Methods and systems for preventing delivery of unwanted short message service (SMS) messages
AssigneeTekelec
InventorsRick L. Allison, Peter J. Marsico
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A signaling message processing and routing node transmits and receives short message service (SMS) data packets via a communications network. The routing node includes an SMS message discrimination module that determines whether an unwanted or spam SMS message is being sent to a receiving or called party. Unwanted SMS messages are discarded and consequently not delivered to their intended recipient. As a result, mobile subscribers and network nodes are shielded from unwanted SMS traffic. The SMS message discrimination module also includes a provisioning interface that allows end users and network operators to control SMS message discrimination criteria.
Claims48
A method for identifying and processing unwanted short message service (SMS) messages, the method comprising:
- (a) receiving a first SMS message including sending and receiving party identification information;
- (b) performing a lookup in an SMS message discrimination (MD) database using at least one of the sending and receiving party identification information to determine whether the SMS message is an unwanted message;
- and
- (c) in response to determining that the first SMS message is an unwanted message, discarding the first SMS message.
A method for processing short message service (SMS) messages, the method comprising:
- (a) allowing a user to provision SMS message discrimination data in an SMS message discrimination table;
- (b) receiving SMS messages from a network;
- (c) extracting parameters from the SMS messages;
- (d) performing a lookup in the SMS message discrimination table using the extracted parameters;
- and
- (e) identifying wanted and unwanted SMS messages based on the SMS message discrimination data provisioned by the user.
A network element for preventing the delivery of unwanted short message service (SMS) signaling messages to a receiving party, the network element comprising:
- (a) a communications module for sending and receiving SMS messages;
- (b) an SMS message discrimination module for analyzing SMS messages received by the communications module and determining whether the SMS messages comprise unwanted messages;
- and
- (c) an SMS message discrimination database containing data used by the SMS discrimination module to determine whether the received SMS messages are unwanted messages.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.