Patent ID: 7899867
Filing Date: 2011-03-01
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
1. A method for processing instant messages (IMs) within a communications network, the method comprising: receiving, at a computer system coupled to the communications network, a plurality of policies for each instant messaging (IM) network in a plurality of different IM networks supported by the computer system, wherein each of the plurality of different IM networks includes a different IM network protocol; storing the plurality of policies for each IM network in the plurality of different IM networks supported by the computer system in a policy database associated with the computer system, at least one stored policy in the policy database corresponding to a first type of policy for taking actions on the IMs destined for the plurality of IM clients and at least one stored policy in the policy database corresponding to a second type of policy for issuing challenge IMs to senders of IMs communicated via the communications network, each of the first type of policies stored in the policy database including information defining: wherein each of the second type of policies for issuing challenge IMs determines if a challenge IM should be sent in response to a received IM; receiving, at the computer system, a first IM from a first IM network in the plurality of IM networks using a first IM network protocol in the plurality of different IM network protocols supported by the computer system corresponding to the first IM network, the first IM destined for an IM client associated with the communications network that communicates with at least the first IM network using the first IM network protocol; filtering, by one of a plurality of different filters associated with the computer system and corresponding to a specific IM network of the plurality of different IM networks, the first IM into a predetermined format specific internally to the computer system and different from the first IM network protocol of the first IM to generate a filtered IM, wherein each of said plurality of different filters are distinct and are used for filtering IMs received from their respective one of the plurality of different IM network, wherein filtering is by filtering the first network protocol of the received IM and converting the received IM into the predetermined format, wherein the predetermined format is a generic format; determining, with the processor associated with the computer system, whether a challenge IM should be sent via one or more of the plurality of different IM networks to a sender of the first IM in response to retrieving from the policy database at least one policy for issuing challenge IMs based on one or more characteristics pertaining to the first IM network protocol of the first IM as represented by the filtered IM or to content of the first IM as represented by the filtered IM; if a challenge IM should be sent, sending the challenge IM to the sender of the first IM via one of the plurality of different IM networks using one of the plurality of different IM network protocols, the challenge IM requiring based on the at least one policy a response IM from the sender; if a response IM to the challenge IM is received at the computer system via the one of the plurality of different IM networks, filtering using the processor associated with the computer system the response IM into the predetermined format specific internally to the computer system to generate a filtered response IM; determining, with the processor associated with the computer system, whether the filtered response IM satisfies an answer required by the challenge IM; and communicating, using the computer system, a second IM to the IM client if the filtered response IM satisfies the answer required by the challenge IM.