Message filtering system

• US 8,621,023 B2
• Filed: 12/07/2012
• Issued: 12/31/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/11/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CenturyLink Intellectual Property LLC (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: CenturyLink Intellectual Property LLC (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Gupta, Shekhar
• Primary Examiner(s): Mejia, Anthony
• Application Number:
  US13/708,750
• Publication Number:
  US 20130097268A1
• Time in Patent Office: 389 Days
• Field of Search: 709/200, 709/206
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/212 using filtering or selective blocking

Abstract

A message filtering system is provided including a message management unit and a message monitoring unit in communication with the message management unit. The message management unit is configured to send and receive message over a network and to route messages to the message monitoring unit based on a message source, and the message monitoring unit is configured to parse the message and locate identifiers in the message and to re-route the message based on the identifier located in the message.

Claims

1. A method of filtering messages comprising:

receiving at a computer system a short message service message sent from an originating communication device and addressed to a destination communication device;

determining with the computer system if an address of the originating communication device is a restricted address stored in a restricted address library, wherein the step of determining if the address of the originating communication device is a restricted address is performed with a first processor of the computer system;

prohibiting, with the first processor, delivery of the message to the destination communication device if the address of the originating communication device is a restricted address;

transmitting the message to a second processor of the computer system, if the address of the originating communication device is not a restricted address;

searching, with the second processor, the content of the message for one or more pre-determined words, wherein the step of searching the content of the message for one or more pre-determined words is performed with a the second processor which is physically separate from the first processor and in communication with the first processor over a network;

routing the message from the second processor to a monitoring communication device in real-time, if at least one or more pre-determined words is identified in the message;

receiving, at the second processor, instructions from the monitoring communication device to allow or prohibit delivery of the message to the destination communication device;

in response to receiving instructions to allow delivery of the message, re-routing the message from the monitoring communication device to the second processor; and

forwarding, the message from the second processor to the first processor for delivery of the message to the destination communication device; and

in response to receiving instructions to prohibit delivery of the message, re-routing the message from the monitoring communication device to the second processor;

prohibiting delivery of the message to the destination communication device; and

storing the message in a message library associated with the second processor.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of searching the message for at least one or more pre-determined words comprises comparing the content of the message with a plurality of keywords stored in a keyword identifier library in associated with the second processor.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the second processor automatically updates the keyword library with keywords from on-line sources.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the originating communication device, the destination communication device and the monitoring communication device are at least one or more of a cellular phone, a personal data assistant, or a voice over internet protocol phone.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing the address of the originating communication device in the restricted address library on the first processor in response to receiving instructions to prohibit delivery of the message to the destination communication device.

6. A computer system for filtering short message service messages, the computer system comprising:

a first processor;

a second processor; and

a non-transitory computer readable medium in communication with the first and second processors, the computer readable medium having encoded thereon a set of instructions that upon execution by the first and second processors cause the computer system to perform operations in the set of instructions, comprising;

instructions for receiving a short message service message sent from an originating communication device and addressed to a destination communication device;

instructions for determining if an address of the originating communication device is a restricted address stored in a restricted address library, wherein the instructions for determining if the address of the originating communication device is a restricted address are executed with a first processor of the computer system;

instructions for prohibiting, delivery of the message to the destination communication device if the address of the originating communication device is a restricted address;

instructions for transmitting the message to a second processor, if the address of the originating communication device is not a restricted address;

instructions for searching, the content of the message for one or more pre-determined words, wherein the instructions for searching the content of the message for one or more pre-determined words are executed with the second processor which is physically separate from the first processor and in communication with the first processor over a network;

instructions for routing the message from the second processor to a monitoring communication device in real-time, if at least one or more pre-determined words is identified in the message;

instructions for receiving instructions at the second processor from the monitoring communication device to allow delivery or prohibit delivery of the message to the destination communication device;

in response to receiving instructions to allow delivery of the message, re-routing the message from the monitoring communication device to the second processor; and

forwarding, the message from the second processor to the first processor for delivery of the message to the destination communication device; and

in response to receiving instructions to prohibit delivery of the message, re-routing the message from the monitoring communication device to the second processor;

prohibiting delivery of the message to the destination communication device; and

storing the message in a message library associated with the second processor.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the set of instructions further comprise instructions for searching the message for at least one or more pre-determined words comprises comparing the content of the message with a plurality of keywords stored in a keyword identifier library in associated with the second processor.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the set of instructions further comprise instructions to automatically updates the keyword library with keywords from on-line sources.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein the originating communication device, the destination communication device and the monitoring communication device are at least one or more of a cellular phone, a personal data assistant, or a voice over internet protocol phone.

10. The system of claim 6, wherein the set of instructions further comprise instructions for storing the address of the originating communication device in the restricted address library on the first processor in response to receiving instructions to prohibit delivery of the message to the destination communication device.