BACKGROUND Instant messaging appeals to many online users, whether young or old, for the social vitality that is imbues to the online experience. Instant messages (IMs) enable dynamic online collaboration, networking, and socialization with other users who presently are online.

Shared interests may be discovered and explored, and a shared online experience may be created. Nevertheless, an online user such as a child or a teen may be subjected to undesired real-time advances or solicitations from other online entities. For example, the child, upon entering a chat room, may be subjected to instant messages from other individuals, known or unknown to the to the child or the child's parent, as well as from commercial entities, some of whom may purvey spam having inappropriate content. In view of these potential negatives, the parent may be disinclined to allow the child to participate in instant messaging.

SUMMARY In one general aspect, supervising instant messaging of a subordinate user may include routing an instant message directed to or from the subordinate user to an evaluation module for evaluation of whether the instant message satisfies a capture rule. If the capture rule is satisfied, the instant message may be captured and a supervisory user may be informed of the capture automatically or on demand by the supervisory user. Having been informed of the captured instant message, the supervisory user may screen the captured instant message using one or more screening functions that are operable through a single indication of the supervisory user to a computer.

Implementations may include one or more of the following features. For example, the capture rule may include a white list of approved contacts of the subordinate user. The instant message is captured if a message source or destination of the instant message does not correspond to an approved contact of the white list. The capture rule also may provide for capture of any instant message determined to be an unsolicited marketing message, using, fe

example, a heuristic or a Bayesian method. The supervisory user may further configure the capture rule using the captured instant message.

Informing the supervisory user of the captured instant message may include categorizing the captured instant message for the supervisory user. The captured instant message may be categorized based on whether the captured instant message is associated with an approved message source or destination. Categorizing the captured instant message may include prioritizing the captured instant message based on an anticipated likelihood of approval by the supervisory user. Prioritization may include prioritizing the captured instant message based on a degree of separation between the message source and the subordinate user or the supervisory user.

The supervisory user may be informed of the captured instant message automatically based on a predetermined interval, such as, for example, a weekly interval or an online <BR> <BR> session interval (e. g. , the subsidiary user's completion of an online session). The supervisory user may be informed of the captured instant message on demand based on a contemporaneous request of the supervisory user.

Enabling the supervisory user to screen the captured instant message may include enabling the supervisory user to select the captured instant message and to approve the captured instant message based on a single additional indication of the supervisory user to the <BR> <BR> computer (e. g. , activation of a radio button or selection of a menu item). For example, in one implementation, the supervisory user may select the captured instant message and ignore, block or restrict the captured instant message based on a single additional indication of the supervisory user to the computer. The supervisory user also may select the captured instant message to obtain additional information related to the captured instant message or indicative of the message source or destination.

These general and specific aspects may be implemented using a method, a system, or a computer program, or any combination of systems, methods, and computer programs.

Other features will be apparent from the description, the drawings, and the claims.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS FIGS. 1-5 illustrate graphical user interfaces (GUIs) that may be used to supervise instant messaging of a subordinate user.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a communication system capable of supervising instant messaging of a subordinate user.

FIG. 7 is a flow diagram of a process implementable by the communication system of FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of an instant messaging system to supervise instant messaging of a subordinate user.

FIG. 9 illustrates a link between an intended recipient and an instant message source having two degrees of separation.

FIG. 10 is a flow diagram illustrating an exemplary process implementable by the system of FIG. 8.

Like reference symbols in the various drawings indicate like elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION The capabilities of instant messaging promise to enhance collaboration, networking, and the social value of young users'online experiences. Nonetheless, not all instant messages or sources of instant messages are appropriate or safe for a child or teen's interaction.

FIG. 1 illustrates a graphical user interface 100 (guardian interface) that a supervisory user (e. g. , a parent or guardian) may use to supervise instant messaging of a subordinate user<BR> (e. g. , a child or a teen). Using button 105 (the"LOG ALL"button), the supervisory user has indicated to the guardian interface 100 that the supervisory user desires to log all of the instant message communications of the subordinate user. The guardian interface 100, therefore, captures and organizes all of the instant messages 110 directed to or created by the subordinate user, allowing the supervisory user to review and supervise the captured instant messages 110. The guardian interface 100 may be invoked by the supervisory user or may be made available to the supervisory user at periodic intervals (e. g. , each week, each month, or at the end of an instant messaging session) using, for example, email or a web browser. The guardian interface may present historical information and/or may update information dynamically in real time to allow the supervisory user to manage presently ongoing instant messaging.

To aid the supervisory user in managing the instant messages 110, the instant messages 110 are categorized according to whether the message agent is approved 115 or unknown 120 by the supervisory user. Furthermore, the instant messages within each category may be organized according to their time of receipt, as shown, or according to some other metric, such as, for example, an estimate of a likelihood of approval. For each instant message 110 captured and categorized, the supervisory user is informed of an identity of the message agent (e. g. , a screen name) and the time at which the instant message was captured.

Based on the information presented, the guardian interface 100 enables the supervisory user to select for further treatment an instant message. For example, FIG 1 shows that an instant message 122 from Surfin Jerry has been selected.

Once an instant message is selected, the supervisory user may use a single click of a button to approve the instant message and/or the message agent (using the"APPROVE" button 125), may open the instant message for further screening (using the"Open IM" button 130), may obtain more information regarding the message agent (using the"Agent Info"button 135), may block all further instant messages to or from the agent (using the "Block"button 140), may ignore further instant messages to or from the message agent for a duration specified by the supervisory user (using the"Ignore"button 145) (e. g. , for a week while the child is taking exams at school or is grounded), or may restrict the content of instant messages from the agent (using the"Restrict"button 150), for example, to exclude images or audio. If desired by the supervisory user, the guardian interface 100 may provide feedback indicative of any action taken. This feedback may be provided to the subordinate user and/or to the sender of an instant message. For example, the guardian interface may communicate to the subordinate user and/or to the sender that the sender has been approved or blocked from instant messaging the subordinate user.

Referring to FIG. 2, the"Open IM"button 130 of the guardian interface causes the selected instant message 122 to be presented to the user in a separate message interface 200.

The supervisory user may use the"FULL IM"button 205 to select between viewing the full instant message or, for example; viewing a summary or the first few words of the instant message. The message interface 200 includes a pane 210 used to display the selected instant message 122. The message interface 200 includes controls, such as, for example, buttons that may be used to approve the instant message agent (the"Approve"button 225), to obtain

agent information (the"Agent Info"button 235), and to block (the"Block"button 240), ignore (the"Ignore"button 245) or restrict (the Restrict"button 250) the instant message agent, typically using only a single button click.

FIG. 3 illustrates an agent/sender info interface 300 invoked by activating the"Agent Info"button 135 of the guardian interface 100. The agent info interface 300 provides additional information 305 regarding the agent, Surfin Jerry, of instant message 122. For example, the agent info interface 300 indicates that Surfin Jerry presently is online in the Town Square Friends Chat room. The agent info interface 300 also indicates hobbies and interests 310 of Surfin Jerry as well as interests 315 that Surfin Jerry shares with the subordinate user. Button 320 provides access to additional information regarding Surfin Jerry, such as, for example, a phone number, an address, an email address, an age, a gender, family information, educational information, career information, and/or an expertise.

The supervisory user may use the information provided by the agent info interface 300 to judge, for example, whether an unknown agent (e. g. , Surfin Jerry) is a person (for whom additional information likely is available) or a software bot that purveys spam (for which additional information likely is not available). Other buttons 325 enable the supervisory user to access with one click basic screening options related to Surfin Jerry. In the implementation shown, these options include approving or blocking instant messages or mail to or from Surfin Jerry, and adding Surfin Jerry to a contact list of the supervisory user or of the subordinate user.

FIGS. 4A through 4C illustrate interfaces 400,430 and 460 that are used, respectively, to confirm that the supervisory user desires to execute the screening function of the"Block"button 140, the"Ignore"button 145, or the"Restrict"button 150 of the guardian interface 100.

FIG. 5 illustrates the guardian interface 100 configured using button 105 to log only instant message communications of the subordinate user that involve an unknown message agent. The guardian interface 100 is configured to manage only instant messages of unknown agents 120 and to allow approved agents to approach and interact freely with the subordinate user. Additional configurations also may be provided. These may include, for example, to capture instant messages only of particular agents or to capture instant messages

only at particular times or during particular contexts (e. g. , when the subordinate user should be at school or asleep).

FIG. 6 shows a generalized system 600 for communicating instant messages to a subordinate user 605. System 600 includes an instant messaging system 620 by which a supervisory user 610 may supervise instant messaging of the subordinate user 605. The instant messaging system 620 includes a capture engine 625, a rule engine 630, an IM service 635, and a guardian service 640. The instant messaging system 620 may include or be included in a general-purpose or a special-purpose computer (e. g. , a personal computer, a PDA, a mobile telephone, or a device specifically programmed to perform certain tasks), a database, a local area network, and/or a wide area network. The instant messaging system 620 may include any appropriate architecture or combination of architectures, such as for example, a client architecture and/or a host architecture.

The capture engine 625 may be configured to capture one or more instant messages directed to the subordinate user 605 by the instant message source 650 based on interaction with the rule engine 630. The rule engine 630 may compare incoming and/or outgoing instant messages to a capture rule, and may inform the capture engine 625 if the capture rule is satisfied. If the instant message satisfies the capture rule, the capture engine 625 captures the instant message to be screened by the supervisory user 610. The guardian service 640 informs the supervisory user 610 of the captured instant messages in an organized fashion when invoked by the supervisory user 610 and/or when provided to the supervisory user 610 at a predetermined interval. The guardian service 640 enables the supervisory user 610 to take various screening actions (e. g. , approve, open IM, get agent information, block, ignore, and/or restrict) related to the captured instant messages using a single click of a button.

The capture engine 625 captures the instant messages based on input from the rule engine 630 that the instant message satisfies a capture rule. The capture engine 625 may include a database to hold captured instant messages and may communicate information descriptive of the captured instant messages to the guardian service 640. The information descriptive of the captured instant messages may include, for example, an identifier of the message source, a time stamp of the instant message, a portion or summary of the instant message contents, and/or a pointer to the instant messages. In addition, or in the alternative, the capture engine 625 may tag or otherwise identify the instant messages as they are

captured, and may provide the captured instant messages to the guardian service 640 for screening, storage and/or other management.

The capture rule may be generated by the supervisory user 610 using the guardian service, and/or by the system or-an administrator of the system. The capture rule may describe, in whole, or in part, one or more conditions to be satisfied for an instant message to be captured. For example, the capture rule may base capture upon an identify of the message source 650, an attribute of the message, and/or a time at which the message is received. In any event, the rule engine 630 analyzes incoming and/or outgoing instant message for satisfaction of the capture rule..

The guardian service 640 may be used to supervise the instant messages directed to or sent by the subordinate user 605. The guardian service 640 itself may receive and store captured instant messages or may reference and access captured instant messages that are <BR> <BR> logged or stored by another service, system or device (e. g. , the capture engine 625). In any event, the guardian service 640 enables the supervisory user 610, for example, to organize, approve, view, block, ignore or restrict the captured instant messages and/or the instant message agents. The guardian service 640 also may enable the supervisory user 610 to modify or configure the capture rule of the rule engine 630. For example, the guardian service 640 may enable the user to modify the capture rule directly, or may modify the capture rule automatically based upon treatment by the supervisory user 610 of one or more captured instant messages. In one implementation, the guardian service 640 provides the guardian interface 100 described with respect to FIGS. 1-5.

The instant message source 650 typically may include any source of an instant message. The instant message source 650 may employ one or more protocols to transfer information internally or to communicate the instant message to the subordinate user 605.

Both the instant messaging system 620 and the message source 650 further may include various mechanisms for delivering data. The various mechanisms may include, for example, any applications, protocols, devices, or networks used to facilitate communication of electronic data. Both the instant messaging system 620 and the message source 650 also may include or be included in a general-purpose or a special-purpose computer, a local area network, and/or a wide area network. The response to and execution of instructions received by the instant messaging system 620, the message source 650, or any of their components

(collectively the system services), may be controlled by, for example, a program, a piece of code, an instruction, a device, a computer system, or a combination thereof, for independently or collectively instructing the system services to interact and operate as described herein.

FIG. 7 illustrates a flow diagram of a process 700 implementable by, for example, the system 600 of FIG. 6 to enable the supervisory user 610 to supervise instant messaging of the subordinate user 605. Process 700 includes sub-processes 700A and 700B that may be performed alternately and/or concurrently.

Referring initially to sub-process 700A, an instant message is received (step 705).

The instant message is a communication between the instant message source 650 and the subordinate user 605, and may have been initiated either by the message source 650 or by the subordinate user 605. The capture engine 625 uses the rule engine 630 to determine whether the instant message satisfies a capture rule (step 710). If the instant message fails to satisfy the capture rule (step 715), the instant message is not captured but is communicated to the subordinate user using the IM service 635 (step 720) and the process awaits receipt of the next instant message (step 705). Otherwise, when an instant message satisfies the capture rule (step 715), the capture engine 625 captures the instant message (step 725). The capture engine 625 provides the guardian service 640 with the captured instant message and/or information indicative of the captured instant message (step 730). The capture engine then awaits receipt of the next instant message (step 705).

Referring next to sub-process 700B, the supervisory user 610 accesses the guardian service 640, for example, by invoking an interface of the guardian service 640 or by using an interface provided to the supervisory user 610 according to a predetermined trigger (e. g. , the passage of a predetermined time interval, or the close of an online session of the subordinate user) (step 750).

The guardian service 640 informs the supervisory user 610 of the captured instant messages (step 755) and enables the supervisory user 610 to supervise instant messaging of the subordinate user 605 based on the captured instant messages (step 760). For example, the guardian service 640 may enable the supervisory user 610 to organize the captured instant messages as desired by the supervisory user 610. The guardian service 640 also may enable the supervisory user to screen the captured instant messages individually or as groups, and

otherwise to approve, restrict or block the instant messages according to the information provided regarding the captured. instant messages.

The guardian service 640 may update dynamically according to additional instant messaging activity directed to or initiated by the subordinate user. In the case of updated activity information, the guardian service 640 may inform the supervisory user of the updated information (step 755) and may enable the supervisory user 610 to supervise the instant messaging of the subordinate user based on the updated information (step 760). In any event, the guardian service 640 enables the supervisory user 610 to exit according to a request or command of the supervisory user (step 765) and may await until next accessed by the supervisory user (step 750).

Referring to FIG. 8, a generalized communication system 800 provides a subordinate user 805 having an online presence 807 with instant messages generated by one or more instant message sources 850. The online presence 807 may include, for example, activity of the subordinate user 805 browsing the web, participating in an active instant messaging session, using an internet enabled television or game console, using a networked radio, or participating in a chat room discussion. The online presence 807 also may include an online presence of the subordinate user 805 at a particular device. The communication system 800 includes an instant messaging system 820 that enables a supervisory user 810 to oversee the instant messaging of the subordinate user 805. Exemplary components of the communication system 800 and of the instant messaging system 820 are described in greater detail below.

The communication system 800 includes message sources 850. The message sources 850 typically include different individuals, services, or other sources of instant messages, such as, for example, friends or family of the subordinate user 805, persons not known by the supervisory user 810, commercial entities, and/or software bots that automatically may direct messages (e. g. , unsolicited spam) to the subordinate user 805. The instant messages may include, for example, a personal message, a promotional advertisement, an account balance, a portfolio status, a credit status, an online status, information that an order and/or a service is complete, or a message regarding confirmation, cancellation, and/or rescheduling of an appointment. Other examples include, but are not limited to, a weather forecast and/or adverse weather conditions of a particular geographic region; an online status of another

user; or entertainment programming and/or ticket information. As a practical matter, the message sources 850 may provide many instant message to the subordinate user 805 that are unsolicited, offensive, and/or otherwise inappropriate for viewing by the subordinate user 805.

The message sources 850 may employ one or more protocols (i. e. , standards, formats, conventions, rules, and/or structures) to transfer information internally or to communicate instant messages to the subordinate user 805. Protocols employed by the message sources 850 may include, for example, the Internet protocol (IP), the transfer connection protocol (TCP), the hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP), the file transfer protocol (FTP), the user datagram protocol (UDP), the layer two tunneling protocol (L2TP), the simple mail transfer protocol (SMTP), the short message service (SMS), the enhanced message service (EMS), and/or the multimedia message service (MMS).

The communication system 800 includes an instant messaging system 820 that enables the supervisory user 810 to oversee the instant messaging of the subordinate user 805. The instant messaging system 820 includes a capture engine 825, a rule engine 830 having a rule store 833, an IM interface 835, and a guardian interface 845 having an IM store 843 (the IM system components). The instant messaging system 820 may include or be included in a general-purpose or a special-purpose computer (e. g. , a personal computer, a PDA, a mobile telephone, or a device specifically programmed to perform certain tasks), a database, a local area network, and/or a wide area network. The instant messaging system 820 may include any appropriate architecture or combination of architectures, such as for example, a client architecture and/or a host architecture.

The instant messaging system 820 typically allows direct or indirect communication between the various IM system components, the subordinate user 805 and the instant message sources 850, irrespective of physical or logical separation. The instant message system 820 may include, for example, various mechanisms for communicating data, such as, for example, the short message service (SMS), the enhanced message service (EMS), the multimedia message service (MMS), the wireless application protocol (WAP), the transport connection protocol (TCP), the Internet protocol (IP), the World Wide Web, one or more local area networks, and/or one or more wide area networks. The instant messaging system 820 also may include analog or digital wired and wireless telephone networks, such as, for

example, public switched telephone networks (PSTN), integrated services digital networks (ISDN), various types of digital subscriber lines (xDSL), advance mobile telephone service (AMPS), global system for mobile communications (GSM), and general packet radio service (GPRS) for carrying data. The instant messaging system 820 also may include code division multiple access (CDMA), radio, cable, satellite, and/or other delivery mechanisms for carrying data. The communications of the instant message system 820 may employ secured and/or unsecured communication systems.

Components of the instant messaging system 820 are described in greater detail below.

The capture engine 825 is similar generally to the capture engine 625 of FIG. 6.

Capture engine 825 is configured to capture an instant message based on an indication of the rule engine 830 that a capture rule is satisfied. If the capture rule is not satisfied, then the capture engine 825 is configured to pass the instant message through to the IM interface 835 for immediate communication to the subordinate user 805. The capture engine 825 may or may not store the instant messages that are captured. For example, in one implementation, the capture engine 825 stores the captured instant messages and forwards information indicative of the instant messages to the IM store 843 for use by the guardian interface 840.

In another implementation, the capture engine 825 merely forwards to the IM store 843 those instant messages identified for capture and the IM store 843 provides or obtains any required storage.

The rule engine 830 is configured to compare the instant messages to a capture rule of the rule store 833 and/or to analyze the instant messages in view of the capture rule. The rule engine 830, for example, may perform Bayesian or heuristic analysis of the instant messages based on the capture rule. The rule engine 830 is configured to inform the capture engine 825 when an instant message satisfies the capture rule.

Generally, the capture rule defines, in whole, or in part, one or more conditions to be satisfied by the source, content, and/or timing of an instant message before capture of the instant message. The capture rule may be generated by the supervisory user 810, for example, using the guardian service, and/or by the system or an administrator of the system.

For example, the supervisory user 810 may expressly configure the capture rule, and the system may modify the capture rule automatically based on past screening actions taken by

the supervisory user 810. In short, the capture rule provides the supervisory user 810 with flexible oversight of the instant messaging of the subordinate user 805 by defining which instant messages are received directly by the subordinate user 805, which instant messages are blocked completely, and which instant message are captured to be screened by the supervisory user 810.

The capture rule may define, for example, general user or account classifications, such as, for example,"Child,""Young Teen, ""Mature Teen,"or"General."Each classification includes associated rule information to impose age appropriate limits to instant messaging based on the instant message source, content, and/or the duration or frequency of communication.

The capture rule may include a white list defining approved instant message sources 850 (e. g., family, friends, or co-workers) that are not to be blocked and/or a black list <BR> <BR> defining age inappropriate instant message sources 850 (e. g. , known purveyors of offensive spam) that are to be blocked. The white list and/or black list may be based on input of a rating authority or by a community of raters. Although the white list or the black list may be provided initially as a default, the supervisory user 810 may be enabled to modify or replace either the white list or the black list to better fit the concerns of the supervisory user 810.

Message source categories (e. g. , individual, business, or business: gambling) also may be used to control communication with instant message sources 850 that include an associated category label. For example, a message source 850 may be identified as an online casino by an associated category label of"business: gambling" and may be restricted based on that label. Generally, to communicate an instant message to the supervisory user 805, a message source 850 may be required to provide meaningful and trustworthy information by which the message source 850 may be identified and/or classified by the instant messaging system 820.

The capture rule also may control capture, filtering, or ranking of an instant message based on a degree of separation between the subordinate user 805 and the message source 850 under a rationale, for example, that approval by the supervisory user 810 is more probable for an instant message from a friend of an approved friend than from an individual having no such connection. More specifically, the degree of separation between the subordinate user 805 and the message source 850 describes a number of intermediary

relationships needed to link the subordinate user and the message source. In addition, or in the alternative, under the same general principal, the degree of separation may be determined between the supervisory user 810 and the message source. Typically, user contact lists (e. g., address book, buddy list, and/or white list) are evaluated to determine the number of degrees (or relationships) needed to link two users.

Referring briefly to FIG. 9, for example, the user 805 may link to the instant message source 850 through two degrees of separation based on an approved contact list of the user, as well as contact lists of"The Olive Boy, "and of"Lucky Eddie. "More specifically, the user has an approved contact list 905 that lists"The Olive Boy"as an approved message source. The contact list 910 of"The Olive Boy, "in turn, lists"Lucky Eddie, "whose contact list 915 lists the instant message source 850-and establishes the connection between the subordinate user 805 and the message source 850. Here, the subordinate user 805 is linked to the message source 850 by two degrees of separation (the relationship between"The Olive Boy"and"Lucky Eddie"providing the first degree, and the relationship between"Lucky Eddie"and the instant messaging source 850 providing the second degree). Stated differently, the subordinate user 805 is related to"Lucky Eddy"by one degree of separation (i. e. , their common relationship to"The Olive Boy"), and"The Olive Boy"is separated from<BR> the instant message service 850 by one degree of separation (i. e. , their common relationship<BR> to"Lucky Eddie"). Similarly, the subordinate user 805 and"The Olive Boy, ""The Olive<BR> Boy"and"Lucky Eddie, "and"Lucky Eddie"and the instant message source 850 each respectively are separated by zero degrees of separation.

In short, the capture rule may control capture, filtering, or ranking of an instant message based on: (1) whether the subordinate user 805 or the supervisory user 810 are linked discernibly to the messages source 850 ; and (2) if they are linked, the number of degrees of separation (e. g. , relationships or intermediaries) needed to complete the link.

Referring back to FIG. 8, the capture rule also may include other rule information, such as, for example, key words and/or parameters useful for analyzing natural language.

The capture rule may enable the rule engine 830 to restrict instant messages based upon textual analysis of their content. More specifically, the capture rule may enable the rules engine 830 to analyze the language of an instant message to determine whether the instant

message includes offensive language or subject matter, or whether the language used is indicative of an unsolicited spam message.

The supervisory user 810 may be enabled to select or modify the information or algorithms used to screen the online content based on the textual analysis. For example, the capture rule may include user defined dictionaries of terms that may cause an instant message to be delivered immediately to the subordinate user 805, to be blocked automatically, or to be captured for visual screening by the supervisory user 810. Typically, to preserve the privacy of the subordinate user 805, the capture rule may indicate that the content of communications with approved message agents will not be analyzed, but that the content of communications related to unknown agents will be analyzed, for example, to more effectively detect agents who are purveyors of offensive spam.

The capture rule may enable the supervisory user 810 to specify times during which instant messages may or may not be received. For example, a parent may restrict receipt of instant messages between the hours of 6: 30 pm and 8: 30 pm during the week while the child is scheduled to use the home computer for homework, but may allow instant messages to be received with less restriction during the weekends while the child has free time. More specifically, the parent also may use the capture rule to specify that during homework hours instant messages are allowed from a particular class mate of the child (e. g. , because the child and the classmate are working together on a school project), spam messages are to be blocked, and messages from other friends or family are to be captured.

Additional rule information also may be included, such as, for example, logging or reporting rules. As one example, the logging or reporting rules may configure or control the storage of instant messages and/or instant message information within the capture engine 825 or the IM store 843.

The rule store 833 generally receives, stores and administers rule information used to supervise instant messaging by the instant messaging system 820. The rule store 833 includes databases that may reside at any appropriate location (e. g. , local location, remote location, third party location), and also may reside on any appropriate storage medium, such as, for example, a magnetic disc array or an optical disk array. These databases may be included in a single physical or logical structure, or they may be physically or logically distinct. The rule store 833 generally includes one or more data structure that enables the

rule information and/or other information to be organized and accessed quickly and efficiently. For example, the rule store 833 may organize rule information using fields, records, or files. The rule store 833 may include database management systems that organize data based on relational, network, flat, or hierarchical architectures. The rule store 833 also may include a hypertext database to link data objects such as text, images, or video to other data objects. The rule store 833 may store the rule information locally, remotely, or in a distributed fashion. In any event, the rule store 833 organizes the rule information for effective access and use by the rule engine 830.

Guardian interface 840 may function similarly to guardian interface 100 described with respect to FIGS. 1-6. The guardian interface 840 receives captured instant messages or information indicative of those messages from the IM store 843 for display to the supervisory user 810. The guardian interface 840 and/or the IM store, alone or in conjunction with other services, may perform sorting, prioritizing, or other types of organizational processing on the captured instant messages to enable the supervisory user 810 to oversee the instant messaging of the subordinate user 805. For example, the guardian interface 840 may prioritize captured instant messages based on a predicted likelihood of approval. The predicted likelihood of approval may be related to the subject matter and/or source of an instant message. For example, the guardian interface 840 may give a higher priority to an instant message from a friend of a family member than is given to an instant message from a software bot that presents a marketing invitation having objectionable content.

The guardian interface 840 also may enable the supervisory user 810 to modify the capture rule of the rule store 833. For example, the guardian interface 840 may enable the supervisory user 810 to modify the capture rule directly, or may modify the capture rule automatically based upon treatment by the supervisory user 810 of one or more captured instant messages. The guardian interface 840 may display to the supervisory user 810 a source of an instant message, a time stamp, a count of the number of instant messages sent and/or received, a summary of instant message content, and/or the captured instant messages themselves. Generally, the guardian interface 840 enables the supervisory user 810 to organize, view, block, ignore, restrict, or to otherwise manage instant messages similarly as was described with respect to the interfaces of FIGS. 1-5.

The guardian interface 840, for example, may include or operate in conjunction with one or more of the fixed or mobile communication devices 845, whether wired or wireless.

The fixed or mobile communication devices 845 may include any device, system, and/or piece of code that relies on another service to perform an operation. For example, the communication devices 845 may include a device such as a television 845a, a pen-enabled computer 845b, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a mobile telephone 845c, a notebook computer 845d, and/or a desktop computer 845e. The communication devices 845 also or alternatively may include, for example, a Web browser, an instant messaging (IM) client, a <BR> <BR> synchronization client (e. g. , a calendar synchronization client or a task list synchronization<BR> client), a short message service (SMS) client, a business productivity application (e. g. , a word processing program or a spreadsheet program), and/or an operating system or operating system kernel residing on a device. The communication devices 845 may be arranged to operate within or in concert with one or more other systems, such as, for example, the Internet, the World Wide Web, a WAN (wide area network), a LAN (local area network), <BR> <BR> analog or digital wired and wireless telephone networks (e. g. , PSTN, ISDN, or xDSL), radio, television, cable, satellite, and/or any other delivery mechanism for carrying data. In any event, the guardian interface 840 enables the supervisory user 810 to oversee the instant messaging of the subordinate user 805.

The IM store 843 generally receives, organizes and stores captured instant messages and/or information indicative of the captured instant messages and associated messages sources. The IM store 843 includes databases that may reside at any appropriate location (e. g. , local location, remote location, third party location) and also may reside on any appropriate storage medium, such as, for example, a magnetic disc array or an optical disk array. These databases may be included in a single physical or logical structure, or they may be physically or logically distinct. The IM store 843 generally includes one or more data structure that enables the captured instant messages and/or associated information to be organized and accessed quickly and efficiently. For example, the IM store 843 may organize instant messages and instant message information using fields, records, or files. The IM store 843 may include database management systems that organize data based on relational, network, flat, or hierarchical architectures. The IM store 843 also may include a hypertext database to link data objects such as text, images, or video to other data objects. The IM

store 843 may store the rule information locally, remotely, or in a distributed fashion. In any event, the IM store 843 organizes the information for effective access and use by the guardian interface 840.

One or more other services may be included in the components of communication system 800 and/or these components (hereinafter the system services) may be included as part of one or more other services. For example, the system services may include or be included in a general-purpose or a special-purpose computer (e. g. , a personal computer, a PDA, or a device specifically programmed to perform certain tasks), a database, a local area network, and/or a wide area network. In any event, the response to and execution of instructions received by any or all of the system services may be controlled by, for example, a program, a piece of code, an instruction, a device, a computer system, or a combination thereof, for independently or collectively instructing the services to interact and operate as described herein.

FIG. 10 illustrates a flow diagram of a process 1000 implementable by, for example, the system 800 of FIG. 8 to enable the supervisory user 810 to oversee the instant messaging of the subordinate user 805. Process 1000 includes sub-processes 1000A and 1000B that may be performed independently and/or concurrently to each other.

Referring initially to sub-process 1000A, an instant message is received (step 1005).

The instant message is intended to communicate between the instant message source 850 and the subordinate user 805, and may be initiated by the message source 850 or by the subordinate user 805. The capture engine 825 provides the instant message to the rule engine 830 (step 1010). The rule engine 830 accesses the capture rule from the rule store 833 (step 1015) and then determines whether the instant message satisfies the capture rule (step 1020).

If the instant message fails to satisfy the capture rule (step 1025), the instant message is not captured but is communicated to the subordinate user 805 using the IM interface 835 (step 1030) and the process awaits receipt of the next instant message (step 1005). Otherwise, when an instant message satisfies the capture rule (step 1025), the capture engine 825 captures the instant message (step 1035). The capture engine 825 then communicates the captured instant message and/or information indicative of the instant message to the IM store 843 (step 1040) and awaits receipt of the next instant message (step 1005).

Referring next to sub-process 1000B, the guardian interface 840 is activated, for example, according to a direct request of the supervisory user 810 or based upon a predetermined trigger (e. g. , the passage of a predetermined time interval or the close of an online session of the subordinate user) (step 1050). The guardian interface 840 accesses captured instant messages and/or associated information of the IM store 843 (step 1055).

The guardian interface then informs the supervisory user of the captured instant messages and associated information (step 1060) and enables the supervisory user 810 to supervise instant messaging of the subordinate user 805 based on the captured instant messages and associated information (step 1065). The guardian interface 840 may enable the supervisory user 810 to screen the captured instant messages individually or as groups, and otherwise to approve, restrict or block the instant messages according to the information provided regarding the captured instant messages (step 1065). Afterward, if the IM store 843 includes updated information (step 1070), then steps 1060 and 1065 of informing the supervisory user and supervising based on the information are repeated. For example, the IM store 843 may update dynamically according to additional instant messaging activity directed to or initiated by the subordinate user. In any event, the process continues to check for updated information (step 1070) until the supervisory user 810 closes the interface (step 1075), after which the guardian interface 840 may await until next activated by the supervisory user (step 1050).

Other implementations are within the scope of the following claims.