Message screening system

• US 7,174,453 B2
• Filed: 03/09/2001
• Issued: 02/06/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: America Online Inc. (Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc.)
• Inventors: Lu, Larry L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Arani; Taghi T.
• Application Number:
  US09/801,932
• Publication Number:
  US 20020107950A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,160 Days
• Field of Search: 713/154, 713/200, 709/203, 709/224, 709/229, 709/206, 707/10, 379/10, 726/13
• US Class Current: 713/154
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/224 providing notification on incoming messages, e.g. pushed notifications of received messages

Abstract

A message screening system includes routing to a supervisory recipient an instant message or a chat room message directed to an intended recipient. The supervisory recipient then is allowed to screen the instant message or the chat room message by approving or rejecting the message. The instant message or the chat room message then is forwarded to the intended recipient if the message is approved by the supervisory recipient.

Claims

1. A method for monitoring electronic messages that are directed to an intended recipient, the method comprising:

establishing a supervisory relationship between a supervisory person and an intended recipient, wherein establishing the supervisory relationship between the supervisory person and the intended recipient comprises associating an electronic message address of the supervisory person with an electronic message address of the intended recipient;

receiving electronic messages transmitted across a delivery network from one or more sender devices and directed to the intended recipient;

delivering a first one of the electronic messages to the supervisory person without notifying the intended recipient that the first electronic message has been delivered to the supervisory person;

enabling the supervisory person to review and approve the first electronic message after the first electronic message has been delivered to the supervisory person; and

enabling notification of the first electronic message to be provided to the intended recipient only if the supervisory person approves the first electronic message.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the intended recipient is a minor child and the supervisory person is a guardian for the minor child such that establishing the supervisory relationship between the supervisory person and the intended recipient includes associating an electronic message address of the guardian with an electronic message address of the minor child.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the intended recipient is an employee and the supervisory person is an employer for the employee such that establishing the supervisory relationship between the supervisory person and the intended recipient includes associating an electronic message address of the employer with an electronic message address of the employee.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein delivering comprises:

examining a header of the first electronic message to determine whether the header includes the electronic message address of the intended recipient;

determining the electronic address of the supervisory person associated with the electronic message address of the intended recipient; and

routing the first electronic message to the electronic message address of the supervisory person.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the intended recipient and the supervisory person each have different electronic message addresses for a single Internet service provider account.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

examining a header of a second one of the electronic messages to determine an electronic address of the sender of the second electronic message;

comparing the determined electronic address of the second electronic message to at least one sender list, and

approving or rejecting the electronic message based on a result of the comparison.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the at least one sender list includes a list of approved senders such that comparing the determined electronic address comprises comparing the determined electronic address to the list of approved senders.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein the at least one sender list includes a list of blocked senders such that comparing the determined electronic address comprises comparing the determined electronic address to the list of blocked senders.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the electronic messages are e-mails such that receiving electronic messages includes receiving e-mails transmitted across a delivery network from one or more sender devices and directed to the intended recipient.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the electronic messages are instant messages such that receiving electronic messages includes receiving instant messages transmitted across a delivery network from one or more sender devices and directed to the intended recipient.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the electronic messages are chat room messages such that receiving electronic messages includes receiving chat room messages transmitted across a delivery network from one or more sender devices and directed to the intended recipient.

12. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

delivering a second one of the electronic messages to the supervisory person without notifying the intended recipient that the second electronic message has been delivered to the supervisory person; and

automatically forwarding or deleting the second electronic message if the supervisory person does not review and approve the second electronic message within a period of time after delivery of the second electronic message to the supervisory person.

13. A system for monitoring electronic messages that are directed to an intended recipient, the system comprising:

at least one processing device; and

a storage device storing instructions for causing the at least one processing device to perform the following operations;

establish a supervisory relationship between a supervisory person and an intended recipient by, at least, associating an electronic message address of the supervisory person with an electronic message address of the intended recipient;

receive electronic messages transmitted across a delivery network from one or more sender devices and directed to the intended recipient;

deliver a first one of the electronic messages to the supervisory person without notifying the intended recipient that the first electronic message has been delivered to the supervisory person;

enable the supervisory person to review and approve the first electronic message after the first electronic message has been delivered to the supervisory person; and

enable notification of the first electronic message to be provided to the intended recipient only if the supervisory person approves the first electronic message.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein the intended recipient is a minor child and the supervisory person is a guardian for the minor child, and,to establish the supervisory relationship between the supervisory person and the intended recipient, the instructions include instructions for causing the at least one processing device to associate an electronic message address of the guardian with an electronic message address of the minor child.

15. The system of claim 13 wherein the intended recipient is an employee and the supervisory person is an employer for the employee, and, to establish the supervisory relationship between the supervisory person and the intended recipient, the instructions include instructions for causing the at least one processing device to associate an electronic message address of the employer with an electronic message address of the employee.

16. The system of claim 13 wherein, to deliver the first one of the electronic messages to the supervisory person, the instructions include instructions for causing the at least one processing device to:

examine a header of the first electronic message to determine whether the header includes the electronic message address of the intended recipient;

determine the electronic message address of the supervisory person associated with the electronic message address of the intended recipient; and

route the first electronic message to the electronic message address of the supervisory person.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein the intended recipient and the supervisory person each have different electronic message addresses for a single Internet service provider account.

18. The system of claim 13 further comprising instructions stored on the storage device for causing the at least one processing device to:

examine a header of a second one of the electronic messages to determine an electronic address of the sender of the second electronic message;

compare the determined electronic address of the sender of the second electronic message to at least one sender list, and

approve or reject the electronic message based on a result of the comparison.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein the at least one sender list includes a list of approved senders, and, to compare the determined electronic address of the sender of the second electronic message to the at least one sender list, the instructions include instructions for causing the at least one processing device to compare the determined electronic address to the list of approved senders.

20. The system of claim 18 wherein the at least one sender list includes a list of blocked senders, and, to compare the determined electronic address of the sender of the second electronic message to the at least one sender list, the instructions include instructions for causing the at least one processing device to compare the determined electronic address to the list of blocked senders.

21. The system of claim 13 wherein the electronic messages are e-mails and, to receive the electronic messages, the instructions include instructions for causing the at least one processing device to receive e-mails transmitted across a delivery network from one or more sender devices and directed to the intended recipient.

22. The system of claim 13 wherein the electronic messages are instant messages, and, to receive the electronic messages, the instructions include instructions for causing the at least one processing device to receive instant messages transmitted across a delivery network from one or more sender devices and directed to the intended recipient.

23. The system of claim 13 wherein the electronic messages are chat room messages and, to receive the electronic messages, the instructions include instructions for causing the at least one processing device to receive chat room messages transmitted across a delivery network from one or more sender devices and directed to the intended recipient.

24. The system of claim 13 further comprising instructions stored on the storage device for causing the at least one processing device to:

deliver a second one of the electronic messages to the supervisory person without notifying the intended recipient that the second electronic message has been delivered to the supervisory person; and

forward or delete the second one of the electronic message if the supervisory person does not review and approve the second one of the electronic message within a period of time after delivery of the second one of the electronic message to the supervisory person.

25. A computer readable medium having embodied thereon a computer program for monitoring electronic messages that are directed to an intended recipient, the computer program comprising:

an establishing code segment that establishes a supervisory relationship between a supervisory person and an intended recipient wherein the establishing code segment comprises an associating code segment that establishes the supervisory relationship between the supervisory person and the intended recipient by, at least, associating an electronic message address of the supervisory person with an electronic message address of the intended recipient;

a receiving code segment that receives electronic messages transmitted across a delivery network from one or more sender devices and directed to the intended recipient;

a delivery code segment that delivers a first one of the electronic messages to the supervisory person without notifying the intended recipient that the first electronic message has been delivered to the supervisory person;

a review code segment that enables the supervisory person to review and approve the first electronic message after the first electronic message has been delivered to the supervisory person; and

a notification code segment that enables notification of the first electronic message to be provided to the intended recipient only if the supervisory person approves the first electronic message.

26. The medium of claim 25 wherein the intended recipient is a minor child and the supervisory person is a guardian for the minor child such that the associating code segment associates an electronic message address of the guardian with an electronic message address of the minor child.

27. The medium of claim 25 wherein the intended recipient is an employee and the supervisory person is an employer for the employee such that the associating code segment associates an electronic message address of the employer with an electronic message address of the employee.

28. The medium of claim 25 wherein the delivery code segment comprises:

an examining code segment that examines a header of the first electronic message to determine whether the header includes the electronic message address of the intended recipient;

a determining code segment that determines the electronic address of the supervisory person associated with the electronic message address of the intended recipient; and

a routing code segment that routes the first electronic message to the electronic message address of the supervisory person.

29. The medium of claim 28 wherein the intended recipient and the supervisory person each have different electronic message addresses for a single Internet service provider account.

30. The medium of claim 25 wherein the computer program further comprises:

an examining code segment that examines a header of a second one of the electronic messages to determine an electronic address of the sender of the second electronic message;

a comparing code segment that compares the determined electronic address of the second electronic message to at least one sender list, and

an approving/rejecting code segment that approves or rejects the electronic message based on a result of the comparison.

31. The medium of claim 30 wherein the at least one sender list includes a list of approved senders such that the comparing code segment compares the determined electronic address to the list of approved senders.

32. The medium of claim 30 wherein the at least one sender list includes a list of blocked senders such that the comparing code segment compares the determined electronic address to the list of blocked senders.

33. The medium of claim 25 wherein the electronic messages are e-mails such that the receiving code segment receives e-mails transmitted across a delivery network from one or more sender devices and directed to the intended recipient.

34. The medium of claim 25 wherein the electronic messages are instant messages such that the receiving code segment receives instant messages transmitted across a delivery network from one or more sender devices and directed to the intended recipient.

35. The medium of claim 25 wherein the electronic messages are chat room messages such that the receiving code segment receives chat room messages transmitted across a delivery network from one or more sender devices and directed to the intended recipient.

36. The medium of claim 25 wherein the delivering code segment delivers a second one of the electronic messages to the supervisory person without notifying the intended recipient that the second electronic message has been delivered to the supervisory person, the computer program further comprising a forwarding/deleting code segment that automatically forwards or deletes the second electronic message if the supervisory person does not review and approve the second electronic message within a period of time after delivery of the second electronic message to the supervisory person.