# US 8,771,061 B2 · Invalidating network devices with illicit peripherals > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 8,771,061 B2 - Document ID: US8771061B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 11/415,881 - Filed: 2006-05-01 - Published: 2007-09-20 - Granted: 2014-07-08 - Earliest claimed: 2006-03-20 - Assignees: Sony Computer Entertainment America LLC - Applicants: Adam P. Harris; Steve C. Schneider - Inventors: Adam P. Harris; Steve C. Schneider - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8771061B2 ## CPC - A63F 13/73: Authorising game programs or game devices, e.g. checking authenticity - A63F 13/31: Communication aspects specific to video games, e.g. between several handheld game devices at close range - A63F 13/71: using secure communication between game devices and game servers, e.g. by encrypting game data or authenticating players - A63F 13/75: Enforcing rules, e.g. detecting foul play or generating lists of cheating players - A63F 13/77: involving data related to game devices or game servers, e.g. configuration data, software version or amount of memory - A63F 13/34: using peer-to-peer connections - A63F 2300/1031: using a wireless connection, e.g. Bluetooth®, infrared connections - A63F 2300/535: for monitoring, e.g. of user parameters, terminal parameters, application parameters, network parameters - A63F 2300/807: Role playing or strategy games - A63F: CARD, BOARD, OR ROULETTE GAMES; INDOOR GAMES USING SMALL MOVING PLAYING BODIES; VIDEO GAMES; GAMES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR ## Abstract A system and method for passively validating network game users is provided. Data indicative of game behavior and actions at one or more nodes interacting with a network game in a network game community are monitored. The data is evaluated to determine whether the one or more nodes are adhering to one or more rules associated with the network game. Data indicative of illicit game behavior may trigger various responses including invalidation of the node engaged in the illicit behavior. Alternatively, a query may be generated to further identify the nature and/or actual existence of illicit behavior at the node. Monitoring of game data may occur at a server, a peer, as part of a peer group or combinations thereof, which may be based on routine schedule or part of constant game behavior monitoring. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method for validating devices in a network, the method comprising: receiving at a server, data from one or more devices interacting with another device in a network, wherein the data is generated and sent to the server by the one or more devices as a part of network interaction; passively monitoring the data received from the one or more devices at the server, wherein passive monitoring does not require the one or more devices to execute instructions specifically for validation; determining that a device from the one or more devices does not adhere to one or more rules associated with the network interaction based on an evaluation of the received data by a software application hosted and executed at the server; querying the device for device status data, the device status data including information regarding any peripherals associated with the device; and invalidating the device for further network interaction based on the use of an illicit peripheral as indicated by the device status data. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising retrieving the one or more rules from a rules library. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, further comprising generating the one or more rules based on previous observations of the network interaction prior to retrieving the one or more rules from the rules library. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the received data comprises network interaction information transmitted from a first client device to a second client device, the first and second client device each belonging to the one or more devices interacting with another device in the network. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, wherein the received data comprises network interaction information transmitted from the first client device to the server device prior to the information being transmitted to the second client device. ### Claim 6 An apparatus for validating devices in a network, the apparatus comprising: a network interface configured to receive network data from one or more devices interacting with another device in a network, wherein the network data is generated and sent to the server by the one or more devices as part of network interaction; a monitoring module executable by a processor to passively monitor the data received from the one or more devices, wherein passive monitoring does not require the one or more devices to execute instructions specifically for validation; and an analysis engine in communication with the monitoring module, the analysis engine executable by a processor to: determine that a device from the one or more devices does not adhere to one or more rules associated with the network interaction based on an evaluation of the network data, and invalidating the device for further network interaction based on use of an illicit peripheral as indicated by device status data. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The apparatus of claim 6, further comprising a query engine in communication with the analysis engine, the query engine executable by a processor to generate and send a query to the device for the device status data, the device status data including information regarding any peripherals associated with the device. ### Claim 8 (depends on 6) The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the network data comprises information transmitted from a first network device to the apparatus prior to being transmitted to a second network device, the first and second network devices each belonging to the one or more devices interacting with another device in the network. ### Claim 9 A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having embodied thereon a program, the program being executable by a computer to perform a method for validating devices in a network, the method comprising: receiving data from one or more devices interacting with another device in a network, wherein the data is generated and sent to a server by the one or more devices as part of network interaction; passively monitoring the data received from the one or more devices, wherein passive monitoring does not require the one or more devices to execute instructions specifically for validation; determining that a device from the one or more devices does not adhere to one or more rules associated with the network interaction based on an evaluation of the received data; querying the device for device status data, the device status data including information regarding any peripherals associated with the device; and invalidating the device for further network interaction based on the use of an illicit peripheral as indicated by the device status data. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the data from the one or more devices is evaluated continuously. ### Claim 11 (depends on 9) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the data from the one or more devices is evaluated periodically. ### Claim 12 (depends on 9) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the received data comprises validation data generated by the one or more devices as part of the network interaction. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the received data comprises validation data generated by the one or more devices as part of the network interaction. ### Claim 14 (depends on 6) The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the received network data comprises validation data generated by the one or more devices as part of the network interaction.