Provisions for Validating Content Using a Content Registration Authority

• US 20100218260A1
• Filed: 05/07/2010
• Published: 08/26/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Hurst, Ryan M., Czeisler, Adam C., Fortini, Christian, Badh, Ranjib S., Saretto, Cesare J., von Koch, Walter V., Schwartz, Eyal
• Granted Patent: US 8,112,444 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/26
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/645 using a third party
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange

Abstract

Strategies are described for validating content transferred over a communication channel using a more effective approach than heretofore provided in the art. A content registration authority is provided which registers the content disseminated by one or more content providers to one or more client devices. A client device which receives content that has been registered can securely consume the content, based on an assumption that a content provider which furnishes the content is entrusted by the content registration authority to provide the content, and without prompting a user of the client device to expressly approve the content provider. In a first solution, the content registration authority registers the content by issuing a certification stamp; in a second solution, the content registration authority registers the content by storing registration information in a central repository. The content may contain instructions which perform operations in the context of an instant messenger application.

Claims

1. A method that implements a registration-based validation of content using a content registration authority, the method comprising:

purchasing content from a client interaction functionality;

receiving a package containing the purchased content and a stamp for the purchased content, the stamp including a content identifier and certificate information associated with a content registration authority; and

validating the package based on the received stamp.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the validating further comprises determining whether the received stamp identifies the content registration authority as an entity that has vouched for integrity of the received content.

3. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the validating further comprises receiving an indication of a determination, by a second party, whether the received stamp identifies the content registration authority as an entity that has vouched for integrity of the purchased content.

4. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the validating further comprises receiving an indication of a determination, by a second party, whether the received stamp is active.

5. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the validating further comprises determining whether the received stamp is active.

6. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising using the purchased content while communicating with another client.

7. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising sending the package containing the purchased content and the stamp for the purchased content to another client.

8. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising responding to a request for communication with another client with, at least in part, the purchased content.

9. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising using the purchased content while instant messaging with another client.

10. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising invoking the purchased content while instant messaging with another client.

13. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the validating further comprises receiving an indication of a determination, by a second party, whether the received stamp identifies the content registration authority as an entity that has vouched for integrity of the purchased content.

14. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the validating further comprises receiving an indication of a determination, by a second party, whether the received stamp is active.

15. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising using the purchased content while communicating with another client.

11. One or more computer-readable storage media having computer-readable instructions thereon which, when executed by one or more computing devices, direct the one or more computing devices to perform operations comprising:

purchasing content from a client interaction functionality;

receiving a package containing the purchased content and a stamp for the purchased content, the stamp including a content identifier and certificate information associated with a content registration authority; and

validating the package based on the received stamp.

12. One or more computer-readable storage media as recited in claim 11, wherein the validating further comprises determining whether the received stamp identifies the content registration authority as an entity that has vouched for integrity of the received content.

16. A method for registering at a content registration authority content published by a content publisher trusted by the content registration authority, the method comprising:

accessing a content identifier representing the content;

registering that the content is trustworthy content at the content registration authority by storing the content identifier in a registration data store associated with the content registration authority; and

receiving a query from a client device and confirming that the registration data store includes a client identifier corresponding to the content identifier of the content, such that the client device can automatically consume the trustworthy content in a secure fashion without prompting a user of the client device to explicitly approve of the trustworthy content or the content publisher.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the content includes instructions that prompt a processor device to perform at least one operation.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising a preliminary operation of transferring a host program, associated with the content registration authority, to the client device, wherein the content comprises information that is used in conjunction with the host program.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the host program comprises at least one of:

an application for conducting IM communication;

an application for creating, manipulating, and/or rendering a document;

an application for creating, manipulating, or rendering script-based content.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the registering occurs before the content publisher transfers the content to the client device