Indicating website reputations during an electronic commerce transaction

• US 7,765,481 B2
• Filed: 01/26/2006
• Issued: 07/27/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/03/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: McAfee, LLC
• Original Assignee: McAfee, Inc. (McAfee, LLC)
• Inventors: Pinckney, Thomas, Dixon, Christopher John
• Primary Examiner(s): BAUTISTA, XIOMARA L
• Application Number:
  US11/342,318
• Publication Number:
  US 20060253579A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,643 Days
• Field of Search: 715/700, 715/733, 715/738, 715/764, 715/765, 715/835, 715/846, 705/26, 705/35, 705/44, 707/9, 707/10, 709/201, 709/203, 709/217, 709/219
• US Class Current: 715/738
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0633 Lists, e.g. purchase orders, compilation or processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes

Abstract

An aspect of the present invention relates to the methods and systems involved in receiving an indicator of an attempt by a user to execute an electronic commerce transaction and, upon receiving the indicator of the attempted transaction, presenting indicia of the reputation of another entity involved in the electronic commerce transaction.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving an indicator of an attempt by a user to execute an electronic commerce transaction, the transaction attempt including presenting the user with an opportunity to enter information into at least one entry field of a website; and

upon receiving the indicator of the attempted transaction, automatically presenting indicia of a reputation of another entity involved in the electronic commerce transaction;

wherein a reputation service host stores the indicia of the reputation of the other entity, the reputation service host in communication with a client device of the user via a network;

wherein the indicia of the reputation of the other entity is collected by the reputation service host prior to the attempted transaction;

wherein a request for the indicia of the reputation of the other entity is received by a client application;

wherein the transaction attempt includes presenting the user with the opportunity to enter the information into the at least one entry field of the website and the user entering the information into the at least one entry field of the website, and the transaction attempt occurs before the entered information is transmitted to a provider of the website.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic commerce transaction involves a purchase of a good.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the good is a screen saver.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the good is a web content.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the good is a downloaded content.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic commerce transaction involves a purchase of a service.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the request for the indicia of the reputation of the other entity is received by a server application.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the indicia is received by a browser application.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising presenting the indicia in the browser application.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the indicia is presented in association with a toolbar.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the reputation of the other entity is determined based on an affiliation between the other entity and a third entity.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the reputation of the other entity is a trustworthy reputation if the third entity is predetermined to be trustworthy, and the reputation of the other entity is an untrustworthy reputation if the third entity is predetermined to be untrustworthy.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the affiliation is realized through a hyperlink from the third entity to the other entity.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the reputation of the other entity includes expected behavior of the other entity.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the information includes at least one of a query, personal information, email address information, credit card information, and a password.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the information includes a query, personal information, email address information, credit card information, and a password.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the indicia of the reputation of the other entity is automatically presented on condition of a review of the information for which the opportunity to enter the information into the at least one entry field of the website is presented.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the reputation of the other entity is collected by automated testing, the automated testing including at least one of downloading programs associated with the other entity in an automated manner to check for adware, registering at the website to see if the registration results in spam, and running content of the website to test dynamic properties of the content.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the user entering the information into the at least one entry field of the website initiates the receipt of the indicator of the attempt by the user to execute the electronic commerce transaction.

20. A system, comprising:

a receiving facility adapted to receive an indicator of an attempt by a user to execute an electronic commerce transaction, the transaction attempt including presenting the user with an opportunity to enter information into at least one entry field of a website; and

a presentation facility adapted to automatically present indicia of a reputation of another entity involved in the electronic commerce transaction following the receipt of the indicator of the attempt;

wherein a reputation service host stores the indicia of the reputation of the other entity, the reputation service host in communication with a client device of the user via a network;

wherein the indicia of the reputation of the other entity is collected by the reputation service host prior to the attempt;

wherein a request for the indicia of the reputation of the other entity is received by a client application;

wherein the system is operable such that the transaction attempt includes presenting the user with the opportunity to enter the information into the at least one entry field of the website and the user entering the information into the at least one entry field of the website, and the transaction attempt occurs before the entered information is transmitted to a provider of the website.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the electronic commerce transaction involves a purchase of a good.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the good is a screen saver.

23. The system of claim 21, wherein the good is a web content.

24. The system of claim 21, wherein the good is a downloaded content.

25. The system of claim 20, wherein the electronic commerce transaction involves a purchase of a service.

26. The system of claim 20, wherein the request for the indicia of the reputation of the other entity is received by a server application.

27. The system of claim 20, wherein the indicia is received by a browser application.