Method and system for supervising electronic text communications of an enterprise

• US 8,028,030 B2
• Filed: 05/22/2008
• Issued: 09/27/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/22/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Edlund, Stefan B., Hui, Joshua W., Johnson, Christopher M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Follansbee; John
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mejia; Anthony
• Application Number:
  US12/125,374
• Publication Number:
  US 20090292779A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,223 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

A method and system for supervising electronic text messages in an enterprise allows for storing organizational information related to the enterprise, identifying a source and a target of the electronic text message, invoking communication screens between the identified source and target, each of the invoked communication screens being determined by the organizational information for the identified source and target, analyzing the electronic text message by a set of rules corresponding to said invoked communication screens to provide a supervisory score, and applying supervisory action to the electronic text message based on the supervisory score, including any of blocking transmission, redirecting the electronic text message to a supervisor or a supervisory file, and copying the electronic text message to the supervisory file.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of supervising an electronic text message in an enterprise, said method comprising:

storing, by a computer, organizational information, related to said enterprise;

storing, by said computer, one or more communication screens that screen electronic text messages, each of said communication screens applying a set of rules to analyze said electronic text message, said set of rules being determined by said organizational information;

wherein each of said rules of said set of rules comprises an entity identification, and any of a keyword and a pattern of text in said electronic text messages, and

wherein a matched rule has a numerical value, within a fixed range, corresponding to a relative value of truth for said matched rule;

identifying, by said computer, a source and a target of said electronic text message;

invoking, by said computer, said one or more communication screens between said identified source and said identified target, each of said one or more invoked communication screens being determined by said organizational information for said identified source and said identified target,

wherein said organizational information includes an identity of an employee and a workstation that said employee has access to, and any of a department in which said employee works, and special projects to which said employee is assigned that may have temporary communication restrictions that apply to said employee;

analyzing, by said computer, said electronic text message by said set of rules corresponding to said invoked one or more communication screens to provide a supervisory score, wherein said analyzing further comprises;

combining one or more matched rules to provide an evidence category, said evidence category having an evidence category score, corresponding to a highest numerical value of said one or more matched rules; and

combining one or more evidence categories to provide one or more compliance classes, each of said one or more compliance classes having a supervisory score that is limited to a fixed numerical range, according to one of logical and arithmetic operations performed on said combining of one or more evidence category scores; and

outputting, by said computer, said electronic text message, based on said supervisory score, to a supervisory file for review by a supervisor.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said electronic text message comprises one of an email, an instant message, and a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) transcript.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said source is an employee of said enterprise and said target is another employee of said enterprise or a non-employee.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing, by said computer, said organizational information and said supervisory score as metadata with said electronic text message.

5. A system for supervising electronic text messages in an enterprise comprising:

a source workstation and a target workstation connected to a supervisory system by a network;

said supervisory system comprising;

a memory for storing organizational information related to said enterprise and for storing one or more communication screens, each of said communications screens applying a set of rules to analyze said electronic text messages,

wherein each of said rules of said set of rules comprises an entity identification, and any of a keyword and a pattern of text in said electronic text messages, and

wherein a matched rule has a numerical value, within a fixed range, corresponding to a relative value of truth for said matched rule; and

an analysis engine configured to;

identify a source and a target by accessing an electronic text messaging system;

determine, by said organizational information, a set of rules to be applied to said one or more communication screens to analyze said electronic text message;

invoke said one or more communication screens between said identified source and said identified target, each of said one or more invoked communication screens being determined by said organizational information for said identified source and said identified target,

wherein said organizational information includes an identity of an employee and a workstation that said employee has access to, and any of a department in which said employee works, and special projects to which said employee is assigned that may have temporary communication restrictions that apply to said employee;

analyze said electronic text message by said set of rules corresponding to said invoked one or more communication screens to provide a supervisory score, wherein analyzing said electronic message further comprises configuring said analysis engine to;

combine one or more matched rules to provide an evidence category, said evidence category having an evidence category score, corresponding to a highest numerical value of said one or more matched rules; and

combine one or more evidence categories to provide one or more compliance classes, each of said one or more compliance classes having a supervisory score that is limited to a fixed numerical range, according to one of logical and arithmetic operations performed on said combining of one or more evidence category scores; and

output said electronic text message, based on said supervisory score, to a supervisory file for review by a supervisor.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein said memory stores said organizational information and said supervisory score as metadata with a stored electronic text message.

7. A non-transitory computer-readable program storage medium readable by computer, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by said computer to perform a method of supervising electronic text messages in an enterprise, said method comprising:

storing organizational information related to said enterprise;

storing, by said computer, one or more communication screens that screen electronic text messages, each of said communication screens applying a set of rules to analyze said electronic text message, said set of rules being determined by said organizational information;

wherein each of said rules of said set of rules comprises an entity identification, and any of a keyword and a pattern of text in said electronic text messages, and

wherein a matched rule has a numerical value, within a fixed range, corresponding to a relative value of truth for said matched rule;

identifying a source and a target of said electronic text message;

invoking one or more communication screens between said identified source and said identified target, each of said one or more invoked communication screens being determined by said organizational information for said identified source and said identified target,

wherein said organizational information includes an identity of an employee and a workstation that said employee has access to, and any of a department in which said employee works, and special projects to which said employee is assigned that may have temporary communication restrictions that apply to said employee;

analyzing said electronic text message by a set of rules corresponding to said invoked one or more communication screens to provide a supervisory score, wherein said analyzing further comprises;

combining one or more matched rules to provide an evidence category, said evidence category having an evidence category score, corresponding to a highest numerical value of said one or more matched rules; and

combining one or more evidence categories to provide one or more compliance classes, each of said one or more compliance classes having a supervisory score that is limited to a fixed numerical range, according to one of logical and arithmetic operations performed on said combining of one or more evidence category scores; and

outputting said electronic text message, based on said supervisory score, to a supervisory file for review by a supervisor.