Activating a message blocking function from a mobile communication

• US 8,423,057 B1
• Filed: 09/04/2008
• Issued: 04/16/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/04/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: T-Mobile Innovations LLC (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Upadhyay, Piyush, Routt, William James, Kennedy, Jamie L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Afshar, Kamran
• Assistant Examiner(s): TRAN, MONG-THUY THI
• Application Number:
  US12/204,028
• Time in Patent Office: 1,685 Days
• Field of Search: 455/466, 455/415, 455/410, 455/414.1, 455/412.2, 455/418, 455/437
• US Class Current: 455/466
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/212 using filtering or selective blocking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/48 Message addressing, e.g. address format or anonymous messages, aliases
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/663 Preventing unauthorised calls to a telephone set
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72436 for text messaging, e.g. short messaging services [SMS] or e-mails
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements

Abstract

A system, method, and computer readable media are provided for allowing a user to block messages by sending a text message containing the source address that is to be blocked to a provisioning component that updates a block list. Messages addressed to the requesting user that originate from the source address are then dropped by the network before they are communicated to the requesting user. Source addresses may also be removed from the block list by sending a second text message to the provisioning component with the source address.

Claims

1. One or more nontransitory computer-readable media having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon for performing a method of blocking a message sent to a user'"'"'s communication device from a second communication device, the method comprising:

receiving, from the user'"'"'s communication device, a first short messaging service (SMS) text message addressed to a first short code, wherein the first SMS text message includes a phone number of the second communication device, wherein the phone number indicates a selection by the user to block messages from the second communication device, and wherein the first SMS text message is received at a network component that accesses a block list associated with the user'"'"'s mobile device;

upon receiving the first SMS text message addressed to the first short code, causing the phone number received in the first SMS text message from the user'"'"'s communication device to be added to the block list associated with the user'"'"'s communication device, wherein a message from the phone number is not delivered to the user'"'"'s communication device because the phone number received in the text message from the user'"'"'s communication device is on the block list;

receiving, from the user'"'"'s communication device, a second SMS text message addressed to a second short code that is different than the first short code, wherein the second SMS text message includes the phone number for the second communication device; and

upon receiving the second SMS text message addressed to the second short code, causing the phone number to be removed from the block list associated with the first communication device.

2. The media of claim 1, wherein the method further includes:

receiving the message sent to the user'"'"'s communication device from the second communication device;

determining that a phone number included in the message is on the block list associated with the user'"'"'s communication device; and

dropping the message.

3. The media of claim 1, wherein the message is one or more of a short messaging service (SMS) message and a multimedia messaging service (MMS) messages.

4. The media of claim 1, wherein the user'"'"'s communication device is a mobile-communication device including one or more of a cell phone, a PDA, and a smart phone.

5. A computerized system for screening messages sent to a first mobile communication device (“

mobile device”

), the system comprising;

a data store that contains a block list associated with the first mobile device, wherein the block list stores a list of one or more source addresses, wherein messages originating from the one or more source addresses are not communicated to the first mobile device'"'"'s destination address;

a service center for communicating the messages to the first mobile device, wherein the service center blocks a message sent to the first mobile device from a second mobile device when the second mobile device'"'"'s source address is in the first mobile-communication device'"'"'s block list; and

an update component that adds a source address, received in a first short messaging service (SMS) text message sent from the first mobile-communication device, to the block list, wherein the source address is added to the block list when the first SMS text message is addressed to a first short code, and wherein the update component removes the source address from the block list when the source address is received in a second SMS text message sent from the mobile device when the second SMS text message is addressed to a second short code.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the message is one or more of a short messaging service (SMS) message and a multimedia messaging service (MMS) message.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the second mobile device'"'"'s source address is a phone number.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the first SMS text message contains only the phone number.

9. One or more nontransitory computer-readable media having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon for performing a method of auto-generating short messaging service (SMS) text messages with instructions to block or unblock messages addressed to a user'"'"'s mobile-communication device that originate from a source address, the method comprising:

at the user'"'"'s mobile-communication device, receiving a first input from the user indicating that messages originating from the source address are to be blocked;

at the user'"'"'s mobile-communication device, without additional input from the user, generating a first SMS text message containing the source address indicated by the user, wherein the first SMS text message is addressed to a network component having a capability to update a block list associated with the user'"'"'s mobile-communication device; and

at the user'"'"'s mobile-communication device, without additional input from the user, transmitting the SMS text message to the network component by way of a first short code, wherein the source address is added to the block list;

at the user'"'"'s mobile-communication device, receiving a second input from the user indicating that messages originating from the source address are no longer to be blocked;

at the user'"'"'s mobile-communication device, without additional input from the user, generating a second SMS text message containing the source address indicated by the user; and

at the user'"'"'s mobile-communication device, without additional input from the user, transmitting the SMS text message to the network component by way of a second short code that is different than the first short code, wherein the source address is removed from the block list.

10. The media of claim 9, wherein the method further includes:

displaying a message on a user interface on the user'"'"'s mobile-communication device;

upon receiving the first input from the user, retrieving the source address from the message; and

wherein the first input from the user includes the user entering a soft key.

11. The media of claim 9, wherein the method further includes:

displaying a message on a user interface on the user'"'"'s mobile-communication device;

displaying on the user interface a selection component;

upon receiving the first input from the user, retrieving the source address from the message; and

wherein the first input from the user includes the user selecting the selection component.

12. The media of claim 9, wherein the method further includes:

displaying a user interface for composing text messages;

receiving an address for the network component from the user; and

wherein the first input includes the user entering in the source address into the user interface.

13. The media of claim 9, wherein the source address is a phone number.

14. The media of claim 13, wherein the messages are one or more of a short messaging service (SMS) message and a multimedia messaging service (MMS) message.