SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR EVALUATING OUTBOUND MESSAGES

• US 20110055334A1
• Filed: 08/31/2009
• Published: 03/03/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: TIVYAN, Roman
• Granted Patent: US 8,769,022 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/212 using filtering or selective blocking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/23 Reliability checks, e.g. acknowledgments or fault reporting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication

Abstract

Methods and systems enable evaluating a message prior to transmission to one or more addressees. In an embodiment, a message element evaluator applies rules to message field elements which may include message addressee and content elements before the message is transmitted. When a message evaluation rule is violated, an alert may be presented to the user. A message evaluation rule may allow the sender to confirm sending of the message, initiate editing of the message, or cancel the message. A message evaluation rule may also prohibit the message from being sent until the message is modified to conform to the message evaluation rule. The methods and systems may be applied to a variety of message types including electronic mail, simple message system, multimedia message system, and instant message system messages.

Claims

1. A method for evaluating an outbound message comprising:

receiving a message from a messaging application, wherein the message comprises field elements;

accessing a message evaluation rule stored in a datastore, wherein the message evaluation rule comprises a condition and wherein the condition relates at least a first field element to a second field element;

applying the message evaluation rule to at least the first field element and second field element;

determining whether the condition of the message evaluation rule is satisfied;

generating a display to alert a user when the condition of the message evaluation rule is satisfied; and

sending the message when the condition of the message evaluation rule is not satisfied.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first field element is a message address element and the second field element is a message address element.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first field element is a message address element and the second field element is a message content element.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first and second field elements is a message address element.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the display further comprises a request for a response from the user selected from the group consisting of a send confirmation command, an edit message command, and a cancel message command,

wherein the method further comprises:

receiving a user response;

transmitting the message when the received user response is the send confirmation command;

returning processing of the message to the messaging application when the received user response is the edit message command; and

cancelling the message when the received user response is the cancel command.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the display further comprises a description of the condition satisfying the rule.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the display further comprises an instruction requiring revision of at least one of the field elements related by the condition.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the outbound message is an email and the messaging application is an email application.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the outbound message is a simple message system message and the messaging application is a simple message system application.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the outbound message is an instant message and the messaging application is an instant message system application.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the outbound message is a multimedia message system message and the messaging application is a multimedia message system application.

12. A computing device, comprising:

a datastore having stored therein a message evaluation rule, wherein the message evaluation rule comprises a condition and wherein the condition relates at least a first field element to a second field element;

a processor coupled to the datastore, wherein the processor is configured with a messaging application and with software executable instructions to perform operations comprising;

receiving a message from the messaging application, wherein the message comprises a plurality of field elements including the first field element and the second field element;

applying the message evaluation rule to at least the first field element and second field element of the message;

determining whether the condition of the message evaluation rule is satisfied;

generating a display to alert a user when the condition of the message evaluation rule is satisfied; and

sending the message when the condition of the message evaluation rule is not satisfied.

13. The computing device of claim 12, wherein the first field element is a message address element and the second field element is a message address element.

14. The computing device of claim 12, wherein the first field element is a message address element and the second field element is a message content element.

15. The computing device of claim 12, wherein at least one of the first and second field elements is a message address element.

16. The computing device of claim 12, wherein the display further comprises a request for a response from the user selected from the group consisting of a send confirmation command, an edit message command, and a cancel message command,

wherein the processor is further configured with software executable instructions to perform further operations comprising:

receiving a user response;

transmitting the message when the received user response is the send confirmation command;

returning processing of the message to the messaging application when the received user response is the edit message command; and

cancelling the message when the received user response is the cancel command.

17. The computing device of claim 12, wherein the display further comprises a description of the condition satisfying the rule.

18. The computing device of claim 17, wherein the display further comprises an instruction requiring revision of at least one of the field elements related by the condition.

19. The computing device of claim 12, wherein the outbound message is an email and the messaging application is an email application.

20. The computing device of claim 12, wherein the outbound message is a simple message system message and the messaging application is a simple message system application.

21. The computing device of claim 12, wherein the outbound message is an instant message and the messaging application is an instant message system application.

22. The computing device of claim 12, wherein the outbound message is a multimedia message system message and the messaging application is a multimedia message system application.

23. A computing device, comprising:

means for storing a message evaluation rule, wherein the message evaluation rule comprises a condition and wherein the condition relates at least a first field element to a second field element;

means for receiving a message from a messaging application, wherein the message comprises a plurality of field elements including the first field element and the second field element;

means for applying the message evaluation rule to at least the first field element and second field element of the message;

means for determining whether the condition of the message evaluation rule is satisfied;

means for generating a display to alert a user when the condition of the message evaluation rule is satisfied; and

means for sending the message when the condition of the message evaluation rule is not satisfied.

24. The computing device of claim 23, wherein the first field element is a message address element and the second field element is a message address element.

25. The computing device of claim 23, wherein the first field element is a message address element and the second field element is a message content element.

26. The computing device of claim 23, wherein at least one of the first and second field elements is a message address element.

27. The computing device of claim 23, wherein the means for generating a display to alert a user when the condition of the message evaluation rule is satisfied further comprises means for requesting a response from the user selected from the group consisting of a confirmation command, an edit message command, and a cancel message command,

wherein the computing device further comprises:

means receiving a user response;

means for transmitting the message when the received user response is the send confirmation command;

means for returning processing of the message to the messaging application when the received user response is the edit message command; and

means for canceling the message when the response is the cancel command.

28. The computing device of claim 23, wherein the means for generating a display to alert a user when the condition of the message evaluation rule is satisfied further comprises means for generating a display including a description of the condition satisfying the rule.

29. The computing device of claim 28, wherein the means for generating a display to alert a user when the condition of the message evaluation rule is satisfied further comprises means for generating an instruction requiring revision of at least one of the field elements related by the condition.

30. The computing device of claim 23, wherein the outbound message is an email and the messaging application is an email client.

31. The computing device of claim 23, wherein the outbound message is a simple message system message and the messaging application is a simple message system application.

32. The computing device of claim 23, wherein the outbound message is an instant message and the messaging application is an instant message system application.

33. The computing device of claim 23, wherein the outbound message is a multimedia message system message and the messaging application is a multimedia message system application.

34. A computer program product, comprising:

a computer-readable medium, comprising;

at least one instruction for storing a message evaluation rule, wherein the message evaluation rule comprises a condition and wherein the condition relates at least a first field element to a second field element;

at least one instruction for receiving a message from a messaging application wherein the message comprises field elements;

at least one instruction for applying the message evaluation rule to at least the first field element and second field element;

at least one instruction for determining whether the condition of the message evaluation rule is satisfied;

at least one instruction for generating a display to alert a user when the condition of the message evaluation rule is satisfied; and

at least one instruction for sending the message when the condition of the message evaluation rule is not satisfied.

35. The computer program product of claim 34, wherein the first field element is a message address element and the second field element is a message address element.

36. The computer program product of claim 34, wherein the first field element is a message address element and the second field element is a message content element.

37. The computer program product of claim 34, wherein at least one of the first and second field elements is a message address element.

38. The computer program product of claim 34, wherein the computer-readable medium further comprises:

at least one instruction for requesting a response from the user selected from the group consisting of a send confirmation command, an edit message command, and a cancel message command;

at least one instruction for receiving a user response;

at least one instruction for transmitting the message when the received user response is the send confirmation command;

at least one instruction for returning processing of the message to the messaging application when the received user response is the edit message command; and

at least one instruction for canceling the message when the received user response is the cancel message command.

39. The computer program product of claim 34, wherein the computer-readable medium further comprises at least one instruction for generating a description of the condition satisfying the rule.

40. The system of claim 39, wherein the computer-readable medium further comprises at least one instruction for generating an instruction requiring revision of at least one of the field elements related by the condition.

41. The computer program product of claim 34, wherein the outbound message is an email and the messaging application is an email client.

42. The computer program product of claim 34, wherein the outbound message is a simple message system message and the messaging application is a simple message system application.

43. The computer program product of claim 34, wherein the outbound message is an instant message and the messaging application is an instant message system application.

44. The computer program product of claim 34, wherein the outbound message is a multimedia message system message and the messaging application is a multimedia message system application.