TRANSITIVE TRUST NETWORK

• US 20060259320A1
• Filed: 07/25/2006
• Published: 11/16/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Accenture Global Services Limited (Accenture PLC)
• Original Assignee: Accenture Global Services GmbH (Accenture PLC)
• Inventors: Mathur, Sanjay, Smith, Kyle William, LaSalle, Ryan Matthew, Bottenfield, Carie Anne
• Granted Patent: US 7,895,068 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/35
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063 Operations research, analysis or management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/101 Collaborative creation, e.g. joint development of products or services
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/018 Certifying business or products
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0201 Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0204 Market segmentation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2463/102 applying security measure for e-commerce
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0823 using certificates cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving certificates H04L9/3263
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/101 Access control lists [ACL]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/105 Multiple levels of security

Abstract

Methods, data structures, and systems by which entities can efficiently discover, extend, validate and establish business relationships over a digital network are disclosed. A transitive trust system can be utilized by any number of interconnected entities in which at least two of the entities are capable of sharing information. One or more entity trust lists contain, for at least two of the entities, at least one characteristic. Each characteristic can, for example, describe or pertain to the actual or perceived dependability, reliability and/or credibility of an entity. The system also includes at least one transactional trust list that contains at least one parameter relative to an exchange between at least two of the entities through at least one degree of separation between the entities. The transactional trust list can, for example, be a listing of any type of parameters that define or describe business exchanges within a particular industry segment. The transactional trust list can also list information about the types of transactional activities that can take place and proxy actions available to cooperating entities. The system retrieves information from the entity trust list and the transactional trust list in order to provide a framework for at least two of the entities to establish relationships with one another.

Claims

1. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable components comprising:

a) an inquiry receiving component for receiving an inquiry from the seeking entity, the inquiry specifying a predetermined degree of separation, the predetermined degree of separation being dependent on an activity trust level;

b) a response receiving component for receiving a response indicating an existing relationship between the sought entity and an intermediate entity; and

c) a confirming component for confirming, based on the response, that the new relationship may be established, the response being indicative of a trust level of the sought entity by the intermediate entity regarding the existing relationship;

d) a verification component for determining whether information can be shared between entities in accordance with rights management.

2. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing steps comprising:

a) configuring a capability domain and activity trust level data base for each of the at least two entities, the database having a plurality of levels of trust and a plurality of entity roles, the capability domain and activity trust level data base comprising a plurality of entries, each entry being indexed by an entity role and a level of trust, each said entry being indicative of a corresponding business process; and

b) creating at least one receiving component that obtains information from an entity trust list and a transactional trust list in order to provide a framework for at least two of the entities to establish relationships between one another, the entities being within a predetermined degree of separation, the predetermined degree of separation being dependent on an activity trust level.

3. The computer-readable medium of claim 2, wherein each respective level of trust in the plurality of levels of trust defines a respective degree of trust between one entity and another entity.

4. The computer-readable medium of claim 2, wherein each respective role in the plurality of roles defines a respective function that one entity fulfills to another entity.

5. The computer-readable medium of claim 2, wherein a respective business process of a plurality of business processes is associated with each combination of a respective role of the plurality of roles and a respective trust level of the plurality of trust levels.

6. A method, in a computer system, of establishing a new business relationship with a sought entity over a network, wherein all steps are performed on the computer system, the method comprising the steps of:

a) sending, by a first computer to a second computer, an inquiry to an intermediate entity to determine if the intermediate entity has an existing relationship with the sought entity, the intermediate entity being within a predetermined degree of separation, the predetermined degree of separation being dependent on an activity trust level;

b) receiving, by the first computer, a response from the intermediate entity indicating an existing relationship between the sought entity and the intermediate entity; and

c) establishing the new business relationship with the sought entity based on the response, the response being indicative of a trust level of the sought entity by the intermediate entity and of a corresponding valuation criterion, the trust level being dependent on the corresponding valuation criterion.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising specifying an acceptable degree of separation and determining whether the existing relationship exists within the specified degree of separation.

8. A method, in a computer system, of establishing a relationship with an unknown company, wherein all steps are performed on the computer system, the method comprising the steps of:

a) querying, by a first computer to a second computer, at least one trusted company to determine the existence of a relationship between the at least one trusted company and the unknown company, the at least one trusted company and the unknown company being with a predetermined degree of separation, the predetermined degree of separation being dependent on an activity trust level;

b) receiving, by the first computer, a confirmation of a relationship between the at least one trusted company, the confirmation being indicative of a trust level of the unknown company by one of the at least one trusted company and a corresponding at least one valuation criterion, the trust level of the unknown company being dependent on the corresponding at least one valuation criterion; and

c) establishing a relationship with the unknown company in response to receiving the confirmation.

9. A method, in a computer system, of establishing relationships between at least two entities, wherein all steps are performed on the computer system, the method comprising the steps of:

a) receiving, by an associated computer, at a second entity a contact identifying a first entity;

b) checking a list of trusted entities by the second entity to determine if the first entity is a trusted entity;

c) querying, another computer by the associated computer, if the first entity is not a trusted entity and if a proxy parameter is indicative that trusted entities are permitted to forward requests to other trusted parties, and specifying a predetermined degree of separation, the predetermined degree of separation being dependent on an activity trust level; and

d) establishing a relationship between the first and second entities when the first entity is known by at least one respective entity of the trusted entities, the relationship being based on information from one of the trusted entities, the information being indicative of a trust level about the first entity.

10. The method according to claim 9, the method further comprising:

e) providing a capability domain and activity trust level data base for each of entities, the database having a plurality of levels of trust and a plurality of entity roles.

11. The method according to claim 10, further comprising:

f) supporting each respective role in the plurality of roles to correspond to a respective function that one entity fulfills to another entity.

12. The method according to claim 10, further comprising:

f) supporting each respective level of trust in the plurality of levels of trust to correspond to a respective degree of trust between one entity and another entity.

13. The method according to claim 10, further comprising:

f) supporting a respective business process of a plurality of business processes that is associated with each combination of a respective role of the plurality of roles and a respective trust level of the plurality of trust levels.

14. The method according to claim 9, the method further comprising:

e) providing a capability domain and activity trust level database for each of entities, the matrix having a plurality of levels of trust and a plurality of entity roles.

25. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

e) associating each of the trusted entities with an associated trust level that is more trusted than a predetermined minimum trust level; and

f) establishing the predetermined minimum trust level by an associated proxy parameter.

15. A method in a transitive trust network for providing a framework for at least two entities to establish relationships between one another, the transitive trust network including at least one computer, wherein all steps are performed on the at least one computer, the method comprising the steps of:

a) receiving, by an associated computer, at a second entity a contact identifying a first entity;

b) checking a list of trusted entities, associated with the second entity, by the second entity to determine if the first entity is a trusted entity;

c) querying, another computer by the associated computer, if the first entity is not a trusted entity and if a proxy parameter is indicative that trusted entities are permitted to forward requests to other trusted parties, by the second entity at least a third entity of the trusted entities associated with the second entity, and specifying a predetermined degree of separation, the predetermined degree of separation being dependent on an activity trust level;

d) checking a list of trusted entities, associated with the third entity, by the third entity to determine if the first entity is a trusted entity;

e) continuing querying and checking, if the first entity is not a trusted entity, until a maximum separation of the degree of separation is reached or until the first entity is known to a respective trusted entity; and

f) establishing a relationship between the first and second entities when the first entity is known by at least one respective entity of the trusted entities, the relationship being based on information from one of the least one respective entity, the information being indicative of a level of trust about the first entity.

16. The method according to claim 15, the method further comprising:

g) providing a capability domain and activity trust level data base for each of the entities, the data base having a plurality of levels of trust and a plurality of entity roles.

17. The method according to claim 16, further comprising:

h) supporting each respective role in the plurality of roles to correspond to a respective function that one entity fulfills to another entity.

18. The method according to claim 16, further comprising:

h) supporting each respective level of trust in the plurality of levels of trust to correspond to a respective degree of trust between one entity and another entity.

19. The method according to claim 16, further comprising:

h) supporting a respective business process of a plurality of business processes that is associated with each combination of a respective role of the plurality of roles and a respective trust level of the plurality of trust levels.

26. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

g) associating the third entity with an associated trust level that is more trusted than a predetermined minimum trust level; and

h) establishing the predetermined minimum trust level by an associated proxy parameter.

20. A method in a transitive trust network for providing a framework for Companies to establish relationships between one another, the transitive trust network including at least one computer wherein all steps are performed on the at least one computer, the method comprising the steps of:

a) contacting, between a first computer and a second computer, a first company by a second company regarding a potential relationship;

b) checking, by the first company, a trusted user list thereof and determining if the second company is known to the first company;

c) querying, by the first company when the second company is unknown, companies that are trusted users thereof to determine who is available for peer requests;

d) notifying, by a third company, the first company that the third company is an active peer;

e) verifying, by the third company, a rights management model that exists between the third company and the first company;

f) querying, by the first company, the third company to determine if the second company is known to the third company, specifying a maximum of a predetermined number of degrees of separation, the predetermined degrees of separation being dependent on an activity trust level;

g) querying, by the third company when the second company is unknown, companies that are trusted users thereof to determine who is available for peer requests;

h) forwarding, by the third company, based on a respective list of peers thereof and a trust agreement between the first company and the third company, a “

Do You Know”

query to further Companies on behalf of the first company, verifying rights management models between all peers;

i) verifying by the further Companies the rights management model and determining if any of the further Companies know the second company;

j) querying, by a respective company of the further Companies when the respective company knows the second company, the second company to determine if the second company is active for peer requests;

k) responding by the respective company to the third company with an affirmative on knowing the second company, in response to the “

Do You Know”

query;

l) notifying, by the third company, the first company that the third company knows the second company through the predetermined number of degrees of separation, and passing transitive trust rights to the first company;

m) establishing, by the first company, contact with the respective company through the trust passed by the third company;

n) querying, by the first company, the further company for an “

opinion”

on the second company, the further company providing feedback based on rights rules; and

o) establishing, by the first company, a relationship with the second company based on the feedback from the further company.

21. A computer-readable medium for use in a transitive trust network for providing a framework for at least two of the entities to establish relationships between one another, the computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing the steps comprising:

a) receiving at a second entity a contact identifying a first entity;

b) checking a list of trusted entities by the second entity to determine if the first entity is a trusted entity;

c) querying, if the first entity is not a trusted entity and if a proxy parameter is indicative that trusted entities are permitted to forward requests to other trusted parties, the trusted entities and specifying a predetermined degree of separation, the predetermined degree of separation being dependent on an activity trust level; and

d) establishing a relationship between the first and second entities when the first entity is known by at least one respective entity of the trusted entities, the relationship being based on information from one of the at least one respective entity, the information being indicative of a level of trust about the first entity.

22. A computer-readable medium having stored thereon a data structure comprising:

a) a capability domain having a plurality of entity roles within a predetermined degree of separation, the predetermined degree of separation being dependent on an activity trust level;

b) an activity trust domain having a plurality of levels of trust; and

c) a respective business process of a plurality of business processes being associated with each combination of a respective role of the plurality of roles and a respective trust level of the plurality of trust levels, wherein the data structure is indexed by the capability domain and the activity trust domain to obtain a corresponding business process.

23. The computer-readable medium having stored thereon a data structure according to claim 22, wherein each respective role in the plurality of roles defines a respective function that one entity fulfills to another entity.

24. The computer-readable medium having stored thereon a data structure according to claim 22, wherein each respective level of trust in the plurality of levels of trust defines a respective degree of trust between one entity and another entity.