Service providing method

• US 8,090,854 B2
• Filed: 08/12/2010
• Issued: 01/03/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/01/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Saito, Takeshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Dinh, Khanh
• Assistant Examiner(s): Daftuar, Saket K
• Application Number:
  US12/855,329
• Publication Number:
  US 20100306395A1
• Time in Patent Office: 509 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709217-219, 709223-229, 707/3, 707/10, 707/100, 713200-202, 713/150, 713/155, 713/156, 713/175, 713/180, 713/182, 713/184, 713/186, 726 3- 4, 726/8, 726/14, 726 27- 30, 705/44, 705 51- 54, 705/56, 705/59, 395/200.68, 395/200.53, 395/200.47
• US Class Current: 709/229
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/31 User authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2117 User registration
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40 Authorisation, e.g. identification of payer or payee, verification of customer or shop credentials; Review and approval of payers, e.g. check credit lines or negative lists
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/083 using passwords cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using a predetermined code H04L9/3226
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching

Abstract

The frequency of reading, by users, Web sites managed by Web masters is increased. A server computer of a service provider providing a variety of services can be accessed from one of the Web sites of registered Webmasters. The server computer registers a client who has accessed it through one of the Web sites. Only when the registered client accesses the service provider through the Web site, the client can receive any one of the services.

Claims

1. A service providing method comprising the following steps, in sequence, of:

a) connecting a single server computer of one service provider which provides service providing programs originally developed by the service provider and a single client computer of a client who receives services provided by the service provider via any single one of website computers of a plurality of web masters which open websites on an Internet so that the client can utilize one or more service providing programs of the service provider as a result of an agreement between the service provider and a respective web master that the service provider will provide, so as to allow access by a client to, such one or more service providing programs;

b) allowing the service provider to previously register website addresses of the respective websites opened by the plurality of web masters in a website address database of the single server computer;

c) allowing the client who attempts to receive any one of the service providing programs provided by the service provider to access the website of any one of the plurality of web masters from the client computer;

d) allowing the website computer of the web master to display a service utilization starting screen on the website in response to the access to the website by the client;

e) allowing the client to input a client identification symbol to the website computer by way of the service utilization starting screen;

f) allowing the website computer to give the client identification symbol and the website address of the website accessed by the client to the server computer;

g) allowing the server computer, after receiving the client identification symbol and the website address of the website accessed by the client, to ascertain whether or not the website address of the website accessed by the client corresponds to one of the website addresses which is previously registered in the website address database of the server computer, wherein

if the website address of the website accessed by the client is not previously registered, such a message that the website address of the website accessed by the client and received by the server computer along with the client identification symbol is not among those website addresses previously registered in the website address database of the server computer and an address list of those website addresses previously registered in the website address database of the server computer are displayed on the service utilization starting screen and are reported to the client, and

if the website address of the website accessed by the client is previously registered, the server computer registers the client identification symbol and the website address of the website accessed by the client, as a set, in a client database of the server computer;

h) allowing the client to again access the website of the website computer used in the registration of the client identification symbol and to input the client identification symbol using the service utilization starting screen of the website computer;

i) allowing the website computer to give the inputted client identification symbol and the inputted website address of the website used by the client when the client again accessed the website of the website computer used in the registration of the client identification symbol to the server computer;

j) allowing the server computer which receives the client identification symbol and the website address of the website used by the client when the client again accessed the website of the website computer used in the registration of the client identification symbol to ascertain whether or not both the received client identification symbol and website address of the website used by the client when the client again accessed the website of the website computer used in the registration of the client identification symbol correspond to both the client identification symbol and the website address previously registered in the client data base, wherein

if the received client identification symbol does not correspond to the client identification symbol previously registered in the client data base, such a message that the inputted client identification symbol is not registered in the client data base is displayed on the service utilization starting screen and is reported to the client, and the server computer rejects the utilization of the service providing program,

if the received website address of the website used by the client when the client again accessed the website of the website computer used in the registration of the client identification symbol does not correspond to the website address previously registered in the client data base, an address list of website addresses being registered in the website address database of the server computer is displayed on the service utilization starting screen and is reported to the client, and the server computer rejects the utilization of the service providing program, and

if both the received client identification symbol and the website address of the website used by the client when the client again accessed the website of the website computer used in the registration of the client identification symbol correspond to both the client identification symbol and the website address previously registered in the client data base, the server computer certifies that the client can utilize the service providing program stored in the server computer, and if the received client identification symbol and the website address of the website used by the client when the client again accessed the website of the website computer used in the registration of the client identification symbol do not correspond to the client identification symbol and the website address previously registered in the client data base, the server computer rejects the utilization of the service providing program, wherein

the website address database and the client database stored in the server computer are coordinated with each other such that when the previously registered website is erased thereafter due to a break-off of the agreement between the service provider and a respective webmaster of a website previously registered by the service provider, the server computer erases the website address of the website of the web master with whom the break-off of the agreement occurred from the website address database and removes the client identification symbol previously registered via the same website address from the client database, and when the server computer removes the client identification symbol from the client database, the server computer reports such a message and the address list of the registered websites in the website address database of the server computer,

whereby the service provider can easily and quickly collect expenses required for originally developing the service providing program from the plurality of webmasters or the plurality of clients.