Premium SMS Detection and Confirmation Prompt

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Solution Overview

Problem

Users of mobile computing devices are often unaware that premium SMS messages are being sent from their devices, leading to unexpected charges, and malicious applications can exploit this to collect money without user consent.

Innovation Solution

A computing device determines if an outgoing message is likely a premium SMS message and prompts the user for confirmation before sending it, allowing the user to choose whether to send, discard, or report the message, thereby preventing unwanted charges and identifying potentially malicious applications.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If premium SMS messages are sent automatically without user awareness, then messaging functionality is maintained and service is provided, but users incur unexpected charges and malicious applications can exploit this to collect money

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveautomatic message sendingVSAvoidunexpected charges and malicious exploitation

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary action by detecting premium SMS messages before they are sent and presenting a confirmation prompt to the user. This advance warning allows users to review and approve or block the message, preventing unexpected charges while maintaining the ability to send legitimate premium messages.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system introduces feedback by displaying a confirmation prompt that provides visual feedback to the user about the outgoing premium SMS message. This feedback mechanism allows users to understand what message is being sent and make informed decisions about whether to approve it, thereby preventing malicious exploitation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

2Object-affected harmful factors

If a confirmation prompt is displayed for all outgoing premium SMS messages, then user awareness and control are improved, but user experience is degraded due to additional interaction steps

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveuser awareness and controlVSAvoiduser interaction steps

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-affected harmful factorsVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The system applies partial action by providing confirmation prompts only for messages that require user awareness, such as those to premium short codes or suspicious destinations. Legitimate messages to known contacts or services can bypass the prompt, maintaining ease of operation for common use cases while providing protection where needed.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #16Partial or excessive action

Data Source

PatentUS9143906B2Premium messaging challenges

Publication Date: 2015.09.22 GOOGLE LLC

AI summary

A device includes at least one processor, a messaging service operable by the at least one processor to determine whether an outgoing message is a likely premium message, and a user interface module operable by the at least one processor to responsive to determining that outgoing message is the likely premium message, output, for display, a prompt for confirmation to send the outgoing message to a likely premium code, and receive an indication of input detected within the prompt for confirmation. The module is further operable by the at least one processor to selectively send, based at least in part on the received indication of the user input, the outgoing message to the likely premium code.