Reputation based message analysis

摘要

Described herein are devices and techniques for detecting an inbound message (e.g., text, voice, voicemail) directed from an identifiable message sender to one of a collection of message recipients (e.g., by telephone numbers). The message is selectively forwarded to the message recipient's communication devices in response to a reputation score of the identifiable message sender. The devices and techniques described herein are further adapted to automatically determine or otherwise update the reputation score of the identifiable message sender, for example, in response to previously detected incoming messages. User preferences can be provided to override one or more of forwarding and blocking of detected messages regardless of any automatically obtained reputation score.

主权项

1. A computer-implemented method for filtering messages, the method comprising:
detecting an incoming message directed to a subscriber telephone number, the subscriber telephone number having been previously associated with at least one subscriber communications device, and the subscriber telephone number being one of a plurality of managed telephone numbers of which at least some telephone numbers are unassigned to any subscriber for any service; identifying a sender of the incoming message; obtaining a reputation score associated with the identified sender, the reputation score determined as a function at least in part of a number of calls made by the identified sender to telephone numbers of the plurality of managed telephone numbers that are unassigned to any subscriber for any service, a duration and time between successive calls made by the identified sender, and a ratio of calls to unassigned telephone numbers to calls placed; and selectively forwarding the incoming message to at least one subscriber communications device associated with the subscriber telephone number, based on the reputation score associated with the identified sender.