Method and Apparatus for Detecting Events Indicative of Inappropriate Activity in an Online Community

• US 20090182872A1
• Filed: 01/16/2009
• Published: 07/16/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/16/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Inventors: Hong, Jack L.
• Granted Patent: US 9,137,318 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 13/40 of characters, e.g. humans, animals or virtual beings
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1416 Event detection, e.g. attack signature detection
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/30 for supporting lawful interception, monitoring or retaining of communications or communication related information circuit switched telephony call monitoring H04M3/2281
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/131 Protocols for games, networked simulations or virtual reality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A method of detecting events in a computer-implemented online community includes providing a computer-implemented event processor, providing the computer-implemented event processor with a description of at least one event to be detected, automatically analyzing messages of the online community with the computer-implemented event processor to detect the at least one event, and issuing a notification of a detected event. Also an apparatus for carrying out the method.

Claims

1. A method of detecting events in a computer-implemented online community comprising:

providing a computer-implemented event processor;

providing the computer-implemented event processor with a description of at least one event to be detected;

automatically analyzing messages of the online community with the computer-implemented event processor to detect the at least one event; and

issuing a notification of a detected event.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the computer-implemented event processor is configured to analyze the data in real time.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the at least one event includes a question regarding a person'"'"'s age.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the at least one event includes a question about a person'"'"'s gender.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the at least one event comprises a request for an in-person meeting.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein providing a computer-implemented event processor comprises providing a computer processor configured to receive a stream of data and search for predetermines strings of data in real time.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein providing a computer-implemented event processor comprises providing a computer processor configured to receive a stream of data and determine that an event has occurred when a plurality of conditions including at least one condition based on the content of the stream of data have been satisfied.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the messages include data identifying a sender of the messages and including analyzing a database of user profiles to select a first set of users and wherein the event to be detected comprises a string of data from a user in the first set of users.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the messages include data identifying a sender of the messages and wherein the event to be detected comprises a plurality of data strings generated by a given sender in a plurality of messages.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the online community comprises a social networking site.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the online community comprises a virtual world.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the online community comprises a massively multiplayer role-playing game.

13. A method of detecting a possible pedophile in a computer-implemented online community comprising:

providing a computer-implemented event processor;

providing the computer-implemented event processor with a description of events indicative of pedophile activity;

automatically analyzing data streams of the online community to detect the events; and

issuing a notification of a detected event.

14. The method of claim 13 including detecting in the data streams of the online community potentially inappropriate requests, said potentially inappropriate requests being selected from the group consisting of requests for a person'"'"'s age, requests for a person'"'"'s gender, and requests for an in-person meeting.

15. The method of claim 13 including detecting in the data streams of the online community potentially inappropriate words, said potentially inappropriate words being selected from the group consisting of words related to an in-person meeting and words identifying a geographic location.

16. The method of claim 14 including identifying all messages generated by a given user and wherein detecting an event comprises detecting more than a given number of potentially inappropriate requests in the messages generated by the given user.

17. The method of claim 14 including identifying all messages generated by a given user and wherein detecting an event comprises detecting that more than a given proportion of the all messages generated by a given user comprise potentially inappropriate requests.

18. The method of claim 13 including identifying all messages generated by a given user, determining an age of the given user, determining ages of the recipients of messages from the given user and wherein automatically analyzing data streams of the online community to detect the events comprises analyzing the data streams to detect when the age of the given user is greater than a first age and the ages of the recipients of messages from the given user are less than a second age.

19. The method of claim 13 wherein the online community comprises a social networking site.

20. The method of claim 13 wherein the online community comprises a virtual world.

21. The method of claim 13 wherein the online community comprises a massively multiplayer role-playing game.

22. An apparatus comprising:

a computer-implemented event processor;

means for providing the computer-implemented event processor with message data from an online community; and

means for providing the computer-implemented event processor with a description of at least one event to be detected;

wherein the computer-implemented event processor is configured to automatically analyze messages of the online community to detect the at least one event and issue a notification if the event is detected.

23. The apparatus of claim 22 wherein the means for providing the computer-implemented event processor with a description of at least one event comprises a database in communication with the computer-implemented event processor storing the description of the at least one event.

24. The apparatus of claim 22 wherein the computer-implemented event processor comprises a computer processor programmed to receive a stream of data and search for predetermines strings of data in real time.

25. The apparatus of claim 22 including a database storing information used by the event processor when determining whether messages of the online community comprise an event.

26. An apparatus comprising:

a computer-implemented event processor;

means for providing the computer-implemented event processor with message data from an online community; and

means for providing the computer-implemented event processor with a description of events indicative of pedophile activity;

wherein the computer-implemented event processor is configured to automatically analyze data streams of the online community to detect the events and issue a notification of a detected event.

27. The apparatus of claim 26 wherein the means for providing the computer-implemented event processor with a description of events indicative of pedophile activity comprises a database in communication with the computer-implemented event processor storing the description of the event indicative of pedophile activity.

28. The apparatus of claim 26 wherein the computer-implemented event processor comprises a computer processor programmed to receive a stream of data and search for predetermines strings of data in real time.

29. An article of manufacture comprising a computer usable medium having a computer readable code means embodied therein for causing a computer to detect events in an online community, the computer readable code in said article of manufacture comprising:

computer readable code means for implementing an event processor;

computer readable code means describing at least one event to be detected;

computer readable code means for causing the event processor to automatically analyze messages of the online community to detect the at least one event; and

computer readable code means for issuing a notification of a detected event.

30. An article of manufacture comprising a computer usable medium having a computer readable code means embodied therein for causing a computer to detect events indicative of pedophile activity in an online community, the computer readable code in said article of manufacture comprising:

computer readable code means for implementing an event processor;

computer readable code means describing at least one event indicative of pedophile activity to be detected;

computer readable code means for automatically analyzing data streams of the online community to detect the at least one event; and

computer readable code means for issuing a notification that the at least one event has been detected.