Provisions for validating content using a content registration authority

• US 7,716,243 B2
• Filed: 02/25/2005
• Issued: 05/11/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Saretto, Cesare J., von Koch, Walter V., Schwartz, Eyal, Hurst, Ryan M., Czeisler, Adam C., Fortini, Christian, Badh, Ranjib S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pardo; Thuy N
• Application Number:
  US11/065,983
• Publication Number:
  US 20060195914A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,901 Days
• Field of Search: 707/3, 707/9, 707/10, 707/694, 707/783, 707/784, 707/785, 705/38, 705/53, 705/59, 705/51, 726/23, 726/5, 713/201, 713/165, 713/202, 380/233, 380/286, 709/217, 709/224
• US Class Current: 707/783
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/645 using a third party
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange

Abstract

Strategies are described for validating content transferred over a communication channel using a more effective approach than heretofore provided in the art. A content registration authority is provided which registers the content disseminated by one or more content providers to one or more client devices. A client device which receives content that has been registered can securely consume the content, based on an assumption that a content provider which furnishes the content is entrusted by the content registration authority to provide the content, and without prompting a user of the client device to expressly approve the content provider. In a first solution, the content registration authority registers the content by issuing a certification stamp; in a second solution, the content registration authority registers the content by storing registration information in a central repository. The content may contain instructions which perform operations in the context of an instant messenger application.

Claims

1. A method for registering at a content registration authority content published by a content publisher trusted by the content registration authority, the method comprising:

accessing a content identifier representing the content;

determining whether the content is from a content publisher trusted by the content registration authority;

registering that the content is trustworthy content at the content registration authority by storing the content identifier in a registration data store associated with the content registration authority; and

receiving a query from a client device and confirming that the registration data store includes a client identifier corresponding to the content identifier of the content, such that the client device can automatically consume the trustworthy content in a secure fashion without prompting a user of the client device to explicitly approve of the trustworthy content or the content publisher.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the content includes instructions that prompt a processor device to perform at least one operation.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the content identifier comprises a hash of the content.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the client device receives the content directly from the content publisher.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the client device receives the content from another client device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the accessing comprises forming a hash of the content at the content registration authority.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising a preliminary operation of transferring a host program, associated with the content registration authority, to the client device, wherein the content comprises information that is used in conjunction with the host program.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the host program comprises at least one of:

an application for conducting IM communication;

an application for creating, manipulating, and/or rendering a document;

an application for creating, manipulating, or rendering script-based content.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the content registration authority transfers the host program to the client device free of charge, and a fee is charged for providing the content or enabling the creation of the content that is used in conjunction with the host program.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

removing the content identifier from the registration data store when the content is found to no longer be trustworthy content.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the registering occurs before the content publisher transfers the content to the client device.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the registering occurs via a secure communication route after the content publisher associated with the trustworthy content transfers the content to the client device.

13. A content registration authority comprising logic configured to implement the method of claim 1.

14. A method for registering content at a content registration authority, the content being published by a content publisher trusted by the content registration authority, the method comprising:

accessing a content identifier representing the content;

based upon the content identifier, determining whether the content is from a content publisher trusted by the content registration authority;

in response to determining that the content is from content publisher trusted by the content registration authority, ensuring that the content is trustworthy;

in response to the ensuring, registering that the content is trustworthy at the content registration authority by storing the content identifier in a registration data store associated with the content registration authority, wherein the trustworthy content is configured for use in an instant messaging application; and

receiving a query from a client device and confirming that the registration data store includes a client identifier corresponding to the content identifier of the content, such that the client device can automatically consume the trustworthy content in a secure fashion without prompting a user of the client device to explicitly approve of the trustworthy content or the content publisher.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the content identifier comprises a hash of the content.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the client device receives the content from another client device.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the accessing comprises forming a hash of the content at the content registration authority.

18. The method of claim 14, further comprising removing the content identifier from the registration data store when the content is found to no longer be trustworthy content.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein the registering occurs before the content publisher transfers the content to the client device.

20. One or more computer-readable media having computer-readable instructions thereon which, when executed by one or more computers, direct the one or more computers to perform a method for registering content at a content registration authority, the content being published by a content publisher trusted by the content registration authority, the method comprising:

accessing a content identifier representing the content;

based upon the content identifier, determining whether the content is from a content publisher trusted by the content registration authority;

in response to determining that the content is from content publisher trusted by the content registration authority, confirming that the content is trustworthy;

in response to the confirming, registering that the content is trustworthy at the content registration authority by storing the content identifier in a registration data store associated with the content registration authority, wherein the content is configured for use in an instant messaging application; and

receiving a query from a client device and confirming that the registration data store includes a client identifier corresponding to the content identifier of the content, such that the client device can automatically consume the trustworthy content in a secure fashion without prompting a user of the client device to explicitly approve of the trustworthy content or the content publisher.