Inappropriate content detection method for senders

• US 8,473,443 B2
• Filed: 04/20/2009
• Issued: 06/25/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/20/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Lewis, Sheena, Malkin, Peter K., Oduor, Kenya F., Rhodes, Philippa M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chaki, Kakali
• Assistant Examiner(s): PELLETT, DANIEL T
• Application Number:
  US12/426,523
• Publication Number:
  US 20100268682A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,527 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 706/47
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]

Abstract

Content detection for senders reviews and compares content for sending to one or more profile parameters of a recipient. The one or more profile parameters describe the characteristics of the recipient. Portions of the content determined to be inappropriate or offensive to the recipient based on the recipient'"'"'s profile parameters are tagged and the sender is alerted. Alternative suggestions to replace those portions in the content may be provided.

Claims

1. A computer system for detecting content, comprising:

an input device for inputting content by a sender to be sent to one or more recipients via a communications network;

a profile database having one or more profiles associated with at least one of the one or more recipients, each profile of the one or more profiles having at least one profile characteristic describing a respective recipient;

a reviewing module operable to determine at least one recipient profile characteristic associated with a recipient of the content from said one or more profiles;

a comparison module operable to scan the content, determine one or more criteria based on said at least one recipient profile characteristic, and identify one or more content items in the content meeting said one or more criteria; and

an alert module operable to raise an alarm to the sender prior to the content is sent to the one or more recipients, in response to the comparison module identifying said one or more content items,

wherein the content includes electronic communications message between the sender of the content and said one or more recipients, said one or more profiles including sender defined parameters updatable as said sender learns more characteristics of said one or more recipients, said parameters further including associated explanations, and wherein the comparison module is operable to scan the content before the content is sent from the sender of the electronic communications message to said one or more recipients, and if it is determined that the content should not be sent based on the comparison module identifying said one or more content items, an explanation of why the content should not be sent is provided to the sender of the electronic communications message based on said associated explanations,

wherein the sender is enabled to mark said one or more profiles as private or shared,

wherein the recipient is enabled to edit one or more shared profiles.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the comparison module further identifies the location of the one or more content items in the content.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the alert module is further operable to provide said one or more criteria and an explanation for said one or more criteria.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the alert module further provides one or more alternative contents in place of using said one or more content items.

5. The system of claim 1, further including a transmission device that delivers the content to the one or more recipients.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the transmission device delivers a tangible rendering of the content.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the tangible rendering includes a printout or a recording or combination thereof.

8. The system of claim 5, wherein the system is connected to a network.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the one or more recipients are connected to the network, and the transmission device delivers the content to the one or more recipients via the network.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein said one or more criteria include one or more items considered to be offending to recipient of the content.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the sender is enabled to mark said one or more profiles as private or shared.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein said one or more profiles marked as private are not exposed to the recipient.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein said one or more profiles marked as shared are exposed to the recipient.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein in response to the recipient forwarding the content to another recipient, the comparison module and the review module are operable to be activated to review and compare the content based on one or more profile characteristics of the another recipient.

14. A computer system for detecting content, comprising:

an input device for inputting content by a sender to be sent to one or more recipients via a communications network;

a profile database having one or more profiles associated with at least one of the one or more recipients, each profile of the one or more profiles having at least one profile characteristic describing a respective recipient;

a reviewing module operable to determine at least one recipient profile characteristic associated with a recipient of the content from said one or more profiles;

a comparison module operable to scan the content, determine one or more criteria based on said at least one recipient profile characteristic, and identify one or more content items in the content meeting said one or more criteria; and

an alert module operable to raise an alarm to the sender prior to the content is sent to the one or more recipients, in response to the comparison module identifying said one or more content items,

wherein the content includes electronic communications message between the sender of the content and said one or more recipients, said one or more profiles including sender defined parameters updatable as said sender learns more characteristics of said one or more recipients, said parameters further including associated explanations, and wherein the comparison module is operable to scan the content before the content is sent from the sender of the electronic communications message to said one or more recipients, and if it is determined that the content should not be sent based on the comparison module identifying said one or more content items, an explanation of why the content should not be sent is provided to the sender of the electronic communications message based on said associated explanations,

a transmission device that delivers the content to the one or more recipients, wherein the transmission device delivers a tangible rendering of the content,

wherein the system and the one or more recipients are connected to a network, and the transmission device delivers the content to the one or more recipients via the network,

wherein the sender is enabled to mark said one or more profiles as private or shared,

wherein the recipient is enabled to edit one or more shared profiles.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the recipient edited shared profiles are received at the sender.

17. A method for detecting content, comprising:

determining by a processor at least one recipient profile characteristic associated with a recipient of electronic content, by retrieving one or more profiles stored in a profile database associated with one or more recipients;

determining one or more criteria based on said at least one recipient profile characteristic;

scanning the content;

identifying one or more content items in the content meeting said one or more criteria; and

raising an alarm to the sender of the content in response to the identifying of said one or more content items,

wherein the content includes electronic communications message between the sender of the content and said one or more recipients, said one or more profiles including sender defined parameters updatable as said sender learns more characteristics of said one or more recipients, said parameters further including associated explanation, and wherein the content is scanned before the content is sent from the sender of the electronic communications message to said one or more recipients, and if it is determined that the content should not be sent based on said identifying of said one or more content items, an explanation of why the content should not be sent is provided to the sender prior to the content is sent to the one or more recipients, based on said associated explanation,

wherein the sender is enabled to mark said one or more profiles as private or shared,

wherein the recipient is enabled to edit one or more shared profiles.

18. The method of claim 17, further including:

providing one or more alternatives to use in the content in place of said one or more content items.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein said one or more criteria include one or more items considered to be offending to the recipient.

25. The method of claim 17, wherein the recipient edited shared profiles are received at the sender.

20. A non-transitory program storage device readable by a machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform a method for detecting content, comprising:

determining by a processor at least one recipient profile characteristic associated with a recipient of electronic content, by retrieving one or more profiles stored in a profile database associated with one or more recipients;

determining one or more criteria based on said at least one recipient profile characteristic;

scanning the content;

identifying one or more content items in the content meeting said one or more criteria; and

raising an alarm to the sender prior to the content is sent to the one or more recipients, in response to the identifying of said one or more content items,

wherein the content includes electronic communications message between the sender of the content and said one or more recipients, said one or more profiles including sender defined parameters updatable as said sender learns more characteristics of said one or more recipients, said parameters further including associated explanation, and wherein the content is scanned before the content is sent from the sender of the electronic communications message to said one or more recipients, and if it is determined that the content should not be sent based on said identifying of said one or more content items, an explanation of why the content should not be sent is provided to the sender prior to the content is sent to the one or more recipients, based on said associated explanation,

wherein the sender is enabled to mark said one or more profiles as private or shared,

wherein the recipient is enabled to edit one or more shared profiles.

21. The program storage device of claim 20, further including:

providing one or more alternatives to use in the content in place of said one or more content items.

22. The program storage device of claim 20, wherein said one or more criteria include one or more items considered to be offending to the recipient.

23. The program storage device of claim 20, wherein said sender defined parameters include one or more events that have occurred to said one or more recipients.

24. The program storage device of claim 20, wherein the recipient edited shared profiles are received at the sender.