Apparatus and method for monitoring instant messaging accounts

• US 20030105822A1
• Filed: 12/05/2001
• Published: 06/05/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/05/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Schatz, Harry, Gusler, Carl Phillip, Hamilton, Rick Allen II
• Granted Patent: US 7,032,007 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1831 Tracking arrangements for later retrieval, e.g. recording contents, participants activities or behavior, network status
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]

Abstract

An apparatus and method for monitoring instant messaging user accounts are provided. The apparatus and method provide a mechanism by which transcripts of instant messages may be generated and analyzed to determine if inappropriate contact with unapproved users is occurring. A user is registered with an instant messaging service provider such that an indication as to whether or not transcripts of the user'"'"'s instant messages should be stored. In addition, a listing of destination user identifications that are approved, and thus do not require transcripts, may be provided to the instant messaging service provider. Thereafter, when an instant message is received, a look-up of the source user identification of the instant message, and optionally, the destination user identification, may be used to determine if transcripts are to be stored. The transcript may be reported to an authorized recipient of the transcript. An analysis tool is provided for analyzing the content of the instant messaging transcripts to provide additional information regarding contacts in the transcript. Also, a mechanism for maintaining the integrity of the transcripts is also provided such that tampering will be identified and the instant messaging user account may be suspended.

Claims

1. A method of monitoring use of an instant messaging user account, comprising:

receiving an instant message;

determining if a transcript of the instant message is to be stored;

storing the transcript of the instant message in a storage device if a transcript of the instant message is to be stored; and

providing the transcript to a designated monitor of the instant messaging user account.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the method is implemented in an instant messaging service provider of a distributed data processing system.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the method is implemented in a network service provider of a distributed data processing system.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the method is implemented in a client device of a distributed data processing system.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

analyzing the transcript to identify at least one characteristic of the transcript, wherein providing the transcript to a designated monitor of the instant messaging user account includes providing information regarding the at least one characteristic of the transcript to the designated monitor.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the transcript to a designated monitor includes transmitting the transcript as an attachment to an electronic mail message.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the electronic mail message is transmitted in response to a request from the designated monitor.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the transcript to a designated monitor includes generating a web page through which the transcript is provided to the designated monitor.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein the at least one characteristic includes at least one of a ranked list of user identifications for most frequent incoming instant messages, a ranked list of user identifications for most frequent outbound target user identifications, a ranked list of most frequent recent incoming or outbound user identifications, a date/time distribution of instant messages, tracking of contact patterns for a particular user identification.

10. The method of claim 5, wherein analyzing the transcript includes filtering for text including at least one of proper names, addresses and phone numbers.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein determining if a transcript of the instant message is to be stored includes:

looking up a user identification of a source of the instant message in a user database; and

determining if a transcript field indicates if a transcript is to be stored.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein determining if a transcript of the instant message is to be stored further includes:

looking up a user identification of a destination of the instant message in an approved contact list; and

determining that a transcript is to be stored if the user identification of the destination does not appear in the approved contact list.

13. An apparatus for monitoring use of an instant messaging user account, comprising:

means for receiving an instant message;

means for determining if a transcript of the instant message is to be stored;

means for storing the transcript of the instant message in a storage device if a transcript of the instant message is to be stored; and

means for providing the transcript to a designated monitor of the instant messaging user account.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the apparatus is part of an instant messaging service provider of a distributed data processing system.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the apparatus is part of a network service provider of a distributed data processing system.

16. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the apparatus is part of a client device of a distributed data processing system.

17. The apparatus of claim 13, further comprising:

means for analyzing the transcript to identify at least one characteristic of the transcript, wherein the means for providing the transcript to a designated monitor of the instant messaging user account includes means for providing information regarding the at least one characteristic of the transcript to the designated monitor.

18. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the means for providing the transcript to a designated monitor includes means for transmitting the transcript as an attachment to an electronic mail message.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the electronic mail message is transmitted in response to a request from the designated monitor.

20. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the means for providing the transcript to a designated monitor includes means for generating a web page through which the transcript is provided to the designated monitor.

21. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the at least one characteristic includes at least one of a ranked list of user identifications for most frequent incoming instant messages, a ranked list of user identifications for most frequent outbound target user identifications, a ranked list of most frequent recent incoming or outbound user identifications, a date/time distribution of instant messages, tracking of contact patterns for a particular user identification.

22. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the means for analyzing the transcript includes means for filtering for text including at least one of proper names, addresses and phone numbers.

23. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the means for determining if a transcript of the instant message is to be stored includes:

means for looking up a user identification of a source of the instant message in a user database; and

means for determining if a transcript field indicates if a transcript is to be stored.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the means for determining if a transcript of the instant message is to be stored further includes:

means for looking up a user identification of a destination of the instant message in an approved contact list; and

means for determining that a transcript is to be stored if the user identification of the destination does not appear in the approved contact list.

25. A computer program product in a computer readable medium for monitoring use of an instant messaging user account, comprising:

first instructions for receiving an instant message;

second instructions for determining if a transcript of the instant message is to be stored;

third instructions for storing the transcript of the instant message in a storage device if a transcript of the instant message is to be stored; and

fourth instructions for providing the transcript to a designated monitor of the instant messaging user account.

26. The computer program product of claim 25, wherein the computer program product is implemented in association with instructions of an instant messaging service provider of a distributed data processing system.

27. The computer program product of claim 25, wherein the computer program product is implemented in association with instructions of a network service provider of a distributed data processing system.

28. The computer program product of claim 25, wherein the computer program product is implemented in association with instructions of a client device of a distributed data processing system.

29. The computer program product of claim 25, further comprising:

fifth instructions for analyzing the transcript to identify at least one characteristic of the transcript, wherein the fourth instructions for providing the transcript to a designated monitor of the instant messaging user account include instructions for providing information regarding the at least one characteristic of the transcript to the designated monitor.

30. The computer program product of claim 25, wherein the fourth instructions for providing the transcript to a designated monitor include instructions for transmitting the transcript as an attachment to an electronic mail message.

31. The computer program product of claim 30, wherein the electronic mail message is transmitted in response to a request from the designated monitor.

32. The computer program product of claim 25, wherein the fourth instructions for providing the transcript to a designated monitor include instructions for generating a web page through which the transcript is provided to the designated monitor.

33. The computer program product of claim 29, wherein the at least one characteristic includes at least one of a ranked list of user identifications for most frequent incoming instant messages, a ranked list of user identifications for most frequent outbound target user identifications, a ranked list of most frequent recent incoming or outbound user identifications, a date/time distribution of instant messages, tracking of contact patterns for a particular user identification.

34. The computer program product of claim 29, wherein the fifth instructions for analyzing the transcript include instructions for filtering for text including at least one of proper names, addresses and phone numbers.

35. The computer program product of claim 25, wherein the second instructions for determining if a transcript of the instant message is to be stored include:

instructions for looking up a user identification of a source of the instant message in a user database; and

instructions for determining if a transcript field indicates if a transcript is to be stored.

36. The computer program product of claim 35, wherein the second instructions for determining if a transcript of the instant message is to be stored further include:

instructions for looking up a user identification of a destination of the instant message in an approved contact list; and

instructions for determining that a transcript is to be stored if the user identification of the destination does not appear in the approved contact list.