Apparatus and methods for managing content exchange on a wireless device

• US 9,288,078 B2
• Filed: 03/06/2006
• Issued: 03/15/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/25/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Fok, Kenny, Cassett, Tia Manning, Hwang, Jihyun
• Primary Examiner(s): Magloire, Vladimir
• Assistant Examiner(s): HEIBER, SHANTELL LAKETA
• Application Number:
  US11/369,377
• Publication Number:
  US 20060256012A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,662 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/56 Computer malware detection or handling, e.g. anti-virus arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/566 Dynamic detection, i.e. detection performed at run-time, e.g. emulation, suspicious activities
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2101 Auditing as a secondary aspect
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2149 Restricted operating environment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/212 using filtering or selective blocking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/214 using selective forwarding
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/00 Arrangements for metering, time-control or time indication ; Metering, charging or billing arrangements for voice wireline or wireless communications, e.g. VoIP
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8088 involving increased rates, e.g. spam messaging billing differentiation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing

Abstract

Apparatus, methods, computer readable media and processors operable on a wireless device may provide an anti-spam engine operable to intercept content intended for and/or generated by client applications, and filter out unwanted content. The anti-spam engine may include a configurable module having a spam filter that may determine whether content is unwanted. Based on the result of subjecting the content to the spam filter, the anti-spam engine may forward the content to the intended client application and/or a network destination, and/or may generate a spam log. The anti-spam module may be further operable to forward the spam log to another device, such as a user manager device, operable to analyze the log and generate a report which may be viewable by an operator.

Claims

1. A method of providing an anti-spam module to monitor all content incoming to a wireless device prior to being received by any client application, comprising:

intercepting content on the wireless device prior to delivery of the content to a content destination and prior to delivery to a client application resident on the wireless device;

analyzing the content based on a content filter to determine if the content comprises unwanted content and if the content is determined to comprise unwanted content, a record is entered into a spam log, wherein the content filter is selected from a plurality of content filters based on a network service provider of the wireless device, and at least one of a hardware characteristic associated with the wireless device, a predetermined characteristic associated with the content destination, and a hardware requirement associated with the content;

based upon the analyzing of the content, forwarding the content to the content destination or quarantining the content by the wireless device;

storing predetermined information of the content including storing at least one of a portion of the content, an identification of a source of the content, a calculated filter test result associated with the content, and an identification of the content destination; and

transmitting the predetermined information to a remote device for analysis of the predetermined information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein forwarding further comprises forwarding the content to at least one of a browser client, an Internet Messenger client, a short message service (SMS) client, a multimedia message service (MMS) client, and an E-mail client.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein intercepting further comprises intercepting prior to transmitting the content from the wireless device to a wireless network.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the hardware characteristic comprises at least one of a processor capability, a speaker capability, a ringer capability, a display capability, and a memory capability.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the predetermined characteristic of the content destination comprises at least one of an identification of a destination client application resident on the wireless device, and a number content destinations associated the content.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the hardware requirement comprises at least one of a wireless device processor requirement, a wireless device audio component requirement, a wireless device video component requirement, and a wireless device memory component requirement.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein quarantining further comprises deleting the content based on a storage limit parameter.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving the content filter from across a wireless network.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a reporting parameter of the content filter, wherein transmitting the predetermined information further comprises transmitting based on the reporting parameter.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the predetermined information further comprises establishing a limited-access communications channel across a wireless network based on a predefined limited service configuration.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein analyzing further comprises:

applying the content filter to the content;

calculating a filter test result based upon application of the predetermined content filter to the content;

comparing a calculated filter test result to a predetermined filter test result; and

classifying the content as unwanted content based upon the comparison of the calculated filter test result and the predetermined filter test result.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a revised content filter based on analyzing the content, and replacing the content filter with the revised content filter.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein intercepting further comprises intercepting content received at a predetermined port of the wireless device.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein intercepting content further comprises initiating the content filter on the wireless device, wherein initiating includes at least one of an ad hoc request by a user or a predetermined event, wherein the predetermined event includes at least one of:

activation, or power up, or a predetermined schedule.

15. A tangible non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions when executed by a computer to cause the computer to perform operations of providing an anti-spam module to monitor all content incoming to a wireless device prior to being received by any client application, comprising:

intercepting content on a wireless device prior to delivery of the content to a content destination wherein intercepting content on a wireless device further comprises intercepting prior to delivery of the content to a content destination;

analyzing the content based on a content filter to determine a content classification, wherein the content filter is selected from a plurality of content filters based on a network service provider of the wireless device, and at least one of a hardware characteristic of the wireless device, a predetermined characteristic associated with the content destination, and a hardware requirement of the content;

based upon the content classification, forwarding the content to the content destination or quarantining the content by the wireless device;

storing predetermined information of the content including storing at least one of a portion of the content, an identification of a source of the content, a calculated filter test result associated with the content, and an identification of the content destination; and

transmitting the predetermined information to a remote device for analysis of the predetermined information.

16. A wireless device for providing an anti-spam module to monitor all content incoming to a wireless device prior to being received by any client application;

comprising;

means for intercepting content on the wireless device prior to delivery of the content to a content destination;

means for analyzing the content based on a content filter to determine a content classification wherein the content filter is selected from a plurality of content filters based on a network service provider of the wireless device, and at least one of a hardware characteristic of the wireless device, a predetermined characteristic associated with the content destination, and a hardware requirement of the content;

means for forwarding the content to the content destination or quarantining the content, based upon the content classification by the wireless device;

means for storing predetermined information of the content including storing at least one of a portion of the content, an identification of a source of the content, a calculated filter test result associated with the content, and an identification of the content destination; and

means for transmitting the predetermined information to a remote device for analysis of the predetermined information.

17. A wireless device for providing an anti-spam module to monitor all content incoming to a wireless device prior to being received by any client application, comprising:

an anti-spam engine operable to intercept content on the wireless device prior to delivery of the content to a content destination, the anti-spam engine comprising a content filter selected from a plurality of content filters based on a network service provider for the wireless device, and at least one of a hardware characteristic for the wireless device, a predetermined characteristic of the content destination, and a hardware requirement for the content; and

control logic intercommoned with the anti-spam engine and operable to apply the content filter to the content and determine if the content comprises unwanted content, wherein the control logic is further operable to forward the content to the content destination if the content does not comprise unwanted content or quarantine the content if the content comprises unwanted content;

wherein the anti-spam engine is further configured to store predetermined information of the content including storing at least one of a portion of the content, an identification of a source of the content, a calculated filter test result associated with the content, and an identification of the content destination; and

wherein the wireless device is configured to forward the predetermined information to a remote device for analysis of the predetermined information.

18. The wireless device of claim 17, further comprising a memory module operable to store at least one client application, and wherein the content destination comprises the client application.

19. The wireless device of claim 18, wherein the control logic is further operable to forward the content to at least one of a browser client, an Internet Messenger client, a short message service (SMS) client, a multimedia message service (MMS) client, and an E-mail client.

20. The wireless device of claim 17, further comprising a memory module operable to store at least one client application operable to generate the content, and wherein the content destination comprises a destination wirelessly connectable with the wireless device.

21. The wireless device of claim 17, wherein the hardware characteristic comprises at least one of a processor capability, a speaker capability, a ringer capability, a display capability, and a memory capability.

22. The wireless device of claim 17, wherein the predetermined characteristic associated with the content destination comprises at least one of an identification of a destination client application resident on the wireless device, and a number content destinations associated the content.

23. The wireless device of claim 17, wherein the hardware requirement comprises at least one of a wireless device processor requirement, a wireless device audio component requirement, a wireless device video component requirement, and a wireless device memory component requirement.

24. The wireless device of claim 17, further comprising a memory module operable to store a quarantine log and a storage limit parameter, wherein the control logic is further operable to store the content in the quarantine log based on a storage limit parameter.

25. The wireless device of claim 17, further comprising a memory module operable to store a spam log, wherein the control logic is further operable, if the content comprises unwanted content, to store predetermined information associated with the content in the spam log and transmit the spam log to a remote device for analysis of the predetermined information.

26. The wireless device of claim 25, wherein the control logic is operable to generate a calculated filter test result based on the application of the content filter to the content, and wherein the predetermined information further comprises at least one of a portion of the content, an identification of a source of the content, the calculated filter test result associated with the content, and an identification of the content destination.

27. The wireless device of claim 25, wherein the memory module further comprises a reporting parameter associated with the content filter, and wherein the control logic is further operable to transmit the predetermined information based on the reporting parameter.

28. The wireless device of claim 25, wherein the memory module further comprises a limited service configuration, and wherein the anti-spam engine is further operable to transmit the predetermined information by establishing a limited-access communications channel across a wireless network based on the limited service configuration.

29. The wireless device of claim 17, wherein the anti-spam engine is further operable to receive the content filter from across a wireless network.

30. The wireless device of claim 17, further comprising a memory module operable to store a predetermined filter result corresponding to the content filter, wherein the control logic is further operable to apply the content filter to the content to generate a filter test result, compare the calculated filter test result to the predetermined filter test result, and classifying the content as unwanted content based upon the comparison of the calculated filter test result and the predetermined filter test result.

31. The wireless device of claim 17, further comprising receiving a revised content filter based on analyzing the content, and replacing the content filter with the revised content filter.

32. The wireless device of claim 17, wherein the control logic is further operable to apply the content filter to a predetermined port of the wireless device.

33. The wireless device of claim 17, wherein the anti-spam engine is initiated on the wireless device by at least one of an ad hoc request by a user or a predetermined event, wherein the predetermined event includes at least one of:

activation, or power up, or a predetermined schedule.

34. A method for managing filtering of content on a wireless device to provide an anti-spam module to monitor all content incoming to a wireless device prior to being received by any client application, comprising:

providing a predetermined content filter storable on the wireless device and a reporting parameter to the wireless device, wherein the content filter is selectable from a plurality of content filters based on a network service provider for the wireless device, and at least one of a hardware characteristic for the wireless device, a predetermined characteristic of the content destination, and a hardware requirement for the content;

receiving, based on the reporting parameter, a spam log relating to content on the wireless device and filtered by the wireless device according to the predetermined content filter;

generating a report based on the spam log; and

storing predetermined information of the content including storing at least one of a portion of the content, an identification of a source of the content, a calculated filter test result associated with the content, and an identification of the content destination;

wherein the wireless device is configured to be able to transmit the predetermined information to a remote device for analysis of the predetermined information.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein the spam log comprises information relating to at least one of incoming content received by the wireless device and outgoing content destined for transmission from the wireless device.

36. The method of claim 34, further comprising providing a predetermined filter test result to the wireless device to enable the wireless device to determine whether to include a reference to the content in the spam log after subjecting the content to the content filter.

37. The method of claim 36, wherein the content filter, when applied by the wireless device to the content, is operable to generate a calculated filter test result for comparison with the predetermined filter test result.

38. The method of claim 34, wherein the reporting parameter is operable to define predetermined information to store in the spam log.

39. The method of claim 38, wherein the predetermined information further comprises at least one of a portion of the content, an identification of a source of the content, a calculated filter test result associated with the content, and an identification of the content destination.

40. The method of claim 34, wherein providing the predetermined content filter and the reporting parameter further comprises forwarding across a wireless network to the wireless device.

41. The method of claim 34, further comprising forwarding a revised content filter to the wireless device based on the spam log.

42. The method of claim 34, wherein the predetermined content filter filters content received at a predetermined port of the wireless device.

43. The method of claim 34, wherein providing the predetermined content filter further comprising, providing the predetermined content filter that may be initiated on the wireless device by at least one of an ad hoc request by a user or a predetermined event, wherein the predetermined event includes at least one of:

activation, or power up, or a predetermined schedule.

44. A tangible non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform operations to provide an anti-spam module to monitor all content incoming to a wireless device prior to being received by any client application, including:

providing a predetermined content filter storable on the wireless device and a reporting parameter to the wireless device, wherein the content filter is selectable from a plurality of content filters based on a network service provider for the wireless device, and at least one of a hardware characteristic for the wireless device, a predetermined characteristic of the content destination, and a hardware requirement for the content;

receiving, based on the reporting parameter, a spam log relating to content received by the wireless device and filtered by the wireless device according to the content filter;

generating a report based on the spam log; and

storing predetermined information of the content including storing at least one of a portion of the content, an identification of a source of the content, a calculated filter test result associated with the content, and an identification of the content destination;

wherein the wireless device is configured to be able to transmit the predetermined information to a remote device for analysis of the predetermined information.

45. At least one processor configured to perform actions including:

providing a predetermined content filter storable on the wireless device and a reporting parameter to the wireless device, wherein the content filter is selectable from a plurality of content filters based on a network service provider for the wireless device, and at least one of a hardware characteristic for the wireless device, a predetermined characteristic of the content destination, and a hardware requirement for the content;

receiving, based on the reporting parameter, a spam log relating to content received by the wireless device and filtered by the wireless device according to the content filter;

generating a report based on the spam log; and

storing predetermined information of the content including storing at least one of a portion of the content, an identification of a source of the content, a calculated filter test result associated with the content, and an identification of the content destination;

wherein the wireless device is configured to be able to transmit the predetermined information to a remote device for analysis of the predetermined information.

46. An apparatus for managing filtering of content on a wireless device, comprising:

means for providing a predetermined content filter storable on the wireless device and a reporting parameter to the wireless device, wherein the content filter is selectable from a plurality of content filters based on a network service provider for the wireless device, and at least one of a hardware characteristic for the wireless device, a predetermined characteristic of the content destination, and a hardware requirement for the content;

means for receiving, based on the reporting parameter, a spam log relating to content received by the wireless device and filtered by the wireless device according to the content filter;

means for generating a report based on the spam log; and

means for storing predetermined information of the content including storing at least one of a portion of the content, an identification of a source of the content, a calculated filter test result associated with the content, and an identification of the content destination;

wherein the wireless device is configured to be able to transmit the predetermined information to a remote device for analysis of the predetermined information.

47. An apparatus for managing filtering of content on a wireless device, comprising:

a generator module operable to generate a content filter configuration comprising at least one predetermined content filter storable on the wireless device and a reporting parameter, wherein the content filter is selectable from a plurality of content filters based on a network service provider for the wireless device, and at least one of a hardware characteristic for the wireless device, a predetermined characteristic of the content destination, and a hardware requirement for the content;

an anti-spam module operable to forward the content filter configuration to the wireless device and operable to receive, based on the reporting parameter, a spam log relating to content received by the wireless device and filtered by the wireless device according to the spam filter; and

a report generator operable to generate a report based on the spam log;

wherein the anti-spam module is further configured to store predetermined information of the content including storing at least one of a portion of the content, an identification of a source of the content, a calculated filter test result associated with the content, and an identification of the content destination; and

wherein the wireless device is configured to be able to forward the predetermined information to a remote device for analysis of the predetermined information.

48. The apparatus of claim 47, wherein the spam log comprises information relating to at least one of incoming content received by the wireless device and outgoing content destined for transmission from the wireless device.

49. The apparatus of claim 47, wherein the content filter configuration further comprises a predetermined filter test result to enable the wireless device to determine whether to include a reference to the content in the spam log after subjecting the content to the content filter.

50. The apparatus of claim 49, wherein the content filter, when applied by the wireless device to the content, is operable to generate a calculated filter test result for comparison with the predetermined filter test result.

51. The apparatus of claim 47, wherein the reporting parameter is operable to define predetermined information to store in the spam log.

52. The apparatus of claim 51, wherein the predetermined information further comprises at least one of a portion of the content, an identification of a source of the content, a calculated filter test result associated with the content, and an identification of the content destination.

53. The apparatus of claim 47, wherein the anti-spam module is further operable to forward the predetermined content filter and the reporting parameter across a wireless network to the wireless device.

54. The apparatus of claim 47, wherein the anti-spam module is further operable to forward a revised content filter configuration to the wireless device based on the spam log.

55. The apparatus of claim 47, wherein the predetermined content filter is further configured to filter content received at a predetermined port of the wireless device.

56. The apparatus of claim 47, wherein the predetermined content filter is further configured to be initiated on the wireless device by at least one of an ad hoc request by a user or a predetermined event, wherein the predetermined event includes at least one of:

activation, or power up, or a predetermined schedule.