Intermediate system transmitting relevant selections based on permutation function applied consumer/information signature vectors for privacy

• US 6,345,289 B1
• Filed: 04/28/1999
• Issued: 02/05/2002
• 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:
  US09/300,437
• Time in Patent Office: 1,014 Days
• Field of Search: 705/14, 705/26, 709/203, 709/217, 725/46
• 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 client/server communications in which stored user information controls revealed and delivered information. A client system is Communicatively coupled to a server through an intermediate system, which acts as a persona module. User information about a user on the client system is stored on the client system. Information about advertising information is stored on the server. The intermediate system receives information about user information from the client system and information about advertising information from the server. The intermediate system acts as a user'"'"'s agent to filter out irrelevant advertisement material. The intermediate system can also function to customize the advertisements received by the client system from the server, but not returning information about the user'"'"'s interest or preferences to the server. A user'"'"'s privacy may be further protected if the information returned to a server is at least partially untruthful.

Claims

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

receiving information based on user information from the client system, at the intermediate system;

receiving information based on advertising information from the server, at the intermediate system;

comparing the information based on user information with the information based on advertising information, at the intermediate system;

selecting relevant information by the intermediate system based upon the comparison; and

transmitting the relevant information from the intermediate system to the client system, wherein the step of transmitting information based on user information comprises the steps of;

generating a permutation function at the client system;

generating a first result of the permutation function applied to a user interest vector, at the client system; and

transmitting the first result to the intermediate system.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of transmitting information based on advertising information comprises the steps of:

receiving the permutation function from the client system at the server;

generating a second result of the permutation function applied to an advertising information signature vector relating to advertising information, at the server;

transmitting the second result and the advertising information to the intermediate system.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the comparing step comprises the step of:

generating a measure of the correlation of the first result and the second result.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the step of generating a measure of the correlation of the first result and the second result comprises the step of:

generating an inner product of the first result and the second result.

5. A system for facilitating communications between a coupled client system and a coupled server, comprising:

a first receiver receiving information based on user information from the client system;

a second receiver receiving information based on advertising information from the server;

a selection device selecting relevant information based on a comparison of the information based on user information with the information based on advertising information;

a transmitter transmitting the selected relevant information to the client system;

a third receiver receiving a first result of a permutation function applied to a user interest vector from the client system;

a fourth receiver receiving a second result of the permutation function applied to an advertising information signature vector relating to advertising information, from the server; and

a device for generating a measure of the correlation of the first result and the second result.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the device generating a measure of the correlation of the first result and the second result comprises:

a device generating an inner product of the first result and the second result.

7. In an intermediate system communicatively coupling a client system and a server, a communications method comprising the steps of:

receiving a permutated user interest vector from the client system, the permutated user information generated at the client system by generating a permutation function and applying the permutation function to a user interest vector;

receiving a permutated signature vector from the server, the permutated signature vector generated at the server by receiving the permutation function from the client system and applying the permutation function to a signature vector relating to advertising information;

generating an inner product of the permutated user interest vector and the permutated signature vector;

selecting relevant information by the intermediate system based upon the inner product; and

transmitting the relevant information to the client system based on the inner product.

8. An intermediate system communicatively coupling a client system and a server, comprising:

a first receiver operable to receive a permutated user interest vector from the client system, the permutated user information generated at the client system by generating a permutation function and applying the permutation function to a user interest vector;

a second receiver operable to receive a permutated signature vector from the server, the permutated signature vector generated at the server by receiving the permutation function from the client system and applying the permutation function to a signature vector relating to advertising information;

a device operable to generate an inner product of the permutated user interest vector and the permutated signature vector;

a selection device selecting relevant information based upon the inner product; and

a transmitting device operable to transmit the relevant information to the client system based on the inner product.