Identifying and blocking instant message spam

• US 20070016641A1
• Filed: 07/12/2005
• Published: 01/18/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/12/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Broomhall, Matthew
• Application Number:
  US11/179,199
• Publication Number:
  US 20070016641A1
• 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

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention address deficiencies of the art in respect to instant messaging and spim management and provide a novel and non-obvious method, system and computer program product for blocking spim in an instant messaging system. In one embodiment, a data processing system for blocking spim can include instant messaging server logic, a pre-filter database comprising words and/or phrases associated with spim, and a spim sentry coupled to the pre-filter database and the instant messaging server logic. The spim sentry can include program code enabled to block instant messages as spim which contain a threshold number of words and/or phrases which match the words in the pre-filter database.

Claims

1. A data processing system for blocking spim comprising:

instant messaging server logic;

a pre-filter database comprising words associated with spim; and

,

a spim sentry coupled to said pre-filter database and said instant messaging server logic, said spim sentry comprising program code enabled to block instant messages as spim which contain a threshold number of words matching said words in said pre-filter database.

2. The data processing system of claim 1, wherein said pre-filter database further comprises phrases associated with spim.

3. The data processing system of claim 1, further comprising a block list of instant message sources associated with spim coupled to said spim sentry.

4. The data processing system of claim 1, further comprising a database of blocked instant messages coupled to said spim sentry, said database of blocked instant messages comprising source data for instant messages blocked by said spim sentry.

5. The data processing system of claim 4, wherein said source data comprises at least one of a source identifier (ID), an Internet protocol (IP) address, a domain name and a media access control (MAC) address.

6. A method for blocking spim comprising:

receiving an instant message;

parsing said instant message for words in said instant message;

comparing said words with words in a pre-filter database; and

,

blocking said instant message if a threshold number of compared words in said instant message are present in said pre-filter database.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

identifying a source of said instant message;

looking up said source in a blocked list; and

,

blocking said instant message if said source is in said blocked list.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein said parsing said instant message for words in said instant message comprises parsing said instant message for words and phrases in said instant message, and wherein said comparing said words with words in a pre-filter database comprises comparing said words and phrases with words and phrases in a pre-filter database, and wherein said blocking said instant message if a threshold number of compared words in said instant message are present in said pre-filter database comprises blocking said instant message if a threshold number of compared words and phrases in said instant message are present in said pre-filter database.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein said blocking said instant message if a threshold number of compared words in said instant message are present in said pre-filter database further comprises:

writing source data for said source to a database of blocked instant messages;

determining whether a threshold number of instant messages associated with said source have been blocked; and

,

adding said source to said blocked list if a threshold number of instant messages associated with said source have been blocked.

10. A computer program product comprising a computer usable medium having computer usable program code for blocking spim, said computer program product including:

computer usable program code for receiving an instant message;

computer usable program code for parsing said instant message for words in said instant message;

computer usable program code for comparing said words with words in a pre-filter database; and

,

computer usable program code for blocking said instant message if a threshold number of compared words in said instant message are present in said pre-filter database.

11. The computer program product of claim 10, further comprising:

computer usable program code for identifying a source of said instant message;

computer usable program code for looking up said source in a blocked list; and

,

computer usable program code for blocking said instant message if said source is in said blocked list.

12. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein said computer usable program code for parsing said instant message for words in said instant message comprises computer usable program code for parsing said instant message for words and phrases in said instant message, and wherein said computer usable program code for comparing said words with words in a pre-filter database comprises computer usable program code for comparing said words and phrases with words and phrases in a pre-filter database, and wherein said computer usable program code for blocking said instant message if a threshold number of compared words in said instant message are present in said pre-filter database comprises computer usable program code for blocking said instant message if a threshold number of compared words and phrases in said instant message are present in said pre-filter database.

13. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein said computer usable program code for blocking said instant message if a threshold number of compared words in said instant message are present in said pre-filter database further comprises:

computer usable program code for writing source data for said source to a database of blocked instant messages;

computer usable program code for determining whether a threshold number of instant messages associated with said source have been blocked; and

,

computer usable program code for adding said source to said blocked list if a threshold number of instant messages associated with said source have been blocked.