Control of access to computers in a computer network

• US 20040193605A1
• Filed: 05/08/2003
• Published: 09/30/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/25/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Claria Corporation
• Original Assignee: Claria Corporation
• Inventors: Pennell, Mark E., Weisman, Mitchell T.
• Application Number:
  US10/434,405
• Publication Number:
  US 20040193605A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 21/33 using certificates
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6218 to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2141 Access rights, e.g. capability lists, access control lists, access tables, access matrices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

In one embodiment, an access indicator set in a client computer contains information for gaining access to a sever computer in a computer network. The access indicator may be a cookie, while the server computer may be hosting a website on the Internet. The client computer may provide the contents of the access indicator to the server computer as a pass for gaining access to a particular section or entirety of the server computer. In one embodiment, setting of the access indicator is initiated by a computer program resident in the client computer. The non-web browser computer program may periodically initiate the setting of the access indicator to prevent it from expiring. In one embodiment, access privileges in a website are only provided to end-users who explicitly agree to receive advertisements.

Claims

1. A method to be performed in a client computer, the method comprising:

setting a first access indicator in a client computer if the client computer satisfies a requirement;

providing a content of the first access indicator to a first server computer in communication with the client computer over a computer network; and

based on the content of the first access indicator, accessing a content of the first server computer.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving a configuration information in the client computer, and wherein the first access indicator is set according to the configuration information.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the configuration information is in a file received from a second server computer.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the requirement includes having a particular item in the client computer.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the particular item comprises a particular computer program.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the particular computer program includes computer-readable program code for receiving advertisements in the client computer.

9. The method of claim 6 wherein the particular item comprises a file.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving an advertisement in the client computer if the client computer satisfies the requirement.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the advertisement is incorporated in a web page received from the first server computer.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein the advertisement is received from a second server computer in response to a request initiated by a message delivery program resident in the client computer.

13. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

setting a second access indicator in the client computer, the second access indicator being configured to allow access to a content in a second server computer.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein the content of the first server computer comprises a web page.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein the content of the first server computer comprises an on-line service.

2. The method of claim 2 wherein the first server computer comprises a website and the computer network includes the Internet.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the first access indicator is set by a web browser in response to a request by a computer program resident in the client computer.

16. A computer-readable storage medium comprising:

computer-readable program code for determining if a client computer includes a particular item;

computer-readable program code for setting an access indicator if the client computer has the particular item;

computer-readable program code for providing a content of the access indicator to a server computer in communication with the client computer over a computer network; and

computer-readable program code for accessing a content of the server computer.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 16 wherein the medium comprises computer memory.

18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 16 wherein the medium comprises a removable storage medium.

19. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 16 wherein the medium comprises a mass storage device.

20. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 16 wherein the particular item comprises a computer program.

21. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 16 wherein the particular item comprises a file.

22. A method to be performed in a server computer, the method comprising:

receiving a content of an access indicator from a first client computer program in a client computer, the access indicator being set in response to a request by a second client computer program in the client computer; and

depending on the content of the access indicator, allowing the client computer to receive a document.

23. The method of claim 22 wherein the document comprises multi-media data.

24. The method of claim 22 wherein the document comprises a web page.

25. The method of claim 22 wherein the first client computer program comprises a web browser and the access indicator comprises a cookie.

26. The method of claim 22 wherein the access indicator is periodically set if the second client computer program detects that the client computer satisfies a requirement.

27. The method of claim 26 wherein the requirement includes having a particular computer program.

28. A server computer having a memory and a processor for running computer-readable program code resident in the memory, wherein the memory comprises:

computer-readable program code for receiving a content of a cookie from a client computer, a setting of the cookie being initiated by a non-web browser computer program resident in the client computer; and

computer-readable program code for allowing a web browser resident in the client computer to receive a web page in the client computer depending on a content of the cookie.

29. A client computer having a memory and a processor for running computer-readable program code resident in the memory, wherein the memory comprises:

computer-readable program code for detecting if a client computer includes a particular computer file;

computer-readable program code for setting a first cookie if the client computer includes the particular computer file; and

computer-readable program code for providing the first cookie to a first server computer.

30. The client computer of claim 29 wherein the particular computer file comprises a particular computer program.

31. The client computer of claim 29 wherein the particular computer file comprises a multi-media file.

32. The client computer of claim 29 wherein the memory further comprises:

computer-readable program code for setting a second cookie configured to provide the client computer access to a second server computer.

33. The client computer of claim 29 wherein the memory further comprises:

computer-readable program code for initiating delivery of advertisements from a second server computer.

34. A method of controlling access to a website, the method comprising:

making an end-user explicitly agree to receive advertisements in exchange for access privileges in a website.

35. The method of claim 34 wherein the advertisements are not from the website.

36. The method of claim 34 wherein the advertisements are from a computer program resident in a client computer employed by the end-user.

37. The method of claim 34 wherein the access privileges are indicated in a cookie.

38. The method of claim 34 wherein making the end-user explicitly agree to receive advertisements includes making the end-user click on a license agreement.

39. The method of claim 34 wherein the access privileges include permission to view a web page.

40. The method of claim 34 wherein the access privileges include permission to use an on-line service.

41. The method of claim 34 wherein the access privileges include permission to download a file.