Patent ID: 8131808
Filing Date: 2012-03-06
Classification: G06Q

Abstract:
1. A computer program product having computer usable program code for detecting an inspection characteristic in an electronic mail message, the computer program product comprising: computer usable program code stored in at least one storage medium for acquiring first characteristic information on the content of the electronic mail message according to the text information of the electronic mail message, wherein the first characteristic information categorizes the content of the electronic mail message in accordance with a plurality of different categories, each of the different categories representing a possible breach of legal or corporate rules per a corporate policy, wherein the plurality of different categories comprise at least one of a purchase mail category, and a harassment mail category, wherein a different inspection characteristic is provided for each of the different categories for the electronic mail message; computer usable program code stored in at least one storage medium for acquiring second characteristic information on at least one corporate electronic mail user that comprises at least one of the sender and the addressee of the electronic mail message according to the address information of the electronic mail message wherein the second characteristic information is acquired from a corporate data store that maintains personnel information about the at least one corporate email user and wherein said second characteristic information is not contained within the electronic mail message itself; and computer usable program code stored in at least one storage medium for associating the first characteristic information acquired by the first acquisition section and the second characteristic information acquired by the second acquisition section with the electronic mail message to determine whether the corporate policy has been violated or not by the electronic mail message, wherein the determining is based on a combination of the content of the email message and personnel information about the at least one corporate email user, wherein the purchase mail category is for purchasing goods and services, wherein the content of the electronic mail message is used to determine that the goods or services are being purchased, and wherein a purchasing authority of the sender is a factor in determining whether one of the corporate policies has been violated, wherein the harassment mail category is for electronic mail messages containing semantic content considered to be workplace harassment by the corporate policy, wherein both the sender and a recipient of the electronic message are employees of the company, and wherein a severity or existence of harassment is dependent upon a workplace relationship between the sender and the addressee, as specified within the second characteristic information.