System and method for detecting inappropriate content in virtual worlds

• US 9,463,387 B2
• Filed: 04/21/2015
• Issued: 10/11/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/02/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kyndryl Incorporated (Kyndryl Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Alewine, Neal J., Hamilton, Rick A. II, Hood, Robert A., Seaman, James W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Mofiz, Apu
• Assistant Examiner(s): HOLLAND, SHERYL L
• Application Number:
  US14/691,803
• Publication Number:
  US 20150227636A1
• Time in Patent Office: 539 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/12 involving interaction between a plurality of game devices, e.g. transmisison or distribution systems protocols for networked virtual reality, networked games H04L29/06034
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/25 Output arrangements for video game devices
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/30 Interconnection arrangements between game servers and game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/35 Details of game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/75 Enforcing rules, e.g. detecting foul play or generating lists of cheating players
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/535 for monitoring, e.g. of user parameters, terminal parameters, application parameters, network parameters
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5586 for enforcing rights or rules, e.g. to prevent foul play
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24575 using context
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/955 using information identifiers, e.g. uniform resource locators [URL]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/50 Monitoring users, programs or devices to maintain the integrity of platforms, e.g. of processors, firmware or operating systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/032 Protect output to user by software means
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0607 Regulated
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3281 wherein game attributes are transferred between players, e.g. points, weapons, avatars
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/105 Multiple levels of security
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/131 Protocols for games, networked simulations or virtual reality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal

Abstract

A system for detecting inappropriate content in a virtual world environment has, and a corresponding method utilizes, a rating unit for rating each of one or more virtual objects based upon its content. The system has, and the method utilizes, a tagging unit for tagging each of the one or more virtual objects with its respective rating, an object tagging database for storing ratings of the one or more virtual objects, and a policy database for storing policies associated with the ratings and the regions. Further the system has, and the method utilizes, an object monitor for monitoring the movement of each of the one or more virtual objects, a security scanner for scanning each of the one or more virtual objects to determine the rating of each of the one or more virtual objects, and an enforcement module to enforce the policies of the policy database based upon the rating and the respective region.

Claims

1. A method for identifying virtual objects having inappropriate content in a virtual universe (VU) having one or more regions, the VU having virtual objects, each of the virtual objects having content, the method comprising:

rating each virtual object with a maturity rating based upon the content of each virtual object, wherein the maturity rating for each virtual object is generated upon initial creation of each virtual object;

tagging each virtual object with the maturity rating;

receiving a plurality of maturity ratings for each virtual object from a set of avatars within the VU;

tagging each virtual object with an updated maturity rating;

monitoring movement of each virtual object within the VU;

scanning an inventory of the avatar to determine the maturity rating of each virtual object in response to a movement of the avatar from a first region of the one or more regions having a first associated maturity level to a second region of the one or more regions having a second associated maturity level; and

determining whether to restrict movement of each virtual object of the inventory to the second region by enforcing a policy restricting movement of a rated virtual object between regions, the determining based upon the maturity rating of each virtual object and the maturity rating of the second region.

2. The method as defined in claim 1, further comprising selecting a rating system.

3. The method as defined in claim 2, further comprising selecting a taxonomy based rating system.

4. The method as defined in claim 2, further comprising selecting a folksonomy based rating system.

5. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the set of avatars comprises members and non-members, the method further comprising allowing the members to rate each virtual object and prohibiting the non-members from rating each virtual object.

6. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the one or more avatars comprises members and non-members, the method further comprising weighting ratings from the members more heavily than ratings from the non-members.

7. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the first region is a mature region having one or more mature objects and the second region is a family-oriented region, the method further comprising:

prohibiting movement of one or more mature objects from the first region to the second region; and

responding to a plurality of attempts at prohibited movement with an increasingly severe response.

8. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein each objects is acquired in a location, the method further comprising tagging the virtual objects based on the location.

9. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein each virtual object has a life cycle, the method further comprising:

storing a maturity rating history of each virtual object in an object tagging database; and

tracking each virtual object through the respective life cycles of each virtual object based on the maturity rating history of each virtual object.

10. A system for identifying virtual objects having inappropriate content in a virtual universe (VU), the VU having virtual objects, the VU further having one or more regions, the system comprising:

a VU processing unit;

a memory unit operably associated with the VU processing unit;

an object management tool storable in the memory unit and executable by the VU processing unit, the object management tool comprising;

a rating unit configured for rating each virtual object with a maturity rating based upon a content of each virtual object, wherein the maturity rating for each virtual object is generated upon initial creation of each virtual object;

a tagging unit configured for;

tagging each virtual object with the maturity rating;

receiving a plurality of maturity ratings for each virtual object from a set of avatars within the VU; and

tagging each virtual object with an updated maturity rating;

an object monitor configured for monitoring movement of each virtual object within the VU;

a security scanner configured for scanning an inventory of the avatar to determine the maturity rating of each virtual object in response to a movement of the avatar from a first region of the one or more regions having a first associated maturity level to a second region of the one or more regions having a second associated maturity level; and

an enforcement module configured for determining whether to restrict movement of each virtual object of the inventory to the second region by enforcing a policy restricting movement of a rated virtual object between regions, the determining based upon the maturity rating of each virtual object and the maturity rating of the second region.

11. The system as defined in claim 10, the object management tool further comprising a notification module configured to provide notification if one of the virtual objects violates the policy.

12. The system as defined in claim 11, wherein each of the one or more virtual objects has a rating life, the object management tool further comprising a life cycle tracker configured for tracking the rating life of each of the one or more virtual objects.

13. The system as defined in claim 10, wherein the set of avatars comprises members and non-members, the system further comprising a ballot box configured for receiving votes from the members on the plurality of maturity ratings from the set of avatars, the ballot box further configured to at least one of:

prohibit the non-members from rating each virtual object or weighting ratings from the members more heavily than ratings from the non-members.

14. The system as defined in claim 10, wherein the first region is a mature region having one or more mature objects and the second region is a family-oriented region, the enforcement module further configured for:

prohibiting movement of one or more mature objects from the first region to the second region; and

responding to a plurality of attempts at prohibited movement with an increasingly severe response.

15. The system as defined in claim 10, the rating further configured to select a rating system, wherein the rating system comprises at least one of:

a taxonomy based rating system and a folksonomy based rating system.

16. A computer-readable storage device, wherein the computer-readable storage device is not a transitory signal, storing computer instructions, which when executed, enables a system comprising a processing unit, a memory, a bus, and one or more input/output (I/O) interfaces to implement a method for identifying virtual objects having inappropriate content in a virtual universe (VU) having one or more regions, the VU having virtual objects, each of the virtual objects having content, the computer instructions comprising:

rating each virtual object with a maturity rating based upon the content of each virtual object, wherein the maturity rating for each virtual object is generated upon initial creation of each virtual object;

tagging each virtual object with the maturity rating;

receiving a plurality of maturity ratings for each virtual object from a set of avatars within the VU;

tagging each virtual object with an updated maturity rating;

monitoring movement of each virtual object within the VU;

scanning an inventory of the avatar to determine the maturity rating of each virtual object in response to a movement of the avatar from a first region of the one or more regions having a first associated maturity level to a second region of the one or more regions having a second associated maturity level; and

determining whether to restrict movement of each virtual object of the inventory to the second region by enforcing a policy restricting movement of a rated virtual object between regions, the determining based upon the maturity rating of each virtual object and the maturity rating of the second region.

17. The computer-readable storage device as defined in claim 16, wherein the computer instructions further comprise using at least one of:

a taxonomy based rating system and a folksonomy based rating system.

18. The computer-readable storage device as defined in claim 16, wherein the set of avatars comprises members and non-members, wherein the computer instructions further comprise allowing the members to rate the one or more virtual objects and at least one of:

prohibiting the non-members to rate the one or more virtual objects or weighting ratings from the members more heavily than ratings from the non-members.

19. The computer-readable storage device as defined in claim 16, wherein the first region is a mature region having one or more mature objects and the second region is a family-oriented region, the computer instructions further comprising:

prohibiting movement of the one or more mature objects from the first region to the second region; and

responding to a plurality of attempts at prohibited movement with an increasingly severe response.

20. The computer-readable storage device as defined in claim 16, wherein each virtual object has a life cycle, the computer instructions further comprising:

storing a maturity rating history of each virtual object in an object tagging database; and

tracking each virtual object through the respective life cycles of each virtual object based on the maturity rating history of each virtual object.