Reciprocal public trust relationship

• US 20060288073A1
• Filed: 06/20/2005
• Published: 12/21/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Little, Charles Reeves, Bansod, Aditya, Walter, Jason D.
• Granted Patent: US 7,912,960 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/061 for key exchange, e.g. in peer-to-peer networks cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key agreement H04L9/0838
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]

Abstract

Publicly accessible linking information is to establish a trusted relationship between reciprocally linked entities controlling web resources, such as websites or web logs. A method of establishing a trust relationship between two entities identifying a user-installed link to a second web resource in a first web resource. Next, the method determines when a reciprocal link is made in the second web resource directed to the first web resource and creates a trust relationship between the entities based on the reciprocal link.

Claims

1. A method of establishing a trust relationship between entities each controlling a respective web resource, comprising:

identifying a user-installed link to a second web resource in a first web resource;

determining when a reciprocal link is made in the second web resource directed to the first web resource;

creating a trust relationship between the entities based on the reciprocal link.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the first web resource or the second web resource is a website.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the first web resource or the second web resource is a web log.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the step of identifying includes identifying an entry in a blog roll.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of identifying includes providing a unique identifier from the first web resource to the second web resource.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the step of identifying includes providing a unique URL for the first web resource to the second web resource.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein the step of identifying includes providing a unique key between the first and the second resource with the unique identifier.

8. The method of claim 5 wherein the step of determining includes receiving a unique identifier from the second web resource to the first web resource.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the step of creating includes receiving a second unique key from the second web resource.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of identifying includes providing a unique ID and key from the first web resource to the second web resource, and the step of creating includes receiving a second unique ID and second key from the second web resource, and the method further includes encrypting web communications between the first web resource and the second web resource.

11. The method of claim 1 further including updating the trust relationship by exchanging new identifiers between the first and second web resources.

12. The method of claim 1 further including the step of revoking the trust relationship by removing the user installed link.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the entity is a user.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein the entity is a group.

15. A method of establishing a trust relationship between two entities, comprising:

(a) identifying a publication of a first user'"'"'s blog in a second user'"'"'s blogroll;

(b) receiving a notification of a publication of a second user'"'"'s blogroll in the first user'"'"'s blog; and

(c) establishing a trust relationship responsive to said step of receiving.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the step (a) includes receiving a unique identifier including a unique key from the first blog to the second blog.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the step (b) includes receiving a unique identifier including a unique key from the second blog resource to the first blog.

18. A reciprocal trust engine for a Web resource, comprising:

a data store scanner analyzing a data store of publicly accessible links to network accessible sites associated with the Web resource;

a site identifier process outputting a resource identifier to a linked site associated with a new link in the data store; and

a key engine storing a unique identifier from the linked site indicative of the linked site having added a link to the Web resource in a reciprocal data store on the linked site.

19. The engine of claim 18 wherein the data store is a key roll.

20. The engine of claim 18 wherein the resource identifier is a unique key between the resource and the linked site.