Self-policing, rate limiting online forums

• US 8,572,277 B2
• Filed: 10/07/2009
• Issued: 10/29/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Inventors: Morris, Harry W., Bosco, Eric, Lippke, David Lowell, Steele, Colin Anthony
• Primary Examiner(s): Coulter, Kenneth R
• Application Number:
  US12/574,989
• Publication Number:
  US 20100138512A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,483 Days
• Field of Search: 709/218, 709232-235, 709204-206, 709224-226
• US Class Current: 709/235
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/31 User authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6218 to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1822 Conducting the conference, e.g. admission, detection, selection or grouping of participants, correlating users to one or more conference sessions, prioritising transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1831 Tracking arrangements for later retrieval, e.g. recording contents, participants activities or behavior, network status
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/185 with management of multicast group membership
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/212 using filtering or selective blocking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1441 Countermeasures against malicious traffic countermeasures against attacks on cryptographic mechanisms H04L9/002

Abstract

A method and means for self-policing and automatically rate-limiting multiple-user online forums. The preferred embodiment of the invention includes a set of rules that permit users to censure other users. A censured user has one or more “privileges” (which may include access to the online computer system or the effective message rate of a communications connection) taken away or diminished; the privilege is gradually restored if the censured user behaves. The censuring participant and other pertinent participants are notified of the effect of the censuring on the censured user. In another aspect of the invention, the online computer system automatically tracks the rate at which a user sends certain types of messages, and can message rate limit a user who uses too many system resources by sending a large number of messages in rapid succession.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

generating, by a computer system, an average message rate for messages originated by an active user that is one of a plurality of users of a computer-based service, wherein the average message rate is derived from inter-message time gaps of the messages of the active user;

assessing user activity of the active user based on the average message rate without human intervention; and

providing notification to at least the one active user of the computer-based service, from the computer system, without human intervention, of an effect of the average message rate on the active user'"'"'s privileges in the computer-based service.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising implementing the effect of the average message rate on the active user'"'"'s privileges in the computer-based service.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein providing notification comprises providing notification without human intervention after the assessing of the user activity.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein providing notification comprises providing notification without human intervention after the effect is implemented.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the effect of the average message rate on the active user'"'"'s privileges in the computer-based service comprises an effect on the active user'"'"'s ability to continue to access the computer-based service.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the effect of the average message rate on the active user'"'"'s privileges in the computer-based service comprises an effect on the active user'"'"'s ability to send messages using the computer-based service.

7. An apparatus comprising a non-transitory computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon for providing notification to a user that when executed by a machine processor result in at least the following:

generating an average message rate for messages originated by an active user that is one of a plurality of users of a computer-based service, wherein the average message rate is derived from inter-message time gaps of the messages of the active user;

assessing activity of the active user based on the average message rate without human intervention; and

providing notification to at least the active user of the computer-based service, without human intervention, of an effect of the average message rate on the active user'"'"'s privileges in the computer-based service.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, further comprising instructions, that when executed, result in implementing the effect of the average message rate on the active user'"'"'s privileges in the computer-based service.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein providing notification comprises providing notification without human intervention after the assessing of the user activity.

10. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein providing notification comprises providing notification without human intervention after the effect is implemented.

11. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the effect of the average message rate on the active user'"'"'s privileges in the computer-based service comprises an effect on the active user'"'"'s ability to continue to access the computer-based service.

12. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the effect of the average message rate on the active user'"'"'s privileges in the computer-based service comprises an effect on the active user'"'"'s ability to send messages using the computer-based service.

13. A system comprising:

at least one computer; and

at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium coupled to the at least one computer having instructions stored thereon which, when executed by the at least one computer, cause the at least one computer to perform operations comprising;

generating an average message rate for messages originated by an active user from a plurality of users of a computer-based service, wherein the average message rate is derived from inter-message time gaps of the messages of the active user;

assessing activity of the active user based on the average message rate without human intervention; and

providing notification to at least the one active user of the computer-based service, without human intervention, of an effect of the average message rate on the active user'"'"'s privileges in the computer-based service.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the operations further comprise implementing the effect of the average message rate on the active user'"'"'s privileges in the computer-based service.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein providing notification comprises providing notification without human intervention after the assessing of the user activity.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein providing notification comprises providing notification without human intervention after the effect is implemented.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein the effect of the average message rate on the active user'"'"'s privileges in the computer-based service comprises an effect on the active user'"'"'s ability to continue to access the computer-based service.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein the effect of the average message rate on the active user'"'"'s privileges in the computer-based service comprises an effect on the active user'"'"'s ability to send messages using the computer-based service.

19. The system of claim 13, wherein the effect of the average message rate on the active user'"'"'s privileges in the computer-based service comprises an effect on the active user'"'"'s ability to access the computer-based service.

20. The system of claim 13, wherein generating the average message rate for messages originated by the active user of the computer-based service comprises computing the average message rate for messages originated by the active user of the computer-based service.