Method and system for client/server communications with user information revealed as a function of willingness to reveal and whether the information is required

• US 5,913,030 A
• Filed: 03/18/1997
• Issued: 06/15/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Lotspiech, Jeffrey Bruce, Morris, Robert John Tasman
• Primary Examiner(s): Kim, Kenneth S.
• Application Number:
  US08/819,345
• Time in Patent Office: 819 Days
• Field of Search: 348/7, 348/10, 705/27, 707/1, 395/200, 395/33
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0621 Item configuration or customization
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 2001/085 Partner search devices

Abstract

A method and system for communications between a client system and a server communicatively coupled to the client system. User information about a user is stored on the client system. The user information comprises a plurality of attributes. Each attribute comprises information relating to the user and a willingness level indicator, indicating a level of willingness of the user to reveal the information of that attribute. A user information request is received from the server. The user information request comprises a plurality of attribute requests. Each attribute request comprises an indication of whether the attribute is required in order for the server to transmit information stored on the server to the client system. At the client system, the received attribute requests are compared with the stored attributes to determine whether each requested attribute is present on the client system. At the client system, it is determined for each requested attribute that is present on the client system, whether the attribute is to be transmitted to the server as a function of the willingness level indicator of the attribute and the indication of whether the attribute is required. Each attribute that has been determined is to be transmitted is transmitted to the server.

Claims

1. A method of communications between a client system and a server communicatively coupled to the client system, comprising the steps of:

storing user information about a user on the client system, the user information comprising a plurality of attributes, each attribute comprising information relating to the user and a willingness level indicator, indicating a level of willingness of the user to reveal the information of that attribute;

receiving a user information request from the server, the user information request comprising a plurality of attribute requests, each attribute request comprising an indication of whether the attribute is required in order for the server to transmit information stored on the server to the client system;

comparing, at the client system, the received attribute requests with the stored attributes to determine whether each requested attribute is present on the client system;

determining, at the client system, for each requested attribute that is present on the client system, whether the attribute is to be transmitted to the server as a function of the willingness level indicator of the attribute and the indication of whether the attribute is required; and

transmitting to the server each attribute that has been determined is to be transmitted.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of transmitting user information from the client to the server comprises the steps of:

transmitting no user information to the server, if the user is unwilling to reveal at least one attribute required by the server;

requesting that the user enter an attribute, if at least one attribute required by the server is not included in the stored user information; and

transmitting the attributes that the user is willing to reveal, if the user is willing to reveal all attributes required by the server.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising the step of:

receiving information from the server based on the user information transmitted from the client system to the server.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the user information comprises demographic information.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the user information comprises security information.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the user information comprises financial information.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein the information transmitted from the server to the client comprises advertising.

8. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of transmitting user information from the client to the server comprises the steps of:

generating disguised user information; and

transmitting disguised user information from the client to the server based on a comparison between the requested user information and the disguised user information.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the disguised user information is generated based on the stored user information.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the disguised user information is a distorted representation of the stored user information.

11. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of transmitting user information from the client to the server comprises the steps of:

generating aggregate user information based on the stored user information; and

transmitting aggregate user information from the client to the server based on a comparison between the requested user information and the aggregate user information.

12. A client system coupled to a server, comprising:

a processor;

a memory storing user information about a user, the user information comprising a plurality of attributes, each attribute comprising information relating to the user and a willingness level indicator, indicating a level of willingness of the user to reveal the information of that attribute;

a first receiver receiving a user information request from the server the user information request comprising a plurality of attribute requests, each attribute request comprising an indication of whether the attribute is required in order for the server to transmit information to the client system;

a comparison device comparing the received attribute requests with the stored attributes to determine whether each requested attribute is present on the client system;

a determination device determining, for each requested attribute that is present on the client system, whether the attribute is to be transmitted to the server as a function of the willingness level indicator of the attribute and the indication of whether the attribute is required; and

a transmitter transmitting to the server each attribute that has been determined is to be transmitted.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the selection device:

selects no user information, if the stored user information includes at least one attribute having an indicator indicating that the user is unwilling to reveal the attribute and that attribute is required by the server;

requests that the user enter an attribute, if at least one attribute required by the server is not included in the stored user information; and

selects the attributes that the user is willing to reveal, if all attributes required by the server are included in the stored user information and have indicators indicating that the user is willing to reveal the attributes.

14. The system of claim 13, further comprising:

a second receiver receiving information from the server that is based on the user information transmitted from the client to the server.

15. The system of claim 13, further comprising:

a device generating aggregate user information based on the stored user information.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the stored user information comprises demographic information.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein the stored user information comprises security information.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein the stored user information comprises financial information.

19. The system of claim 13, wherein the information transmitted from the server to the client comprises advertising.

20. The system of claim 13, wherein the transmitter comprises:

a device generating disguised user information; and

a transmitter transmitting user information from the client to the server based on the comparison between the requested user information and the disguised user information.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the generating device generates disguised user information based on the stored user information.

22. The system of claim 20, wherein the disguised user information is a distorted representation of the stored user information.

23. The system of claim 15, wherein the comparison device compares the requested user information with the aggregate user information and the selection device selects aggregate user information based on a comparison between the requested user information and the aggregate user information.

24. A computer program storage device, comprising:

a computer readable medium embodying computer program instructions for a method of communications between a client system and a server, the client system comprising a processor, the program instructions executed by the processor, the method comprising the steps of;

storing user information about a user on the client system, the user information comprising a plurality of attributes, each attribute comprising information relating to the user and a willingness level indicator, indicating a level of willingness of the user to reveal the information of that attribute;

receiving a user information request from the server the user information request comprising a plurality of attribute requests, each attribute request comprising an indication of whether the attribute is required in order for the server to transmit information to the client system;

comparing, at the client system, the received attribute requests with the stored attributes to determine whether each requested attribute is present on the client system;

determining, at the client system, for each requested attribute that is present on the client system, whether the attribute is to be transmitted to the server as a function of the willingness level indicator of the attribute and the indication of whether the attribute is required; and

transmitting to the server each attribute that has been determined is to be transmitted.

25. The computer program storage device of claim 24, wherein the stored user information comprises at least one attribute which the user is willing to reveal, the requested user information comprises at least one attribute which is required by the server and the step of transmitting user information from the client to the server comprises the steps of:

transmitting no user information to the server, if the user is unwilling to reveal at least one attribute required by the server;

requesting that the user enter an attribute, if at least one attribute required by the server is not included in the stored user information;

transmitting the attributes that the user is willing to reveal, if the user is willing to reveal all attributes required by the server.

26. The computer program storage device of claim 25, wherein the method further comprises the step of:

receiving information from the server that is based on the user information transmitted from the client to the server.

27. The computer program storage device of claim 25, wherein the step of transmitting user information from the client to the server comprises the steps of:

generating disguised user information; and

transmitting user information from the client to the server based on the comparison between the requested user information and the disguised user information.

28. The computer program storage device of claim 25, wherein the user information comprises demographic information.

29. The computer program storage device of claim 25, wherein the user information comprises security information.

30. The computer program storage device of claim 25, wherein the user information comprises financial information.

31. The computer program storage device of claim 25, wherein the information transmitted from the server to the client comprises advertising.

32. The computer program storage device of claim 27, wherein the disguised user information is generated based on the stored user information.