Processing rules for digital messages

• US 7,996,470 B2
• Filed: 10/14/2003
• Issued: 08/09/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/14/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Daniell, W. Todd
• Primary Examiner(s): Dalencourt, Yves
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lai, Michael C
• Application Number:
  US10/686,433
• Publication Number:
  US 20050080864A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,856 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206, 709/207
• 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 51/212 using filtering or selective blocking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/54 Presence management, e.g. monitoring or registration for receipt of user log-on information, or the connection status of the users

Abstract

Systems and methods for handling email messages are described. Some embodiments are directed to determining whether an email message meets a predefined condition, and executing an action in an instant messaging (IM) system in response to determining that the email message meets the predefined condition. Other embodiments are directed to providing a programming interface, and storing inputs provided by a user at the programming interface. For those embodiments, the programming interface is adapted to receive user input in the form of a markup language. The inputs include a condition and an action. Yet other embodiments are directed to determining whether a digital message meets a predefined condition, and executing a filtering algorithm on the digital message in response to determining that the digital message does not meet the predefined condition. The digital message may be, for example, an email message or an IM message.

Claims

1. A method for initiating an instant messaging session, the method comprising:

receiving a rule for handling a received email message from user input being provided in a markup language, the rule defining first criteria and second criteria, the rule further defining an action to be performed when both the first criteria and the second criteria are satisfied by the received email message, wherein the first criteria specifies that the received email message is from a given Internet domain and the second criteria specifies that the sender of the received email message is currently present at an instant messaging account;

determining whether the received email message is from the given Internet domain;

determining whether the sender of the received email message is currently present at the instant messaging account;

determining whether the sender of the received email message is a contact of a recipient of the received email message;

in response to determining that the received email message is from the given Internet domain and the sender of the received email message is currently present at the instant messaging account and in response to determining that the sender of the received email message is the contact of the recipient of the received email message, automatically launching an instant messaging session with the sender and bypassing spam filtering of the received email message; and

in response to determining that both the first criteria and the second criteria are not met, executing a spam filter on the received email message.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether a sender of a received email message is currently present at an instant messaging account includes extracting contact information from the email message, the contact information being associated with the sender of the received email message.

3. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that includes a program that when executed by a computer performs at least the following:

receiving a rule for handling a received email message from user input being provided in a markup language, the rule defining first criteria and second criteria, the rule further defining an action to be performed when both the first criteria and the second criteria are satisfied by the received email message, wherein the first criteria specifies that the received email message is from a given Internet domain and the second criteria specifies that the sender of the received email message is currently present at an instant messaging account;

determining whether the received email message is from the given Internet domain;

determining whether the sender of the received email message is currently present at the instant messaging account;

determining whether the sender of the received email message is a contact of a recipient of the received email message;

in response to determining that the received email message is from the given Internet domain and the sender of the received email message is currently present at the instant messaging account and in response to determining that the sender of the received email message is the contact of the recipient of the received email message, automatically launching an instant messaging session with the sender and bypassing spam filtering of the received email message; and

in response to determining that both the first criteria and the second criteria are not met, executing a spam filter on the received email message.

4. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 3, the program further extracting contact information from the email message, the contact information being associated with the sender of the received email message.

5. A system for initiating an instant messaging session, the system comprising:

a processor; and

memory storage storing program code executable by the processor, the program code comprising;

a first portion of the program code for receiving a rule for handling a received email message from user input being provided in a markup language, the rule defining first criteria and second criteria, the rule further defining an action to be performed when both the first criteria and the second criteria are satisfied by the received email message, wherein the first criteria specifies that the received email message is from a given Internet domain and the second criteria specifies that the sender of the received email message is currently present at an instant messaging account;

a second portion of the program code for determining whether the received email message is from the given Internet domain;

a third portion of the program code for determining whether the sender of the received email message is currently present at the instant messaging account;

a fourth portion of the program code for determining whether the sender of the received email message is a contact of a recipient of the received email message;

a fifth portion of the program code for, in response to determining that the received email message is from the given Internet domain and the sender of the received email message is currently present at the instant messaging account and in response to determining that the sender of the received email message is the contact of the recipient of the received email message, automatically launching an instant messaging session with the sender and bypassing spam filtering of the received email message; and

a sixth portion of the program code, for in response to determining that both the first criteria and the second criteria are not met, executing a spam filter on the received email message.

6. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium for initiating an instant messaging session, the computer-readable medium including a program that when executed by a computer performs at least the following:

receiving a rule for handling a received email message from user input being provided in a markup language, the rule defining first criteria and second criteria, the rule further defining an action to be performed when both the first criteria and the second criteria are satisfied by the received email message, wherein the first criteria specifies that the received email message is from a given Internet domain and the second criteria specifies that the sender of the received email message is currently present at an instant messaging account;

determining whether the received email message is from the given Internet domain;

determining whether the sender of the received email message is currently present at the instant messaging account;

in response to determining that the received email message is from the given Internet domain and the sender of the email message is currently present at the instant messaging account, automatically, without user input, launching an instant messaging session with the sender and bypassing spam filtering of the received email message; and

in response to determining that both the first criteria and the second criteria are not met, executing a spam filter on the received email message.

7. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 6, the program further extracting contact information from the email message, the contact information being associated with a sender of the email message.