Managing and sharing identities on a network

• US 7,614,081 B2
• Filed: 04/04/2003
• Issued: 11/03/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: McKay, Philip, Wibisono, Himgan, Hoch, Michael, Gauba, Ravi, Lea, Rodger, Harwayne, Michael S., Liu, Jeff, Wang, Sidney, Tambata, Ippei, Coppinger, Elizabeth, Prohel, Andrew M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Truong; Thanhnga B
• Application Number:
  US10/407,675
• Publication Number:
  US 20040002920A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,405 Days
• Field of Search: 705/1, 705/76, 726/2, 726/5, 726/3, 726/18, 707/4, 707/10, 707/6, 709/203, 709/229, 709/213, 709/201, 709/219, 709/206, 709/214, 709223-226, 380/277, 380/273, 713/193, 713/171, 713/219
• US Class Current: 726/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/234 for tracking messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/104 Peer-to-peer [P2P] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1082 involving incentive schemes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34

Abstract

A digital content file having user history information is received at a first device. The user history information includes an alias name of a previous user of the digital content file. A user may review the user history information of the digital content file for information of the previous user of the digital content.

Claims

1. A computerized method, comprising:

sending, by a data processing system, a request for digital content;

receiving a digital content file with initial user history information attached to the digital content file, the initial user history information identifying a source of the digital content file;

generating subsequent user history information comprising an alias name of an initial user, an encrypted version of a true identity of the initial user, and the initial user history information;

sending the digital content file with the subsequent history information attached to the digital content file to a subsequent device; and

receiving a reward based on sending the digital content file to the subsequent device, wherein the reward is received in response to the subsequent device sending a notification to the source of the digital content file, the notification indicating that the subsequent device received the digital content file from the initial device.

2. The computerized method of claim 1, further comprising:

sending, by the data processing system, a registration request comprising the alias name of the initial user and the true identity of the initial user before sending the request for digital content.

3. The computerized method of claim 1, wherein the reward enables the initial user to purchase other digital content at a discount.

4. The computerized method of claim 1, wherein the notification includes the alias name of the initial user.

5. The computerized method of claim 4, wherein the notification also includes the encrypted version of the true identity of the initial user.

6. A computerized method comprising:

receiving, by a computer from an initial device, a request for digital content, the initial device corresponding to a true identity of an initial user and an alias name of the initial user;

attaching initial user history information to a digital content file, the initial user history information identifying a source of the digital content;

sending the digital content file to the initial device with the attached initial user history information;

receiving a notification from a subsequent device, the notification indicating that the subsequent device has acquired the digital content file with subsequent user history information attached to the digital content file,

wherein the subsequent user history information includes

the alias name of the first user,

an encrypted version of the true identity of the first user, and

the initial user history information identifying the digital content provider and used by the subsequent device to provide the notification; and

forwarding, in response to the notification, a reward to the initial user based on the acquisition of the digital content file by the subsequent device from the initial device.

7. The computerized method of claim 6, wherein the initial user history information and the subsequent user history information attached to the digital content file are metadata.

8. The computerized method of claim 6, wherein the subsequent user history information includes a user quality rating to rate a quality of the digital content file, the user quality rating being associated with the alias name.

9. The computerized method of claim 6, wherein the subsequent user history information includes a user comment to comment on a quality of the digital content file, the user comment being associated with the alias name.

10. A machine-readable storage medium storing executable instructions to cause a device to perform a method comprising:

sending, by a data processing system, a request for digital content;

receiving a digital content file with initial user history information attached to the digital content file, the initial user history information identifying a source of the digital content file;

generating subsequent user history information comprising an alias name of an initial user, an encrypted version of a true identity of the initial user, and the initial user history information;

sending the digital content file with the subsequent history information attached to the digital content file to a subsequent device; and

receiving a reward based on sending the digital content file to the subsequent device, wherein the reward is received in response to the subsequent device sending a notification to the source of the digital content file, the notification indicating that the subsequent device received the digital content file from the initial device.

11. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 10, further comprising:

sending, by the data processing system, a registration request comprising the alias name of the initial user and the true identity of the initial user before sending the request for digital content.

12. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the reward enables the initial user to purchase other digital content at a discount.

13. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the notification includes the alias name of the initial user.

14. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the notification also includes the encrypted version of the true identity of the initial user.

15. A machine-readable storage medium storing executable instructions to cause a processor to perform a method comprising:

receiving, from an initial device, a request for digital content, the initial device corresponding to a true identity of an initial user and an alias name of the initial user;

attaching initial user history information to a digital content file, the initial user history information identifying a source of the digital content;

sending the digital content file to the initial device with the attached initial user history information;

receiving a notification from a subsequent device, the notification indicating that the subsequent device has acquired the digital content file with subsequent user history information attached to the digital content file,

wherein the subsequent user history information includes

the alias name of the first user,

an encrypted version of the true identity of the first user, and

the initial user history information identifying the digital content provider and used by the subsequent device to provide the notification; and

forwarding, in response to the notification, a reward to the initial user based on the acquisition of the digital content file by the subsequent device from the initial device.

16. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the initial user history information and the subsequent user history information attached to the digital content file are metadata.

17. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the subsequent user history information includes a user quality rating to rate a quality of the digital content file, the user quality rating being associated with the alias name.

18. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the subsequent user history information includes a user comment to comment on a quality of the digital content file, the user comment being associated with the alias name.

19. A device comprising:

a processor coupled to a memory through a bus; and

a process executed by the processor from the memory to cause the processor to send a request for digital content, to receive a digital content file having with initial user history information attached to the digital content file, the initial user history information identifying a source of the digital content file, to generate subsequent user history information comprising an alias name of an initial user, an encrypted version of a true identity of the initial user, and the initial user history information;

to send the digital content file with the subsequent history information attached to the digital content file to a subsequent device; and

to receive a reward based on sending the digital content file to the subsequent device, wherein the reward is received in response to the subsequent device sending a notification to the source of the digital content file, the notification indicating that the subsequent device received the digital content file from the initial device.

20. The device of claim 19, wherein the process further causes the processor to send a registration request comprising the alias name of the initial user and the true identity of the initial user before sending the request for digital content.

21. The device of claim 19, wherein the reward enables the initial user to purchase other digital content at a discount.

22. The device of claim 19, wherein the notification includes the alias name of the initial user.

23. The device of claim 22, wherein the notification also includes the encrypted version of the true identity of the initial user.

24. A data processing system comprising:

a processor coupled to a memory through a bus; and

a process executed by the processor from the memory to cause the processor

to receive, from an initial device, a request for digital content, the initial device corresponding to a true identity of an initial user and an alias name of the initial user,

to attach initial user history information to a digital content file, the initial user history information identifying a source of the digital content

to send the digital content file to the initial device with the attached initial user history information;

to receive a notification from a subsequent device, the notification indicating that the subsequent device has acquired the digital content file with subsequent user history information attached to the digital content file,

wherein the subsequent user history information includes

the alias name of the first user,

an encrypted version of the true identity of the first user, and

the initial user history information identifying the digital content provider and used by the subsequent device to provide the notification; and

to forward, in response to the notification, a reward to the initial user based on the acquisition of the digital content file by the subsequent device from the initial device.

25. The device of claim 24, wherein the initial user history information and the subsequent user history information attached to the digital content file are metadata.

26. The device of claim 24, wherein the process further causes the processor, when the subsequent user history information includes a user quality rating, to rate a quality of the digital content file, the user quality rating being associated with the alias name.

27. The device of claim 24, wherein the process further causes the processor, when the subsequent user history information includes a user comment, to comment on a quality of the digital content file, the user comment being associated with the alias name.

28. An apparatus comprising:

a means for sending, by a hardware device, a request for digital content;

a means for receiving a digital content file with initial user history information attached to the digital content file, the initial user history information identifying a source of the digital content file;

means for generating subsequent user history information comprising an alias name of an initial user, an encrypted version of a true identity of the initial user, and the initial user history information;

means for sending the digital content file with the subsequent history information attached to the digital content file to a subsequent device; and

means for receiving a reward based on sending the digital content file to the subsequent device, wherein the reward is received in response to the subsequent device sending a notification to the source of the digital content file, the notification indicating that the subsequent device received the digital content file from the initial device.

29. The apparatus of claim 28, further comprising:

a means for sending, by the data processing system, a registration request comprising the alias name of the initial user and the true identity of the initial user before sending the request for digital content.

30. The apparatus of claim 28, further comprising:

a means for accessing the digital content file.

31. An apparatus comprising:

a means for receiving, by a computer from an initial device, a request for digital content, the initial device corresponding to a true identity of an initial user and an alias name of the initial user;

a means for attaching initial user history information to a digital content file, the initial user history information identifying a source of the digital content;

a means for sending the digital content file to the initial device with the attached initial user history information;

a means for receiving a notification from a subsequent device, the notification indicating that the subsequent device has acquired the digital content file with subsequent user history information attached to the digital content file,

wherein the subsequent user history information includes

the alias name of the first user,

an encrypted version of the true identity of the first user, and

the initial user history information identifying the digital content provider and used by the subsequent device to provide the notification; and

a means for forwarding, in response to the notification, a reward to the initial user based on the acquisition of the digital content file by the subsequent device from the initial device.

32. The apparatus of claim 31, wherein the initial user history information and the subsequent user history information attached to the digital content file are metadata.

33. The apparatus of claim 31, wherein the subsequent user history information to include an email address.