Obfuscating reception of communiqué affiliated with a source entity

• US 20110093806A1
• Filed: 07/28/2010
• Published: 04/21/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/14/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Searete LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Searete LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Cohen, Alexander J., Rinaldo, John D. JR., Tegreene, Clarence T., Lord, Robert W., Jung, Edward K.Y., Levien, Royce A., Malamud, Mark A., Mangione-Smith, William H.
• Application Number:
  US12/804,832
• Publication Number:
  US 20110093806A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/772
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

A computationally implemented method includes, but is not limited to: receiving a communiqué that is affiliated with a source entity and that is directed to a receiving user; and presenting, in lieu of presenting indication of reception of the communiqué, a covert indicator that covertly indicates reception of the communiqué, the presenting of the covert indicator being in accordance with one or more conditional directives of the receiving user to conditionally obfuscate the reception of the communiqué affiliated with the source entity. In addition to the foregoing, other method aspects are described in the claims, drawings, and text forming a part of the present disclosure.

Claims

1-249. -249. (canceled)

250. A system, comprising:

a communiqué

receiving module configured to receive a communiqué

that is affiliated with a source entity and that is directed to a receiving user; and

a covert indicator presenting module configured to present a covert indicator that covertly indicates reception of the communiqué

in lieu of presenting indication of reception of the communiqué

, the presenting of the covert indicator in lieu of presenting indication of reception of the communiqué

being in accordance with one or more conditional directives of the receiving user to conditionally obfuscate the reception of the communiqué

affiliated with the source entity.

252. The system of claim 250, wherein said communiqué

receiving module comprises;

a communiqué

intercepting module configured to intercept the communiqué

to prevent indication of reception of the communiqué

from being at least initially presented, the intercepting of the communiqué

being in accordance with the one or more conditional directives.

267. The system of claim 252, wherein said communiqué

intercepting module comprises;

a communiqué

intercepting module configured to intercept the communiqué

as a function of location of a receiving device executing the one or more conditional directives.

268. The system of claim 267, wherein said communiqué

intercepting module comprises;

a communiqué

intercepting module including a location determining module configured to intercept the communiqué

in response to the location determining module determining that the receiving device is at one or more specified locations.

269. The system of claim 252, wherein said communiqué

intercepting module comprises;

a communiqué

intercepting module configured to intercept the communiqué

as a function of time with respect to a receiving device executing the one or more conditional directives.

270. The system of claim 269, wherein said communiqué

intercepting module comprises;

a communiqué

intercepting module configured to intercept the communiqué

only at one or more specified times of a day with respect to the receiving device.

271. The system of claim 269, wherein said communiqué

intercepting module comprises;

a communiqué

intercepting module configured to intercept the communiqué

only at one or more specified times of a calendar year with respect to the receiving device.

272. The system of claim 252, wherein said communiqué

intercepting module comprises;

a communiqué

intercepting module configured to intercept the communiqué

as a function of one or more environmental conditions of a receiving device executing the one or more conditional directives.

273. The system of claim 272, wherein said communiqué

intercepting module comprises;

a communiqué

intercepting module including a third party presence determining module configured to intercept the communiqué

in response to the third party presence determining module determining presence of a third party within proximate vicinity of the receiving device.

299. The system of claim 250, wherein said covert indicator presenting module comprises:

a covert indicator presenting module configured to present the covert indicator that covertly indicates reception of the communiqué

by presenting an indicator that is defined by the one or more conditional directives of the receiving user and that indirectly indicates the reception of the communiqué

.

300. The system of claim 299, wherein said covert indicator presenting module comprises:

a covert indicator presenting module including a covert audio indicator presenting module configured to present the indicator that indirectly indicates the reception of the communiqué

by having the covert audio indicator presenting module present a covert audio indicator that is defined by the one or more conditional directives of the receiving user and that audioally indirectly indicates the reception of the communiqué

.

301. The system of claim 300, wherein said a covert indicator presenting module including a covert audio indicator presenting module comprises:

a covert audio indicator presenting module configured to present the covert audio indicator by presenting audioally at least a ping, a ring, or a hum that is defined by the one or more conditional directives and that indirectly indicates the reception of the communiqué

.

302. The system of claim 300, wherein said covert indicator presenting module including a covert audio indicator presenting module comprises:

a covert audio indicator presenting module configured to present the covert audio indicator by presenting audioally in accordance with the one or more conditional directives of the receiving user at least one or more simulated natural background noises that indirectly indicates the reception of the communiqué

.

303. The system of claim 300, wherein said covert indicator presenting module including a covert audio indicator presenting module comprises:

a covert audio indicator presenting module including a voice message presenting module configured to present the covert audio indicator by having the voice message presenting module present audioally in accordance with the one or more conditional directives of the receiving user at least one voice message that indirectly indicates the reception of the communiqué

.

305. The system of claim 303, wherein said covert audio indicator presenting module including a voice message presenting module comprises:

a voice message presenting module configured to present audioally the at least one voice message that indirectly indicates the reception of the communiqué

by presenting audioally in accordance with the one or more conditional directives of the receiving user at least one voice message in a particular tone or speech pattern that indirectly indicates the reception of the communiqué

.

307. The system of claim 303, wherein said covert audio indicator presenting module including a voice message presenting module comprises:

a voice message presenting module including a modified voice message presenting module configured to present audioally the at least one voice message that indirectly indicates the reception of the communiqué

by having the modified voice message presenting module present a modified version of a voice message that was previously presented and that has been modified to include a covert audio indicator that indirectly indicates the reception of the communiqué

.

308. The system of claim 299, wherein said covert indicator presenting module comprises:

a covert indicator presenting module including a covert visual indicator presenting module configured to present the indicator that indirectly indicates the reception of the communiqué

by having the covert visual indicator presenting module present a covert visual indicator that is defined by the one or more conditional directives of the receiving user and that visually indirectly indicates the reception of the communiqué

.

310. The system of claim 308, wherein said covert indicator presenting module including a covert visual indicator presenting module comprises:

a covert visual indicator presenting module configured to present the covert visual indicator by presenting visually in accordance with the one or more conditional directives of the receiving user one or more particular colors that indirectly indicates the reception of the communiqué

.

311. The system of claim 308, wherein said covert indicator presenting module including a covert visual indicator presenting module comprises:

a covert visual indicator presenting module including a visual message presenting module configured to present the covert visual indicator by having the visual message presenting module present visually in accordance with the one or more conditional directives of the receiving user at least one visual message that indirectly indicates the reception of the communiqué

.

313. The system of claim 311, wherein said covert visual indicator presenting module including a visual message presenting module comprises:

a visual message presenting module configured to present visually the at least one visual message by presenting visually in accordance with the one or more conditional directives of the receiving user at least one visual message that includes one or more words or phrases in a particular font or style that indirectly indicates the reception of the communiqué

.

314. The system of claim 311, wherein said covert visual indicator presenting module including a visual message presenting module comprises:

a visual message presenting module including a fictional visual message presenting module or a modified visual message presenting module configured to present visually the at least one visual message by having the fictional visual message presenting module present visually in accordance with the one or more conditional directives of the receiving user a fictional visual message that indirectly indicates reception of the communiqué

or by having the modified visual message presenting module present visually a modified version of a visual message that was previously presented and that has been modified to include a covert visual indicator that indirectly indicates the reception of the communiqué

.

315. The system of claim 299, wherein said covert indicator presenting module comprises:

a covert indicator presenting module including a covert vibrating indicator presenting module configured to present the indicator that indirectly indicates the reception of the communiqué

by having the covert vibrating indicator presenting module present in accordance with the one or more conditional directives of the receiving user a covert vibrating indicator that indicates, via a specific vibration, the reception of the communiqué

.

318. The system of claim 250, wherein said covert indicator presenting module comprises:

a covert indicator presenting module including a graphical user interface presenting module configured to present the covert indicator by having the graphical user interface presenting module present a graphical user interface that includes the covert indicator.

319. The system of claim 318, wherein said covert indicator presenting module including graphical user interface presenting module comprises:

a graphical user interface presenting module including a modified graphical user interface presenting module configured to present the graphical user interface by having the modified graphical user interface presenting module present a modified version of an original graphical user interface that was previously presented, the modified version of the original graphical user interface to be presented including the covert indicator.

320. The system of claim 319, wherein said graphical user interface presenting module including a modified graphical user interface presenting module comprises:

a modified graphical user interface presenting module including a graphical user interface modifying module configured to present the modified version of the original graphical user interface by having the graphical user interface modifying module modify the original graphical user interface that was previously presented to include the covert indicator.

321. The system of claim 250, wherein said covert indicator presenting module comprises:

a covert indicator presenting module including a communiqué

application interface presenting module configured to present the covert indicator by having the communiqué

application interface presenting module present a communiqué

application interface that includes an indicator that indirectly indicates the reception of the communiqué

, the indicator to be included in the communiqué

application interface being defined by the one or more conditional directives of the receiving user.

322. The system of claim 321, wherein said covert indicator presenting module including a communiqué

application interface presenting module comprises;

a communiqué

application interface presenting module including a modified communiqué

application interface presenting module configured to present the communiqué

application interface that includes the indicator by having the modified communiqué

application interface presenting module present a modified communiqué

application interface that is a modified version of an original communiqué

application interface that was previously presented and modified to include the indicator that indirectly indicates the reception of the communiqué

.

323. The system of claim 322, wherein said communiqué

application interface presenting module including a modified communiqué

application interface presenting module comprises;

a communiqué

application interface modifying module configured to modify the original communiqué

application interface that was previously presented to include the indicator.

345. The system of claim 250, wherein said covert indicator presenting module comprises:

a covert indicator presenting module including a location determining module configured to present the covert indicator in accordance with the one or more conditional directives of the receiving user, the one or more conditional directives directing the presentation of the covert indicator as a function of location of a receiving device executing the one or more conditional directives, the location of the receiving device being determined by the location determining module.

346. The system of claim 345, wherein said covert indicator presenting module including a location determining module comprises:

a covert indicator presenting module including a location determining module configured to present the covert indicator in accordance with the one or more conditional directives of the receiving user, the one or more conditional directives directing the presentation of the covert indicator in response to determining by the location determining module that the receiving device is at one or more locations as specified by the one or more conditional directives.

347. The system of claim 250, wherein said covert indicator presenting module comprises:

a covert indicator presenting module including a time determining module configured to present the covert indicator in accordance with the one or more conditional directives of the receiving user, the one or more conditional directives directing the presentation of the covert indicator as a function of time of a receiving device executing the one or more conditional directives, the time of the receiving device being determined by the time determining module.

348. The system of claim 347, wherein said covert indicator presenting module including a time determining module comprises:

a covert indicator presenting module including a time determining module configured to present the covert indicator in accordance with the one or more conditional directives of the receiving user, the one or more conditional directives directing the presentation of the covert indicator in response to determining by the time determining module that the receiving device is at one or more particular times of a day as specified by the one or more conditional directives.

349. The system of claim 347, wherein said covert indicator presenting module including a time determining module comprises:

a covert indicator presenting module including a time determining module configured to present the covert indicator in accordance with the one or more conditional directives of the receiving user, the one or more conditional directives directing the presentation of the covert indicator in response to determining by the time determining module that the receiving device is at one or more particular times of a calendar year as specified by the one or more conditional directives.

350. The system of claim 250, wherein said covert indicator presenting module comprises:

a covert indicator presenting module configured to present the covert indicator in accordance with the one or more conditional directives of the receiving user, the one or more conditional directives directing the presentation of the covert indicator in response to determining occurrence of one or more specified environmental conditions associated with a receiving device executing the one or more conditional directives, the one or more specified environmental conditions being specified by the one or more conditional directives.

351. The system of claim 350, wherein said covert indicator presenting module comprises:

a covert indicator presenting module including a third party presence determining module configured to present the covert indicator in accordance with the one or more conditional directives of the receiving user, the one or more conditional directives directing the presentation of the covert indicator in response to determining by the third party presence determining module that one or more third parties are in proximate vicinity of the receiving device.

357. The system of claim 250, wherein said covert indicator presenting module comprises:

a covert indicator presenting module configured to present the covert indicator in accordance with the one or more conditional directives of the receiving user, the presenting of the covert indicator being in lieu of presenting the indication of reception of the communiqué

including in lieu of presenting the communiqué

.

358. The system of claim 250, wherein said covert indicator presenting module comprises:

a covert indicator presenting module configured to present the covert indicator in accordance with the one or more conditional directives of the receiving user, the presenting of the covert indicator being in lieu of presenting any direct indication of reception of the communiqué

.

251. (canceled)

253-266. -266. (canceled)

274-298. -298. (canceled)

304. (canceled)

306. (canceled)

309. (canceled)

312. (canceled)

316-317. -317. (canceled)

324-344. -344. (canceled)

352-356. -356. (canceled)

359. A computer program product comprising:

a signal-bearing non-transitory storage medium bearing;

one or more instructions for receiving a communiqué

that is affiliated with a source entity and that is directed to a receiving user; and

one or more instructions for presenting, in lieu of presenting indication of reception of the communiqué

, a covert indicator that covertly indicates reception of the communiqué

, the presenting of the covert indicator being in accordance with one or more conditional directives of the receiving user to conditionally obfuscate the reception of the communiqué

affiliated with the source entity.