MESSAGE SCREENING SYSTEM

• US 20120110104A1
• Filed: 01/06/2012
• Published: 05/03/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AOL Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.), AOL LLC (Apollo Global Management, Inc.), America Online Inc. (Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc.)
• Inventors: Lu, Larry L.
• Granted Patent: US 8,776,222 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• 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

1-20. -20. (canceled)

21. A method for monitoring electronic messages, the method comprising:

establishing a supervisory relationship between a supervisory person and at least one recipient;

receiving an electronic message transmitted across a delivery network from a sender device and directed to the recipient;

determining an electronic message address of the supervisory person based on an electronic message address of the electronic message;

delivering, based on the determined electronic message address, the electronic message to the supervisory person before delivering the electronic message to the recipient;

enabling the supervisory person to review and approve the electronic message after the electronic message has been delivered to the supervisory person; and

enabling the delivery of the electronic message to the recipient when a review condition is met.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

notifying the recipient that the electronic messages has been sent to the supervisory person.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein the review condition is met when the supervisory person approves the electronic message.

24. The method of claim 21, wherein the review condition is met when a period of time passes without the supervisory person rejecting the electronic message.

25. The method of claim 21, wherein the electronic message is an e-mail.

26. The method of claim 21, wherein the electronic message is a chat room message.

27. The method of claim 21, wherein the electronic message is an instant message.

28. A system for monitoring electronic messages, the system comprising:

at least one processing device; and

a storage device that stores instructions for causing the at least one processing device to;

receive an electronic message transmitted across a delivery network from a sender device and directed to a recipient;

determine an electronic message address of a supervisory person based on an electronic message address of the electronic message, the supervisory person having a supervisory relationship with the recipient;

deliver, based on the determined electronic message address, the electronic message to the supervisory person before delivering the electronic message to the recipient;

enable the supervisory person to review the electronic message after the electronic message has been delivered to the supervisory person; and

enable delivery of the electronic message to the recipient when a review condition is met.

29. The system of claim 28, wherein the storage device further stores instructions that cause the at least one processing device to notify the recipient that the electronic messages has been sent to the supervisory person.

30. The system of claim 28, wherein the review condition is met when the supervisory person approves the electronic message.

31. The system of claim 28, wherein the review condition is met when a period of time passes without the supervisory person rejecting the electronic message.

32. The system of claim 28, wherein the electronic message is an e-mail.

33. The system of claim 28, wherein the electronic message is a chat room message.

34. The system of claim 28, wherein the electronic message is an instant message.

35. A non-transitory computer-readable medium that contains instructions that cause at least one processor to perform the following:

receive an electronic message transmitted across a delivery network from a sender device and directed to a recipient;

determine an electronic message address of a supervisory person based on an electronic message address of the electronic message;

deliver, based on the determined electronic message address, the electronic message to the supervisory person before delivering the electronic message to the recipient, the supervisory person having a supervisory relationship with the recipient;

enable the supervisory person to review the electronic message after the electronic message has been delivered to the supervisory person; and

enable delivery of the electronic message to the recipient when a review condition is met.

36. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 35, wherein the storage device further stores instructions that cause the at least one processor to notify the recipient that the electronic messages has been sent to the supervisory person.

37. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 35, wherein the review condition is met when the supervisory person approves the electronic message.

38. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 35, wherein the review condition is met when a period of time passes without the supervisory person rejecting the electronic message.

39. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 35, wherein the electronic message is an e-mail.

40. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 35, wherein the electronic message is a chat room message.