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Parental controls customization and notificationRelated Patent Categories: Electrical Computers And Digital Processing Systems: Multicomputer Data Transferring, Computer Network ManagingParental controls customization and notification description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20060168186, Parental controls customization and notification. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION [0001] This application is a divisional of U.S. patent application No. 10/187,408, filed Jun. 28, 2002, priority from the filing date of which is hereby claimed under 35 U.S.C. .sctn. 120. FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0002] This invention is generally related to the field of computer software and more specifically to a method and system for controlling access across a network. BACKGROUND [0003] While the Internet can provide a tremendous amount of information about a wide variety of subjects, the Internet can also pose dangers, especially for children. Parents want their children to have access to the many educational resources that can be found on the Internet. At the same time, parents want to prevent their children from accessing the many Web sites that contain violence, pornography, and other material inappropriate for children. Even more so, parents want to protect their children from child predators that use the Internet to lure children from chat rooms to in-person meetings. [0004] In 1998, the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act ("COPPA") was passed to prohibit Web sites from gathering personal information from children under the age of 13 without parental consent. While COPPA is a significant and positive step toward protecting children's privacy when on the Internet, there are many other dangers on the Internet that COPPA fails to address. COPPA does not protect children from viewing inappropriate material on Web sites. COPPA also does not protect children from communicating with strangers that could be child predators on the Internet. [0005] Conventional computer technology provides a few steps that parents can take to protect their children from material and individuals that may be harmful. One type of conventional computer technology for protecting children is blocking software that blocks access to certain sites that have been predetermined as inappropriate or which contain key words, such as profanity or sex-related words. Blocking software comes in different forms, such as stand-alone software packages, resources on the Internet, and as an online service that allows parents to limit access to certain sites and features, such as e-mail, instant messages, or certain content. Popular online services are provided by Internet service providers such as MSN the Microsoft Network.RTM. provided by Microsoft Corporation of Redmond, Washington. In order to determine which sites and content are most appropriate for children, child-specific search engines, ratings, and review sites have been emerging. Search engines and directories yield only those sites that have been determined appropriate for children. Of course, such search engines and blocking software do not automatically protect children from all inappropriate content. [0006] While conventional computer technology can aid parents in controlling the content their child can access on the Internet, the conventional computer technology is not perfect. The blocking software or online services often miss inappropriate sites and block appropriate sites. It would be advantageous for parents and children to communicate about the online controls and to enable parents to customize the online controls for children based on those communications. Therefore, there exists a need for children and parents to communicate regarding the parental controls, with the ability for parents to customize the parental controls based on that communication. SUMMARY [0007] This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This summary is not intended to identify key features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter. [0008] The present invention satisfies the aforementioned needs by providing a method and system for parental controls customization and notification. Generally described, the parental controls customization and notification method and system enable a user (e.g., a child) and an administrator in a network environment (e.g., a parent) to interactively customize the administrator controls used to filter the user's online actions. Controls are the filter settings employed to control the actions of the users. [0009] One aspect of the present invention provides a computer-implementable method for enabling a user and an administrator in a network environment to interactively customize administrator controls used to filter the user's online actions. The computer receives a user request for consent to perform a blocked online action. The computer provides information about the pending request to an administrator and receives request resolution information from the administrator. The computer updates the administrator controls used to filter a user's online actions with the request resolution information. [0010] Another aspect of the present invention provides a computer-implementable method for enabling a user and an administrator in a network environment to interactively customize administrator controls used to filter the user's online actions. When the computer receives a request from a user for consent to perform a blocked online action, the computer determines if an administrator is present and, if an administrator is present, receives the administrator's identification. In response to receiving the administrator's identification, the computer authenticates the administrator without denying the user's access to the network environment. After authenticating the administrator, the computer presents the user's request to the administrator and determines if the administrator accepts the user's request. If the administrator accepts the user's request, the computer updates the administrator controls for the user to allow the previously blocked action. [0011] Yet another aspect of the present invention provides a computer-implementable method for enabling a user and an administrator in a network to interactively customize administrator controls used to filter the user's online actions. The computer tracks and stores the user's allowed and blocked online actions. The computer generates a history summary report from the stored information and provides the history summary report to the administrator. If the computer receives an administrator request to block the user from performing an action indicated as being allowed in the history summary report, the computer updates the administrator controls used to filter a user's online actions to include blocking the action. [0012] An additional aspect of the present invention provides a computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for enabling a user and an administrator in a network environment to interactively customize the administrator controls used to filter the user's online actions. When executed, the instructions cause the computer to respond to a user request to perform a blocked online action by providing information about the pending request to an administrator. In response to the computer receiving request resolution information from the administrator, the computer updates the administrator controls used to filter a user's online actions with the request resolution information. [0013] Another aspect of the present invention provides a computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for enabling a user and an administrator in a network environment to interactively customize administrator controls used to filter the user's online actions. When executed the instructions cause the computer to respond to receiving a request from the user to perform a blocked online action by determining if the administrator is present. If the administrator is present, the computer responds to receiving the administrator's identification by authenticating the administrator without denying the user's access to the network environment. After authenticating the administrator, the computer presents the user's request to the administrator and determines if the administrator accepts the user's request. If the administrator accepts the user's request, the computer updates the administrator controls for the user to allow the previously blocked action. [0014] A further aspect of the present invention provides a computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for enabling a user and an administrator in a network environment to interactively customize administrator controls used to filter the user's online actions. When executed, the instructions perform a process that includes tracking and storing the user's allowed and blocked online actions. The process includes generating a history summary report for the user by generating a history summary report from the stored information and providing the history summary report to the administrator. In response to the computer receiving an administrator request to block the user from performing an action indicated as being allowed in the history summary report, the process includes updating the administrator controls used to filter a user's online actions to include blocking the action. [0015] A further aspect of the present invention provides a computer-readable medium having a data structure stored thereon for use in enabling a user and an administrator in a network environment to interactively customize administrator controls used to filter the user's online actions. The preferred form of the data structure includes a data element indicative of request identification information, a data element indicative of user identification information, a data element indicative of administrator identification information, a data element indicative of information about blocked online action, and a data element indicative of request status information. The data structure is used to create an entry in a consent database for a request to modify the administrator controls used to filter a user's online actions. [0016] Another aspect of the present invention provides a computer system for enabling a user and an administrator in a network environment to interactively customize administrator controls used to filter a user's online actions. The computer system includes a setting database component for storing information about the administrator controls used to filter a user's online actions and an administrator control component. Preferably, the administrator control component is operable to receive a user request to perform a blocked online action, provide information about the pending request to an administrator, receive request resolution information from the administrator, and update the administrator controls for the user in the setting database with the request resolution information. [0017] Another aspect of the present invention provides a computer system for enabling a user and an administrator in a network environment to interactively customize administrator controls used to filter the user's online actions. The computer system includes a setting database component for storing information about the administrators controls used to filter the user's online actions and an administrator control component. Preferably, the administrator control component is operable to receive a request from a user to perform a blocked online action, determine if an administrator is present and, if an administrator is present, receiving the administrator's identification. In response to receiving the administrator's identification, the administrator control component authenticates the administrator without denying the user's access to the network environment. After authenticating the administrator, the administrator control component presents the user's request to the administrator and determines if the administrator accepts the user's request. If the administrator accepts the user's request, the administrator controls for the user are updated to allow the previously blocked action. [0018] Another aspect of the present invention provides a computer system for enabling a user and an administrator in a network environment to interactively customize administrator controls used to filter the user's online actions. The computer system includes a setting database component for storing information about the administrators controls being used to filter the user's online actions and an administrator control component. Preferably, the administrator control component is operable to track and store the user's allowed and blocked online actions, generate a history summary report from the stored information, and provide the history summary report to the administrator. In response to receiving an administrator request to block the user from performing a first action indicated as being allowed in the history summary report, the administrative control component updates the administrator controls for the user to include blocking the first action. DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0019] The foregoing aspects and many of the attendant advantages of this invention will become more readily appreciated as the same become better understood by reference to the following detailed description, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein: Continue reading about Parental controls customization and notification... 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