Methods for matching, selecting, narrowcasting, and/or classifying based on rights management and/or other information

• US 7,092,914 B1
• Filed: 02/04/2000
• Issued: 08/15/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Intertrust Technologies Corporation (Fidelio Acquisition Co LLC)
• Original Assignee: Intertrust Technologies Corporation (Fidelio Acquisition Co LLC)
• Inventors: Weber, Robert P., Shear, Victor H., Van Wie, David M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dixon, Thomas A.
• Application Number:
  US09/498,369
• Time in Patent Office: 2,384 Days
• Field of Search: 705/67, 705/1, 705/50, 705/51, 705/52, 705/53, 705/54, 705/26
• US Class Current: 705/67
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/285 Clustering or classification
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3674 involving authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0257 User requested
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0271 Personalized advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 2001/085 Partner search devices

Abstract

Rights management information is used at least in part in a matching, narrowcasting, classifying and/or selecting process. A matching and classification utility system comprising a kind of Commerce Utility System is used to perform the matching, narrowcasting, classifying and/or selecting. The matching and classification utility system may match, narrowcast, classify and/or select people and/or things, non-limiting examples of which include software objects. The Matching and Classification Utility system may use any pre-existing classification schemes, including at least some rights management information and/or other qualitative and/or parameter data indicating and/or defining classes, classification systems, class hierarchies, category schemes, class assignments, category assignments, and/or class membership. The Matching and Classification Utility may also use at least some rights management information together with any artificial intelligence, expert system, statistical, computational, manual, or any other means to define new classes, class hierarchies, classification systems, category schemes, and/or assign persons, things, and/or groups of persons and/or things to at least one class.

Claims

1. A method including the following steps:

creating a secure container;

assigning a potential user or recipient to a class, the assignment being based at least in part on information regarding the potential user or recipient'"'"'s previous use of content;

associating a first rule with the secure container, the rule at least in part governing use of at least some contents of the secure container contents, the first rule at least in part specifying potential users or recipients of the secure container contents, the specifying being based at least in part on the class to which the potential users or recipients have been assigned;

sending the secure container to a first remote party;

the first remote party embedding a content object in the secure container;

sending the secure container, including the embedded content object, to the potential user or recipient;

evaluating a digital certificate associated with the potential user or recipient;

determining, based at least in part on the digital certificate, that the potential user or recipient has been assigned to the class; and

based on the determination, and at least in part under control of the first rule, making at least some of the secure container contents available to the potential user or recipient.

2. A method as in claim 1, in which the information regarding the potential user or recipient'"'"'s previous use of content comprises information regarding the type of rights management information associated with content items the potential user or recipient has previously used.

3. A method as in claim 1, in which the information regarding the potential user'"'"'s previous use of content comprises information regarding the type of content the potential user or recipient has previously used.

4. A method as in claim 1, in which the information regarding the potential user or recipient'"'"'s previous use of content is received from a second remote party, the second remote party having collected the information from the potential user or recipient.

5. A method as in claim 1, in which the steps are performed in the order recited.

6. A method including the following steps:

creating a secure container;

associating a first rule with the secure container, the first rule at least in part governing use of at least some of the secure container contents, the first rule at least in part specifying potential users or recipients of the secure container contents, the specifying being based at least in part on a first class to which the potential users or recipients have been assigned;

sending the secure container to a first remote party;

the first remote party embedding a first content object in the secure container;

receiving a request for a content object from a potential user or recipient, the request specifying a desired class of rights management information;

determining that the first content object has rights management information associated with it that belongs to the desired class;

sending the secure container, including the embedded first content object, to the potential user or recipient;

evaluating a digital certificate associated with the potential user or recipient;

determining, based at least in part on the digital certificate, that the potential user or recipient has been assigned to the first class; and

based on the determination, and at least in part under control of the first rule, making at least some of the secure container contents available to the potential user or recipient.

7. A method as in claim 6, further including:

the first remote party associating a second rule with the secure container, the second rule at least in part governing use of at least a portion of the secure container contents; and

the step of making at least some of the secure container contents available to the potential user occurring at least in part under control of the second rule.

8. A method as in claim 6, further including:

assigning the potential user to the first class, the assignment being based at least in part on the potential user'"'"'s use of content.

9. A method as in claim 8 in which the assignment of the potential user to the first class is based at least in part on demographic information.

10. A method as in claim 9, further including:

following the potential user'"'"'s access to the secure container contents, generating an audit trail describing an aspect of the access and providing the audit trail to a remote site.

11. The method of claim 6, in which the desired class of rights management information comprises rights management information specifying predefined limitations on redistribution of content.

12. The method of claim 6, in which the desired class of rights management information comprises rights management information specifying predefined limitations on modification of content.

13. The method of claim 6, in which the desired class of rights management information comprises rights management information specifying predefined limitations on the cost of acquiring content.

14. The method of claim 6, in which the desired class of rights management information comprises rights management information specifying predefined limitations on the reporting of information regarding usage of content.

15. The method of claim 6, in which the steps of evaluating a digital certificate associated with the potential user or recipient and determining, based at least in part on the digital certificate, that the potential user or recipient has been assigned to the first class, are performed before the step of sending the secure container, including the embedded first content object, to the potential user or recipient.