Limiting interaction between parties in a networked session
First Claim
1. A method for controlling an interaction between participants in an online session, based upon block lists of the participants, wherein a block list of a participant identifies one or more persons with whom interaction with the participant in an online session should be controlled in a specific maimer, comprising the steps of:
- (a) creating a session block filter from the user block lists of the participants in the online session, wherein each user block list of a participant includes a unique identifier for each person in said user block list with whom interaction with the participant in the online session is to be controlled in the specific manner, said session block filter representing all persons identified in the user block lists of the participants;
(b) creating a user filter that represents all participants in the online session, each participant being indicated with a unique identifier;
(c) comparing the prospective participant with the persons represented in the session block filter for the online session to determine if interaction with any participant in the online session by the prospective participant must be controlled in the specific manner, and if so, taking a first action;
(d) creating a user block filter for the prospective participant to represent persons with whom interaction with the prospective participant in the online session is to be controlled in the specific manner; and
(e) comparing the persons indicated in the user block filter of the prospective participant with the user filter for the participants in the online session, to determine if any participant in the online session is included in the user block list of the prospective participant, and if so, taking a second action, said first action and said second action being applied to control an interaction between the prospective participant and participants in the online session.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Interaction between participants in an online session is controlled by using filters. Each participant in an online session may have lists of other users with whom the participant wants to limit interaction in an online session. Each list is hashed to create a filter for the participant. For blocking, the host of an online session logically ORs the filters of all the participants in a session to create a session filter. An identifier for each of the current participants in an online session is hashed to create a user filter. A host of an online session checks the session filter to determine if a prospective participant is blocked. If not, the user filter is transmitted to the prospective participant to check against a block filter. Mute filters and ghost filters are handled similarly, but limit the interaction of participants in an online session in a different fashion.
91 Citations
64 Claims
-
1. A method for controlling an interaction between participants in an online session, based upon block lists of the participants, wherein a block list of a participant identifies one or more persons with whom interaction with the participant in an online session should be controlled in a specific maimer, comprising the steps of:
-
(a) creating a session block filter from the user block lists of the participants in the online session, wherein each user block list of a participant includes a unique identifier for each person in said user block list with whom interaction with the participant in the online session is to be controlled in the specific manner, said session block filter representing all persons identified in the user block lists of the participants;
(b) creating a user filter that represents all participants in the online session, each participant being indicated with a unique identifier;
(c) comparing the prospective participant with the persons represented in the session block filter for the online session to determine if interaction with any participant in the online session by the prospective participant must be controlled in the specific manner, and if so, taking a first action;
(d) creating a user block filter for the prospective participant to represent persons with whom interaction with the prospective participant in the online session is to be controlled in the specific manner; and
(e) comparing the persons indicated in the user block filter of the prospective participant with the user filter for the participants in the online session, to determine if any participant in the online session is included in the user block list of the prospective participant, and if so, taking a second action, said first action and said second action being applied to control an interaction between the prospective participant and participants in the online session. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
-
-
18. A system for controlling an interaction between participants in an online session, based upon user block lists of the participants, wherein a user block list of a participant identifies one or more persons with whom interaction with the participant in an online session should be controlled in a specific manner, comprising:
-
(a) a plurality of computing devices, each computing device being associated with at least one participant in the online session and including a processor coupled with a memory in which are stored machine instructions, said plurality of computing devices each including interface devices that are coupled to the processor therein and connected together in communication to form a network, at least one of the plurality of computing devices being associated with a prospective participant in the online session; and
(b) one or more processors in the plurality of computing devices executing the machine instructions stored in corresponding one or more memories thereof, to carry out a plurality of functions, including;
(i) creating a session block filter from the user block lists of the participants in the online session, wherein each user block list of a participant includes a unique identifier for each person in said user block list with whom interaction with the participant in the online session is to be controlled in the specific manner, said session block filter representing all persons identified in the user block lists of the participants;
(ii) creating a user filter that represents all participants in the online session, each participant being indicated with a unique identifier;
(iii) comparing the prospective participant with the persons identified in the session block filter for the online session to determine if interaction with any participant in the online session by the prospective participant must be controlled in the specific manner, and if so, taking a first action;
(iv) creating a user block filter for the prospective participant to represent persons with whom interaction with the prospective participant in the online session is to be controlled in the specific maimer; and
(v) comparing the persons indicated in the user block filter of the prospective participant with the user filter for the participants in the online session, to determine if any participant in the online session is included in the user block list of the prospective participant, and if so, taking a second action, said first action and said second action being applied to control an interaction between the prospective participant and participants in the online session. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34)
-
-
35. A method for limiting an interaction between a first party and a second party, in connection with an online session, comprising the steps of:
-
(a) creating a filter for the first party that indicates people whose interaction with the first party in the online session is to be limited;
(b) creating a test result based upon an indicator for the second party; and
(c) comparing the test result to the filter to determine if the second party is included among the people indicated in the filter, and if so, limiting an interaction between the first and second parties in the online session. - View Dependent Claims (36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52)
-
-
53. A system for limiting an interaction between a first party and a second party, in connection with an online session, comprising:
-
(a) a memory in which a plurality of machine instructions are stored;
(b) a network interface that is coupled to a network for use in communicating with other computing devices;
(c) a processor coupled to the memory and to the network interface, said processor executing the machine instructions to carry out a plurality of functions, including;
(i) accessing a filter for the first party that indicates people whose interaction with the first party in the online session is to be limited;
(ii) determining a test result based upon an indicator of the second party; and
(iii) comparing the test result to the filter to determine if the second party is included in the people indicated by the filter, and if so, limiting an interaction between the first and second parties in the online session. - View Dependent Claims (54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60)
-
-
61. A method for controlling an interaction between participants in an online session, based upon block lists of the participants, wherein a block list of a participant identifies one or more persons with whom interaction with the participant in an online session should be controlled in a specific manner, comprising the steps of:
-
(a) creating a session block filter from the user block lists of the participants in the online session, wherein each user block list of a participant includes a unique identifier for each person in said user block list with whom interaction with the participant in the online session is to be controlled in the specific manner, said session block filter representing all persons identified in the user block lists of the participants; and
(b) comparing the prospective participant with the persons represented in the session block filter for the online session to determine if interaction with any participant in the online session by the prospective participant must be controlled in the specific manner, and if so, taking a first action applied to control an interaction between the prospective participant and participants in the online session. - View Dependent Claims (62, 64)
-
-
63. A method for controlling an interaction between participants in an online session, comprising the steps of:
-
(a) creating a user filter that represents all participants in the online session, each participant being indicated with a unique identifier;
(b) creating a user block filter for a prospective participant to represent persons with whom interaction with the prospective participant in the online session is to be controlled in the specific manner; and
(c) comparing the persons indicated in the user block filter of the prospective participant with the user filter for the participants in the online session, to determine if any participant in the online session is included in the user block list of the prospective participant, and if so, taking a first action applied to control an interaction between the prospective participant and participants in the online session.
-
Specification