Method for establishing trust online

• US 7,603,699 B2
• Filed: 08/25/2006
• Issued: 10/13/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sectigo Limited
• Original Assignee: Melih Abdulhayoglu
• Inventors: Abdulhayoglu, Melih
• Primary Examiner(s): Moazzami; Nasser G
• Assistant Examiner(s): ABEDIN, SHANTO
• Application Number:
  US11/467,461
• Publication Number:
  US 20070061734A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,145 Days
• Field of Search: 713/175, 713/176, 713/156, 726/2, 726/3, 726/1, 726/4, 715/200, 715/204, 715/246, 715/273, 715/517, 715/742, 715/781, 345/24, 345/418, 345/742
• US Class Current: 726/2
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/57 Certifying or maintaining trusted computer platforms, e.g. secure boots or power-downs, version controls, system software checks, secure updates or assessing vulnerabilities
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/606 by securing the transmission between two devices or processes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/645 using a third party
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/02 involving a neutral party, e.g. certification authority, notary or trusted third party [TTP]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3821 Electronic credentials
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/14 for detecting or protecting against malicious traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1483 service impersonation, e.g. phishing, pharming or web spoofing detection of rogue wireless access points H04W12/12

Abstract

A method and system for displaying the trusted status of a website by displaying a trust symbol that is displayed as part of the website so that they trust symbol does not scroll when the website is scrolled, preventing the trust symbol from ever being hidden from the user. Specifically, displaying the trust symbol in the comer or bottom of the web page works well. The trust symbol can include information about the website that may be displayed when the computer user interacts with the trust symbol. Both the trust symbol and the information displayed about the website can be generated dynamically by the third party validator for display on website. However the location of the display of the trust symbol remains under the control of the website operator so as not to interfere with the aesthetics of the site.

Claims

1. A method for continuously displaying the trusted status of a website to a computer user, comprising:

displaying a trust symbol provided by a third party validator as an integrated part of the website in a location set by the operator of the website such that the trust symbol is always visible on the website at a location that is static relative to the browser viewing window,

displaying security or assurance information from the third party validator about the website in response to the user interacting with the trust symbol, and

keeping the security or assurance information and trust symbol visibly displayed on the website in the static location relative to a browser viewing window regardless of webpage scrolling.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the static location of the trust symbol is a corner of the browser.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the security or assurance information is:

(i) displayed after the computer user interacts with the trust symbol and (ii) customized for the website'"'"'s audience.

4. A method according to claim 1 where the trust symbol is a logo fixed across the bottom of the website displaying the trust symbol.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the static location of the trust symbol is on the side of the browser viewing window.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the trust symbol location is set by having the operator copy code provided by the third party validator into the website'"'"'s HTML code.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the interaction with the trust symbol is having the computer user perform a mouse over event.

8. A system for displaying the trusted status of a website to a computer user comprising:

a. a computer with browser software running,

b. a website displayed in a viewing window of the browser,

c. a third party validation entity providing security or assurance information about the website,

d. a trust symbol provided by a third party validator that is displayed as part of the website in a location set by a website operator and where the location is a static location relative to the browser viewing window,

e. means for displaying the validated security and assurance information after the user interacts with the trust symbol,

f. means for displaying the trust symbol and security or assurance information so that the trust symbol and security or assurance information do not change positions relative to the edges of the browser viewing window when the website is scrolled.

9. A method for displaying trust information associated with a website being viewed by a computer user, comprising:

a. validating information relating to the website;

b. creating a trust symbol based on the validation of information relating to the website using Javascript/HTML code;

c. incorporating the validation information in the Javascript/HTML code;

d. providing the Javascript/HTML code to a website operator;

e. displaying the trust symbol on the website in a location specified by the website operator where the location is static relative to the browser viewing window;

f. displaying security or assurance information about the website in response to the user'"'"'s interaction with the trust symbol, and

g. having the trust symbol displayed as part of the website by the website operator in a manner such that the trust symbol remains static relative to the browser viewing window when the website scrolls.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the static location of the trust symbol is a location the corner of the browser.