STATEFUL NOTIFICATION

• US 20150372953A1
• Filed: 06/23/2014
• Published: 12/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lenovo PC International Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Lenovo Singapore Pte Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: Davis, Mark Charles
• Granted Patent: US 10,645,043 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/212 using filtering or selective blocking
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/436 Arrangements for screening incoming calls , i.e. evaluating the characteristics of a call before deciding whether to answer it based on the calling party profile H04M3/42059; based on location H04M3/42348; based on presence H04M3/42365; diversion H04M3/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements

Abstract

An apparatus can include a processor; memory operatively coupled to the processor wherein the memory stores identifier information; a network interface; notification circuitry; and policy engine circuitry that, responsive to receipt of identifier information via the network interface, activates the notification circuitry if, according to a match criterion, a match exists between at least a portion of the received identifier information and at least a portion of identifier information previously transmitted via the network interface and stored in the memory.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a processor;

memory operatively coupled to the processor wherein the memory stores identifier information;

a network interface;

notification circuitry; and

policy engine circuitry that, responsive to receipt of identifier information via the network interface, activates the notification circuitry if, according to a match criterion, a match exists between at least a portion of the received identifier information and at least a portion of identifier information previously transmitted via the network interface and stored in the memory.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the network interface comprises a wireless network interface.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the network interface comprises a cellular wireless network interface.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the identifier information comprises a voice number.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the policy engine circuitry deletes identifier information from the memory based at least in part on a time criterion.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the received identifier information is associated with a voice transmission and wherein the previously transmitted identifier information is associated with a media transmission.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the received identifier information is associated with a media transmission and wherein the previously transmitted identifier information is associated with a voice transmission.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the received identifier information is associated with a voice transmission and wherein the previously transmitted identifier information is associated with a voice transmission.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the received identifier information is associated with a media transmission and wherein the previously transmitted identifier information is associated with a media transmission.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the received identifier information or the previously transmitted identifier information is associated with a media transmission wherein a media transmission comprises a text medium, an image medium or a video medium.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the memory comprises a blacklist, a whitelist or a blacklist and a whitelist.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein, responsive to transmission of identifier information via the network interface, the policy engine circuitry stores at least a portion of the identifier information in the memory.

13. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the policy engine circuitry comprises counter circuitry that counts a number of transmissions via the network interface as associated with identifier information of a unique identity and that stores the number in the memory with the identifier information of the unique identity.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein the policy engine circuitry comprises a count criterion that is applied in addition to the match criterion.

15. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the policy engine circuitry parses information formatted according to TCP/IP to obtain TCP/IP identifier information.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the policy engine circuitry associates TCP/IP identifier information and digital cellular network identifier information.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein the policy engine circuitry, responsive to receipt of information formatted according to TCP/IP, activates the notification circuitry if, according to an association criterion, an association exists between at least a portion of TCP/IP identifier information in the information formatted according to TCP/IP and at least a portion of digital cellular network interface identifier information previously transmitted and stored in the memory.

18. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein the policy engine circuitry, responsive to receipt of digital cellular network identifier information, activates the notification circuitry if, according to an association criterion, an association exists between at least a portion of the received digital cellular network identifier information and at least a portion of TCP/IP identifier information previously transmitted and stored in the memory.

19. A method comprising:

storing a whitelist of identifier information in memory;

receiving identifier information via a network interface;

comparing at least a portion of the received identifier information to at least a portion of the stored whitelist of identifier information;

based at least in part on the comparing, determining if a match exists according to at least one match criterion; and

if a match does exist, issuing a notification;

or

if a match does not exist, issuing a prompt for storing at least a portion of the received identifier information to a blacklist in memory.

20. One or more machine-readable storage media comprising processor-executable instructions executable to instruct an information handling machine to:

store a whitelist of identifier information in memory;

receive identifier information via a network interface;

compare at least a portion of the received identifier information to at least a portion of the stored whitelist of identifier information;

based at least in part on the comparison, determine if a match exists according to at least one match criterion; and

if a match does exist, issue a notification;

or

if a match does not exist, issue a prompt to store at least a portion of the received identifier information to a blacklist in memory.