic associated with the content destination, and a hardware requirement associated with the content.

36. The method of claim 34, wherein the spam log comprises information relating to at least one of incoming content received by the wireless device and outgoing content destined for transmission from the wireless device.

37. The method of claim 34, further comprising providing a predetermined filter test result to the wireless device to enable the wireless device to determine whether to include a reference to the content in the spam log after subjecting the content to the content filter.

38. The method of claim 37, wherein the content filter, when applied by the wireless device to the content, is operable to generate a calculated filter test result for comparison with the predetermined filter test result.

39. The method of claim 34, wherein the reporting parameter is operable to define predetermined information to store in the spam log.

40. The method of claim 39, wherein the predetermined information further comprises at least one of a portion of the content, an identification of a source of the content, a calculated filter test result associated with the content, and an identification of the content destination.

41. The method of claim 34, wherein providing the predetermined content filter and the reporting parameter further comprises forwarding across a wireless network to the wireless device.

42. The method of claim 34, further comprising forwarding a revised content filter to the wireless device based on the spam log.

43. A machine-readable medium comprising instructions which, when executed by a machine, cause the machine to perform operations including:

providing a predetermined content filter and a reporting parameter to the wireless device;

receiving, based on the reporting parameter, a spam log relating to content received by the wireless device and subjected to the content filter; and

generating a report based on the spam log.

44. At least one processor configured to perform the actions of:

providing a predetermined content filter and a reporting parameter to the wireless device;

receiving, based on the reporting parameter, a spam log relating to content received by the wireless device and subjected to the content filter; and

generating a report based on the spam log.

45. An apparatus for managing the filtering of content on a wireless device, comprising:

means for providing a predetermined content filter and a reporting parameter to the wireless device;

means for receiving, based on the reporting parameter, a spam log relating to content received by the wireless device and subjected to the content filter; and

means for generating a report based on the spam log.

46. An apparatus for managing the filtering of content on a wireless device, comprising:

a generator module operable to generate a content filter configuration comprising at least one predetermined content filter and a reporting parameter;

an anti-spam module operable to forward the content filter configuration to the wireless device and operable to receive, based on the reporting parameter, a spam log relating to content received by the wireless device and subjected to the spam filter; and

a report generator operable to generate a report based on the spam log.

47. The apparatus of claim 46, wherein the configuration generator module is further operable to select the predetermined content filter from a plurality of content filters based on at least one of a network service provider associated with the wireless device, a hardware characteristic associated with the wireless device, a predetermined characteristic associated with the content destination, and a hardware requirement associated with the content.

48. The apparatus of claim 46, wherein the spam log comprises information relating to at least one of incoming content received by the wireless device and outgoing content destined for transmission from the wireless device.

49. The apparatus of claim 46, wherein the content filter configuration further comprises a predetermined filter test result to enable the wireless device to determine whether to include a reference to the content in the spam log after subjecting the content to the content filter.

50. The apparatus of claim 49, wherein the content filter, when applied by the wireless device to the content, is operable to generate a calculated filter test result for comparison with the predetermined filter test result.

51. The apparatus of claim 46, wherein the reporting parameter is operable to define predetermined information to store in the spam log.

52. The apparatus of claim 51, wherein the predetermined information further comprises at least one of a portion of the content, an identification of a source of the content, a calculated filter test result associated with the content, and an identification of the content destination.

53. The apparatus of claim 46, wherein the anti-spam module is further operable to forward the predetermined content filter and the reporting parameter across a wireless network to the wireless device.

54. The apparatus of claim 46, wherein the anti-spam module is further operable to forward a revised content filter configuration to the wireless device based on the spam log.