Parental controls customization and notification

Abstract

A method, system, and computer readable medium are provided 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 to perform a blocked online action. The computer provides information about the pending request to the administrator and receives request resolution information from the administrator. The computer updates the administrator controls used to filter the user's online actions in accordance with the request resolution information.

1 . 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, the instructions when executed perform a process comprising: 
 (a) tracking and storing the user's allowed and blocked online actions;    (b) generating a history summary report from the stored information; and    (c) providing the history summary report to the administrator; and 
 (d) 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, updating the administrator controls for the user to include blocking the first action.  
   
     
     
         2 . The computer-readable medium of  claim 1 , further comprising, in response to receiving an administrator request to allow a second action indicated as being blocked in the history summary report, updating the administrator controls for the user to include allowing the second action.  
     
     
         3 . The computer-readable medium of  claim 1 , wherein the instructions when executed also prevent the user from modifying the stored history summary information.  
     
     
         4 . The computer-readable medium of  claim 1 , wherein the instructions when executed also clear the stored information after generating the history summary report.  
     
     
         5 . The computer-readable medium of  claim 1  wherein the history summary report is periodically generated.  
     
     
         6 . The computer-readable medium of  claim 1 , wherein the history summary report is generated in response to receiving an administrator request for the history summary report.  
     
     
         7 . The computer-readable medium of  claim 1 , wherein the history summary report includes information about one of: 
 (a) web sites the user was allowed to visit;    (b) web sites the user was blocked from visiting;    (c) electronic mail sent by the user;    (d) electronic mail that the user was blocked from sending;    (e) buddies with whom said user was allowed to have instant messenger conversations;    (f) buddies with whom said user was blocked from having instant messenger conversations;    (g) files the user was allowed to download;    (h) files the user was blocked from downloading;    (i) the user's amount of time online;    j) applications the user was allowed to run;    (k) applications the user was blocked from running;    (l) applications the user was allowed to install;    (m) applications the user was blocked from installing;    (n) movies the user was allowed to view;    (o) movies the user was blocked from viewing;    (p) games the user was allowed to play;    (q) games the user was allowed to play;    (q) shared resources the user was allowed to access; and    (r) shared resources the user was blocked from accessing.    
     
     
         8 . The computer-readable medium of  claim 1 , wherein the history summary report information is sorted by the frequency of the user's online activity.  
     
     
         9 . The computer-readable medium of  claim 1 , wherein the user is the administrator's child.  
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said history summary report includes an option for reviewing an online action in the history summary report.  
     
     
         11 . The computer-readable medium of  claim 10 , wherein the instructions when executed also navigate to a Web site in response to the administrator selecting the option for reviewing an online action included in the history summary report.  
     
     
         12 . The computer-readable medium of  claim 10 , wherein the instructions when executed also send an electronic mail message in response to the administrator selecting the option for reviewing an online action in the history summary report.  
     
     
         13 . The computer-readable medium of  claim 10 , wherein the instructions when executed also send an instant message in response to the administrator selecting the option for reviewing an online action in the history summary report.  
     
     
         14 . The computer-readable medium of  claim 10 , wherein the instructions when executed also download a file in response to the administrator selecting the option for reviewing an online action in the history summary report.  
     
     
         15 . The computer-readable medium of  claim 1 , further comprising storing information about the administrator request to block the user from performing the first action and information about the administrator request to allow the second action in a consent database.  
     
     
         16 . The computer-readable medium of  claim 15 , wherein the consent database resides in the network environment.  
     
     
         17 . The computer-readable medium of  claim 15 , wherein the instructions when executed also: 
 detect the user logging onto the network environment;    search the consent database for a new administrator request; and    if a new administrator request is found, download at least a portion of the administrator controls to the user's local computer.    
     
     
         18 . The computer-readable medium of  claim 17 , wherein if a new administrator request is found, the instructions when executed also notify the user of the new administrator request.