Parental control using social metrics system and method

• US 7,809,797 B2
• Filed: 04/06/2007
• Issued: 10/05/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/06/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Symantec Corporation (NortonLifeLock Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Symantec Corporation (NortonLifeLock Inc.)
• Inventors: Cooley, Shaun, McCorkendale, Bruce
• Primary Examiner(s): DOAN, DUYEN MY
• Application Number:
  US11/697,467
• Publication Number:
  US 20080250471A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,278 Days
• Field of Search: 709204-207, 726 3- 4, 726/27
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6218 to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2141 Access rights, e.g. capability lists, access control lists, access tables, access matrices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2149 Restricted operating environment

Abstract

A parent defines friend rules for on-line association with their child. Upon a request of an on-line stranger to be a new friend of the child, stranger information about the on-line stranger is retrieved and compared to the friend rules to determine whether the stranger is allowed, blocked or restricted from being a friend with the child. Accordingly, the parent only has to use a minimal amount of time in establishing the friend rules to protect the parent'"'"'s child from on-line strangers.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

executing, on a processor, a parent control application, wherein said executing includes;

defining child rules for a child, wherein the child rules include off-line rules for the child imposed by a parent, wherein the off-line rules comprise one of or a combination of where, when, how and what activities the child is allowed to participate in;

defining friend rules for on-line access to the child wherein the friend rules are defined relative to the child rules and are defined dependent upon particular constraints placed upon allowable, blocked and restricted relationships with the child by the parent;

retrieving stranger information about a person requesting on-line access to said child, wherein said stranger information comprises characteristics of said person, wherein said stranger information is retrieved from a database of stranger information and said retrieving said stranger information comprises using a unique identifier as an index into said database of stranger information to retrieve said stranger information;

comparing said stranger information about said person to said friend rules;

allowing the person to be a friend with the child upon said comparing finding said person is allowed to be a new friend;

blocking the person from being the friend with the child upon said comparing finding said person is not allowed to be the new friend, and finding said person is blocked from being the new friend; and

applying stranger restriction on the person upon said comparing finding said person is not allowed to be the new friend, and finding said person is not blocked from being the new friend.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein said defining friend rules is performed with a parent interface module.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein said friend associates with said first user using Instant Message (IM) communication.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 further comprising determining that said person is requesting the on-line access.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4 wherein said person requests the on-line access over an instant message (IM) communication channel.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5 wherein said determining that said person is requesting the on-line access is performed with an instant messaging (IM) proxy.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 further comprising identifying said person, prior to said retrieving.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7 wherein said identifying said person is performed with a stranger identification module.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein said comparing is performed with a stranger analysis module.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein said stranger information is retrieved from a database of stranger information and placed on a tangible media.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein said child rules are selected from the group consisting of what, where, when, and how off-line child rules for the child.

12. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable medium containing computer program code comprising:

defining child rules for a child, wherein the child rules include off-line rules for the child imposed by a parent, wherein the off-line rules comprise one of or a combination of where, when, how and what activities the child is allowed to participate in;

defining friend rules for on-line access to the child wherein the friend rules are defined relative to the child rules and are defined dependent upon particular constraints placed upon allowable, blocked and restricted relationships with the child by the parent;

retrieving stranger information about a person requesting on-line access to said child wherein said stranger information comprises characteristics of said person, wherein said stranger information is retrieved from a database of stranger information and said retrieving said stranger information comprises using a unique identifier as an index into said database of stranger information to retrieve said stranger information;

comparing said stranger information about said person to said friend rules;

allowing the person to be a friend with the child upon said comparing finding said person is allowed to be a new friend;

blocking the person from being the friend with the child upon said comparing finding said person is not allowed to be the new friend, and finding said person is blocked from being the new friend; and

applying stranger restriction on the person upon said comparing finding said person is not allowed to be the new friend, and finding said person is not blocked from being the new friend.

13. A computer system comprising:

a memory having stored therein a parental control application; and

a processor coupled to the memory, wherein execution of said parental control application generates a method comprising;

defining child rules for a child, wherein the child rules include off-line rules for the child imposed by a parent, wherein the off-line rules comprise one of or a combination of where, when, how and what activities the child is allowed to participate in;

defining friend rules for on-line access to the child wherein the friend rules are defined relative to the child rules and are defined dependent upon particular constraints placed upon allowable, blocked and restricted relationships with the child by the parent;

retrieving stranger information about a person requesting on-line access to said child wherein said stranger information comprises characteristics of said person, wherein said stranger information is retrieved from a database of stranger information and said retrieving said stranger information comprises using a unique identifier as an index into said database of stranger information to retrieve said stranger information;

comparing said stranger information about said person to said friend rules;

allowing the person to be a friend with the child upon said comparing finding said person is allowed to be a new friend;

blocking the person from being the friend with the child upon said comparing finding said person is not allowed to be the new friend, and finding said person is blocked from being the new friend; and

applying stranger restriction on the person upon said comparing finding said person is not allowed to be the new friend, and finding said person is not blocked from being the new friend.