Reputation Mashup

• US 20110004693A1
• Filed: 07/02/2009
• Published: 01/06/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/02/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Rehfuss, Paul S.
• Granted Patent: US 8,943,211 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/229
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking

Abstract

Techniques for reputation mashup are described. Reputation mashup refers to combining, aggregating, collecting, compiling, or otherwise organizing reputation data from multiple sources into a uniform format to facilitate making trust decisions for resources. In an implementation, reputation data for a resource is combined from a plurality of reputation sources. The combined reputation data for the resource is presented to a client to enable a trust determination to be made for the resource. Interaction with the resource by the client is selectively enabled or restricted in accordance with the trust determination made using the combined reputation data.

Claims

1. A method implemented by a computer, the method comprising:

combining reputation data corresponding to a resource from a plurality of reputation sources;

presenting the combined reputation data for the resource to enable a trust determination to be made for the resource;

determining whether the resource is trusted or un-trusted;

enabling interaction with the resource when the resource is trusted; and

restricting interaction with the resource when the resource is un-trusted.

2. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the combining, presenting, and determining are performed by the computer that is configured as a client device to access the resource over a network from a service provider.

3. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the combining and presenting are performed by the computer that is operated as a part of a service provider that is configured to provide a plurality of services to clients over a network to enable the determining by the clients.

4. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the combining comprises translating the reputation data from the multiple sources into a uniform format.

5. A method as described in claim 1, wherein:

the combining includes assigning reputation types to the reputation sources; and

the presenting includes presenting the reputation data in association with the reputation types.

6. A method as described in claim 5, further comprising enabling filtering of the presented reputation data based on the reputation types.

7. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the combining comprises normalizing values indicative of reputation from the plurality of reputation sources to values on a common scale.

8. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the presenting comprises outputting a webpage having the combined reputation data at a client in conjunction with one or more services available to the client from a service provider.

9. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the reputation data includes an endorsement of the resource by an entity and the endorsement includes other reputation data that describes trustworthiness of the entity making the endorsement.

10. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the resource corresponds to a user of a social networking service and the reputation data is indicative of trustworthiness of the user.

11. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the resource corresponds to a website.

12. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the resource corresponds to a provider of an application available for download by a client via the network.

13. One or more computer-readable storage media comprising instructions that, when executed by a client device, cause the client device to:

aggregate reputation data corresponding to a resource from two or more reputation sources into a uniform format;

output a webpage to present the aggregated reputation data for the resource;

expose a control in the webpage that is selectable to designate trust for the resource based on the aggregated reputation data; and

selectively enable interaction of the client with the resource in accordance with a selection made via the control to make the trust designation.

14. One or more computer-readable storage media as described in claim 13, wherein the instructions, when executed by the client device, further cause the client device to categorize the reputation data from the two or more reputation sources according to reputation types.

15. One or more computer-readable storage media as described in claim 13, wherein the instructions, when executed by the client device, further cause the client device to normalize values indicative of trust from the two or more reputation sources to values on a common scale of trust.

16. One or more computer-readable storage media as described in claim 13, wherein aggregation of the reputation data comprises:

generating requests for communication to the two of more reputation sources to obtain the reputation data, the requests including data sufficient to identify the resource;

obtaining the reputation data responsive to communication of the requests;

translating the obtained reputation data into the uniform format;

normalizing values indicative of trust from the obtained reputation data to values on a common scale of trust; and

categorizing the obtained reputation data according to reputation types.

17. A system to provide a reputation service comprising:

one or more processors;

one or more computer-readable storage media storing instructions that, when executed via the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to;

compile reputation data regarding a resource from a plurality of reputation sources;

receive a request from a client for the reputation data regarding the resource; and

communicate the compiled reputation data to the client in response to the request to enable a trust determination to be made for the resource by the client.

18. A system as described in claim 17, wherein the instructions, when executed via the one or more processors, further cause the one or more processors to configure a webpage to include the compiled reputation data for communication to the client in response to the request.

19. A system as described in claim 17, wherein the one or more processors are implemented via one or more server devices of a service provider, the service provider configured to provide a plurality of services over the network to the client including the reputation service.

20. A system as described in claim 17, wherein the plurality of reputation sources includes a third-party provider of reputation data.