Preventing on-line violations of legal regulations on users of a communication system
First Claim
1. A method for preventing violations of legal regulations on users of an electronic communication system, comprising:
- determining whether a user composing a message to be conveyed using said electronic communication system is a member of a special class of users whose communications are subject to said legal regulations;
responsive to determining that said user is a member of said special class, determining a number of special class members that would be participating in a communication to which said message would be added if said message were conveyed using said electronic communication system;
determining whether said number of special class members that would be participating in said communication if said message were conveyed using said electronic communication system would be as large as a limit associated with said special class;
responsive to determining that said number of special class members that would be participating in said communication if said message were conveyed using said communication system would be at least as large as said limit associated with said special class, preventing said message from being conveyed by said electronic communication system; and
in the event that said message is prevented from being conveyed using said electronic communication system, presenting a notification indicating to said user that said message is prevented from being conveyed because of said determination that said user is a member of said special class, wherein said notification provides an option for redirecting said message comprising a tool for adding said message to an agenda of a future meeting associated with said special class.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A system for preventing on-line violations of open meeting regulations and similar laws, in which one or more special classes of users are defined for an electronic communication system. Special class definitions include the number of group members that make a quorum for each special class. If a user is a special class member, a determination is made as to whether posting or sending a message being composed would violate any legal restrictions associated with that special class such as a serial quorum based on a total number of special class members that would be participants in the communication to which the message would be added, if the message were in fact conveyed. If the number of special class members that would be participants in the communication if the message were conveyed reaches the special class quorum, the message is rejected, and prevented from entry into the communication system.
-
Citations
19 Claims
-
1. A method for preventing violations of legal regulations on users of an electronic communication system, comprising:
-
determining whether a user composing a message to be conveyed using said electronic communication system is a member of a special class of users whose communications are subject to said legal regulations; responsive to determining that said user is a member of said special class, determining a number of special class members that would be participating in a communication to which said message would be added if said message were conveyed using said electronic communication system; determining whether said number of special class members that would be participating in said communication if said message were conveyed using said electronic communication system would be as large as a limit associated with said special class; responsive to determining that said number of special class members that would be participating in said communication if said message were conveyed using said communication system would be at least as large as said limit associated with said special class, preventing said message from being conveyed by said electronic communication system; and in the event that said message is prevented from being conveyed using said electronic communication system, presenting a notification indicating to said user that said message is prevented from being conveyed because of said determination that said user is a member of said special class, wherein said notification provides an option for redirecting said message comprising a tool for adding said message to an agenda of a future meeting associated with said special class. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
-
-
15. A system including a computer readable memory, said computer readable memory having stored thereon program code for preventing violations of legal regulations on users of an electronic communication system, said program code comprising:
-
program code for determining whether a user composing a message to be conveyed using said electronic communication system is a member of a special class of users whose communications are subject to said legal regulations; program code for, responsive to determining that said user is a member of said special class, determining a number of special class members that would be participating in a communication to which said message would be added in the event that said message were conveyed using said electronic communication system; program code for determining whether said number of special class members that would be participating in said communication if said message were added to said communication would be as large as a limit associated with said special class; program code for, responsive to determining that said number of special class members that would be participating in said communication if said message were added to said communication would be at least as large as said limit associated with said special class, preventing said message from being conveyed by said electronic communication system; and program code for, in the event that said message is prevented from being conveyed using said electronic communication system, presenting a notification indicating to said user that said message is prevented from being conveyed because of said determination that said user is a member of said special class, wherein said notification provides an option for redirecting said message comprising a tool for adding said message to an agenda of a future meeting associated with said special class.
-
-
16. A computer program product including a non-transitory computer readable storage medium, said computer readable storage medium having stored thereon program code for preventing violations of legal regulations on users of an electronic communication system, said program code comprising:
-
program code for determining whether a user composing a message to be conveyed using said electronic communication system is a member of a special class of users whose communications are subject to said legal regulations; program code for, responsive to determining that said user is a member of said special class, determining a number of special class members that would be participating in a communication to which said message would be added in the event that said message were conveyed using said electronic communication system; program code for determining whether said number of special class members that would be participating in said communication if said message were added to said communication would be as large as a limit associated with said special class; program code for, responsive to determining that said number of special class members that would be participating in said communication if said message were added to said communication would be at least as large as said limit associated with said special class, preventing said message from being conveyed by said electronic communication system; and program code for, in the event that said message is prevented from being conveyed using said electronic communication system, presenting a notification indicating to said user that said message is prevented from being conveyed because of said determination that said user is a member of said special class, wherein said notification provides an option for redirecting said message comprising a tool for adding said message to an agenda of a future meeting associated with said special class.
-
-
17. A method for preventing violations of legal regulations on users of an electronic communication system, comprising:
-
determining whether a user composing a message to be conveyed using said electronic communication system is a member of a special class of users whose communications are subject to said legal regulations; responsive to determining that said user is a member of said special class, determining a number of special class members that would be participating in a communication to which said message would be added if said message were conveyed using said electronic communication system; determining whether said number of special class members that would be participating in said communication if said message were conveyed using said electronic communication system would be as large as a limit associated with said special class; responsive to determining that said number of special class members that would be participating in said communication if said message were conveyed using said communication system would be at least as large as said limit associated with said special class, preventing said message from being conveyed by said electronic communication system; and wherein said determining whether said number of special class members that would be participating in said communication if said message were conveyed using said electronic communication system would be as large as a limit associated with said special class comprises counting members of said special class that are intended recipients of the message, wherein said message is an e-mail message.
-
-
18. A system including a computer readable memory, said computer readable memory having stored thereon program code for preventing violations of legal regulations on users of an electronic communication system, said program code comprising:
-
program code for determining whether a user composing a message to be conveyed using said electronic communication system is a member of a special class of users whose communications are subject to said legal regulations; program code for, responsive to determining that said user is a member of said special class, determining a number of special class members that would be participating in a communication to which said message would be added in the event that said message were conveyed using said electronic communication system; program code for determining whether said number of special class members that would be participating in said communication if said message were added to said communication would be as large as a limit associated with said special class; program code for, responsive to determining that said number of special class members that would be participating in said communication if said message were added to said communication would be at least as large as said limit associated with said special class, preventing said message from being conveyed by said electronic communication system; and wherein said determining whether said number of special class members that would be participating in said communication if said message were conveyed using said electronic communication system would be as large as a limit associated with said special class comprises counting members of said special class that are intended recipients of the message, wherein said message is an e-mail message.
-
-
19. A computer program product including a non-transitory computer readable storage medium, said computer readable storage medium having stored thereon program code for preventing violations of legal regulations on users of an electronic communication system, said program code comprising:
-
program code for determining whether a user composing a message to be conveyed using said electronic communication system is a member of a special class of users whose communications are subject to said legal regulations; program code for, responsive to determining that said user is a member of said special class, determining a number of special class members that would be participating in a communication to which said message would be added in the event that said message were conveyed using said electronic communication system; program code for determining whether said number of special class members that would be participating in said communication if said message were added to said communication would be as large as a limit associated with said special class; program code for, responsive to determining that said number of special class members that would be participating in said communication if said message were added to said communication would be at least as large as said limit associated with said special class, preventing said message from being conveyed by said electronic communication system; and wherein said determining whether said number of special class members that would be participating in said communication if said message were conveyed using said electronic communication system would be as large as a limit associated with said special class comprises counting members of said special class that are intended recipients of the message, wherein said message is an e-mail message.
-
Specification