Message screening system utilizing supervisory screening and approval

• US 9,621,501 B2
• Filed: 08/18/2015
• Issued: 04/11/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Inventors: Lu, Larry L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Arani, Taghi
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lane, Gregory
• Application Number:
  US14/828,805
• Publication Number:
  US 20150358268A1
• Time in Patent Office: 602 Days
• Field of Search: 709206
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/214 using selective forwarding
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/224 providing notification on incoming messages, e.g. pushed notifications of received messages

Abstract

A message screening system includes routing to a supervisory recipient an electronic message directed to an intended recipient. The supervisory recipient then is allowed to screen the electronic message by approving or rejecting the electronic message. The electronic message then is forwarded to the intended recipient if the electronic message is approved by the supervisory recipient.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by at least one processor, an electronic message from an account of a sender to be provided to one or more accounts of one or more intended recipients associated with a user;

delivering, by the at least one processor, the electronic message to an account of the user without providing the electronic message to the one or more accounts of the one or more intended recipients and without notifying the one or more intended recipients that the electronic message has been delivered to the account of the user;

providing, by the at least one processor, an option to the user to approve the electronic message for providing to the one or more accounts of the one or more intended recipients; and

upon receiving an indication from the user that the electronic message has been approved, forwarding, by the at least one processor, the electronic message to the one or more accounts of the one or more intended recipients associated with the user.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein forwarding the electronic message to the one or more accounts of the one or more intended recipients associated with the user comprises forwarding the electronic message to the one or more accounts of the one or more intended recipients from the account of the user.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising enabling the user to selectively restrict future electronic messages from the account of the sender to be provided to the one or more accounts of the one or more intended recipients associated with the user.

4. The method as recited in claim 3, further comprising:

receiving a second electronic message from the account of the sender to be provided to the one or more accounts of the one or more intended recipients associated with the user;

providing an option to the user to reject the second electronic message for providing to the one or more accounts of the one or more intended recipients; and

upon receiving an indication from the user that the second electronic message has been rejected, blocking the second electronic message from being provided to the one or more accounts of the one or more intended recipients associated with the user.

5. The method as recited in claim 4, wherein blocking the second electronic message further comprises deleting the second electronic message without notifying the one or more intended recipients that the second electronic message has been deleted.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein upon receiving the indication from the user that the electronic message has been approved, the method further comprises establishing a default condition for automatically providing one or more future messages from the account of the sender to the one or more accounts of the one or more intended recipients.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising, upon receiving the indication from the user that the electronic message has been approved, adding the sender to a list of users associated with the user for which providing electronic messages to one or more accounts of the one or more intended recipients is authorized.

8. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein providing the option to the user to approve the electronic message comprises providing a control panel in conjunction with the electronic message that enable the user to approve or reject the electronic message for providing to the one or more accounts of the one or more intended recipients.

9. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein:

providing the option to the user to approve the electronic message comprises providing an option to the user to approve the electronic message for providing to a subset of the one or more accounts of the one or more intended recipients; and

providing the electronic message to the one or more intended recipients comprises providing the electronic message to the subset of the one or more accounts of the one or more intended recipients.

10. A system comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing instructions thereon that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to;

receive an electronic message from an account of a sender to be provided to one or more accounts of one or more intended recipients associated with a user;

delivering the electronic message to an account of the user without providing the electronic message to the one or more accounts of the one or more intended recipients and without notifying the one or more intended recipients that the electronic message has been delivered to the account of the user;

provide an option to the user to approve the electronic message for providing to the one or more accounts of the one or more intended recipients; and

upon receiving an indication from the user that the electronic message has been approved, forward the electronic message to the one or more accounts of the one or more intended recipients associated with the user.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein forwarding the electronic message to the one or more accounts of the one or more intended recipients associated with the user comprises forwarding the electronic message to the one or more accounts of the one or more intended recipients from the account of the user.

12. The system of claim 10, further comprising instructions thereon that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the system to enable the user to selectively restrict future electronic messages from the account of the sender to be provided to the one or more accounts of the one or more intended recipients associated with the user.

13. The system of claim 12, further comprising instructions thereon that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the system to:

receive a second electronic message from the account of the sender to be provided to the one or more accounts of the one or more intended recipients associated with the user;

provide an option to the user to reject the second electronic message for providing to the one or more accounts of the one or more intended recipients; and

upon receiving an indication from the user that the second electronic message has been rejected, block the second electronic message from being provided to the one or more accounts of the one or more intended recipients associated with the user.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein blocking the second electronic message further comprises deleting the second electronic message without notifying the one or more intended recipients that the second electronic message has been deleted.

15. The system of claim 10, further comprising instructions thereon that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the system to, upon receiving the indication from the user that the electronic message has been approved, establish a default condition for automatically providing one or more future messages from the account of the sender to the one or more accounts of the one or more intended recipients.

16. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing instructions thereon that, when executed by at least one processor, cause a computer system to:

receive an electronic message from an account of a sender to be provided to one or more accounts of one or more intended recipients associated with a user;

delivering the electronic message to an account of the user without providing the electronic message to the one or more accounts of the one or more intended recipients and without notifying the one or more intended recipients that the electronic message has been delivered to the account of the user;

provide an option to the user to approve the electronic message for providing to the one or more accounts of the one or more intended recipients; and

upon receiving an indication from the user that the electronic message has been approved, forward the electronic message to the one or more accounts of the one or more intended recipients associated with the user.

17. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 16, further comprises instructions thereon that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the computer system to enable the user to selectively restrict future electronic messages from the account of the sender to be provided to the one or more accounts of the one or more intended recipients associated with the user.

18. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 17, further comprises instructions thereon that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the computer system to:

receive a second electronic message from the account of the sender to be provided to the one or more accounts of the one or more intended recipients associated with the user;

provide an option to the user to reject the second electronic message for providing to the one or more accounts of the one or more intended recipients; and

upon receiving an indication from the user that the second electronic message has been rejected, block the second electronic message from being provided to the one or more accounts of the one or more intended recipients associated with the user.

19. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein blocking the second electronic message further comprises deleting the second electronic message without notifying the one or more intended recipients that the second electronic message has been deleted.

20. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 16, further comprises instructions thereon that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the computer system to, upon receiving the indication from the use that the electronic message has been approved, establish a default condition for automatically providing one or more future messages from the account of the sender to the one or more accounts of the one or more intended recipients.