Screening system and method

Abstract

A system and method for screening incoming communications to a subscriber telephone number comprises a screening list of telephone numbers assigned to suspect incoming communication originators and rules defining when a telephone number will be added to or removed from the screening list or ‘greylist,’ and/or modifying a screening value to be assigned to a telephone number in the greylist. Data relating to an incoming communication is received from subscribers and processed, and the telephone number is screened in accordance with the rules, based on the screening value assigned to the telephone number and optionally a selected subscriber tolerance level. Subscribers may add any telephone number to a personal list of telephone numbers to be blocked (blacklist) or telephone numbers to be accepted (whitelist).

1 . A method of screening incoming communications originating at originating number, comprising the steps of:
 a. maintaining a screening list of originating numbers assigned to suspect originators;   b. storing one or more rules defining when an originator's assigned originating number will be added to or removed from the screening list, or modifying a screening value to be assigned to the originator's assigned originating number on the screening list, or both;   c. receiving data relating to suspect originators;   d. applying the one or more rules to the data;   e. adding to or removing from the screening list the originator's assigned originating number, or modifying the screening value assigned to the originator's assigned originating number, or both, based on the application of the one or more rules to the data; and   f. screening an incoming communication from the sender's assigned originating number to a recipient in accordance with one or more rules based on the originator's assigned originating number being in the screening list or on the screening value assigned to the originator's assigned originating number, or both.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  wherein step f. comprises the sub-step of establishing a recipient tolerance level based on the screening value. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2  wherein one of a plurality of options for blocking, allowing or confirming the incoming communication is performed based on the recipient tolerance level. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1  comprising, at any time, the step of a recipient assigning an originator's assigned originating number to a blocked sender list or to a list of acceptable senders. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1  wherein some or all of the data is received from recipients relating to incoming communications messages received by the recipients 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1  wherein some or all of the data is received from an administrator of the system. 
     
     
         7 . A system for screening incoming communications to a recipient telephone number, comprising
 at least one database, for maintaining a screening list of telephone numbers assigned to suspect communication originators and one or more rules defining when an originator's assigned telephone number will be added to or removed from the screening list, or modifying a screening value to be assigned to an originator's assigned telephone number on the screening list, or both; and   a data processing device, for
 receiving data relating to suspect originators and applying the one or more rules to the data, 
 adding to or removing from the screening list the originator's assigned telephone number, or modifying the screening value assigned to the originator's assigned telephone number, or both, based on the application of the one or more rules to the data; and 
 screening a text message from the originator's assigned telephone number to a recipient in accordance with one or more rules, based on the originator's assigned telephone number being in the screening list or on the screening value assigned to the originator's assigned telephone number, or both. 
   
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 7  wherein the data processing device screens an incoming communication from the originator's assigned telephone number to a recipient based on the screening value. 
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 8  wherein the data processing device screens an incoming communication from the originator's assigned telephone number to a recipient based on a preset recipient tolerance level. 
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 7  wherein the recipient can assign an originator's assigned telephone number to a blocked sender list or to a list of acceptable originators. 
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 7  wherein some or all of the data is received from recipients relating to incoming communications received by the recipients. 
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 7  wherein some or all of the data is received from an administrator of the system. 
     
     
         13 . A computer program product embodied on a tangible medium for operation on telecommunications hardware for carrying out a method of screening incoming communications, the program product operative to carry out the steps of:
 a. maintaining on memory in the telecommunications hardware, a screening list of telephone numbers assigned to suspect communication originators;   b. storing on memory in the telecommunications hardware, one or more rules defining when an originator's assigned telephone number will be added to or removed from the screening list, or modifying a screening value to be assigned to an originator's assigned telephone number on the screening list, or both;   c. receiving data relating to suspect originators;   d. applying the one or more rules to the data;   e. adding to or removing from the screening list the originator's assigned telephone number, or modifying the screening value assigned to the originator's assigned telephone number, or both, based on the application of the one or more rules to the data; and   f. screening an incoming communication from the originator's assigned telephone number to a recipient in accordance with one or more rules based on the originator's assigned telephone number being in the screening list or on the screening value assigned to the originator's assigned telephone number, or both.   
     
     
         14 . The computer program product of  claim 13  wherein step f. comprises the sub-step of establishing a recipient tolerance level based on the screening value. 
     
     
         15 . The computer program product of  claim 14  wherein one of a plurality of options for blocking, allowing or confirming the incoming communication is performed based on the recipient tolerance level. 
     
     
         16 . The computer program product of  claim 15  comprising, at any time, the step of assigning a telephone number to a blocked originator list or to a list of acceptable originators based on input by a recipient to the telecommunications hardware. 
     
     
         17 . The computer program product of  claim 13  wherein some or all of the data is received from recipients relating to incoming communications received by the recipients. 
     
     
         18 . The computer program product of  claim 13  wherein some or all of the data is received from an administrator of the system.