Parental consent service

• US 7,571,466 B2
• Filed: 02/23/2001
• Issued: 08/04/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/23/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Horton, Jonathan P., Mollerstrom, Sylvia K., Cellini, Steven M., Guo, Wei-Quiang Michael, Mitchell, Christopher E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Sheikh; Ayaz R
• Assistant Examiner(s): Moorthy; Aravind K
• Application Number:
  US09/792,170
• Publication Number:
  US 20020120866A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,084 Days
• Field of Search: 713/201, 713/200
• US Class Current: 726/4
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/31 User authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2149 Restricted operating environment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/20 for managing network security; network security policies in general filtering policies H04L63/0227

Abstract

A user profile having consent information regarding a network server for a second party is created. Such consent information is received from a first party and stored in the user profile of the second party. The second party may access the network server if the consent information stored in the user profile of the second party shows that the first party has provided consent. The second party may not access the network server if the consent information stored in the user profile of the second party shows that the first party has denied consent.

Claims

1. A method of allowing a first party to provide or deny consent for a second party to access a network server that requires such consent prior to allowing the second party access thereto, the method comprising:

creating a user profile for the second party, the user profile for the second party including consent information regarding second party access to the network server, wherein the consent information is information directed to an age of the first party or content of the network server;

receiving the consent information from the first party, the consent information providing or denying consent for the second party to access the network server, wherein the first and the second parties are individuals and potential accessors of the network server; and

storing the consent information in the user profile of the second party;

wherein the second party is allowed to access the network server if the consent information stored in the user profile of the second party shows that the first party individual has provided consent and wherein the second party is not allowed to access the network server if the consent information stored in the user profile of the second party shows that the first party individual has denied consent, and

further wherein, prior to the first party providing consent information for the network server, the network server must register with an authentication server, providing authentication requirements to be used by the authentication server to determine whether to allow access to the network server when the first party or the second party request access to the network server.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the network server is an Internet network server.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the consent information in the user profile of the second party is first consent information, the method further comprising:

receiving modified consent information from the first party, the modified consent information providing or denying consent for the second party to access the network server; and

replacing the first consent information in the user profile of the second party with the modified consent information,

wherein the second party is allowed to access the network server if the modified consent information stored in the user profile of the second party shows that the first party has provided consent and wherein the second party is not allowed to access the network server if the modified consent information stored in the user profile of the second party shows that the first party has denied consent.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first party is an adult and the second party is a child.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the network server is a first network server and the consent information is first consent information, the method further comprising:

detecting an attempt by the second party to access a second network server, the second network server not having any corresponding consent information in the user profile of the second party providing or denying consent for the second party to access the second network server;

notifying the first party that the second party wishes to be provided with consent for the second party to access the second network server;

receiving second consent information from the first party, the second consent information providing or denying consent for the second party to access the second network server; and

storing the second consent information in the user profile of the second party;

wherein the second party is allowed to access the second network server if the

second consent information stored in the user profile of the second party shows that the first party has provided consent and wherein the second party is not allowed to access the second network server if the second consent information stored in the user profile of the second party shows that the first party has denied consent.

6. The method of claim 5 further including the step, prior to notifying the first party that the second party wishes to be provided with consent to access the second network server, of verifying through user profile information that the second party is a child.

7. The method of claim 1, for allowing a first party to provide a level of consent for a second party to access a network server, the method comprising:

receiving level of consent information from the first party, the level of consent information specifying the level of consent for the second party to access the network server; and

storing the level of consent information in the user profile of the second party;

wherein the second party is allowed to access the network server in accordance with the level of consent information stored in the user profile of the second party.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the consent

information affirmatively allows or denies access to the network server by the second party, without providing a variable level of consent.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the consent information includes either an allowance or denial of access to each of multiple Internet network servers.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein, prior to the first party providing consent information for each of multiple network servers, each of the multiple network servers must register with an authentication server, each providing authentication requirements to be used by the authentication server to determine whether to allow access to a respective network server when the first party or the second party request access to the respective network server.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the consent information includes restrictions to certain portions of the network server based upon content of subject matter provided by the network server or time of requested access to the network server by the second party.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the consent information for the second party is stored in the user profile of the first party rather than in the user profile of the second party.

13. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

creating a user profile for the first party individual prior to creating a user profile for the second party; and

linking the user profile for the first party and the user profile for the second party wherein the consent information providing or denying consent for the second party to access the network server is only received by input from the first party by way of the user profile of the first party.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein the authentication requirements comprise at least one of:

a maximum time allowed since the first party or second party entered authentication information to the authentication server by logging in to the authentication server, and a maximum time allowed since the first party or second party reentered a password without logging out of the authentication server;

and wherein the authentication server requires the first party or second party to reenter authentication information to the authentication server by logging in again to the authentication server, or to reenter the password to the authentication server, respectively, after the respective maximum time allowed has elapsed, in order for the first party or second party to continue to be granted access to the network server.

15. A computer readable medium having computer-executable instructions thereon for allowing a first party to provide or deny consent for a second party to access each of multiple network servers that each require such consent prior to allowing the second party access thereto, the instructions, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform:

creating a user profile for the second party, the user profile for the second party including verification that the second party is a child and including consent information regarding second party access to each of the network servers, wherein the consent information is directed to access, or partial access, to each of the network servers based upon a content of subject matter included thereon;

receiving the consent information from the first party, the consent information providing or denying consent for the second party to access each of the network servers, wherein the first and the second parties are individuals and potential or actual accessors of the network server; and

storing the consent information in the user profile of the second party;

wherein the second party is allowed to access a respective network server if the consent information stored in the user profile of the second party shows that the first party individual has provided consent and wherein the second party is not allowed to access the network server if the consent information stored in the user profile of the second party shows that the first party individual has denied consent, and

further wherein, prior to the first party providing consent information for the network server, the network server must register with an authentication server, providing authentication requirements to be used by the authentication server to determine whether to allow access to the network server when the first party or the second party request access to the network server.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein receiving the consent information from the first party comprises receiving the consent information only by way of the user profile of the first party.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the consent information in the user profile of the second party is first consent information, the computer-executable instructions further causing the processor to perform:

receiving modified consent information from the first party, the modified consent information providing or denying consent for the second party to access the network server; and

replacing the first consent information in the user profile of the second party with the modified consent information;

wherein the second party is allowed to access the network server if the modified consent information stored in the user profile of the second party shows that the first party has provided consent and wherein the second party is not allowed to access the network server if the modified consent information stored in the user profile of the second party shows that the first party has denied consent.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the first party is an adult and the second party is a child.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the network server is a first network server and the consent information is first consent information, the computer-executable instructions further causing the processor to perform:

detecting an attempt by the second party to access a second network server, the second network server not having any corresponding consent information in the user profile of the second party providing or denying consent for the second party to access the second network server;

notifying the first party that the second wishes to be provided with consent for the second for the second party to access the second network server;

receiving second consent information from the first party, the second consent information providing or denying consent for the second party to access the second network server; and

storing the second consent information in the user profile of the second party;

wherein the second party is allowed to access the second network server if the second consent information stored in the user profile of the second party shows that the first party has provided consent and wherein the second party is not allowed to access the second network server if the second consent information stored in the user profile of the second party shows that the first party has denied consent.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 15, for allowing a first party to provide a level of consent for a second party to access a network server, the computer-executable instructions further causing the processor to perform:

receiving level of consent information from the first party, the level of consent information specifying the level of consent for the second party to access the network server; and

storing the level of consent information in the user profile of the second party;

wherein the second party is allowed to access the network server in accordance with the level of consent information stored in the user profile of the second party.

21. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, the computer-executable instructions further causing the processor to perform:

creating a user profile for the first party individual prior to creating a user profile for the second party, the user profile for the first party including verification that the first party individual is an adult; and

linking the user profile for the first party and the user profile of the second party wherein the consent information providing or denying consent for the second party to access a respective network server is only received from the first party by way of the user profile of the first party.

22. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the authentication requirements comprise at least one of:

a maximum time allowed since the first party or second party entered authentication information to the authentication server by logging in to the authentication server, and a maximum time allowed since the first party or second party reentered a password without logging out of the authentication server;

and wherein the authentication server requires the first party or second party to reenter authentication information to the authentication server by logging in again to the authentication server, or to reenter the password to the authentication server, respectively, after the respective maximum time allowed has elapsed, in order for the first party or second party to continue to be granted access to the network server.

23. A method of allowing a first party to provide or deny consent for a second party to access each of multiple network servers that require such consent prior to allowing the second party access thereto, wherein the first party is an adult and the second party is a child, the method comprising:

creating a user profile for the second party, the user profile for the second party including consent information regarding second party access to the multiple network servers, wherein the consent information is information directed to an age of the first party or respective content of the multiple network servers;

receiving the consent information from the first party, the consent information providing or denying consent for the second party to access each of the network servers, wherein the first and the second parties are individuals and potential accessors of the multiple network servers;

receiving level of consent information from the first party, the level of consent information specifying the level of consent for the second party to access each of the multiple network servers;

storing the consent information in the user profile of the second party;

storing the level of consent information in the user profile of the second party;

wherein the consent information in the user profile of the second party is first consent information and when modified consent information is received from the first party, the modified consent information providing or denying consent for the second party to access at least one of the multiple network servers, the method further comprises;

replacing the first consent information in the user profile of the second party with the modified consent information, wherein only the first party can modify the consent information in the user profile of the second party,

wherein when an attempt by the second party to access a second network server is detected, the second network server not having any corresponding consent information in the user profile of the second party providing or denying consent for the second party to access the second network server, the method further comprises;

notifying the first party that the second party wishes to be provided with consent for the second party to access the second network server;

receiving second consent information from the first party, the second consent information providing or denying consent for the second party to access the second network server; and

storing the second consent information in the user profile of the second party,

wherein the second party is allowed to access a particular one of the multiple network servers if the consent information stored in the user profile of the second party shows that the first party individual has provided consent for that particular network server, and wherein the second party is not allowed to access the particular network server if the consent information stored in the user profile of the second party shows that the first party individual has denied consent for that particular network server, and wherein the second party is allowed to access the particular network server in accordance with the level of consent information stored in the user profile of the second party,

wherein, prior to the first party providing consent information for the network server, the network servers register respective authentication requirements with an authentication server, the authentication requirements for a particular network server to be used by the authentication server to determine whether to allow access to a particular network server when the first party or the second party request access to the particular network server, wherein the first party or the second party must comply with the authentication requirements in order to be granted access to the particular network server by the authentication server,

wherein the authentication requirements comprise at least one of;

a maximum time allowed since the first party or second party entered authentication information to the authentication server by logging in to the authentication server, and a maximum time allowed since the first party or second party reentered a password without logging out of the authentication server;

and wherein the authentication server requires the first party or second party to reenter authentication information to the authentication server by logging in again to the authentication server, or to reenter the password to the authentication server, respectively, after the respective maximum time allowed has elapsed, in order for the first party or second party to continue to be granted access to the network server.