# US 7,613,779 B2 · Self-policing, rate limiting online forums > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 7,613,779 B2 - Document ID: US7613779B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 10/876,603 - Filed: 2004-06-28 - Published: 2004-11-25 - Granted: 2009-11-03 - Earliest claimed: 1997-05-20 - Assignees: AOL Inc. - Inventors: Harry W. Morris; Eric Bosco; David Lowell Lippke; Colin Anthony Steele - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US7613779B2 ## CPC - H04L 63/102: {Entity profiles} - G06F 21/31: User authentication - G06F 21/6218: {to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database} - 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} - H04L 12/1831: {Tracking arrangements for later retrieval, e.g. recording contents, participants activities or behavior, network status} - H04L 63/1441: {Countermeasures against malicious traffic (countermeasures against attacks on cryptographic mechanisms H04L9/002)} - H04L 12/185: {with management of multicast group membership} - H04L 51/04: Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM] - H04L 51/212: using filtering or selective blocking - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) ## 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 ### Claim 1 A method executing on hardware of adjusting privileges of a user of a server system, the method comprising: receiving, at a server system and from multiple message recipients, notifications that each indicate that a message sent by a particular message sender to the corresponding message recipient was objectionable; based on a number of the notifications received for the particular message sender, determining an amount with which to impact a rate limit that governs a rate at which messages sent by the particular message sender are delivered, the determined amount being non-linear with respect to the number of the notifications received for the particular message sender; and based on the determined amount, adjusting, using a processor, the rate limit which governs the rate at which messages sent by the particular message sender are delivered. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein the notifications each indicate that the message sent by the particular message sender to the corresponding message recipient was a spam message. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 further comprising notifying the message sender about the notifications. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 further comprising notifying each of the message recipients that privileges associated with the message sender's use of the server system have been adjusted. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 further comprising denying the message sender access to the server system. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein adjusting the rate limit which governs the rate at which messages sent by the particular message sender are delivered includes limiting a rate at which the message sender is able to send messages. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein adjusting the rate limit which governs the rate at which messages sent by the particular message sender are delivered is performed at the server system without human intervention. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein the rate limit which governs the rate at which messages sent by the particular message sender are delivered is not adjusted unless the server system has received a threshold number of notifications about the message sender. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein, if the server system has received notifications about the message sender in the past, the rate limit which governs the rate at which messages sent by the particular message sender are delivered is adjusted more than if the server system has not received notifications about the message sender in the past. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 further comprising adjusting a behavioral index of the message sender. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10 wherein, if the server system has received notifications about the message sender in the past, the behavioral index of the message sender is adjusted more than if the server system has not received notifications about the message sender in the past. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10 further comprising returning the behavioral index of the message sender to normal as time passes in which the server system does not receive notifications about the message sender. ### Claim 13 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10 wherein, if a message recipient has been a member of the server system for more than a period of time, the behavioral index of the message sender is adjusted more based on a notification from the message recipient than if the message recipient has not been a member of the server system for more than the period of time. ### Claim 14 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10 wherein the behavioral index of the message sender is adjusted based on the number of notifications the server system has received for the message sender. ### Claim 15 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10 wherein, if a notification indicates that the message was a spam message, the behavioral index of the message sender is adjusted more than if the notification does not indicate that the message was a spam message. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein the rate limit which governs the rate at which messages sent by the particular message sender are delivered is not adjusted if the message recipients do not have the right to send the notifications. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The method of claim 16 wherein the message recipients do not have the right to send the notifications if the message sender has been a member of the server system longer than the message recipients. ### Claim 18 (depends on 16) The method of claim 16 wherein the message recipients do not have the fight to send the notifications if the message recipients have not been members of the server system for more than a period of time. ### Claim 19 A hardware computer-readable storage medium encoded with executable instructions that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to: receiving, at a server system and from multiple message recipients, notifications that each indicate that a message sent by a particular message sender to the corresponding message recipient was objectionable; based on a number of the notifications received for the particular message sender, determining an amount with which to impact a rate limit that governs a rate at which messages sent by the particular message sender are delivered, the determined amount being non-linear with respect to the number of the notifications received for the particular message sender: and based on the determined amount, adjusting, using a processor, the rate limit which governs the rate at which messages sent by the particular message sender are delivered. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The computer-readable storage medium of claim 19 wherein the notifications each indicate that the message sent by the particular message sender to the corresponding message recipient was a spam message. ### Claim 21 (depends on 19) The computer-readable storage medium of claim 19 wherein the executable instructions further include instructions that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to notify the message sender about the notifications. ### Claim 22 (depends on 19) The computer-readable storage medium of claim 19 wherein the executable instructions further include instructions that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to notify each of the message recipients that privileges associated with the message sender's use of the server system have been adjusted. ### Claim 23 (depends on 19) The computer-readable storage medium of claim 19 wherein the executable instructions further include instructions that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to deny the message sender access to the server system. ### Claim 24 (depends on 19) The computer-readable storage medium of claim 19 wherein the instructions that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to adjust the rate limit which governs the rate at which messages sent by the particular message sender are delivered include instructions that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to limit a rate at which the message sender is able to send messages. ### Claim 25 (depends on 19) The computer-readable storage medium of claim 19 wherein the instructions that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to adjust the rate limit which governs the rate at which messages sent by the particular message sender are delivered include instructions that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to adjust the rate limit which governs the rate at which messages sent by the particular message sender are delivered without human intervention. ### Claim 26 (depends on 19) The computer-readable storage medium of claim 19 wherein the rate limit which governs the rate at which messages sent by the particular message sender are delivered is not adjusted unless the server system has received a threshold number of notifications about the message sender. ### Claim 27 (depends on 19) The computer-readable storage medium of claim 19 wherein, if the server system has received notifications about the message sender in the past, the rate limit which governs the rate at which messages sent by the particular message sender are delivered is adjusted more than if the server system has not received notifications about the message sender in the past. ### Claim 28 (depends on 19) The computer-readable storage medium of claim 19 wherein the executable instructions further include instructions that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to adjust a behavioral index of the message sender. ### Claim 29 (depends on 28) The computer-readable storage medium of claim 28 wherein, if the server system has received notifications about the message sender in the past, the behavioral index of the message sender is adjusted more than if the server system has not received notifications about the message sender in the past. ### Claim 30 (depends on 28) The computer-readable storage medium of claim 28 wherein the executable instructions further include instructions that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to return the behavioral index of the message sender to normal as time passes in which the server system does not receive notifications about the message sender. ### Claim 31 (depends on 28) The computer-readable storage medium of claim 28 wherein, if a message recipient has been a member of the server system for more than a period of time, the behavioral index of the message sender is adjusted more based on a notification from the message recipient than if the message recipient has not been a member of the server system for more than the period of time. ### Claim 32 (depends on 28) The computer-readable storage medium of claim 28 wherein the behavioral index of the message sender is adjusted based on the number of notifications the server system has received for the message sender. ### Claim 33 (depends on 28) The computer-readable storage medium of claim 28 wherein, if a notification indicates that the message was a spam message, the behavioral index of the message sender is adjusted more than if the notification does not indicate that the message was a spam message. ### Claim 34 (depends on 19) The computer-readable storage medium of claim 19 wherein the rate limit which governs the rate at which messages sent by the particular message sender are delivered is not adjusted if the message recipients do not have the right to send the notifications. ### Claim 35 (depends on 34) The computer-readable storage medium of claim 34 wherein the message recipients do not have the right to send the notifications if the message sender has been a member of the server system longer than the message recipients. ### Claim 36 (depends on 34) The computer-readable storage medium of claim 34 wherein the message recipients do not have the right to send the notifications if the message recipients have not been members of the server system for more than a period of time. ### Claim 37 A hardware system for adjusting privileges of a user of a server system, the system comprising: at least one processor configured to perform operations comprising: receiving, at a server system and from multiple message recipients, notifications that each indicate that a message sent by a particular message sender to the corresponding message recipient was objectionable; based on a number of the notifications received for the particular message sender, determining an amount with which to impact a rate limit that governs a rate at which messages sent by the particular message sender are delivered, the determined amount being non-linear with respect to the number of the notifications received for the particular message sender; and based on the determined amount, adjusting the rate limit which governs the rate at which messages sent by the particular message sender are delivered.