Methods, systems, and computer program products for short message service (SMS) spam filtering using e-mail spam filtering resources
First Claim
1. A method for screening short message service (SMS) messages, the method comprising:
- (a) receiving, at a network element separate from an electronic mail (e-mail)-based spam filter, an SMS message that includes a short message payload;
(b) creating, at the network element, an e-mail message that includes at least a portion of the SMS message; and
(c) transmitting the e-mail message to the e-mail-based spam filter, wherein the e-mail-based spam filter determines whether the at least a portion of the SMS message contained in the e-mail message includes spam content, and wherein the method further comprises, in response to the determination by the e-mail-based spam filter that the at least a portion of the SMS message contained in the e-mail message does not include spam content, notifying the network element and routing the SMS message from the network element to its destination.
3 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Methods, systems, and computer program products are disclosed for preventing the delivery of unwanted SMS messages, such as those containing unsolicited commercial messages or spam, in a communications network. More particularly, SMS messages are intercepted prior to delivery and at least a portion of the SMS message content is encapsulated within an electronic mail (e-mail) message. The e-mail message is communicated to an e-mail spam filtering resource in a data network, where spam screening/filtering algorithms are applied. The e-mail message is discarded at the e-mail spam filtering resource if the message fails spam screening. Alternatively, or in addition, the results of the spam screening may be returned with the original message for another network node to process accordingly. In any case, if the message passes spam screening, the original SMS message that is associated with the e-mail message may be delivered to/toward the intended message recipient.
47 Citations
40 Claims
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1. A method for screening short message service (SMS) messages, the method comprising:
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(a) receiving, at a network element separate from an electronic mail (e-mail)-based spam filter, an SMS message that includes a short message payload; (b) creating, at the network element, an e-mail message that includes at least a portion of the SMS message; and (c) transmitting the e-mail message to the e-mail-based spam filter, wherein the e-mail-based spam filter determines whether the at least a portion of the SMS message contained in the e-mail message includes spam content, and wherein the method further comprises, in response to the determination by the e-mail-based spam filter that the at least a portion of the SMS message contained in the e-mail message does not include spam content, notifying the network element and routing the SMS message from the network element to its destination. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A method for screening short message service (SMS) messages, the method comprising:
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(a) receiving, at a network element separate from an electronic mail (e-mail)-based spam filter, an SMS message that includes short message payload information; (b) storing the SMS message in a message buffer of the network element; (c) creating, at the network element, an email message that includes at least a portion of the SMS message; (d) transmitting the e-mail message to the e-mail-based spam filter, wherein the e-mail-based spam filter determines whether the at least a portion of the SMS message contained in the e-mail message includes spam content, and in response to the determination by the e-mail-based spam filter that the at least a portion of the SMS message contained in the e-mail message does include spam content, discarding the e-mail message; and (e) at the network element, determining whether the e-mail message has been discarded, and, in response to determining that the e-mail message has been discarded, discarding the SMS message stored in the message buffer. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A method for screening message service messages, the method comprising:
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(a) receiving, at a network element separate from an electronic (e-mail)-based spam filter, a message service message that includes a payload; (b) creating, at the network element, an email message that includes at least a portion of the message service message; and (c) transmitting the e-mail message to the e-mail-based spam filter, wherein the e-mail-based spam filter determines whether the at least a portion of the message service message contained in the e-mail message includes spam content, and wherein the method further comprises, in response to the determination by the e-mail-based spam filter that the at least a portion of the message service message contained in the e-mail message does not include spam content, notifying the network element and routing the message service message from the network element to its destination. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17)
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18. A network element for preventing the delivery of unwanted short message service (SMS) messages to a receiving party, the network element comprising:
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(a) at least one communications module for sending and receiving SMS messages and for sending and receiving electronic mail (e-mail) messages; and (b) an SMS message screening function separate from an e-mail message filtering application and for; (i) receiving an SMS message from the at least one communications module; (ii) creating a first e-mail message that includes at least a portion of the SMS message; (iii) forwarding the first e-mail message to the e-mail message filtering application via the at least one communications module; (iv) receiving a second e-mail message from the e-mail message filtering application via the at least one communications module; (v) reconstructing an SMS message from information contained in the second e-mail message; and (vi) forwarding the SMS message from the SMS screening function to a message recipient via the at least one communications module. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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25. A network element for preventing the delivery of unwanted short message service (SMS) signaling messages to a receiving party, the network element comprising:
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(a) at least one communications module for sending and receiving SMS messages and for sending and receiving electronic mail (e-mail) messages; and (b) an SMS message screening function separate from an e-mail message filtering application and for; (i) receiving an SMS message from the at least one communications module; (ii) storing the SMS message in a message buffer; (iii) creating a first e-mail message that includes at least a portion of the SMS message; (iv) forwarding the first e-mail message to the e-mail message filtering application via the at least one communications module; (v) receiving a second e-mail message from the e-mail message filtering application via the at least one communications module; (vi) locating and extracting the SMS message from the message buffer using information contained in the second e-mail message; and (vii) forwarding the SMS message from the SMS screening function to a message recipient via the at least one communications module. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32)
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33. A telecommunications network element comprising:
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(a) a communications module for receiving a message service message including message service content; and (b) a message service screening function separate from an electronic mail (e-mail)-based spam filter and operatively associated with the communications module for generating an e-mail message including at least a portion of the message service message content and forwarding the e-mail message to the e-mail-based spam filter, wherein the e-mail-based spam filter determines whether the at least a portion of the message service message contained in the e-mail message includes spam content, and wherein the telecommunications network element, in response to the determination by the e-mail-based spam filter that the at least a portion of the message service message contained in the e-mail message does not include spam content, routes the message service message from the telecommunications network element to its destination. - View Dependent Claims (34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39)
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40. A computer program product comprising computer-executable instructions embodied in a computer-readable storage medium for performing steps comprising:
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(a) receiving, at a network element separate from an electronic mail (e-mail)-based spam filter, an SMS message that includes a short message payload; (b) creating, at the network element, an email message that includes at least a portion of the SMS message; and (c) transmitting the e-mail message to the e-mail-based spam filter, wherein the e-mail-based spam filter determines whether the at least a portion of the SMS message contained in the e-mail message includes spam content, and wherein the computer program product further comprises, in response to the determination by the e-mail-based spam filter that the at least a portion of the SMS message contained in the e-mail message does not include spam content, notifying the network element and routing the SMS message from the network element to its destination.
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Specification