Message modification system and method

• US 8,406,792 B2
• Filed: 08/02/2007
• Issued: 03/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Aaltonen, Janne, Brummer, Markku, Kalliola, Janne
• Primary Examiner(s): TORRES, MARCOS L
• Application Number:
  US11/888,880
• Publication Number:
  US 20080125096A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,063 Days
• Field of Search: 455/466, 455/412.1, 455/412.2, 455/414.4, 455/422.1, 455/566, 709/206, 709/207, 705/14.1, 705/14.16, 705/14.4, 705/14.49, 705/14.64
• US Class Current: 455/466
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/214 using selective forwarding
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/234 for tracking messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/104 Grouping of entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2044 Group features, e.g. closed user group
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42042 Notifying the called party of information on the calling party details within substation equipment H04M1/57, signalling details H04Q3/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42068 where the identifier is used to access a profile
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4211 where the identifier is used to access a profile
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13109 Initializing, personal profile
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/1313 Metering, billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13288 Closed user groups, CUG
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/54533 Configuration data, translation, passwords, databases
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/084 using delegated authorisation, e.g. open authorisation [OAuth] protocol

Abstract

A method of, and system for, performing message modification on the basis of group membership of the sender and/or recipient of the message. The system includes a device which modifies a message for transmission through a data communications network. The message includes transmission data which identifies a sending party and a recipient of the message and a message body identifying content thereof, at least part of which is specified by the sending party. The system includes a data processor device arranged to identify membership of a group in relation to a sending party and a recipient of a the message, identify an action in dependence on concordance between respective group memberships, modify the message on the basis of the identified action; and transmit the modified message to the recipient in accordance with the transmission data.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

identifying, by a computer hardware processor, the group membership conditions of a sending party and a recipient of a message;

selecting, by the hardware processor, a rule based on the group membership conditions of the sending party and the recipient of the message, wherein the rule is specified by the identified group of the sending party and the recipient of the message and the rule dictates a billing action and a message modification tag based on the group membership condition of the sending party and the recipient of the message;

selecting, by the hardware processor, a billing action and a message modification tag based on the predetermined rules;

transmitting, by the hardware processor, the message to the recipient of the message, wherein the message is appended with the selected message modification tag;

transmitting, by the hardware processor, a second message to the sending party, wherein the second message is appended with a second message modification tag specified by the selected rule; and

billing, by the hardware processor, the sending party and the recipient of the message according to the selected billing action.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the message modification tag and the second message modification tag are the same when the sending party and the recipient are members of the same group.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the message modification tag and the second message modification tag are different when the sending party and the recipient are members of different groups.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the message modification tag and the second message modification tag are the same when neither the sending party nor the recipient is a member of a group.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the message modification tag is related to a sponsor associated with the identified group of the sending party and the recipient of the message.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the billing action dictates a cost to the sending party and the recipient of the message for transmission of the message.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the cost is reduced by an amount that a sponsor associated with the identified group of the sending party and the recipient is willing to subsidize the cost.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the billing action dictates that the cost to both the sending party and the recipient is subsidized by the sponsor when both the sending party and the recipient are members of the group associated with the sponsor.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the billing action dictates that only the cost to the member of the group associated with the sponsor is subsidized by the sponsor when only one of the sending party and the recipient is a member of the group associates with the sponsor.

10. The method claim 7, wherein the billing action dictates that the cost to the sending party and the recipient is not subsidized when neither the sending party nor the recipient is a member of the group associated with the sponsor.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the message modification tag appended to the message indicates that the cost is subsidized by the sponsor.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the message modification tag appended to the message indicates that only the cost to the member of the group associated with the sponsor is subsidized by the sponsor.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the message modification tag appended to the message indicates that the sponsor subsidizes the cost of transmission for members of the group associated with the sponsor.

14. A system, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory containing instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to;

identify the group membership conditions of a sending party and a recipient of a message;

select a rule based on the group membership conditions of the sending party and the recipient of the message, wherein the rule is specified by the identified group of the sending party and the recipient of the message and the rule dictates a billing action and a message modification tag based on the group membership condition of the sending party and the recipient of the message;

select a billing action and a message modification tag based on the predetermined rules;

transmit the message to the recipient of the message, wherein the message is appended with the selected message modification tag;

transmit a second message to the sending party, wherein the second message is appended with a second message modification tag specified by the selected rule; and

bill the sending party and the recipient of the message according to the selected billing action.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the message modification tag and the second message modification tag are the same when the sending party and the recipient are members of the same group.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the message modification tag and the second message modification tag are different when the sending party and the recipient are members of different groups.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the message modification tag and the second message modification tag are the same when neither the sending party nor the recipient is a member of a group.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein the message modification tag is related to a sponsor associated with the identified group of the sending party and the recipient of the message.

19. The system of claim 14, wherein the billing action dictates a cost to the sending party and the recipient of the message for transmission of the message.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the cost is reduced by an amount that a sponsor associated with the identified group of the sending party and the recipient is willing to subsidize the cost.

21. The system of claim 14 wherein the billing action dictates that the cost to both the sending party and the recipient is subsidized by the sponsor when both the sending party and the recipient are members of the group associated with the sponsor.

22. The system of claim 20, wherein the billing action dictates that only the cost to the member of the group associated with the sponsor is subsidized by the sponsor when only one of the sending party and the recipient is a member of the group associates with the sponsor.

23. The system claim 20, wherein the billing action dictates that the cost to the sending party and the recipient is not subsidized when neither the sending party nor the recipient is a member of the group associated with the sponsor.

24. The system of claim 21, wherein the message modification tag appended to the message indicates that the cost is subsidized by the sponsor.

25. The system of claim 22, wherein the message modification tag appended to the message indicates that only the cost to the member of the group associated with the sponsor is subsidized by the sponsor.

26. The system of claim 23, wherein the message modification tag appended to the message indicates that the sponsor subsidizes the cost of transmission for members of the group associated with the sponsor.

27. A non-transitory computer-readable medium containing instructions that, when executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to:

identify the group membership conditions of a sending party and a recipient of a message;

select a rule based on the group membership conditions of the sending party and the recipient of the message, wherein the rule is specified by the identified group of the sending party and the recipient of the message and the rule dictates a billing action and a message modification tag based on the group membership condition of the sending party and the recipient of the message;

select a billing action and a message modification tag based on the predetermined rules;

transmit the message to the recipient of the message, wherein the message is appended with the selected message modification tag;

transmit a second message to the sending party, wherein the second message is appended with a second message modification tag specified by the selected rule; and

bill the sending party and the recipient of the message according to the selected billing action.

28. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 27, wherein the message modification tag and the second message modification tag are the same when the sending party and the recipient are members of the same group.

29. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 27, wherein the message modification tag and the second message modification tag are different when the sending party and the recipient are members of different groups.

30. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 27, wherein the message modification tag and the second message modification tag are the same when neither the sending party nor the recipient is a member of a group.

31. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 27, wherein the message modification tag is related to a sponsor associated with the identified group of the sending party and the recipient of the message.

32. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 27, wherein the billing action dictates a cost to the sending party and the recipient of the message for transmission of the message.

33. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 32, wherein the cost is reduced by an amount that a sponsor associated with the identified group of the sending party and the recipient is willing to subsidize the cost.

34. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 33, wherein the billing action dictates that the cost to both the sending party and the recipient is subsidized by the sponsor when both the sending party and the recipient are members of the group associated with the sponsor.

35. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 33, wherein the billing action dictates that only the cost to the member of the group associated with the sponsor is subsidized by the sponsor when only one of the sending party and the recipient is a member of the group associates with the sponsor.

36. The non-transitory computer-readable medium claim 33, wherein the billing action dictates that the cost to the sending party and the recipient is not subsidized when neither the sending party nor the recipient is a member of the group associated with the sponsor.

37. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 34, wherein the message modification tag appended to the message indicates that the cost is subsidized by the sponsor.

38. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 35, wherein the message modification tag appended to the message indicates that only the cost to the member of the group associated with the sponsor is subsidized by the sponsor.