Patent Application
20100082332
The present invention relates generally to techniques for filtering text and other media, and more particularly, to methods and apparatus for protecting users from objectionable text.
As children are increasingly exposed to electronic media, there is a growing need to protect them and other users from objectionable text. For example, when exchanging text messages or instant messages, there is a significant risk to children due to a number of threats. For example, if not properly protected when doing these activities, children can be exposed to abusive language, vulgarity, sexual content, bullying, predatory content and other threats.
A number of techniques have been proposed or suggested for protecting children and other users from these threats. For example, a number of techniques employ filtering techniques to prevent known or identified “bad” things from being presented to protected users. Generally, if a word or other object is on a list of “blocked” content, the word or object will not be presented to the user. These filtering techniques generally require the controlling authority to remain in constant vigilance to ensure that the blocked content is sufficiently robust to prevent the undesired behavior. Attackers, however, are often encouraged to circumvent the blocks by finding new objectionable material that is not on the blocked list.
A need therefore exists for improved techniques for protecting users from objectionable text. A further need exists for techniques for protecting users from objectionable text that are not easily circumvented by attackers.
Generally, methods and apparatus are provided for protecting users from objectionable text. According to one aspect of the invention, users are protected from objectionable text, by obtaining a predefined acceptable word list containing a plurality of acceptable words; receiving a textual entry from at least one user; and limiting the textual entry to only the acceptable words. The acceptable word list may comprise a dictionary of the acceptable words, and can be maintained by a central server or by a client associated with at least one of the users.
The textual entry can be limited by only allowing the user to enter a subsequent character following entry of one or more entered characters if the subsequent character following the one or more entered characters comprises at least a portion of one of the acceptable words. The acceptable word list can optionally be updated with one or more additional acceptable words. The acceptable word list optionally comprises a context sensitive word list or one or more context sensitive rules.
A more complete understanding of the present invention, as well as further features and advantages of the present invention, will be obtained by reference to the following detailed description and drawings.
The present invention provides improved methods and apparatus for protecting users from objectionable text. Generally, the disclosed objectionable text filtering techniques use an acceptable word list that only allows a user to enter accepted words and phrases. Existing predictive text entry and word completion techniques are leveraged that reference a dictionary of commonly used words. As discussed further below, as the user enters text, a dictionary is searched for a list of possible words that match the entered characters, and one or more possible subsequent choice(s) are suggested. The user can then optionally confirm the selection and move on, or use a key to cycle through the suggested options. To attempt predictions of the intended result of characters not yet entered, predictive text can be combined with a word completion tool.
According to one aspect of the present invention, the user is not allowed to transition from the predictive entry technique into a free-form entry. For example, if the user wishes to enter the word “stupid” and “stupid” is not in the dictionary, but “stupendous” is in the dictionary, then as the user entered the letters “stup,” the only letter available to enter after the “p” would be an “e.” With this design, the list of words that are acceptable can be expanded, as desired and appropriate, but if a word is not in the approved list, it cannot be entered.
According to another aspect of the invention, the disclosed objectionable text filtering techniques can optionally utilize a dynamic, context sensitive word list. In this manner, the disclosed objectionable text filtering system would allow the user to enter a word or phrase that is acceptable in context, but might otherwise be unacceptable in another context. For example, the phrase “I hate ice cream” might be considered acceptable by only allowing the user to enter certain predefined acceptable words after the word “hate,” such as “ice cream” or “fall days,” while other predefined unacceptable words following the word “hate” would not be allowed, such as the word “foreigners” or named individuals or groups. In a further variation, context sensitive rules can be implemented in conjunction with the acceptable word dictionary.
In one embodiment, the disclosed objectionable text filtering system could function similar to the above-described existing auto complete applications but simply in a more rigid manner by only allowing the user to enter authorized letters. In the above phrase example, the user would enter “I hate f” and then the only letter that would be acceptable would be the “a.”
The objectionable text filtering system 100 can be implemented using browser-based or client implementations. In this manner, the objectionable text filtering system 100 can be integrated into a variety of applications.
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The acceptable word dictionary 200 can optionally be updated over time, for example, based on attempted usage by a user. If a user attempts to enter a word that is not in the acceptable word dictionary 200, an approval request can be sent to an authorized individual, such as a parent, teacher or guardian, when locally maintained, or an authorized school employee or employee of an entity that provides a centralized monitoring service. The approval request can identify the attempted word that was not previously in the acceptable word dictionary 200 and request that the authorized individual approve the addition of the attempted word to the acceptable word dictionary 200.
Thereafter, the objectionable text filtering process 400 receives a character entry from the user during step 420. A test is performed during step 430 to determine if the received character together with any already entered characters forms a portion of an acceptable word or phrase in the dictionary.
If it is determined during step 430 that the entered character in combination with the previously entered characters is in the acceptable word dictionary, then the textual entry is allowed during step 440 and program control returns to step 420. If, however, it is determined during step 430 that the entered character in combination with the previously entered characters is not in the acceptable word dictionary, then the entered character is blocked during step 445 and program control returns to step 420, where the user can attempt a different character combination.
Among other benefits, the present invention provides a robust integrity implementation because only acceptable entries are permitted rather than trying to catch unacceptable ones. Therefore, the acceptable taxonomy can start off small and grow in a conservative manner rather than starting as an open environment and have to scramble to build restriction taxonomy as offensive practices are discovered. An additional benefit of this design is that it provides assistance to young children by assisting them in correctly completing words and phrases since it only allows them to enter the acceptable elements.
Process, System and Article of Manufacture Details
While one or more flow charts herein describe an exemplary sequence of steps, it is also an embodiment of the present invention that the sequence may be varied. Various permutations of the algorithm are contemplated as alternate embodiments of the invention. While exemplary embodiments of the present invention have been described with respect to processing steps in a software program, as would be apparent to one skilled in the art, various functions may be implemented in the digital domain as processing steps in a software program, in hardware by circuit elements or state machines, or in combination of both software and hardware. Such software may be employed in, for example, a digital signal processor, application specific integrated circuit, micro-controller, or general-purpose computer. Such hardware and software may be embodied within circuits implemented within an integrated circuit.
Thus, the functions of the present invention can be embodied in the form of methods and apparatuses for practicing those methods. One or more aspects of the present invention can be embodied in the form of program code, for example, whether stored in a storage medium, loaded into and/or executed by a machine, or transmitted over some transmission medium, wherein, when the program code is loaded into and executed by a machine, such as a computer, the machine becomes an apparatus for practicing the invention. When implemented on a general-purpose processor, the program code segments combine with the processor to provide a device that operates analogously to specific logic circuits. The invention can also be implemented in one or more of an integrated circuit, a digital signal processor, a microprocessor, and a micro-controller.
As is known in the art, the methods and apparatus discussed herein may be distributed as an article of manufacture that itself comprises a computer readable medium having computer readable code means embodied thereon. The computer readable program code means is operable, in conjunction with a computer system, to carry out all or some of the steps to perform the methods or create the apparatuses discussed herein. The computer readable medium may be a recordable medium (e.g., floppy disks, hard drives, compact disks, memory cards, semiconductor devices, chips, application specific integrated circuits (ASICs)) or may be a transmission medium (e.g., a network comprising fiber-optics, the world-wide web, cables, or a wireless channel using time-division multiple access, code-division multiple access, or other radio-frequency channel). Any medium known or developed that can store information suitable for use with a computer system may be used. The computer-readable code means is any mechanism for allowing a computer to read instructions and data, such as magnetic variations on a magnetic media or height variations on the surface of a compact disk.
The computer systems and servers described herein each contain a memory that will configure associated processors to implement the methods, steps, and functions disclosed herein. The memories could be distributed or local and the processors could be distributed or singular. The memories could be implemented as an electrical, magnetic or optical memory, or any combination of these or other types of storage devices. Moreover, the term “memory” should be construed broadly enough to encompass any information able to be read from or written to an address in the addressable space accessed by an associated processor. With this definition, information on a network is still within a memory because the associated processor can retrieve the information from the network.
It is to be understood that the embodiments and variations shown and described herein are merely illustrative of the principles of this invention and that various modifications may be implemented by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention.
This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/100,376, filed Sep. 26, 2008, incorporated by reference herein.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61100376 | Sep 2008 | US |
