Treatment of electronic communications based on user association with one or more online groups

• US 8,406,409 B2
• Filed: 01/06/2012
• Issued: 03/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Marathon Solutions LLC (Pendrell Corporation)
• Inventors: Smith, Michael, Connelly, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Sing, Simon
• Assistant Examiner(s): BEZUAYEHU, SOLOMON G
• Application Number:
  US13/345,191
• Publication Number:
  US 20120106725A1
• Time in Patent Office: 445 Days
• Field of Search: 37921002-21401
• US Class Current: 379/210.02
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2044 Group features, e.g. closed user group
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/28 Services making use of subscriber schedule information
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/2281 Call monitoring, e.g. for law enforcement purposes; Call tracing; Detection or prevention of malicious calls
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42059 Making use of the calling party identifier
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42153 by subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/436 Arrangements for screening incoming calls , i.e. evaluating the characteristics of a call before deciding whether to answer it based on the calling party profile H04M3/42059; based on location H04M3/42348; based on presence H04M3/42365; diversion H04M3/54

Abstract

A method is described for call treatment based on user association with one or more user groups. The method includes receiving a phone call from a call source that is directed to a call recipient, identifying a user group associated with the call recipient, and determining a number of received indications assigned to the user group. The received indications are assigned to the user group by users associated with the user group, and the received indications reflect a desire by the users for a special treatment of future calls from the call source. The method also includes distinguishing treatment of the phone call from the call source based on the number of received indications.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving at least one indication from a first electronic communication recipient reflecting a characterization of at least one electronic communication from an electronic communication source;

identifying, by at least one processor, one or more online groups associated with the first recipient based on at least the first recipient'"'"'s interaction with the one or more online groups;

associating the indication with at least one group from among the one or more online groups;

determining, by the at least one processor, a number of received indications related to the electronic communication source associated with the at least one group, the received indications being associated to the group by the recipients associated within the group, the received indications reflecting the recipients characterization of the electronic communications source; and

filtering, by the at least one processor, a plurality of electronic communications from a source based on at least the number of received indications related to the source.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the characterization of the at least one electronic communication comprises at least an indication by the first recipient of a desire to apply special treatment to future electronic communications from the source.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein:

receiving the indication from the first recipient includes receiving a vote from the first recipient, the vote reflecting a desire to block future electronic communication from the source;

determining the number of received indications includes referencing a table to determine a number of received votes related to the source and assigned to the at least one group, the received votes being assigned to the at least one group by users associated with the at least one group and the received votes reflecting the desire by the users to block future electronic communications from the source; and

filtering the plurality of electronic communication from the source includes;

determining whether the number of received votes assigned to the at least one group exceeds a threshold; and

blocking the incoming electronic communication from the source to a second electronic communication recipient associated with the at least one group if it is determined the number of received votes assigned to the at least one online group exceeds the threshold.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising informing the second recipient that the incoming electronic communication from the source was blocked.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first recipient is different from the second recipient.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the second recipient is different from the users who have assigned the indications to the at least one group.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein associating the indication to the one or more online groups includes selectively assigning the indication to the one or more online groups of the first recipient based on preferences of the first recipient.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein selectively assigning the indication to the one or more online groups of the first recipient based on the preferences of the first recipient comprises:

presenting a user interface to the first recipient, the user interface including an option allowing the first recipient to select the one or more online groups; and

obtaining feedback from the first recipient, the feedback identifying the one or more online groups.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein selectively assigning the indication to the one or more online groups of the first recipient based on the preferences of the first recipient includes assigning the indication to all of the one or more online groups of the first recipient.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein selectively assigning the indication to the one or more online groups of the first recipient based on the preferences of the first recipient includes assigning the indication to a subset of all online groups of the recipient.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein selectively assigning the indication to the one or more online groups includes selectively assigning the indication to the one or more online groups based on a default setting, wherein the default setting comprises at least one of a default setting selected by the first recipient or a default setting selected by a host system.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein filtering the plurality of electronic communications from the source comprises:

determining whether the number of received indications assigned to the at least one group exceeds a threshold; and

wherein filtering the plurality of electronic communications based on whether the number of received indications associated with the at least one group is determined to exceed the threshold.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising preventing an incoming electronic communication from the source to reach the second recipient.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising allowing the incoming electronic communication to reach the second recipient if the number of received indications associated with the at least one group is less than or equal to the threshold.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying a plurality of online groups associated with a second recipient;

determining a number of received indications associated with each of the plurality of groups by users associated with the plurality of online groups reflecting the users'"'"' characterizations of the electronic communications from the source; and

filtering a plurality of electronic communications to the second recipient based on the number of received indications assigned to the plurality of online groups.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein filtering a plurality of electronic communications to the second recipient comprises:

identifying preferences of the second recipient associated with assigning less weight to the indications from the users associated with a first online group; and

applying the identified preferences against the received indications includes assigning less weight to the indications from the users associated with the first user.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a plurality of identities associated with the first recipient, wherein each of the plurality of identities is associated with a set of preferences;

determining an active identity of the first recipient; and

filtering a plurality of electronic communications from the source based on preferences associated with the active identity.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the active identity comprises an identity used to log the first recipient into a host system.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the one or more online groups comprises:

presenting a user interface to the first recipient, the user interface comprising an option allowing the first recipient to provide information regarding a plurality of online groups; and

receiving feedback from the first recipient identifying the one or more online groups.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein filtering the plurality of electronic contention comprises:

determining how to handle the incoming electronic communications from the source based on the received indications associated with the at least one group, wherein a subset of the received indications are directly associated with the source.

21. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium including instructions for processing electronic communications, the instructions being executable by at least one processor to cause the processor to perform steps comprising:

receiving at least one indication from a first electronic communication recipient reflecting a characterization of at least one electronic communication from an electronic communication source;

identifying, by at least one processor, one or more online groups associated with the first recipient based on at least the first recipient'"'"'s interaction with the one or more online groups;

associating the indication, by the at least one processor, with at least one group from among the one or more online groups;

determining, by the at least one processor, a number of received indications related to the electronic communication source associated with the at least one group, the received indications being associated to the group by the recipients associated within the group, the received indications reflecting the recipients characterization of the electronic communications source; and

filtering, by the at least one processor, a plurality of electronic communications from a source based on at least the number of received indications related to the source.

22. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 21, wherein associating the indication to the one or more online groups includes selectively assigning the indication to the one or more online groups of the first recipient based on preferences of the first recipient.

23. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 22, wherein selectively assigning the indication to the one or more online groups of the first recipient based on the preferences of the first recipient comprises:

presenting a user interface to the first recipient, the user interface including an option allowing the first recipient to select the one or more online groups; and

obtaining feedback from the first recipient, the feedback identifying the one or more online groups.

24. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 23, wherein selectively assigning the indication to the one or more online groups of the first recipient based on the preferences of the first recipient includes assigning the indication to all of the one or more online groups of the first recipient.

25. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 23, wherein selectively assigning the indication to the one or more online groups of the first recipient based on the preferences of the first recipient includes assigning the indication to a subset of all online groups of the recipient.