Multi-stage data filtering system employing multiple filtering criteria

• US 6,330,610 B1
• Filed: 12/04/1997
• Issued: 12/11/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 12/04/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Allset Incorporated, The Whitaker Corporation (Meggitt PLC), Sherwood Partners Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Sherwood Partners Incorporated
• Inventors: Hofmann, William D., Docter, Eric E., Hurley, Paul E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Rinehart, Mark H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Vaughn, Jr., William C.
• Application Number:
  US08/985,389
• Time in Patent Office: 1,468 Days
• Field of Search: 707/10, 707/2, 707/4, 364/137, 364/716.04, 364/724.011, 395/187.07, 395/200.59, 709/219, 709/249, 709/200, 709/229, 709/202, 713/200, 713/177, 713/201, 713/202, 713/154, 713/155, 713/150, 713/153, 713/161, 713/160, 713/162, 713/182, 705/55, 705/56
• US Class Current: 709/229
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/335 Filtering based on additional data, e.g. user or group profiles filtering in web context G06F16/9535, G06F16/9536

Abstract

A data filtering system is provided that filters data in multiple stages. The system provides a first filter criteria to a first device. The first device uses the first filter criteria to generate a first set of filtered data. The system receives the first set of filtered data from the first device and filters the received data based on a second filter criteria, which is different from the first filter criteria. The filtering of the first set of filtered data generates a second set of filtered data. The first filter criteria and the second filter criteria can be included in a profile data set. The profile data set may be associated with a particular data recipient. The first filter criteria contains public profile data and the second filter criteria contains private profile data. The profile data set may contain data elements associated with a particular class of data recipients or a particular data recipient role. The data filtering system can be implemented such that the first device is an untrusted filtering device and the second device is a trusted filtering device.

Claims

1. A method of filtering data, the method comprising:

providing from a trusted second device, a first filter criteria to an untrusted first device, the first filter criteria being non-private filter criteria and determined at least in part on trustworthiness of the untrusted first device, wherein the untrusted first device uses the first filter criteria to filter data received by the untrusted first device and generate a first set of filtered data;

the trusted second device receiving the first set of filtered data from the untrusted first device; and

filtering by the trusted second device the first set of filtered data based on a second filter criteria, the second filter criteria determined at least in part on trustworthiness of the trusted second device, wherein the filtering of the first set of filtered data generates a second set of filtered data, wherein the second filter criteria is different from the first filter criteria.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the first filter criteria and the second filter criteria contain different filter characteristics.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the first filter criteria and the second filter criteria are included in a profile data set.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the first filter criteria contains public profile data.

5. The method of claim 3 wherein the second filter criteria contains private profile data.

6. The method of claim 3 wherein the profile data set contains at least one data element associated with user-specific information.

7. The method of claim 3 wherein the profile data set contains at least one data element associated with a user class.

8. The method of claim 3 wherein the profile data set contains at least one data element associated with a user role.

36. The method of claim 1 further including determining the trustworthiness of the trusted device.

9. A method of filtering data, the method comprising the steps of:

filtering data in an untrusted first data filtering device based on a first filter criteria from a trusted second device, determined at least in part on trustworthiness of the first untrusted data filtering device so that private filter criteria is not provided to the untrusted first data filtering device, the filtering generating a first set of filtered data; and

providing at least a portion of the first set of filtered data to a trusted second data filtering device to filter the first set of filtered data based on a second filter criteria.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the step of filtering at least a portion of the first set of filtered data in the trusted second data device generates a second set of filtered data.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein the first filter criteria and the second filter criteria contain different filter characteristics.

12. The method of claim 9 wherein the first filter criteria and the second filter criteria are included in a profile data set.

13. The method of claim 12, in which the first data filtering device is untrusted such that the first filter criteria contains public profile data.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein the second filter criteria contains private profile data.

15. The method of claim 12 wherein the profile data set contains at least one data element associated with user-specific information.

16. The method of claim 12 wherein the profile data set contains at least one data element associated with a user role.

17. The method of claim 12 wherein the profile data set contains at least one data element associated with a user role.

18. A method of filtering data by an untrusted filtering device, the method comprising:

receiving a first filter criteria commensurate with the trustworthiness of the untrusted filtering device from a trusted data filtering device, the filtering criteria based at least in part according to trustworthiness of the untrusted filtering device and private filter criteria is not provided to the untrusted filtering device;

receiving incoming data from a data source;

filtering the incoming data using the first filter criteria to generate a first set of filtered data; and

providing the first set of filtered data to the trusted data filtering device,

wherein the trusted data filtering device uses a second filter criteria based at least in part on trustworthiness of the trusted data filtering device to filter the first set of filtered data.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the first filter criteria and the second filter criteria contain different filter characteristics.

20. The method of claim 18 wherein the first filter criteria and the second filter criteria are included in a profile data set.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein the second filter criteria contains private profile data.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein the method is performed by an untrusted filtering device.

23. A computer software product including a medium readable by a processor, the medium having stored thereon a sequence of instructions which, when executed by the processor of a trusted receiving device, cause the processor to:

provide to an untrusted first device from the trusted receiving device, a first filter criteria determined at least in part on trustworthiness of the untrusted first device, wherein the untrusted first device uses the first filter criteria to filter data received by the untrusted first device and generate a first set of filtered data;

the trusted receiving device receive the first set of filtered data from the untrusted first device; and

filter the first set of filtered data based on a second filter criteria to generate a second set of filtered data, the second filter criteria determined at least in part on trustworthiness of the trusted receiving device, wherein the second filter criteria is different from the first filter criteria, and wherein the filter criteria of the untrusted first device is non-private filter criteria.

24. The computer software product of claim 23 wherein the first filter criteria and the second filter criteria are included in a profile data set.

25. The computer software product of claim 24 wherein the first filter criteria contains public profile data.

26. The computer software product of claim 24 wherein the second filter criteria contains private profile data.

27. A computer software product including a medium readable by a processor of an untrusted receiving device, the medium having stored thereon a sequence of instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:

receive a first filter criteria determined at least in part on trustworthiness of the untrusted receiving device from a trusted data filtering device wherein the first filter criteria is non-private filter criteria;

receive incoming data from a data source;

filter the incoming data using the received first filter criteria to generate a first set of filtered data; and

provide the first set of filtered data to the data filtering device, wherein the data filtering device uses a second filter criteria determined at least in part on trustworthiness of the trusted data filtering device to filter the first set of filtered data.

28. The computer software product of claim 27 wherein the first filter criteria and the second filter criteria contain different filter characteristics.

29. The computer software product of claim 27 wherein the first filter criteria and the second filter criteria are included in a profile data set.

30. The computer software product of claim 29 wherein the first filter criteria contains public profile data.

31. The computer software product of claim 29 wherein the second filter criteria contains private profile data.

32. A trusted data filtering apparatus comprising:

a data communication mechanism configured to provide a non-private filter criteria to an untrusted filtering device, wherein the untrusted filtering device uses the non-private filter criteria to generate a first set of filtered data, and wherein the data communication mechanism is further configured to receive the first set of filtered data from the untrusted filtering device; and

a data filter configured to filter the first set of filtered data based on a private filter criteria, wherein the filtering of the first set of filtered data generates a second set of filtered data,

wherein filtering criteria is configured at least in part according to trustworthiness of the untrusted filtering device so that private filter criteria is not provided to untrustworthy filtering devices.

33. The data filtering apparatus of claim 32 wherein the first filter criteria and the second filter criteria are included in a profile data set.

34. An untrusted data filtering apparatus comprising:

a data receiving mechanism configured to receive a first filter criteria from a trusted device and configured to receive incoming data from a data source;

a data filter configured to filter the incoming data using the first filter criteria and generate a first set of filtered data, the first filter criteria determined at least in part on the trustworthiness of the untrusted data filtering apparatus so that the untrusted data filtering apparatus does not receive private filter criteria; and

a data transmitting mechanism configured to transmit the first set of filtered data to the trusted device, wherein the trusted device uses a second filter criteria commensurate with a trustworthiness of the trusted device to filter the first set of filtered data.

35. The data filtering apparatus of claim 34 wherein the first filter criteria and the second filter criteria are included in a profile data set.