DATA SHARING SYSTEM METHOD

• US 20170054674A1
• Filed: 06/24/2016
• Published: 02/23/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/08/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Brian Lee Moffat
• Original Assignee: Brian Lee Moffat
• Inventors: Moffat, Brian Lee
• Granted Patent: US 10,187,347 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6245 Protecting personal data, e.g. for financial or medical purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/16 Obfuscation or hiding, e.g. involving white box
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/60 Digital content management, e.g. content distribution
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/066 Format adaptation, e.g. format conversion or compression
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/212 using filtering or selective blocking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/52 for supporting social networking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0421 Anonymous communication, i.e. the party's identifiers are hidden from the other party or parties, e.g. using an anonymizer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0435 wherein the sending and receiving network entities apply symmetric encryption, i.e. same key used for encryption and decryption cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for symmetric key encryption H04L9/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/06 for supporting key management in a packet data network cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key management H04L9/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/065 for group communications cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key management involving conference or group key H04L9/0833
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/303 Terminal profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0822 using key encryption key
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0825 using asymmetric-key encryption or public key infrastructure [PKI], e.g. key signature or public key certificates
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0891 Revocation or update of secret information, e.g. encryption key update or rekeying
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0894 Escrow, recovery or storing of secret information, e.g. secret key escrow or cryptographic key storage

Abstract

A novel architecture for a data sharing system (DSS) is disclosed and seeks to ensure the privacy and security of users'"'"' personal information. In this type of network, a user'"'"'s personally identifiable information is stored and transmitted in an encrypted form, with few exceptions. The only key with which that encrypted data can be decrypted, and thus viewed, remains in the sole possession of the user and the user'"'"'s friends/contacts within the system. This arrangement ensures that a user'"'"'s personally identifiable information cannot be examined by anyone other than the user or his friends/contacts. This arrangement also makes it more difficult for the web site or service hosting the DSS to exploit its users'"'"' personally identifiable information. Such a system facilitates the encryption, storage, exchange and decryption of personal, confidential and/or proprietary data.

Claims

1-146. -146. (canceled)

147. A data sharing system (DSS) method, comprising:

receiving in a user'"'"'s computing device (UCD) a client which is transmitted from a server;

the client transmitted from the server and received by the UCD is one of many different clients stored in, or accessible by, the server;

each of the different clients which the server is capable of transmitting to the UCD is capable of performing a first set of tasks and/or behaviors;

each of the different clients which the server is capable of transmitting to the UCD is capable of performing a unique combination of a second set of tasks and/or behaviors;

the server is configured to, at least partially, determine which combination of the second set of tasks and/or behaviors the user'"'"'s client is able to perform;

the server is configured to compare the at least partially determined combination of the second set of tasks and/or behaviors that the user'"'"'s client is able to perform against the expected corresponding at least partial combination of the second set of tasks and/or behaviors which should be characteristic of the client transmitted to the user by the server; and

if the server determines that the at least partially determined combination of the second set of tasks and/or behaviors do not adequately match the expected corresponding at least partial combination of the second set of tasks and/or behaviors, the server then limits or blocks the client'"'"'s access to the DSS.

148. The method of claim 147 wherein the client which the server transmits to the UCD of the first user is randomly selected and/or randomly configured from among the possible different variations of clients which may be so transmitted.

149. The method of claim 147 wherein the second set of tasks and/or behaviors includes at least one of:

responding to specific queries received from the server with specific responses;

incorporating specific values within the set(s) of attributes associated with data packets transmitted to the server by the client;

determining a value derived from the computer codes of the client wherein the starting and ending locations which define the range of computer codes over which the value is calculated are specified dynamically by the server with respect to each such query which it transmits to the client; and

formatting data transmitted to the server in a variety of distinctive ways.

150. The method of claim 149 wherein the value is a “

cyclic redundancy check”

performed by the client over a segment of the client'"'"'s computer codes.

151. The method of claim 147 wherein the client operates for at most a limited duration after which server then limits or blocks the client'"'"'s access to the DSS.

152. The method of claim 147 wherein the client terminates its connection to the DSS after a statically-determined period of time, thereafter requiring that the user obtain a new client from the server in order to re-connect with the DSS.

153. The method of claim 147 wherein the client terminates its connection to the DSS after a dynamically-determined period of time, thereafter requiring that the user obtain a new client from the server in order to re-connect with the DSS.

154. The method of claim 153 wherein the dynamically-determined period of time is specified by the server at the time the client is transmitted to the UCD.

155. The method of claim 153 wherein the dynamically-determined period of time is specified by the server during the period during which the client is connected to the DSS.

156. The method of claim 149 wherein the variety of distinctive ways includes through the inclusion or omission of unnecessary data-packet attributes and/or through a distinctive ordering of such data-packet attributes.

157. The method of claim 150 wherein the computer codes include the digital values incorporated within, and defining, the executable file which determines the size and operation of the client program.

158. The method of claim 150 wherein the client'"'"'s computer codes constitute the binary values, symbols and/or other instructions of which the client'"'"'s executable file is composed, and which determine the behavior and operation of the client program.