CONTROLLING LOCATION AND TIME PREFERENCES FOR MESSAGES

• US 20100332602A1
• Filed: 06/30/2009
• Published: 12/30/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: O'Sullivan, Patrick J., Harpur, Liam, Zimmet, Carol S.
• Granted Patent: US 8,352,560 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/212 using filtering or selective blocking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/214 using selective forwarding

Abstract

A system and method for controlling preferences for messages that includes receiving a message from a sender to a recipient, determining if the message will be received by the recipient based on message policies for the recipient, and notifying the sender that the message will not be received by the recipient and when it will be received responsive to the determination that the message will not be received by the recipient.

Claims

1. A method, operable on a server, for controlling preferences for messages comprising:

receiving, by the server, a message from a sender to a recipient;

determining, by the server, if the message will be received by the recipient based on message policies for the recipient; and

notifying, by the server, the sender that the message will not be received by the recipient and when it will be received responsive to the determination that the message will not be received by the recipient.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising configuring, by the server, the message policies at least one of responsive to receiving input from the recipient and automatically based on set rules.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the message policies at least one of define at least one time period when the recipient does not desire to receive messages and define at least one current location of the recipient where the recipient will only receive messages.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the message policies define at least one current location of the recipient where the recipient will only receive messages of a specific type.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising determining, by the server, if the message is of a type currently not being received by the recipient based on message policies for the recipient and notifying the sender that the message will not be currently received by the recipient and when it will be received responsive to the determination that the message is of a type currently not being received by the recipient based on the message policies for the recipient.

6. The method according to claim 7, wherein the type comprises at least one of at least one location from which the recipient does not desire to receive messages from, at least one of an email, a short message service (SMS) message and an instant message (IM), and at least one job title of the sender.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising at least two message policies for the recipient, a decision making hierarchy being specified to resolve conflicts between rules of the at least two message policies.

8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising at least two message policies for the recipient, arbitration rules being specified to resolve conflicts between rules of the at least two message policies/

9. The method according to claim 1, further comprising reminding, by the server, the recipient to respond to the message.

10. The method according to claim 1, further comprising one of suspending, by the server, receipt of all messages for a set period and disabling, by the server, receipt of all messages until enabled, the suspending and the disabling overriding the message policies for the recipient.

11. The method according to claim 1, further comprising providing to the sender, by the server, information regarding at least one period when the recipient will receive messages, the sender being allowed to select one of the at least one period for sending a message to the recipient.

12. A computing device for controlling preferences for messages comprising:

a network interface, the network interface being configured to receive and send messages;

a storage device, the storage device containing message policies for a recipient; and

a processor, the processor configured to determine if a message sent from a sender to a recipient will be received by the recipient based on the message policies for the recipient and notify the sender that the message will not be received by the recipient and when it will be received responsive to the determination that the message will not be received by the recipient.

13. The computing device according to claim 12, wherein the computing device comprises one of a server and a client device of the recipient.

14. The computing device according to claim 12, wherein the message policies at least one of define at least one time period when the recipient does not desire to receive messages and define at least one current location of the recipient where the recipient will only receive messages.

15. The computing device according to claim 12, wherein the message policies are configured at least one of responsive to receiving input from the recipient and automatically based on set rules.

16. The computing device according to claim 12, further comprising the processor determining if the message is of a type currently not being received by the recipient based on message policies for the recipient and notifying the sender that the message will not be currently received by the recipient and when it will be received responsive to the determination that the message is of a type currently not being received by the recipient.

17. A computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium having computer readable program code embodied therewith, the computer readable storage medium comprising:

computer readable program code configured to receive a message from a sender to a recipient;

computer readable program code configured to determine if the message will be received by the recipient based on message policies for the recipient; and

computer readable program code configured to notify the sender that the message will not be received by the recipient and when it will be received responsive to the determination that the message will not be received by the recipient.

18. The computer program product according to claim 17, wherein the message policies at least one of define at least one time period when the recipient does not desire to receive messages and define at least one current location of the recipient where the recipient will only receive messages.

19. The computer program product according to claim 17, wherein the message policies are configured at least one of responsive to receiving input from the recipient and automatically based on set rules. I do not understand this claim.

20. The computer program product according to claim 17, further comprising computer readable program code configured to determine if the message is of a type currently not being received by the recipient based on message policies for the recipient and notify the sender that the message will not be currently received by the recipient and when it will be received responsive to the determination that the message is of a type currently not being received by the recipient.