Generic transfer of exclusive rights

• US 6,161,121 A
• Filed: 07/01/1996
• Issued: 12/12/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 07/01/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Corbett, John D., Miller, Mark S., Tribble, E. Dean, Hibbert, Christopher T., Hill, Eric C., Hardy, Norman
• Primary Examiner(s): Cabeca, John W.
• Assistant Examiner(s): LAO, SUE X
• Application Number:
  US08/673,039
• Time in Patent Office: 1,625 Days
• Field of Search: 395/674, 395/186, 395/683, 395/684, 395/187.01, 395/200.55, 380/25, 380/4, 709/104, 709/315
• US Class Current: 718/104
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6218 to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2141 Access rights, e.g. capability lists, access control lists, access tables, access matrices

Abstract

A system and method are disclosed that enable exclusive rights in generic goods to be transferred from one party to another. A party holds an exclusive right to a good through a rescindable capability. When two parties agree on a transfer of the exclusive right to the good, a goods description memorializing the agreement is created which is in synergy with the rescindable capability. The goods description includes an acquire method that is the only method that can extract rights from the rescindable capability with which it is in synergy. The object from which the generic right is being transferred sends a message to the recipient with a reference to the rescindable capability. Upon receiving the message, the recipient invokes the acquire method of the referenced goods description, which returns a new rescindable capability that encompasses the generic right just transferred. Once the recipient holds a reference to the new rescindable capability, the sender has had its rights rescinded. Because details of a transfer are implemented between a rescindable capability and a goods description, rights to goods of any type can be transferred. This is useful in escrow transactions, where a trusted third party with no knowledge of goods being exchanged can effect exchanges of exclusive rights to generic goods by two mutually-suspicious parties.

Claims

1. A system that provides generic transfer of exclusive rights, comprising:

a rescindable right to part or all of a generic good represented as a first program object encapsulating said rescindable right;

a first party having rescindable possession of said rescindable right, holding a pointer to said first program object and not said rescindable right;

a third program object able to do legitimately to said rescindable right what no other entity can legitimately do, said third program object memorializing an agreement between first and second parties that said rescindable right is to be transferred from said first party to said second party;

a second program object being configured to encapsulate said rescindable right;

said third program object being configured to implement said agreement by transferring said rescindable right from said first program object to said second program object;

said second party exclusively holding said rescindable right indirectly through said second program object and said third program object ensuring that said first program object no longer encapsulates said rescindable right following said transfer.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein:

said first program object comprises an existing rescindable capability to said rescindable right;

said second program object comprises a new rescindable capability to said rescindable right;

said third program object comprises a goods description representing exclusive possession of said rescindable right, said goods description being in synergy with said existing rescindable capability;

said system further comprising;

an exclusive transfer message transmitted by said first party to said second party including a reference to said existing rescindable capability;

said second party being configured, following receipt of said transfer message, to invoke an acquirer provided by said goods description on said existing rescindable capability, said acquirer being configured to;

create said new rescindable capability associated with said second party; and

transfer said rescindable right from said existing rescindable capability to said new rescindable capability;

thereby granting said second party rescindable, exclusive possession of said rescindable right.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein:

said existing rescindable capability is to an amount N of said rescindable right;

said first and second parties being in agreement to transfer at most an amount M of said rescindable right;

said goods description representing exclusive possession of said amount M of said rescindable right, where M is not greater than N;

said acquirer being configured to transfer said amount M of said rescindable right to said new rescindable capability, leaving said existing rescindable capability with access to an amount N-M of said rescindable right.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein said existing and new rescindable capabilities, said first and second parties and said goods description are implemented as objects;

said goods description being associated with said rescindable right being transferred;

said synergy being provided by said acquirer being configured to verify upon its execution that said rescindable capability is to said rescindable right;

the existence of said synergy enabling said acquirer to have greater rights to said existing rescindable capability than other objects.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein said existing and said new rescindable capabilities, said goods description and said first and second parties are instances of Java classes and said goods description implements a Java goods description interface, said synergy being provided by a Java narrow operation executed within said acquirer that only returns a value when the object passed to said narrow operation has a type selected from the same or narrower type as the object type specified in said narrow operation, said specified object type being the type of said rescindable capability.

6. The system of claim 2, wherein said first and second parties are in agreement as to a first generic right to be transferred from said first party to said second party in exchange for a second generic right to be transferred from said second party to said first party;

further comprising;

a post message supported by said first and second parties;

a trusted third party that is configured to respond to said post message;

a first existing rescindable capability encapsulating said first generic right in possession of said first party;

a first trusted goods description representing exclusive possession of said first generic right, said first goods description being in synergy with said first existing rescindable capability;

a second existing rescindable capability encapsulating said second generic right in possession of said second party;

a second trusted goods description representing exclusive possession of said second generic right, said second goods description being in synergy with said second existing rescindable capability;

said first and second parties being configured to initiate said exchange by issuing respective post messages to said trusted third party, a first post message from said first party referencing said first existing rescindable capability and said second goods description and a second post message from said second party referencing said second existing rescindable capability and said first goods description;

said third party upon receiving said first and second post messages being configured to acquire using respective acquirers of said goods descriptions exclusive possession of said first and second generic rights and, when both rights have been acquired, transfer said exclusive possession of said first generic right to said second party and exclusive possession of said second generic right to said first party.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein said exclusive possession of said first and second generic rights comprises the holding of respective references to first and second new rescindable capabilities encompassing said first and second generic rights acquired by said respective acquirers;

further comprising;

an accept message supported by said parties that includes a reference to a rescindable capability;

said third party being configured to transfer said exclusive possession of said exclusive rights by issuing to said first party a first accept message including a reference to said first new rescindable capability and to said second party a second accept message including a reference to said second new rescindable capability, said third party being unable to retain any of said first and second generic rights following its issuance of said accept messages.

8. A method for providing generic transfer of exclusive rights, comprising the steps of:

representing a rescindable exclusive right to a generic good as a wrapper encapsulating said right;

granting only to a party in exclusive possession of said right access to said wrapper and not said right, no other parties having access to said wrapper;

transferring said right from a first party in exclusive possession of said right to a second party via a privileged entity able to do legitimately to said encapsulated right what no other entity can legitimately do;

said privileged entity carrying out said transferring by creating a new wrapper encapsulating said right and ensuring that neither the existing wrapper nor any other pre-existing wrapper any longer encapsulates said rights.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein:

said wrapper comprises an existing rescindable capability to said generic right;

said new wrapper comprises a new rescindable capability to said generic right;

said privileged entity comprises a goods description in synergy with said existing rescindable capability; and

said transferring step comprises;

transmitting to said second party a reference to said existing rescindable capability;

said second party receiving said reference and subsequently invoking an acquire method provided by said goods description on said existing rescindable capability;

said acquire method returning to said second party said new rescindable capability, which exclusively encapsulates said generic right.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein:

said existing rescindable capability is to an amount N of said generic right;

said first and second parties being in agreement to transfer at most an amount M of said generic right; and

said goods description representing exclusive possession of said amount M of said generic right, where M is not greater than N;

said acquire method transferring said amount M of said generic right to said new rescindable capability when invoked on said existing rescindable capability, leaving said existing rescindable capability with access to an amount N-M of said generic right.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein said acquire method implements said synergy by verifying upon its execution that said rescindable capability is to said generic right being transferred;

the existence of said synergy enabling said acquirer to have greater rights to said rescindable capability than other objects.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein said existing and new rescindable capabilities, said goods description and said first and second parties are instances of Java classes and said goods description implements a Java goods description interface, said synergy being provided by a Java narrow operation executed by said acquire method that only returns a value when an object passed to said narrow operation has a type selected from the same or narrower type as a narrowing type specified in said narrow operation, said specified narrowing type being the type of said rescindable capability.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein said first and second parties are in agreement as to a first generic right to be transferred from said first party to said second party in exchange for a second generic right to be transferred from said second party to said first party;

further comprising the steps of;

representing with a first existing rescindable capability said first generic right in possession of said first party;

representing with a first trusted goods description exclusive possession of said first right, said first goods description being in synergy with said first existing rescindable capability;

representing with a second existing rescindable capability to said second generic right in possession of said second party;

representing with a second trusted goods description exclusive possession of said second right, said second goods description being in synergy with said second existing rescindable capability;

said first and second parties initiating said exchange by issuing respective post messages to a trusted third party, a first post message from said first party referencing said first existing rescindable capability and said second goods description and a second post message from said second party referencing said second existing rescindable capability and said first goods description;

said third party upon receiving said first and second post messages acquiring using respective acquire methods of said goods descriptions exclusive possession of said first and second generic rights and, when both rights have been acquired, transferring said exclusive possession of said first right to said second party and exclusive possession of said second right to said first party.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising the steps of:

representing said exclusive possession of said first and second generic rights through the holding of respective references to first and second new capabilities encompassing said first and second generic rights acquired by said respective acquire methods;

said third party transferring said exclusive possession of said exclusive rights by issuing to said first party a first accept message including a reference to said first new capability and to said second party a second accept message including a reference to said second new capability, said third party being unable to retain any of said first and second generic rights following its issuance of said accept messages.