VIRTUAL IDENTITIES
First Claim
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1. A method comprising:
- obtaining a source of attribute data for a user;
obtaining a template for use in generating a pseudonym for the user; and
for each attribute available from said source of attribute data for the user, determining from the template whether or not to include that attribute in said pseudonym.
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Abstract
A template is described that can be applied to user attribute data in order to generate a pseudonym/virtual identity for the user. The pseudonym includes a subset of the user'"'"'s overall user attributes. The invention also enables a user to determine whether a particular pseudonym meets the requirements of a template by checking the pseudonym against a template provided, for example, by a service provider.
51 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A method comprising:
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obtaining a source of attribute data for a user; obtaining a template for use in generating a pseudonym for the user; and for each attribute available from said source of attribute data for the user, determining from the template whether or not to include that attribute in said pseudonym. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. An apparatus comprising:
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a first input adapted to obtain attribute data for a user; a second input adapted to obtain a template for use in generating a pseudonym for the user; and a processor adapted to determine, for each attribute included in the attribute data for the user, whether or not to include that attribute in said pseudonym. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A method comprising:
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obtaining a proposed pseudonym for a user; comparing the proposed pseudonym with a template for use in generating pseudonyms, wherein the comparison step provides an output indicating the extent to which the proposed pseudonym is in accordance with the said template. - View Dependent Claims (12)
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13. An apparatus comprising:
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a first input adapted to receive a proposed pseudonym for a user; and a processor adapted to compare the proposed pseudonym with a template for use in generating pseudonyms, wherein the processor provides an output indicating the extent to which the proposed pseudonym is in accordance with the said template. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16)
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17. A method comprising:
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obtaining a first template for use in generating pseudonyms; obtaining a second template for use in generating pseudonyms; and comparing the first and second templates to determine whether the second template meets the requirements of the first template. - View Dependent Claims (18)
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19. A computer program product comprising:
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means for obtaining a source of attribute data for a user; means for obtaining a template for use in generating a pseudonym for the user; and means for determining from the template, for each attribute available from said source of attribute data for the user, whether or not to include that attribute in said pseudonym.
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20. A computer program product comprising:
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means for obtaining a proposed pseudonym for a user; and means for comparing the proposed pseudonym with a template for use in generating pseudonyms, wherein the comparison step provides an output indicating the extent to which the proposed pseudonym is in accordance with the said template.
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Specification