System and method for specifying and processing legality expressions

• US 20040049462A1
• Filed: 04/29/2003
• Published: 03/11/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/29/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ContentGuard Holdings, Inc. (Pendrell Corporation)
• Original Assignee: ContentGuard Holdings, Inc. (Pendrell Corporation)
• Inventors: Wang, Xin
• Granted Patent: US 8,543,511 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/50
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/10 Protecting distributed programs or content, e.g. vending or licensing of copyrighted material protection in video systems or pay television H04N7/16 ; Digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6209 to a single file or object, e.g. in a secure envelope, encrypted and accessed using a key, or with access control rules appended to the object itself
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2137 Time limited access, e.g. to a computer or data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2153 Using hardware token as a secondary aspect
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/184 Intellectual property management
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/20 involving the use of a pass

Abstract

A system and method are provided for specifying a legality expression for use in a system for processing the legality expression. The system and method include providing a legality expression language, including at least one of a duty element specifying an obligation that a principal must perform an act, a ban element specifying a prohibition that a principal must not perform an act, an intent element specifying an intention that a principal wants to perform an act, and a claim element specifying an assertion that a principal does perform an act. The system and method further include interpreting by the system a legality expression specified using the legality expression language.

Claims

1. A method for specifying a legality expression for use in a system for processing said legality expression, said method comprising:

providing a legality expression language, including at least one of,

a duty element specifying an obligation that a principal must perform an act,

a ban element specifying a prohibition that a principal must not perform an act,

an intent element specifying an intention that a principal wants to perform an act, and

a claim element specifying an assertion that a principal does perform an act; and

interpreting by said system a legality expression specified using said legality expression language.

2. The method of claim 1, comprising:

enforcing by said system said legality expression, including at least one of,

enforcing said obligation based on said duty element by verifying that said principal has performed said act, and

enforcing said prohibition based on said ban element by verifying that said principal has not performed said act.

3. The method of claim 1, comprising:

providing in said legality expression language a grant element specifying a permission that a principal may perform an act; and

enforcing by said system said legality expression, including at least one of,

enforcing said permission based on said grant element by verifying that said principal may perform said act,

enforcing said intention based on said intent element by verifying that said principal wants to perform said act, and

enforcing said assertion based on said claim element by verifying that said principal does perform said act.

4. The method of claim 3, comprising:

providing in said legality expression language,

respective principal elements associated with said duty element, said ban element, said grant element, said intent element, and said claim element, and specifying the respective principals,

respective resource elements associated with said duty element, said ban element, said grant element, said intent element, and said claim element, and specifying a resource associated with the respective acts, and

respective condition elements associated with said duty element, said ban element, said grant element, said intent element, and said claim element, and specifying a condition associated with the respective acts.

5. The method of claim 3, comprising:

providing in said legality expression language respective event elements associated with said duty element, said ban element, said grant element, said intent element, and said claim element, and specifying respective events for triggering said obligation, said prohibition, said permission, said intention, and said assertion.

6. The method of claim 3, providing in said legality expression language respective act elements associated with said duty element, said ban element, said grant element, said intent element, and said claim element, and specifying the respective acts.

7. The method of claim 3, comprising:

associating said grant element, said duty element, said ban element, said claim element, and said intent element with a clause element of said legality expression language.

8. The method of claim 7, comprising:

associating said clause element with a promise element of said legality expression language, said promise element specifying a promise in said legality expression; and

associating said clause element with an issuer element of said legality expression language, said issuer element specifying an issuer of said clause.

9. The method of claim 1, comprising:

specifying a signer of a contract specified using said legality expression with a signer element associated with said legality expression.

10. The method of claim 1, comprising:

specifying a license associated with a contract specified using said legality expression with a license element associated with said legality expression.

11. The method of claim 1, comprising:

specifying metadata associated with a contract specified using said legality expression with a metadata element associated with said legality expression.

12. The method of claim 1, comprising:

basing said legality expression language on a grammar based language.

13. The method of claim 7, comprising:

specifying with one or more of said claim elements a preference policy specifying a preference for one of processing and accepting respective one or more of said clause elements.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein said preference policy includes said preference based on an order of occurrence of said one or more of said clause elements.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein said preference policy includes said preference based on issuance times of said one or more of said clause elements.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein said preference policy includes said preference based on issuers of said one or more of said clause elements.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein said preference policy includes said preference based on a type of said one or more of said clause elements.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein said preference policy includes said preference based on a combination of at least two of an order of occurrence of said one or more of said clause elements, issuance times of said one or more of said clause elements, issuers of said one or more of said clause elements, and a type of said one or more of said clause elements.

19. The method of claim 7, comprising:

establishing a trust relationship, including,

specifying in said claim element that a principal trusts a resource comprising an issuer of a clause based on said act element comprising a trust element.

20. The method of claim 7, comprising:

establishing a binding relationship, including,

specifying in said claim element that a principal binds to a resource comprising a signer of a contract based on said act element comprising a bind element.

21. The method of claim 7, comprising:

establishing a trust relationship, including,

specifying in said claim element that a principal trusts a resource comprising a clause based on said act element comprising a trust element.

22. The method of claim 7, comprising:

establishing a binding relationship, including,

specifying in a claim element that a principal binds to a resource comprising a clause based on said act element comprising a bind element.

23. The method of claim 7, comprising:

providing query-driven processing, including,

submitting a clause as a query, and a context including one or more of said claim elements,

matching said clause against one or more clauses in a contract that are valid in said context, and

outputting clauses in said contract that match said query and are valid in said context as a query response.

24. The method of claim 7, comprising:

providing context-driven processing, including,

submitting a context in response to a trigger, said context including one or more claim elements,

matching one or more clauses in a contract that are valid in said context, and

outputting clauses in said contract that are valid in said context.

25. The method of claim 13, comprising:

providing conflict or multiplicity driven processing, including,

submitting two or more clauses having conflict or multiplicity,

resolving said conflict or multiplicity based on a context and said preference policy, said context including one or more claim elements, and

outputting resolved clauses as a resolution result.

26. The method of claim 7, comprising:

providing query-driven processing, including,

submitting a clause as a query, and a context including one or more of said claim elements,

matching said clause against one or more clauses in a contract that are valid in said context, and

outputting clauses in said contract that match said query and are valid in said context as a query response;

providing context-driven processing, including,

submitting a context in response to a trigger, said context including one or more claim elements,

matching one or more clauses in a contract that are valid in said context, and

outputting clauses in said contract that are valid in said context;

providing conflict or multiplicity driven processing, including,

submitting two or more clauses having conflict or multiplicity from at least one of said query response and said valid clauses,

resolving said conflict or multiplicity based on a context and said preference policy, said context including one or more claim elements, and

outputting resolved clauses as a resolution result; and

performing an act specified in said act element based on said resolution result.

27. A system for processing a legality expression, comprising:

means for providing a legality expression language, including at least one of,

a duty element specifying an obligation that a principal must perform an act,

a ban element specifying a prohibition that a principal must not perform an act,

an intent element specifying an intention that a principal wants to perform an act, and

a claim element specifying an assertion that a principal does perform an act; and

means for interpreting a legality expression specified using said legality expression language.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein said means for providing, and said means for interpreting comprise devices of a computer system.

29. The system of claim 27, wherein said means for providing, and said means for interpreting comprise computer readable instructions recorded on a medium.

30. A legality expression adapted for use in a system for processing said legality expression, said legality expression comprising at least one of:

a duty element specifying an obligation that a principal must perform an act,

a ban element specifying a prohibition that a principal must not perform an act,

an intent element specifying an intention that a principal wants to perform an act, and

a claim element specifying an assertion that a principal does perform an act

whereby a computer system can interpret said legality expression.

31. The legality expression of claim 30, whereby a computer system can enforce at least one of said obligation based on said duty element by verifying that said principal has performed said act, and said prohibition based on said ban element by verifying that said principal has not performed said act.

32. The legality expression of claim 30, comprising:

a grant element specifying a permission that a principal may perform an act,

whereby a computer system can enforce at least one of said permission based on said grant element by verifying that said principal may perform said act, said intention based on said intent element by verifying that said principal wants to perform said act, and said assertion based on said claim element by verifying that said principal does perform said act.

33. The legality expression of claim 32, comprising:

respective principal elements associated with said duty element, said ban element, said grant element, said intent element, and said claim element, and specifying the respective principals;

respective resource elements associated with said duty element, said ban element, said grant element, said intent element, and said claim element, and specifying a resource associated with the respective acts; and

respective condition elements associated with said duty element, said ban element, said grant element, said intent element, and said claim element, and specifying a condition associated with the respective acts.

34. The legality expression of claim 32, comprising:

respective event elements associated with said duty element, said ban element, said grant element, said intent element, and said claim element, and specifying respective events for triggering said obligation, said prohibition, said permission, said intention, and said assertion.

35. The legality expression of claim 32, comprising:

respective act elements associated with said duty element, said ban element, said grant element, said intent element, and said claim element, and specifying the respective acts.

36. The legality expression of claim 32, comprising:

a clause element associated with said grant element, said duty element, said ban element, said claim element, and said intent element.

37. The legality expression of claim 36, comprising:

a promise element associated said clause element and specifying a promise in said legality expression; and

associating said clause element with an issuer element of said legality expression language, said issuer element specifying an issuer of said clause.

38. The legality expression of claim 30, comprising:

a signer element specifying a signer of a contract specified using said legality expression.

39. The legality expression of claim 30, comprising:

a license element specifying a license associated with a contract specified using said legality expression.

40. The legality expression of claim 30, comprising:

a metadata element specifying metadata associated with a contract specified using said legality expression.

41. The legality expression of claim 30, wherein said legality expression is based on a legality expression language.

42. The legality expression of claim 41, wherein said legality expression language comprises a grammar based language.