Detecting and rejecting annoying documents

Abstract

A system and method for evaluating documents for approval or rejection and/or rating. The method comprises comparing the document to one or more criteria determining whether the document contains an element that is substantially identical to one or more of a visual element, an audio element or a textual element that is determined to be displeasing.

1 . A computer-implemented method of approving a document, the method comprising:
 analyzing content of a first document to identify one or more first portions, wherein the first portions are visual, textual, or audio portions:   identifying one or more second documents that are similar to the first document, wherein the one or more second documents have second portions that are visual, textual, or audio portions;   based upon computer code that describes the first portions and the second portions, determining whether any of the first portions are substantially identical to the second portions that have been predetermined to be unacceptable; and   approving the first document only if none of the first portions are substantially identical to the second portions that have been predetermined to be unacceptable.   
     
     
         2 . A computer-implemented method of approving a document, the method comprising:
 analyzing content of a first document to identify one or more first portions, wherein the first portions are visual, textual, or audio portions:   identifying one or more second documents that are similar to the first document, wherein the one or more second documents have second portions that are visual, textual, or audio portions and where the second portions have been determined to be unacceptable based on human input or automatically by a computer;   based upon computer code that describes the first portions and the second portions, determining whether any of the first portions are substantially identical to the second portions that have been predetermined to be unacceptable; and   approving the first document only if none of the first portions are substantially identical to the second portions that have been predetermined to be unacceptable.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the act of determining comprises determining whether the first document contains computer code that may generate an action that is substantially identical to one or more actions determined to be unacceptable. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the act of determining comprises determining whether the first document comprises computer code that downloads one or more video or audio documents without initiation by the user. 
     
     
         5 . A computer-implemented method of rating a document, comprising:
 identifying one or more first documents that have been determined by human means to include a visual element, an audio element or a textual element that is unacceptable;   automatically, by a processing device, comparing a second document to the one or more first documents;   determining whether the second document contains an element that is substantially identical to one or more of a visual element, an audio element or a textual element that has previously been determined to be unacceptable; and   rating the second document based on the determining.   
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5 , further comprising:
 displaying the rating of the second document.   
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 5 , further comprising displaying an approval or rejection status of the second document based on the determining. 
     
     
         8 . A computer-implemented method comprising:
 analyzing content of a first document to identify one or more first portions, wherein the first portions are visual, textual, or audio portions:   identifying one or more second documents that are similar to the first document, wherein the one or more second documents have second portions that are visual, textual, or audio portions and include one or more portions of the second portions that have been predetermined to be unacceptable;   based upon computer code that describes the first portions and the second portions, determining whether any of the first portions are substantially identical to the second portions that have been predetermined to be unacceptable; and   rating the document as either acceptable or unacceptable based upon the determining.   
     
     
         9 . A computer-implemented method comprising:
 identifying a set of first documents that include one or more first portions that are predetermined to be unacceptable, wherein the first portions are visual, textual, or audio portions:   identifying a second document that is similar to the first document;   evaluating computer code that describes the unacceptable first portions and computer code that describes the second document including determining whether any of the first portions are substantially identical to the second portions that have been predetermined to be unacceptable; and   rating the second document based on the evaluating.   
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9  where rating the document includes rating the document as acceptable if the evaluating does not locate any portions in the second document that are identical to any of the first portions. 
     
     
         11 . A computer-implemented method comprising:
 analyzing content of a first document to identify one or more first portions;   identifying one or more second documents that are similar to the first document, wherein the one or more second documents have second portions that have been predetermined to be unacceptable where a determination of unacceptability is based on a threshold and where the threshold relates to a presentation parameter associated with the one or more second documents;   determining whether any of the first portions are substantially identical to the second portions that have been predetermined to be unacceptable; and   rating the document as either acceptable or unacceptable based upon the determining.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11  where the presentation parameter is a comparison parameter defining a delay between presentation of frames of a respective one of the one or more second documents when the one or more second documents are displayed. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12  where the delay is less than 0.5 seconds.