Managing and sharing identities on a network

• US 20040002920A1
• Filed: 04/04/2003
• Published: 01/01/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: McKay, Philip, Wibisono, Himgan, Hoch, Michael, Gauba, Ravi, Lea, Rodger, Harwayne, Michael S., Liu, Jeff, Wang, Sidney, Tambata, Ippei, Coppinger, Elizabeth, Prohel, Andrew M.
• Granted Patent: US 7,614,081 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/51
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/234 for tracking messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/104 Peer-to-peer [P2P] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1082 involving incentive schemes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34

Abstract

A digital content file having user history information is received at a first device. The user history information includes an alias name of a previous user of the digital content file. A user may review the user history information of the digital content file for information of the previous user of the digital content.

Claims

1. A computerized method, comprising:

receiving a digital content file having user history information, the user history information including an alias name of a previous user of the digital content file; and

reviewing the user history information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein reviewing the user history information includes reviewing an accumulative rating based on a user quality rating of each previous user of the digital content file.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

seeking a true identity of the previous user associated with the alias name.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein seeking includes using a public key decryption to identify the true identity of the user.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein seeking includes accessing a remote device to identify the true identity of the user.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

seeking a related digital content file based on the alias name.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

initiating a relationship with the previous user of the digital content file.

8. A computerized method comprising:

attaching user history information to a digital content file on a first device, the user history information to include an alias name to identify a first user of the digital content; and

distributing the digital content file with a second user on a second device, the second user capable of discovering an identity of a previous user of the digital content file via the alias name.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the user history information attached to the digital content file is metadata.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the user history information includes a user quality rating to rate a quality of the digital content file, the user quality rating being associated with the alias name.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the user history information includes a user comment to comment on a quality of the digital content file, the user comment being associated with the alias name.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

receiving a reward for distributing the digital content.

13. A machine-readable medium having executable instructions to cause a device to perform a method comprising:

receiving a digital content file having user history information, the user history information including an alias name of a previous user of the digital content file; and

reviewing the user history information.

14. The machine-readable medium of claim 13, wherein reviewing the user history information includes reviewing an accumulative rating based on a user quality rating of each previous user of the digital content.

15. The machine-readable medium of claim 13, further comprising:

seeking a true identity of the previous user associated with the alias name.

16. The machine-readable medium of claim 15, wherein seeking includes using a public key decryption to identify the true identity of the user.

17. The machine-readable medium of claim 15, wherein seeking includes accessing a remote device to identify the true identity of the user.

18. The machine-readable medium of claim 13, further comprising:

seeking a related digital content file based on the alias name.

19. The machine-readable medium of claim 13, further comprising:

initiating a relationship with the previous user of the digital content file.

20. A machine-readable medium having executable instructions to cause a device to perform a method comprising:

attaching user history information to a digital content file on a first device, the user history information to include an alias name to identify a first user of the digital content; and

distributing the digital content file with a second user on a second device, the second user capable of discovering an identity of a previous user of the digital content file via the alias name.

21. The machine-readable medium of claim 20, wherein the user history information attached to the digital content file is metadata.

22. The machine-readable medium of claim 20, wherein the user history information includes a user quality rating to rate a quality of the digital content file, the user quality rating being associated with the alias name.

23. The machine-readable medium of claim 20, wherein the user history information includes a user comment to comment on a quality of the digital content file, the user comment being associated with the alias name.

24. The machine-readable medium of claim 20, further comprising:

receiving a reward for distributing the digital content.

25. A device comprising:

a processor coupled to a memory through a bus; and

a user history information editor process executed by the processor from the memory to cause the processor to receive a digital content file having user history information, the user history information including an alias name of a previous user of the digital content file, and to review the user history information.

26. The device of claim 25, wherein the user history information editor process further causes the processor, when reviewing the user history information, to review an accumulative rating based on a user quality rating of each previous user of the digital content.

27. The device of claim 25, wherein the user history information editor process further causes the processor to seek a true identity of the previous user associated with the alias name.

28. The device of claim 27, wherein the user history information editor process further causes the processor, when seeking the true identity of the previous user, to use a public key decryption to identify the true identity of the user.

29. The device of claim 27, wherein the user history information editor process further causes the processor, when seeking the true identity of the previous user, to access a remote device to identify the true identity of the user.

30. The device of claim 25, wherein the user history information editor process further causes the processor to seek a related digital content file based on the alias name.

31. The device of claim 25, wherein the user history information editor process further causes the processor to initiate a relationship with the previous user of the digital content file.

32. A device comprising:

a processor coupled to a memory through a bus; and

a user history information editor process executed by the processor from the memory to cause the processor to attach user history information to a digital content file on a first device, the user history information to include an alias name to identify a first user of the digital content, and to distribute the digital content file with a second user on a second device, the second user capable of discovering an identity of a previous user of the digital content file via the alias name, the identity of the previous user including the first user.

33. The device of claim 32, wherein the user history information attached to the digital content file is metadata.

34. The device of claim 32, wherein the user history information editor process further causes the processor, when the user history information includes a user quality rating, to rate a quality of the digital content file, the user quality rating being associated with the alias name.

35. The device of claim 32, wherein the user history information editor process further causes the processor, when the user history information includes a user comment, to comment on a quality of the digital content file, the user comment being associated with the alias name.

36. The device of claim 32, wherein the user history information editor process further causes the processor to receive a reward for distributing the digital content.

37. An apparatus comprising:

a means for receiving a digital content file from a network, the digital content file including user history information of at least one previous user of the digital content file; and

a means for reviewing the user history information.

38. The apparatus of claim 37, further comprising:

a means for attaching user history information to the digital content file; and

a means for forwarding the digital content file to a remote device on the network.

39. The apparatus of claim 37, further comprising:

a means for accessing the digital content file.

40. The apparatus of claim 37, further comprising:

a means for initiating a relationship based on the user content.

41. The apparatus of claim 37, wherein the means for initiating a relationship includes initiating an instant messaging session.

42. The apparatus of claim 37, wherein the means for reviewing the digital content file includes reviewing an accumulative user quality rating of each previous user of the digital content file.

43. An apparatus comprising:

a means for attaching user history information to a digital content file, the user history information to include an alias name; and

a means for distributing the digital content file having attached user history information to a first device on a network.

44. The apparatus of claim 43, wherein the user history information to include a user quality rating.

45. The apparatus of claim 43, wherein the user history information to include an email address.

46. The apparatus of claim 43, further comprising:

a means for receiving an reward upon distributing the digital content file.