Supervising user interaction with online services

• US 7,904,554 B1
• Filed: 12/23/2009
• Issued: 03/08/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2002
• Status: Expired

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AOL Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Crowley, John, Lu, Larry L., O Laughlen, Eric
• Primary Examiner(s): England; David E
• Application Number:
  US12/646,505
• Time in Patent Office: 440 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/06 Generation of reports
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/212 using filtering or selective blocking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/216 Handling conversation history, e.g. grouping of messages in sessions or threads
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/52 for supporting social networking services

Abstract

A report card provides a supervisor or master account holder (e.g., a parent) with information about the activities of an individual or sub-account user (e.g., a child). For example, the report card may include a list of the sites (e.g., content identifiers and/or uniform resource locators) that an individual has visited or attempted to visit. Other information (e.g., e-mail and address book activity and instant messaging and contact list activity) also may be provided in addition to tools that allow the master account holder to access information about the activities and to adjust parental controls for the activities.

Claims

1. A system for monitoring online activities of a sub-account user over which a master account holder exercises control, comprising:

a first system, including a first processor that collects activity data regarding online activities of the sub-account user and generates an online report based on the activity data, wherein the online report includes one or more inputs for the master account holder to provide an access recommendation for a web site; and

a second system, including a second processor that automatically denies access by the sub-account user to the web site when a number of negative recommendations provided by other master account holders for the web site exceeds a predetermined threshold.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the online report includes one or more windows that display one or more activity lists indicating online activity on a host network by the sub-account user.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the sub-account user is one of a plurality of users of the sub-account.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein profile data for the sub-account user is stored on a client device, and wherein the client device provides the profile data to the first system.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the sub-account user is one of a plurality of sub-account users controlled by the master account holder.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein collecting activity data includes collecting data in response to the online account attempting to access web content.

7. A guardian system comprising:

a host computer that collects activity data regarding activities of a sub-account user over which a master account holder exercises control and generates a report card based on the collected sub-account activity data, wherein activity data includes data generated in response to an attempt to access web content; and

an interface that electronically provides access by the master account holder to the report card,

wherein the report card includes an input by which the master account holder recommends granting access to a web site; and

the host computer granting access to the web site when a number of recommendations by other master account holders for the web site exceeds a predetermined threshold.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the report card includes one or more windows that display one or more activity lists indicating online activity on a host network by the sub-account user.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the sub-account is utilized by other users in addition to the sub-account user.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein profile data for the sub-account is stored on a client device, and wherein the client device provides the profile data to the host computer.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the sub-account is one of a plurality of sub-accounts controlled by the master account.

12. An online reporting system comprising:

a memory device; and

at least one processor that performs tasks including;

collecting activity data regarding Internet activities associated with an online account, storing the activity data in the memory device, and

generating a report reflecting the Internet activities associated with the online account based on the activity data, wherein the report includes data identifying a web site that the online account requested access and a link that allows a user to access the identified web site, and wherein the report further includes an input by which the master account holder recommends granting access to a web site; and

the host computer granting grants access to the web site when a number of recommendations by other master account holders for the web site exceeds a predetermined threshold.

13. The online reporting system of claim 12, wherein online account is utilized by more than one user.

14. The online reporting system of claim 12, wherein profile data for the online account is stored on a client device, and wherein the processor receives the profile data from the client device.

15. The online reporting system of claim 12, wherein the online account is a sub-account of a master account.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein collecting the activity data includes collecting data related to web content accessed by a user of the online account.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein collecting activity data includes collecting data corresponding to an attempt by the online account to access web content.

18. The system of claim 12, wherein the report includes a controls window listing one or more services for which monitoring controls are applied and an indication of a level of access by the online account to the one or more services.

19. The system of claim 12, wherein the controls window includes an input to allow editing of one or more control settings associated with the online account.