Technique for detecting and blocking unwanted instant messages

• US 7,711,781 B2
• Filed: 11/09/2004
• Issued: 05/04/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: X Corp. (f/k/a Twitter, Inc.) (X Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Davis, John F., Jeffries, Clark D., Himberger, Kevin D., Peyravian, Mohammad
• Primary Examiner(s): Cottingham; John R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Badawi; Sherief
• Application Number:
  US10/984,299
• Publication Number:
  US 20060101021A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,002 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206, 709/207, 709/224, 709/225, 709/204, 709/203, 707/3, 705/3, 705/14, 713/201, 726/4
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1831 Tracking arrangements for later retrieval, e.g. recording contents, participants activities or behavior, network status
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/922 Communications

Abstract

A technique for tracking one or more thresholds relating to the blocking of a particular screen name used on an IM system is disclosed. If the number of people who have blocked a particular screen name reaches a threshold amount, a determination is made that the screen name is being used by a spimmer or other bothersome person, and disciplinary action can be taken. In a preferred embodiment, the email address associated with a user name of a suspected spimmer is identified and all screen names associated with that email address are also subjected to disciplinary action, if desired. Thus, an IM company can suspend all screen names of a spimmer that are tied to the same email address, even though not all (or even none) of the screen names individually have reached a threshold level for discipline/suspension.

Claims

1. A method for blocking first, second and third different screen names, correlated to a same e-mail address, from sending subsequent instant messages via an instant messaging server system, the method comprising the steps of:

the instant messaging server system receiving first, second and third instant messages from the first, second and third screen names addressed to first, second and third respective users of the instant messaging server system;

the instant messaging server system receiving a first blocking request from the first user to block the first screen name individually from sending subsequent instant messages to the first user, and in response, the instant messaging server system configuring itself to block subsequent instant messages from the first screen name addressed to the first user;

the instant messaging server system receiving a second blocking request from the second user to block the second screen name individually from sending subsequent instant messages to the second user, and in response, the instant messaging server system configuring itself to block subsequent instant messages from the second screen name addressed to the second user; and

the instant messaging system server correlating the first, second and third screen names to the e-mail address by checking a prior registration of the first, second and third screen names by a fourth user using the e-mail address, and subsequently determining that a predetermined amount of users of the instant messaging server system have sent blocking requests for any individual screen name correlated to the e-mail address, and in response, the instant messaging server system configuring itself to block subsequent instant messages from the first, second and third screen names addressed to the first, second and third users and other users of the instant messaging server system regardless of whether the first user has sent a blocking request for the second or third screen name, the second user has sent a blocking request for the first or third screen name, and the third user and other users have sent a blocking request for the first, second or third screen name.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the predetermined amount of users is a predetermined percentage of registrants of the instant messaging system server.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the predetermined amount of users is tallied over a predetermined amount of time to form a rate at which different users block the first, second and third screen names individually.

4. An instant messaging server system for blocking first, second and third different screen names, correlated to a same e-mail address, from sending subsequent instant messages via the instant messaging server system, the instant messaging server system comprising:

a CPU, a computer readable memory and a computer readable storage media;

first program instructions to receive first, second and third instant messages from the first, second and third screen names addressed to first, second and third respective users of the instant messaging server system;

second program instructions to receive a first blocking request from the first user to block the first screen name individually from sending subsequent instant messages to the first user, and in response, configure the instant messaging server system to block subsequent instant messages from the first screen name addressed to the first user, and receive a second blocking request from the second user to block the second screen name individually from sending subsequent instant messages to the second user, and in response, configure the instant messaging server system to block subsequent instant messages from the second screen name addressed to the second user; and

third program instructions to correlate the first, second and third screen names to the e-mail address by checking a prior registration of the first, second and third screen names by a fourth user using the e-mail address, and subsequently determine that a predetermined amount of users of the instant messaging server system have sent blocking requests for any individual screen name correlated to the e-mail address, and in response, configure the instant messaging server system to block subsequent instant messages from the first, second and third screen names addressed to the first, second and third users and other users of the instant messaging server system regardless of whether the first user has sent a blocking request for the second or third screen name, the second user has sent a blocking request for the first or third screen name, and the third user and other users have sent a blocking request for the first, second or third screen name; and

wherein the first, second and third program instructions are stored on the computer readable storage media for execution by the CPU via the computer readable memory.

5. The instant messaging server system of claim 4 wherein the predetermined amount of users is a predetermined percentage of registrants of the instant messaging system server.

6. The instant messaging server system of claim 4 wherein the predetermined amount of users is tallied over a predetermined amount of time to form a rate at which different users block the first, second and third screen names individually.

7. A computer program product for execution in an instant messaging server system to block first, second and third different screen names, correlated to a same e-mail address, from sending subsequent instant messages via the instant messaging server system, the computer program product comprising:

a computer readable storage media;

first program instructions to receive first, second and third instant messages from the first, second and third screen names addressed to first, second and third respective users of the instant messaging server system;

second program instructions to receive a first blocking request from the first user to block the first screen name individually from sending subsequent instant messages to the first user, and in response, configure the instant messaging server system to block subsequent instant messages from the first screen name addressed to the first user, and receive a second blocking request from the second user to block the second screen name individually from sending subsequent instant messages to the second user, and in response, configure the instant messaging server system to block subsequent instant messages from the second screen name addressed to the second user; and

third program instructions to correlate the first, second and third screen names to the e-mail address by checking a prior registration of the first, second and third screen names by a fourth user using the e-mail address, and subsequently determine that a predetermined amount of users of the instant messaging server system have sent blocking requests for any individual screen name correlated to the e-mail address, and in response, configure the instant messaging server system to block subsequent instant messages from the first, second and third screen names addressed to the first, second and third users and other users of the instant messaging server system regardless of whether the first user has sent a blocking request for the second or third screen name, the second user has sent a blocking request for the first or third screen name, and the third user and other users have sent a blocking request for the first, second or third screen name; and

wherein the first, second and third program instructions are stored on the computer readable storage media.

8. The computer program product of claim 7 wherein the predetermined amount of users is a predetermined percentage of registrants of the instant messaging system server.

9. The computer program product of claim 7 wherein the predetermined amount of users is tallied over a predetermined amount of time to form a rate at which different users block the first, second and third screen names individually.