Prohibiting mobile forwarding

• US 7,730,143 B1
• Filed: 12/29/2006
• Issued: 06/01/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/01/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AOL Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Appelman, Barry
• Primary Examiner(s): Hu, Jinsong
• Application Number:
  US11/618,635
• Time in Patent Office: 1,250 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/204, 709/205, 709/206, 709/228, 709/230, 709/238, 455/466
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/066 Format adaptation, e.g. format conversion or compression
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/214 using selective forwarding
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/104 Grouping of entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/16 Communication-related supplementary services, e.g. call-transfer or call-hold
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/184 Messaging devices, e.g. message centre

Abstract

An incoming message and an indication of a sender-specified destination for the incoming message are received. In addition, a determination is made as to whether a mobile telephone number is known by the sender to be associated with the sender-specified destination. If a mobile telephone number is known by the sender to be associated with the sender-specified destination, a first message that is based on the incoming message is sent to the mobile telephone number. Furthermore, a second message is sent to the mobile telephone number that indicates that the first message was sent to the mobile telephone number based on a determination that the mobile telephone number is known by the sender to be associated with the sender-specified destination.

Claims

1. A method implemented by one or more computer hardware devices for communicating using electronic devices, the method comprising:

receiving an incoming message and an indication of a sender-specified destination for the incoming message;

determining that a mobile telephone number is known by the sender to be associated with the sender-specified destination;

based on having determined that the mobile telephone number is known by the sender to be associated with the sender-specified;

destination, forwarding, to the mobile telephone number, the incoming message as a first message; and

sending a second message to the mobile telephone number, wherein;

determining that the mobile telephone number is known by the sender to be associated with the sender-specified destination comprises identifying, in an electronic collection of contact information associated with the sender, a stored association of the mobile telephone number with the sender-specified destination,

the first message is based on the incoming message, and

the second message indicates that the first message was sent to the mobile telephone number based on the determination that the mobile telephone number is known by the sender to be associated with the sender-specified destination.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the incoming message comprises an instant message, and

the sender-specified destination comprises an instant message identity.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising determining if the sender-specified destination is available to receive an electronic message using a communication mechanism other than a mobile telephone associated with the mobile telephone number, wherein forwarding the incoming message to the mobile telephone number as the first message is based on a determination that the sender-specified destination is not available to receive an electronic message using the other communication mechanism.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein:

the instant message identity comprises an identity that is not signed on to an instant message service when the incoming message is received, and

determining if the sender-specified destination is available to receive an electronic message using the other communication mechanism comprises determining that the sender-specified destination is not available to receive an electronic message using the other communication mechanism if the instant message identity is not signed on to the instant message service when the incoming message is received.

5. The method of claim 3 wherein:

the instant message identity comprises an identity that is signed on to an instant message service and is associated with an idle state when the incoming message is received, and

determining if the sender-specified destination is available to receive an electronic message using the other communication mechanism comprises determining that the sender-specified destination is not available to receive an electronic message using the other communication mechanism if the instant message identity is signed on to the instant message service but associated with an idle state when the incoming message is received.

6. The method of claim 2 wherein the first message comprises a text message based on the instant message.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the second message comprises another text message that accompanies the first message.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein the first message and the second message comprise a single communication.

9. The method of claim 2 wherein the second message accompanies the first message.

10. The method of claim 2 further comprising enabling a recipient associated with the mobile telephone number to prohibit forwarding future incoming messages to the mobile telephone number.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein enabling the recipient to prohibit forwarding future incoming messages to the mobile telephone number comprises enabling the recipient to send an instruction to prohibit forwarding future incoming messages to the mobile telephone number.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the second message enables the recipient to send the instruction to prohibit forwarding future incoming messages to the mobile telephone number.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein the instruction to prohibit forwarding future incoming messages to the mobile telephone number comprises an instruction to prohibit forwarding future incoming messages received from a particular individual.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the particular individual is the sender.

15. The method of claim 11 wherein the instruction to prohibit forwarding future incoming messages to the mobile telephone number comprises an instruction to prohibit forwarding all future incoming messages to the mobile telephone number.

16. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

receiving the instruction to prohibit forwarding future incoming messages to the mobile telephone number; and

prohibiting the forwarding of future incoming messages to the mobile telephone number in response to receiving the instruction to prohibit the forwarding of future incoming messages to the mobile telephone number.

17. The method of claim 11 wherein enabling the recipient to send an instruction to prohibit forwarding future incoming messages comprises enabling the recipient to send the instruction from a mobile telephone associated with the mobile telephone number.

18. The method of claim 11 wherein:

the recipient is associated with the instant message identity, and

enabling the recipient to send an instruction to prohibit forwarding future incoming messages comprises enabling the recipient to send the instruction from a device through which the instant message identity is signed on to an instant message service.

19. The method of claim 2 further comprising determining if previous incoming messages received from the sender have been forwarded to the mobile telephone number, wherein sending the second message to the mobile telephone is based on a determination that no previous incoming messages received from the sender have been forwarded to the mobile telephone number.

20. The method of claim 2 further comprising determining if previous incoming messages have been forwarded to the mobile telephone number, wherein sending the second message to the mobile telephone is based on a determination that no previous incoming messages have been forwarded to the mobile telephone number.

21. The method of claim 1 wherein the incoming message and the first message are identical.

22. A method implemented by one or more computer hardware devices for communicating using electronic devices, the method comprising:

receiving an incoming message and an indication of a sender-specified first destination for the incoming message;

determining that a second destination is associated with the sender-specified first destination;

determining that the second destination is available to receive an electronic message;

in response to having determined that the second destination is associated with the sender-specified first destination and that the second destination is available to receive an electronic message, forwarding, to the second destination, the incoming message as a first message; and

sending a second message to the second destination that indicates that the first message was sent to the second destination based on the determination that the second destination is associated with the sender-specified first destination and the determination that the second destination is available to receive an electronic message.

23. The method of claim 22 wherein

the electronic message comprises an instant message, and

the sender-specified destination comprises an instant message identity.

24. The method of claim 23 wherein

the second destination comprises a mobile telephone number, and

the first message comprises a text message based on the instant message.

25. The method of claim 24 wherein the determination that the second destination is available to receive an electronic message comprises a determination that a recipient associated with the mobile telephone number has enabled text messages based on instant messages to be sent to the mobile telephone number.

26. The method of claim 24 further comprising enabling a recipient associated with the mobile telephone number to prohibit forwarding future instant messages to the mobile telephone number.

27. The method of claim 26 wherein enabling the recipient to prohibit forwarding future instant messages to the mobile telephone number comprises enabling the recipient to send an instruction to prohibit forwarding future instant messages to the mobile telephone number.

28. The method of claim 27 wherein the second message enables the recipient to send the instruction to prohibit forwarding future instant messages to the mobile telephone number.

29. The method of claim 27 wherein the instruction to prohibit forwarding future instant messages to the mobile telephone number comprises an instruction to prohibit forwarding future instant messages received from a particular individual.

30. The method of claim 29 wherein the particular individual is the sender.

31. The method of claim 27 wherein the instruction to prohibit forwarding future instant messages to the mobile telephone number comprises an instruction to prohibit forwarding all future instant messages to the mobile telephone number.

32. The method of claim 27 further comprising:

receiving the instruction to prohibit forwarding future instant messages to the mobile telephone number; and

prohibiting the forwarding of future instant messages to the mobile telephone number in response to receiving the instruction to prohibit forwarding future instant messages to the mobile telephone number.

33. The method of claim 27 wherein enabling the recipient to send an instruction to prohibit forwarding future instant messages comprises enabling the recipient to send the instruction from a mobile telephone associated with the mobile telephone number.

34. The method of claim 27 wherein:

the recipient is associated with the instant message identity, and

enabling the recipient to send an instruction to prohibit forwarding future instant messages comprises enabling the recipient to send the instruction from a device through which the instant message identity is signed on to an instant message service.

35. The method of claim 23 wherein:

the second destination comprises an electronic mail address, and

sending the second message comprises sending an electronic mail message.

36. The method of claim 23 wherein:

an instant messaging service is associated with the sender-specified first destination, and

the second destination comprises a different instant message identity available through a different instant messaging service than the instant messaging service that is associated with the sender-specified first destination.

37. A computer readable storage device having a computer program embodied thereon, the computer program including instructions that, when executed, cause a processor to:

receive an incoming message and an indication of a sender-specified destination for the incoming message;

identify, within an electronic collection of contact information associated with the sender, a stored association of a mobile telephone number with the sender-specified destination;

based on having identified the stored association of the mobile telephone number with the sender-specified destination, determine that the mobile telephone number is known by the sender to be associated with the sender-specified destination;

based on having determined that the mobile telephone number is known by the sender to be associated with the sender-specified destination, forward, to the mobile telephone number, the incoming message as a first message; and

send a second message to the mobile telephone number, wherein;

the first message is based on the incoming message, and

the second message indicates that the first message was sent to the mobile telephone number based on the determination that the mobile telephone number is known by the sender to be associated with the sender-specified destination.

38. The computer readable storage device of claim 37 wherein:

the incoming message comprises an instant message, and

the sender-specified destination comprises an instant message identity.

39. The computer readable storage device of claim 38 wherein the first message comprises a text message based on the instant message.

40. The computer readable storage device of claim 39 wherein the second message comprises a text message that accompanies the first message.

41. The computer readable storage device of claim 38 wherein the computer program further includes instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to:

determine if previous incoming messages received from the sender have been forwarded to the mobile telephone number, wherein the instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to send the second message to the mobile telephone number include instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to send the second message to the mobile telephone number based on a determination that no previous incoming messages received from the sender have been forwarded to the mobile telephone number.

42. The computer readable storage device of claim 38 wherein the computer program further includes instructions that, when executed, cause a processor to determine if previous incoming messages have been forwarded to the mobile telephone number, wherein the instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to send the second message to the mobile telephone number include instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to send the second message to the mobile telephone number based on a determination that no previous incoming messages have been forwarded to the mobile telephone number.

43. The computer readable storage device of claim 37 wherein the first message and the second message comprise a single communication.

44. The computer readable storage device of claim 37 wherein the second message accompanies the first message.

45. The computer readable medium storage device of claim 37 wherein the computer program further includes instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to enable a recipient associated with the mobile telephone number to prohibit forwarding future based on incoming messages to the mobile telephone number.

46. The computer readable storage device of claim 45 wherein the instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to enable the recipient to prohibit forwarding future incoming messages to the mobile telephone number include instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to enable the recipient to send an instruction to prohibit forwarding future incoming messages to the mobile telephone number.

47. The computer readable storage device of claim 46 wherein the second message enables the recipient to send the instruction to prohibit forwarding future incoming messages to the mobile telephone number.

48. The computer readable storage device of claim 46 wherein the instruction to prohibit forwarding future incoming messages to the mobile telephone number comprises an instruction to prohibit forwarding future incoming messages received from a particular individual.

49. The computer readable storage device of claim 48 wherein the particular individual is the sender.

50. The computer readable storage device of claim 46 wherein the instruction to prohibit forwarding future incoming messages to the mobile telephone number comprises an instruction to prohibit forwarding all future incoming messages to the mobile telephone number.

51. The computer readable storage device of claim 46 wherein the computer program further includes instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to:

receive the instruction to prohibit forwarding future incoming messages to the mobile telephone number; and

prohibit the forwarding of future incoming messages to the mobile telephone number in response to receiving the instruction to prohibit the forwarding of future incoming messages to the mobile telephone number.

52. The computer readable storage device of claim 46 wherein the instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to enable the recipient to send an instruction to prohibit forwarding future incoming messages include instructions that, when executed, enable the recipient to send the instruction from a mobile telephone associated with the mobile telephone number.

53. The computer readable storage device of claim 46 wherein:

the recipient is associated with the instant message identity, and

the instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to enable the recipient to send an instruction to prohibit forwarding future incoming messages include instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to enable the recipient to send the instruction from a device through which the instant message identity is signed on to an instant message service.

54. A system for communicating using electronic devices comprising:

a processor;

a computer readable storage device storing instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to;

receive an incoming message and an indication of a sender-specified destination for the incoming message,

identify, within an electronic collection of contact information associated with the sender, a stored association of a mobile telephone number with the sender-specified destination, and

based on having identified the stored association of the mobile telephone number with the sender-specified destination, determine that the mobile telephone number is known by the sender to be associated with the sender-specified destination;

means for forwarding, to the mobile telephone number, the incoming message as a first message based on having determined that the mobile telephone number is known by the sender to be associated with the sender-specified destination; and

means for sending a second message to the mobile telephone number, wherein

the first message is based on the incoming message, and

the second message indicates that the first message was sent to the mobile telephone number based on the determination that the mobile telephone number is known by the sender to be associated with the sender-specified destination.