System and method for human identification proof for use in virtual environments
First Claim
1. A method for verifying an avatar owner as a human user of an avatar in a virtual world, comprising:
- providing, by a server device, a communication system for establishing a virtual world environment in which users may interact through avatars, representing each one or more users visually, in said virtual world environment;
enabling, via client devices associated with one or more users, said users to interact through their said representing avatars via an interface operable by a corresponding user, said client devices and server device communicating over a network;
detecting, by a first human user while interacting through said representative avatar in said virtual world environment, an avatar suspected by that first human user of exhibiting non-human behavior in said virtual world;
initiating, by said first human user, a request to challenge said suspect avatar to determine whether said suspect avatar is controlled by an automated application program (bot);
receiving, at said server device, said request for challenging said suspect avatar in said virtual world environment;
identifying, in response to said received challenging request, a user client device associated with the suspect challenged avatar;
generating, for display at a user client device, a Human Identification Proof (HIP) surface challenge directed at said suspect avatar in said virtual world to detect a human user versus an application program user controlling said suspect avatar, said HIP surface challenge communicated to said suspect avatar via a network connection for receipt at an interface of that user'"'"'s corresponding client device and requiring a response from said avatar;
determining, from said response, whether said user is an application program user (bot) or a human user;
preventing, at said server device, said suspect avatar from further interaction in said virtual world environment, or performing any other punitive action, when said challenged avatar is determined to be a bot;
wherein said HIP surface challenge communicated to a user client device of a suspect avatar is a Completely Automated Public Turing tests to tell Computers and Humans Apart (CAPTCHA) message, said CAPTCHA message generated for display via said interface of said suspect avatar'"'"'s controlling user client device; and
said CAPTCHA message generated for receipt by a second challenged avatar at a corresponding user client device associated with said challenged second avatar; and
prior to surfacing said HIP challenge in said virtual world, further verifying whether said initiator of said HIP is a bot, said further verifying comprising;
initiating, by said server device, a CAPTCHA message to a user device associated with said first avatar,receiving, at said server device, a response from said first avatar, said response submitted via that user'"'"'s client device;
determining, from said response provided, whether said initiator is a bot or a human user; and
,preventing, via said server device, said first avatar from initiating a challenge in said virtual world environment when a bot initiator is determined.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A system, method and computer program product for verifying an avatar owner as a human user of an avatar in a virtual world environment in which users interact through avatars via client devices in network communication with a server device. A request for challenging an avatar in the virtual world environment is received to determine whether that avatar is controlled by an application program user (bot). A user client device associated with a challenged avatar is identified and a Human Identification Proof (HIP) message for detecting a human user versus a bot controlling the challenged avatar is generated and communicated, for receipt at the identified user client device. It is determined from the response, whether the user is a bot or a human user. If a challenged avatar is determined to be a bot, then the server device prevents the challenged avatar from further interaction in the virtual world environment.
49 Citations
18 Claims
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1. A method for verifying an avatar owner as a human user of an avatar in a virtual world, comprising:
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providing, by a server device, a communication system for establishing a virtual world environment in which users may interact through avatars, representing each one or more users visually, in said virtual world environment; enabling, via client devices associated with one or more users, said users to interact through their said representing avatars via an interface operable by a corresponding user, said client devices and server device communicating over a network; detecting, by a first human user while interacting through said representative avatar in said virtual world environment, an avatar suspected by that first human user of exhibiting non-human behavior in said virtual world; initiating, by said first human user, a request to challenge said suspect avatar to determine whether said suspect avatar is controlled by an automated application program (bot); receiving, at said server device, said request for challenging said suspect avatar in said virtual world environment; identifying, in response to said received challenging request, a user client device associated with the suspect challenged avatar; generating, for display at a user client device, a Human Identification Proof (HIP) surface challenge directed at said suspect avatar in said virtual world to detect a human user versus an application program user controlling said suspect avatar, said HIP surface challenge communicated to said suspect avatar via a network connection for receipt at an interface of that user'"'"'s corresponding client device and requiring a response from said avatar; determining, from said response, whether said user is an application program user (bot) or a human user; preventing, at said server device, said suspect avatar from further interaction in said virtual world environment, or performing any other punitive action, when said challenged avatar is determined to be a bot; wherein said HIP surface challenge communicated to a user client device of a suspect avatar is a Completely Automated Public Turing tests to tell Computers and Humans Apart (CAPTCHA) message, said CAPTCHA message generated for display via said interface of said suspect avatar'"'"'s controlling user client device; and
said CAPTCHA message generated for receipt by a second challenged avatar at a corresponding user client device associated with said challenged second avatar; andprior to surfacing said HIP challenge in said virtual world, further verifying whether said initiator of said HIP is a bot, said further verifying comprising; initiating, by said server device, a CAPTCHA message to a user device associated with said first avatar, receiving, at said server device, a response from said first avatar, said response submitted via that user'"'"'s client device; determining, from said response provided, whether said initiator is a bot or a human user; and
,preventing, via said server device, said first avatar from initiating a challenge in said virtual world environment when a bot initiator is determined. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A system for verifying an avatar owner as a human user of an avatar in a virtual world, said system comprising:
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a server device for establishing a virtual world environment in which users may interact through avatars, representing each one or more users visually, in said virtual world environment; a plurality of client devices, each of said plurality corresponding to an avatar present in the virtual world environment and representing a user, each client device having an interface means operable by users, for enabling said users to interact through their said representing avatars in said virtual world environment, said client devices and server device communicating over a network connection; said server device maintaining a list of present avatars interacting in said virtual world environment and corresponding information for identifying client computing devices operating to control said present avatars; and
, whereina human user detecting, while interacting through said representative avatar in said virtual world environment, an avatar suspected by that human user of exhibiting non-human behavior in said virtual world; said human user initiating a request to challenge said suspect avatar to determine whether said suspect avatar is controlled by an automated application program; said server device for providing computer-implemented functions for receiving said request for challenging said suspect avatar in said virtual world environment, said server device identifying, in response to said received challenging request, a user client device associated with the suspect challenged avatar; said server device providing computer-implemented functions for generating, for display at said user client device over a network connection, a Human Identification Proof (HIP) surface challenge directed at said suspect avatar in said virtual world to detect a human user versus an application program user controlling said suspect avatar, said HIP surface challenge communicated to said challenged avatar via a network connection for receipt at an interface of that avatar user'"'"'s corresponding client device and requiring a response from said avatar; said server device receiving said response from said user client device and providing computer-implemented functions to determine, from said response provided, whether said user is an application program user (bot) or a human user; and
,said server device providing computer-implemented functions for preventing, at said server device, said suspect avatar from further interaction in said virtual world environment, or performing any other punitive action, when a bot is determined to control said challenged avatar, wherein said HIP surface challenge communicated to a user client device of a suspect avatar is a Completely Automated Public Turing tests to tell Computers and Humans Apart (CAPTCHA) message, said CAPTCHA message generated for display via said interface of said suspect avatar'"'"'s controlling user client device; and
said CAPTCHA message generated for receipt by a second challenged avatar at a corresponding user client device associated with said challenged second avatar; andwherein prior to surfacing said HIP challenge in said virtual world, said server device further performs verifying whether said initiator of said HIP is a bot, said verifying comprising; initiating, by said server device, a CAPTCHA message to a user device associated with said first avatar, receiving, at said server device, a response from said first avatar, said response submitted via that user'"'"'s client device; determining, from said response provided, whether said initiator is a bot or a human user; and preventing, via said server device, said first avatar from initiating a challenge in said virtual world environment when a bot initiator is determined. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16)
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17. An article of manufacture, comprising:
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at least one non-transitory computer usable medium having a computer readable program code logic tangibly embodied therein to execute at least one machine instruction in a processing unit for verifying an avatar interacting in a virtual world environment represents a human user, the computer readable program code logic, when executing, performing the following steps; establishing, by a server device, a virtual world environment in which users may interact through avatars, representing each one or more users visually, in said virtual world environment; enabling, via client devices associated with one or more users, said users to interact through their said representing avatars via an interface operable by a corresponding user, said client devices and server device communicating over a network; and
wherein,detecting, by a first human user while interacting through said representative avatar in said virtual world environment, an avatar suspected by that first human user of exhibiting non-human behavior in said virtual world; initiating, by said first human user, a request to challenge said suspect avatar to determine whether said suspect avatar is controlled by an automated application program (bot), wherein said computer readable program code logic further performs; receiving, at said server device, said request for challenging said suspect avatar in said virtual world environment; identifying, in response to said received challenging request, a user client device associated with the suspect challenged avatar; generating, for display at a user client device, a Human Identification Proof (HIP) surface challenge directed at said suspect avatar in said virtual world to detect a human user versus an application program user controlling said suspect avatar, said HIP surface challenge communicated to said suspect avatar via a network connection for receipt at an interface of that user'"'"'s corresponding client device and requiring a response from said avatar; determining, from said response, whether said user is an application program user (bot) or a human user; and
,preventing, at said server device, said suspect avatar from further interaction in said virtual world environment, or performing any other punitive action, when said challenged avatar is determined to be a bot; wherein said HIP surface challenge communicated to a user client device of a suspect avatar is a Completely Automated Public Turing tests to tell Computers and Humans Apart (CAPTCHA) message, said CAPTCHA message generated for display via said interface of said suspect avatar'"'"'s controlling user client device; and
said CAPTCHA message generated for receipt by a second challenged avatar at a corresponding user client device associated with said challenged second avatar; andprior to surfacing said HIP challenge in said virtual world, further verifying whether said initiator of said HIP is a bot, said further verifying comprising; initiating, by said server device, a CAPTCHA message to a user device associated with said first avatar, receiving, at said server device, a response from said first avatar, said response submitted via that user'"'"'s client device; determining, from said response provided, whether said initiator is a bot or a human user; and
,preventing, via said server device, said first avatar from initiating a challenge in said virtual world environment when a bot initiator is determined. - View Dependent Claims (18)
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Specification