Community based moderation in on-line sessions

• US 7,865,590 B2
• Filed: 10/26/2007
• Issued: 01/04/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Computer Entertainment America (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Zalewski, Gary
• Primary Examiner(s): Etienne; Ario
• Assistant Examiner(s): SALL, EL HADJI MALICK
• Application Number:
  US11/925,570
• Publication Number:
  US 20090113040A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,166 Days
• Field of Search: 709/223, 709/224, 726/3
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management

Abstract

Methods, apparatuses, and techniques for moderating activity in an online community are described. Aspects include a triggering mechanism being activated by a community member in response to inappropriate activity by another community member. Receiving a time based history of community members activity around a time of the triggering mechanism being activated. Recreating the community activity from the time based history. Evaluating activities of the community members to determine if there was inappropriate activity and if there is inappropriate activity by an offending community member taking appropriate action against the offending community member.

Claims

1. A method for community moderation of an online session, the method comprising:

observing inappropriate behavior by a particular online user;

encouraging other online users to activate a triggering mechanism in response to the inappropriate behavior by providing rewards for activating the triggering mechanism,

wherein the inappropriate behavior is based on factors including perception and online community norms of the other online users;

capturing a time based history of the online session when the inappropriate behavior is observed including capturing sights and sounds of avatars to monitor inappropriate behavior of the avatars controlled by the online user, and evaluating the time based history to determine whether the online user has been engaged in inappropriate behavior;

transmitting the time based history to a moderation entity; and

taking appropriate action against the offending online user including at least one of;

issuing a warning to the offending online user;

limiting available online options to the offending online user; and

restricting access to the online community by the offending online user.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the time based history of the online session comprises online session activity that occurred a predetermined amount of time before the triggering mechanism is activated.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein capturing a time based history comprises associating an identity of the particular online user with an online activity of the particular online user.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising

providing demerits to the online users that make false identifications of the inappropriate behavior.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein types of activity included in the time based history include text chat, audio chat, the state of all characters, their positions, and data that are useful in recreating the online session.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the time based history of the online session is stored in a buffer as a sliding window of online activity.

6. A method of moderating activity in an online community, the method comprising:

encouraging members of the online community to report any inappropriate activity by other community members by providing rewards for reporting the inappropriate activity;

receiving an indication of a triggering mechanism being activated by the members of the online community to report the inappropriate activity by the other online community members;

receiving a time based history of all online community members around a time of the triggering mechanism being activated,

wherein the time based history is captured when the inappropriate activity is observed including capturing sights and sounds of avatars to monitor inappropriate behavior of the avatars controlled by the online user, and evaluating the time based history to determine whether the online user has been engaged in inappropriate behavior;

recreating community activities from the time based history;

evaluating the community activities to determine if there was any inappropriate activity; and

taking appropriate action against offending online community members including at least one of;

issuing a warning to the offending online community members;

limiting available online options to the offending online community members; and

restricting access to the online community by the offending online community members.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein taking appropriate action against the offending online community members comprises

disabling communication capability of the offending online community members.

7. An online community that moderates activity, comprising:

at least two users that communicate in the online community,

wherein a first user in the online community who observes inappropriate behavior by a second user in the online community is encouraged to press a panic button in response to the inappropriate behavior by providing rewards to the first user,

the pressing of the panic button initiating storing a time based history of an online community activity,

wherein the time based history is captured when the inappropriate behavior is observed including capturing sights and sounds of avatars to monitor inappropriate behavior of the avatars controlled by the online user, and evaluating the time based history to determine whether the online user has been engaged in inappropriate behavior,

the time based history covering a period that extends from a first desired duration before the pressing of the panic button to a second desired duration after pressing the panic button; and

a moderation entity that receives the time based history and recreates the online activity to determine if there was inappropriate activity by one of the users, and if there was inappropriate activity by one of the users taking appropriate action against that one user including at least one of;

issuing a warning to the offending community member;

limiting available online options to the offending community member; and

restricting access to the online community by the offending community member.

8. A network enabled device used in an online community, the network enable device comprising:

a triggering mechanism that is activated by a network user when inappropriate online activity is observed by the network user based on factors including perception of the network user and network community norms; and

a processor that captures a time based history of online activity of the network user in the online community when the triggering mechanism is activated including capturing sights and sounds of avatars to monitor inappropriate behavior of the avatars controlled by the online user, and evaluating the time based history to determine whether the online user has been engaged in inappropriate behavior,

the processor also issuing appropriate action against the offending online user including at least one of;

issuing a warning to the offending online user;

limiting available online options to the offending online user; and

restricting access to the online community by the offending online user; and

a network interface that transmits the time based history to a moderation entity,

wherein the moderation entity determines when the inappropriate online activity has occurred and by which online user.