Authentication score quantifing similarity between a user's online persona versus that user's physical characteristics

• US 9,317,803 B2
• Filed: 08/31/2012
• Issued: 04/19/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Cheng, Tsz S., Fitzpatrick, Gregory P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Rifkin, Ben
• Application Number:
  US13/601,284
• Publication Number:
  US 20120331400A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,327 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/33 using certificates
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 3/006 based on simulated virtual individual or collective life forms, e.g. social simulations or particle swarm optimisation [PSO]
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 5/02 Knowledge representation; Symbolic representation

Abstract

A visual representation of a human user for display within one or more graphical user interfaces to others interacting with the human user over a network can be identified. An authenticity score defining a degree of resemblance between the visual representation of the human user and physical characteristics of the human user can be calculated.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

identifying, via one or more processors executing computer program instructions that are stored in at least one memory, a visual representation of a human user for display within one or more graphical user interfaces to others interacting with the human user over a network; and

calculating, via one or more processors executing computer program instructions that are stored in at least one memory, an authenticity score defining a degree of resemblance between the visual representation of the human user and physical characteristics of the human user.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

presenting, via one or more processors executing computer program instructions that are stored in at least one memory, the authenticity score within one or more of the graphical user interface interacting to the others.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the visual representation is an avatar used by the human user for interacting with the others within a virtual world.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

changing, via one or more processors executing computer program instructions that are stored in at least one memory, a visual representation of one of the others that is presented to the human user based on whether or not the calculated authenticity score for the human user is greater or less than a threshold value established by the one of the others.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

triggering, via one or more processors executing computer program instructions that are stored in at least one memory, a programmatic action adjusting an environmental characteristic for interactions between the human user and one of the others based on a rule established by that one of the others, which is triggered only when the authenticity score is greater than a value established by the one of the others.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

restricting, via one or more processors executing computer program instructions that are stored in at least one memory, access to a social hangout within a virtual environment in which at least a subset of the others are interacting over the network based on whether or not the authenticity score is greater than a previously established threshold.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

responsive to the authenticity score being over a threshold, permitting, via one or more processors executing computer program instructions that are stored in at least one memory, the human user to perform an interaction within a virtual world environment; and

responsive to the authenticity score not being over a threshold, denying, via one or more processors executing computer program instructions that are stored in at least one memory, the human user to perform the interaction within a virtual world environment.

8. A computer program product comprising:

one or more computer-readable, non-transitory storage devices;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more non-transitory storage devices, to identify a visual representation of a human user for display within one or more graphical user interfaces to others interacting with the human user over a network; and

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more non-transitory storage devices, to calculate an authenticity score defining a degree of resemblance between the visual representation of the human user and physical characteristics of the human user.

9. The computer program product of claim 8, further comprising:

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more non-transitory storage devices, to presenting the authenticity score within one or more of the graphical user interface interacting to the others.

10. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the visual representation is an avatar used by the human user for interacting with the others within a virtual world.

11. The computer program product of claim 8, further comprising:

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more non-transitory storage devices, to change a visual representation of one of the others that is presented to the human user based on whether or not the calculated authenticity score for the human user is greater or less than a threshold value established by the one of the others.

12. The computer program product of claim 8, further comprising:

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more non-transitory storage devices, to trigger a programmatic action adjusting an environmental characteristic for interactions between the human user and one of the others based on a rule established by that one of the others, which is triggered only when the authenticity score is greater than a value established by the one of the others.

13. The computer program product of claim 8, further comprising:

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more non-transitory storage devices, to access to a social hangout within a virtual environment in which at least a subset of the others are interacting over the network based on whether or not the authenticity score is greater than a previously established threshold.

14. The computer program product of claim 8, further comprising:

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more non-transitory storage devices, to responsive to the authenticity score being over a threshold, permit the human user to perform an interaction within a virtual world environment; and

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to responsive to the authenticity score not being over a threshold, deny the human user to perform the interaction within a virtual world environment.

15. A system comprising:

one or more processors;

one or more computer-readable, storage devices;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution upon at least one of the one or more processors, to identify a visual representation of a human user for display within one or more graphical user interfaces to others interacting with the human user over a network; and

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution upon at least one of the one or more processors, to calculate an authenticity score defining a degree of resemblance between the visual representation of the human user and physical characteristics of the human user.

16. The system of claim 15, further comprising:

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution upon at least one of the one or more processors, to presenting the authenticity score within one or more of the graphical user interface interacting to the others.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the visual representation is an avatar used by the human user for interacting with the others within a virtual world.

18. The system of claim 15, further comprising:

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution upon at least one of the one or more processors, to access to a social hangout within a virtual environment in which at least a subset of the others are interacting over the network based on whether or not the authenticity score is greater than a previously established threshold.

19. The system of claim 15, further comprising:

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution upon at least one of the one or more processors, to responsive to the authenticity score being over a threshold, permit the human user to perform an interaction within a virtual world environment; and

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution upon at least one of the one or more processors, to responsive to the authenticity score not being over a threshold, deny the human user to perform the interaction within a virtual world environment.

20. A system comprising:

one or more processors;

one or more memories;

program instructions stored in the one or more memories;

a plurality of user representational authenticity data stored in at least one of the one or more memories, said user representational authenticity data describing one or more physical characteristics of a human user; and

a subset of the program instructions for calculating an authenticity score defining a degree of resemblance between a visual representation of the human user and the physical characteristics of the human user defined by the user representational authenticity data.

21. The system of claim 20, further comprising:

an avatar generated by a subset of the program instructions being executed by at least one of the one or more processors, said avatar being the visual representation for which the authenticity score is calculated.

22. The system of claim 20, further comprising:

a virtual world computing system comprising at least one of the one or more processors, at least one of the one more memories, and at least a subset of the program instructions.

23. The system of claim 20, wherein the virtual world computing system is configured to adjudicate conduction of interactions performed by the virtual representation within a virtual world environment utilizing the plurality of user representational authenticity data.

24. The system of claim 20, wherein the plurality of user representational authenticity data is collected by a third-party agency, wherein said human user physically presents themselves and at least one item of identification at the third-party agency.

25. The system of claim 20, wherein the virtual world computing system further comprises:

a plurality of user-level representation-based interaction rules stored in at least one of the one or more memories describing user-defined preferences to be used when utilizing the plurality of user representational authenticity data for interactions between the human user and a computing environment.