Transitive trust network

• US 7,895,068 B2
• Filed: 07/25/2006
• Issued: 02/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Accenture Global Services Limited (Accenture PLC)
• Original Assignee: Accenture Global Services Limited (Accenture PLC)
• Inventors: Mathur, Sanjay, Smith, Kyle William, LaSalle, Ryan Matthew, Bottenfield, Carie Anne
• Primary Examiner(s): BORISSOV, IGOR N
• Application Number:
  US11/459,751
• Publication Number:
  US 20060259320A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,673 Days
• Field of Search: 705/1, 705/7, 705/10, 705/11, 705/26, 705/80, 705/35, 705/400, 705/500, 705/8, 705/30, 705/300, 705/301
• US Class Current: 705/7.11
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063 Operations research, analysis or management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/101 Collaborative creation, e.g. joint development of products or services
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/018 Certifying business or products
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0201 Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0204 Market segmentation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2463/102 applying security measure for e-commerce
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0823 using certificates cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving certificates H04L9/3263
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/101 Access control lists [ACL]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/105 Multiple levels of security

Abstract

Methods, data structures, and systems by which entities can efficiently discover, extend, validate and establish business relationships over a digital network are disclosed. A transitive trust system can be utilized by any number of interconnected entities in which at least two of the entities are capable of sharing information. One or more entity trust lists contain, for at least two of the entities, at least one characteristic. Each characteristic can, for example, describe or pertain to the actual or perceived dependability, reliability and/or credibility of an entity. The system also includes at least one transactional trust list that contains at least one parameter relative to an exchange between at least two of the entities through at least one degree of separation between the entities. The transactional trust list can, for example, be a listing of any type of parameters that define or describe business exchanges within a particular industry segment. The transactional trust list can also list information about the types of transactional activities that can take place and proxy actions available to cooperating entities. The system retrieves information from the entity trust list and the transactional trust list in order to provide a framework for at least two of the entities to establish relationships with one another.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having computer-executable components that, when executed, are configured to cause a processor to perform a method comprising:

a) receiving an inquiry from a seeking entity at an inquiry receiving component, the inquiry specifying a predetermined degree of separation, the predetermined degree of separation being dependent on an activity trust level of a relationship the seeking entity is seeking to establish with a sought entity;

b) receiving a response, at a response receiving component, indicating an existing relationship between the sought entity and an intermediate entity, the response being indicative of a trust level of the sought entity by the intermediate entity regarding the existing relationship;

c) confirming, at a confirming component based on the response, that the relationship may be established;

d) determining, at a verification component, whether to share information between the seeking entity and the sought entity in accordance with rights management; and

e) in response to determining to share the information, causing the information to be shared between the seeking entity and the sought entity in accordance with rights management.

3. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the predetermined degree of separation varies based on the trust level of the existing relationship.

4. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the activity trust level quantifies a desired level of reliability for the sought entity performing an activity.

5. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the activity trust level is one of street level trust, associate level trust, competitive advantage level trust, and strategic level trust.

6. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the activity trust level is one of a plurality of trust levels selected by the seeking entity.

7. The computer-readable medium of claim 6, wherein the computer-executable components, when executed, are configured to cause the processor to identify a maximum number of degrees of separation for the predetermined degree of separation corresponding to the selected activity trust level.

2. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions that, when executed, are configured to cause a processor to perform a method comprising:

a) configuring a capability domain and activity trust level database for each of at least two entities, the database having a plurality of levels of trust and a plurality of entity roles, the capability domain and activity trust level database comprising a plurality of entries, each entry being indexed by an entity role and a level of trust, each said entry being indicative of a corresponding business process;

b) determining a predetermined degree of separation that a seeking entity and a sought entity are from one another, based on an activity trust level of a relationship the seeking entity is seeking to establish with the sought entity; and

c) creating at least one receiving component that obtains information from an entity trust list and a transactional trust list.

8. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions that, when executed, are configured to cause a processor to perform a method comprising:

a) configuring a capability domain and activity trust level database for each of at least two entities, the database having a plurality of levels of trust and a plurality of entity roles, the capability domain and activity trust level database comprising a plurality of entries, each entry being indexed by an entity role and a level of trust, each said entry being indicative of a corresponding business process; and

b) creating at least one receiving component that obtains information from an entity trust list and a transactional trust list, wherein a seeking entity and a sought entity of the at least two entities are within a predetermined degree of separation from one another, and wherein the predetermined degree of separation is dependent on an activity trust level of a relationship the seeking entity is seeking to establish with the sought entity.

9. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein each respective level of trust in the plurality of levels of trust defines a respective degree of trust between one entity and another entity.

10. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein each respective role in the plurality of roles defines a respective function that one entity fulfills to another entity.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein a respective business process of a plurality of business processes is associated with each combination of a respective role of the plurality of roles and a respective trust level of the plurality of trust levels.

12. A method, in a computer system, of establishing a new business relationship between a seeking entity and a sought entity over a network, the method comprising:

a) determining, by a first computer, an activity trust level of the new business relationship the seeking entity is seeking to establish with the sought entity;

b) determining, by the first computer, a predetermined degree of separation based on the activity trust level;

c) sending, by the first computer, an inquiry to determine if an intermediate entity has an existing relationship with the sought entity, the intermediate entity being within the predetermined degree of separation;

d) receiving, by the first computer, a response from the intermediate entity;

e) determining, by the first computer, that the response indicates an existing relationship between the sought entity and the intermediate entity, a trust level of the sought entity by the intermediate entity, and a corresponding valuation criterion, the trust level being dependent on the corresponding valuation criterion; and

f) causing, by the first computer, the new business relationship with the sought entity to be established based on the first computer determining that the response indicates the existing relationship between the sought entity and the intermediate entity.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising specifying an acceptable degree of separation and determining whether the existing relationship exists within the specified degree of separation.

14. A method, in a computer system, for a seeking entity to establish a relationship with an unknown company, the method comprising:

a) determining, by a first computer, an activity trust level of the relationship the seeking entity is seeking to establish with the unknown company;

b) determining, by the first computer, a predetermined degree of separation based on the activity trust level;

c) communicating a query, by the first computer, to a trusted company to determine an existence of a relationship between the trusted company and the unknown company, the trusted company and the unknown company being within the predetermined degree of separation;

d) receiving, by the first computer, a confirmation of a relationship between the trusted company;

e) determining, by the first computer, that the confirmation is indicative of a trust level of the unknown company by one of the trusted company and a corresponding at least one valuation criterion, the trust level of the unknown company being dependent on the corresponding at least one valuation criterion; and

f) causing, by the first computer, the relationship with the unknown company to be established in response to the first computer determining that the confirmation is indicative of the trust level of the unknown company by one of the trusted company and the corresponding at least one valuation criterion.

15. A method, in a computer system, of establishing relationships between at least two entities, the method comprising:

a) receiving, by an associated computer, at a second entity a contact identifying a first entity;

b) checking, by the associated computer, a list of trusted entities to determine that the first entity is not a trusted entity;

c) in response to the checking, determining, by the associated computer that the first entity is not a trusted entity;

d) in response to determining that the first entity is not a trusted entity and where a proxy parameter is indicative that trusted entities are permitted to forward requests to other trusted entities, querying another computer and specifying, by the associated computer, a predetermined degree of separation, the predetermined degree of separation being dependent on an activity trust level of a relationship the first entity is seeking to establish with the second entity;

e) determining, by the associated computer, that the first entity is known by at least one respective entity of the trusted entities, the relationship being based on information from one of the trusted entities, the information being indicative of a trust level about the first entity; and

f) causing, by the associated computer, the relationship between the first and second entities to be established when the associated computer determines that the first entity is known by at least one respective entity of the trusted entities.

16. The method according to claim 15, the method further comprising:

g) providing a capability domain and activity trust level database for each of entities, the database having a plurality of levels of trust and a plurality of entity roles.

17. The method according to claim 16, further comprising:

h) supporting each respective role in the plurality of roles to correspond to a respective function that one entity fulfills to another entity.

18. The method according to claim 16, further comprising:

h) supporting each respective level of trust in the plurality of levels of trust to correspond to a respective degree of trust between one entity and another entity.

19. The method according to claim 16, further comprising:

h) supporting a respective business process of a plurality of business processes that is associated with each combination of a respective role of the plurality of roles and a respective trust level of the plurality of trust levels.

20. The method according to claim 15, the method further comprising:

g) providing a capability domain and activity trust level matrix for each of entities, the matrix having a plurality of levels of trust and a plurality of entity roles.

21. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

g) associating each of the trusted entities with an associated trust level that is more trusted than a predetermined minimum trust level; and

h) establishing the predetermined minimum trust level by an associated proxy parameter.

22. A method in a transitive trust network for providing a framework for at least two entities to establish relationships between one another, the transitive trust network including at least one computer, the method comprising:

a) receiving, by an associated computer, at a second entity a contact identifying a first entity;

b) checking a list of trusted entities, associated with the second entity, by the associated computer;

c) in response to the checking, determining, by the associated computer, that the first entity is not a trusted entity;

d) in response to determining that the first entity is not a trusted entity and where a proxy parameter is indicative that trusted entities are permitted to forward requests to other trusted entities, by the second entity at least a third entity of the trusted entities associated with the second entity, querying another computer and specifying, by the associated computer, a predetermined degree of separation, the predetermined degree of separation being dependent on an activity trust level of a relationship the first entity is seeking to establish with the second entity;

e) checking a list of trusted entities, associated with the third entity, by the third entity to determine if the first entity is a trusted entity;

f) continuing querying and checking, if the first entity is not a trusted entity, until the associated computer determines that a maximum separation of the predetermined degree of separation is reached or until the associated computer determines that the first entity is known to a respective trusted entity; and

g) causing, by the associated computer, the relationship between the first and second entities to be established when the associated computer determines that the first entity is known by at least one respective entity of the trusted entities, the relationship being based on information from one of the least one respective entity, the information being indicative of a level of trust about the first entity.

23. The method according to claim 22, the method further comprising:

h) providing a capability domain and activity trust level database for each of the entities, the database having a plurality of levels of trust and a plurality of entity roles.

24. The method according to claim 23, further comprising:

i) supporting each respective role in the plurality of roles to correspond to a respective function that one entity fulfills to another entity.

25. The method according to claim 23, further comprising:

j) supporting each respective level of trust in the plurality of levels of trust to correspond to a respective degree of trust between one entity and another entity.

26. The method according to claim 23, further comprising:

k) supporting a respective business process of a plurality of business processes that is associated with each combination of a respective role of the plurality of roles and a respective trust level of the plurality of trust levels.

27. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

h) associating the third entity with an associated trust level that is more trusted than a predetermined minimum trust level; and

i) establishing the predetermined minimum trust level by an associated proxy parameter.

28. A method in a transitive trust network for providing a framework for companies to establish relationships between one another, the transitive trust network including at least one computer, the method comprising:

a) contacting, by a first computer and with a second computer, a first company by a second company regarding a potential relationship;

b) checking, by the first computer, a trusted user list thereof and determining if the second company is known to the first company;

c) in response to the checking, determining, by the first computer, that the second company is unknown to the first company;

d) querying, by the first company when the second company is unknown, companies that are trusted users thereof to determine who is available for peer requests;

e) notifying, by a third company, the first company that the third company is an active peer;

f) verifying, by the third company, a rights management model that exists between the third company and the first company;

g) querying, by the first computer, the third company to determine whether the second company is known to the third company, the query specifying a maximum of a predetermined number of degrees of separation, the predetermined degrees of separation being dependent on an activity trust level of a relationship the second company is seeking to establish with the first company, and determining, by the first computer, that the second company is unknown to the third company based on a response to the query;

h) querying, by the third company when the second company is determined to be unknown, companies that are trusted users thereof to determine who is available for peer requests;

i) forwarding, by the third company, based on a respective list of peers thereof and a trust agreement between the first company and the third company, a knowledge inquiry query to further companies on behalf of the first company, verifying rights management models between all peers;

j) verifying by the further companies the rights management model and determining if any of the further companies know the second company;

k) querying, by a respective company of the further companies when the respective company knows the second company, the second company to determine if the second company is active for peer requests;

l) responding by the respective company to the third company with an affirmative on knowing the second company, in response to the knowledge inquiry query;

m) notifying, by the third company, the first company that the third company knows the second company through the predetermined number of degrees of separation, and passing transitive trust rights to the first company;

n) establishing, by the first company, contact with the respective company through the transitive trust rights passed by the third company;

o) querying, by the first company, the respective company for an opinion on the second company, the respective company providing feedback based on rights rules;

p) determining, by the first computer, from the feedback on the second company provided by the respective company, that the respective company has a relationship that includes a degree of trust with the second company; and

q) causing, by the first computer, the relationship between the first company and the second company to be established based on the first computer determining that the respective company has a relationship with the second company.

29. A non-transitory computer-readable medium for use in a transitive trust network for providing a framework for at least two entities to establish relationships between one another, the computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause a computer to perform a method comprising:

a) receiving at a second entity a contact identifying a first entity;

b) checking a list of trusted entities by the second entity to determine that the first entity is not a trusted entity;

c) querying, when the first entity is determined to not be a trusted entity and when a proxy parameter is indicative that trusted entities are permitted to forward requests to other trusted entities, the trusted entities and specifying a predetermined degree of separation, the predetermined degree of separation being dependent on an activity trust level of a relationship the first entity is seeking to establish with the second entity;

d) receiving information from one of the at least one respective entity, the information being indicative of a level of trust about the first entity; and

e) establishing the relationship between the first and second entities when the first entity is known by at least one respective entity of the trusted entities, the relationship being based on the received information.

30. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having computer executable instructions stored thereon that, when executed, cause a processor to perform a method comprising:

a) generating a capability domain, by the processor, having a plurality of entity roles within a predetermined degree of separation, the predetermined degree of separation being dependent on an activity trust level of a relationship a first entity is seeking to establish with the second entity;

b) generating an activity trust domain, by the processor, having a plurality of levels of trust; and

c) generating a respective business process of a plurality of business processes being associated with one or more combinations of a respective role of the plurality of roles and a respective trust level of the plurality of trust levels, wherein the data structure is indexed by the capability domain and the activity trust domain to obtain a corresponding business process.

31. The computer-readable medium having stored thereon a data structure according to claim 30, wherein each respective role in the plurality of roles defines a respective function that one entity fulfills to another entity.

32. The computer-readable medium having stored thereon a data structure according to claim 30, wherein each respective level of trust in the plurality of levels of trust defines a respective degree of trust between one entity and another entity.