Techniques for validating a delivery channel

• US 9,717,000 B2
• Filed: 03/13/2013
• Issued: 07/25/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Inventors: Frederick, Adriel, Fu, Antony, Gadodia, Surendra, Moreno, Denise, Rehwald, Martin
• Primary Examiner(s): Wang, Liangche A
• Assistant Examiner(s): HUANG, KAYLEE J
• Application Number:
  US13/799,679
• Publication Number:
  US 20140171028A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,595 Days
• Field of Search: 709204, 709206, 709217, 709223
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/224 providing notification on incoming messages, e.g. pushed notifications of received messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/52 for supporting social networking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42365 Presence services providing information on the willingness to communicate or the ability to communicate in terms of media capability or network connectivity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]

Abstract

Techniques for validating a delivery channel are described. An apparatus may comprise a validity component operative to query a database of device subscriber information for device information of a device associated with a delivery channel, to analyze the device information to determine whether the device is associated with a user, and to determine whether the delivery channel is valid for communication with the user based on whether the device is associated with the user. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a processor circuit;

a hardware communications component; and

a validity component operative on the processor circuit to receive a request from a sender device, via the hardware communications component, to determine whether a delivery channel is valid for communication with a recipient user, the delivery channel comprising a form of electronic communication and associated with a device and with a device user, and in response to the request;

to query a database of device subscriber information for device information of the device associated with the delivery channel,

to analyze the device information to determine whether the device user matches the recipient user,

to receive information from an application installed on the device, where the information includes an identity of a user associated with the application, the application distinct from the delivery channel,

to determine that the delivery channel is valid for communication with the recipient user when the device user matches the recipient user and when the user associated with the application matches the recipient user, and

to transmit a response to the request to the sender device when the delivery channel is valid.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, the device comprising a mobile phone with an associated phone number, the database comprising a home location register (HLR).

3. The apparatus of claim 2, the validity component operative to determine that the delivery channel is valid based on the phone number being associated with a subscriber identity module (SIM) card in the HLR, wherein the SIM card matches a previous SIM card that the validity component determined was associated with the phone number.

4. The apparatus of claim 2, the validity component operative to determine that the delivery channel is not valid based on the phone number being associated with a subscriber identity module (SIM) card in the HLR, wherein the SIM card does not match a previous SIM card that the validity component determined was associated with the phone number.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, the validity component operative to extend a validity period for a delivery channel based on the validity component determining that the user has successfully transmitted or received using the delivery channel.

6. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

receiving a request from a sender device to determine whether a delivery channel is valid for communication with a recipient user, the delivery channel comprising a form of electronic communication and associated with a device and with a device user, and in response to the request;

querying a database of device subscriber information for device information of the device associated with the delivery channel;

analyzing the device information to determine whether the device user matches the recipient user;

receiving information from an application installed on the device, where the information includes an identity of a user associated with the application, the application distinct from the delivery channel;

determining that the delivery channel is valid for communication with the recipient user when the device user matches the recipient user and when the user associated with the application matches the recipient user; and

transmitting a response to the request to the sender device when the delivery channel is valid.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, the device comprising a mobile phone with an associated phone number, the database comprising a home location register (HLR).

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, comprising:

determining that the delivery channel is valid based on the phone number being associated with a subscriber identity module (SIM) card in the HLR, wherein the SIM card matches a previous SIM card associated with the phone number.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, comprising:

determining that the delivery channel is not valid based on the phone number being associated with a subscriber identity module (SIM) card in the HLR, wherein the SIM card does not match a previous SIM card associated with the phone number.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, comprising:

determining that the user has successfully transmitted or received using the delivery channel; and

extending a validity period for a delivery channel.

11. At least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed, cause a system to:

receive a request from a sender device to determine whether a delivery channel is valid for communication with a recipient user, the delivery channel comprising a form of electronic communication and associated with a device and with a device user, and in response to the request;

query a database of device subscriber information for device information of the device associated with the delivery channel;

analyze the device information to determine whether the device user matches the recipient user;

receive information from an application installed on the device, where the information includes an identity of a user associated with the application, the application distinct from the delivery channel;

determine that the delivery channel is valid when the device user matches the recipient user and when the user associated with the application matches the recipient user; and

transmit a response to the request to the sender device based on the determination of whether the delivery channel is valid.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, the device comprising a mobile phone with an associated phone number, the database comprising a home location register (HLR).

13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, comprising instructions that when executed cause the system to:

determine that the delivery channel is valid based on the phone number being associated with a subscriber identity module (SIM) card in the HLR, wherein the SIM card matches a previous SIM card associated with the phone number.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, comprising instructions that when executed cause the system to:

determine that the delivery channel is not valid based on the phone number being associated with a subscriber identity module (SIM) card in the HLR, wherein the SIM card does not match a previous SIM card associated with the phone number.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, comprising instructions that when executed cause the system to:

determine that the user has successfully transmitted or received using the delivery channel; and

extend a validity period for a delivery channel.