Method and apparatus for a message targeting and filtering database system

• US 7,716,291 B2
• Filed: 02/03/2004
• Issued: 05/11/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/03/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Joel Thorson
• Original Assignee: Joel Thorson
• Inventors: Thorson, Joel
• Primary Examiner(s): Flynn; Nathan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Siddiqi; Mohammad A
• Application Number:
  US10/772,202
• Publication Number:
  US 20050198151A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,289 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/206, 709/217, 709/227, 709/232, 709/247, 726/26, 726/34, 726/23, 726/25, 726/27, 726/2, 707/10, 707/100, 707/2, 707/200, 707/9, 713/154, 713/182, 713/190, 713/184, 713/185, 713/189, 705/74, 705/79, 705/26, 705/27, 705/64, 705/3, 705/50, 705/57, 705/76, 705/77
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/085 involving remote charge determination or related payment systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3821 Electronic credentials
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/383 Anonymous user system

Abstract

A method and apparatus for a message targeting and filtering database system are provided to deliver bulk messages to demographically selected audiences of willing recipients while preserving each recipient'"'"'s anonymity and control over his private personal data, accomplished by means of a radically distributed database technique in which all operations requiring unencrypted data access are distributed to individual client devices.

Claims

1. A secure messaging system comprising:

a personal record comprising a personal profile about a subject and a message filtering policy determined by the subject;

an anonymity service, the anonymity service being an intermediary between the subject and a message sponsor, the message sponsor desiring to send a message to the subject based on the personal record;

a message deposit sent to the anonymity service by the message sponsor wherein the message deposit comprises the message, a message targeting specification, and a message profile;

a database maintained by the anonymity service, the personal record being stored in the database in an encrypted state, the anonymity service having an access to the personal record only in the encrypted state;

a resident application residing on a client device under control of the subject, the resident application managing access to the personal record in an unencrypted state by use of a security element including an encrypted private key;

a quarantine memory, the quarantine memory being a secure area of system memory on the client device; and

a session agent configured to perform a database operation on the personal record in the unencrypted state in the quarantine memory,

wherein the resident application, the quarantine memory and the session agent all reside on the client device under control of the subject, and

wherein the resident application, the quarantine memory and the session agent collectively secure the personal record and the private key in an unencrypted state against access by the anonymity service.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the database operation comprises:

a database query which compares the message profile to the message filtering policy; and

a database query which compares the personal profile to the message targeting specification.

3. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

a query result sent to the anonymity service from the resident application;

a message delivery sent from the anonymity service to the resident application; and

a delivery confirmation sent from the resident application to the anonymity service.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the database operation comprises a data record modification.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the database operation comprises a schema migration.

6. The system of claim 1 further comprising a delivery notification sent from the anonymity service to the sponsor wherein the delivery notification comprises:

an anonymous proof of delivery;

an anonymous response from the subject; and

an anonymous payment record.

7. The system of claim 2 further comprising an interactive response from the subject.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the quarantine memory at least temporarily contains the personal record in an unencrypted state and a private key also in an unencrypted state.

19. The system of claim 8, wherein the quarantine memory contents including the personal record and the private key are deleted at an end of a client session.

9. A secure messaging method comprising:

maintaining a personal record belonging to a subject in a centralized database in an encrypted form, the personal record comprising a personal profile and a message filtering policy;

distributing a database operation from the centralized database to a client device, wherein the database operation is performed on the personal record in an unencrypted form in a quarantine memory at the client device by use of a security element including an encrypted private key securely maintained by and accessible only to the subject such that the encrypted private key is inaccessible to the anonymity service, and wherein distributing the database operation from the centralized database to the client device comprises;

downloading a session agent by a resident application, the resident application being resident on the client device, the session agent comprising a software update, the personal record, and the security element including the encrypted private key, and

performing a database query by the session agent on the personal record in an unencrypted form; and

establishing an intermediary between the subject and a message sponsor for the purpose of allowing the message sponsor to send a message to the subject based on the personal profile while maintaining an anonymity of the subject.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the client device comprises a device capable of sending and receiving a signal over a digital network, the client device being under a physical control of the subject.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein establishing the intermediary between the subject and the message sponsor comprises:

receiving a message deposit from the message sponsor, the message deposit comprising a message, a message targeting specification, and a message profile;

negotiating permission to deliver the message to the subject;

delivering the message to the subject;

receiving a delivery confirmation from the subject; and

sending the delivery confirmation to the message sponsor while maintaining an anonymity of the subject.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein negotiating permission to deliver the message comprises:

performing a targeting database query wherein the message targeting specification is compared to the personal profile; and

performing a filtering database query wherein the message filtering policy is compared to the message profile.

13. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

accounting for a message charge to the message sponsor;

accounting for a message credit to the subject;

communicating the message charge to an external payment system; and

communicating the message credit to an external payment system.

14. Storage media comprising instructions that, when executed by a machine, cause the machine to:

maintain a personal record belonging to a subject in a centralized database in an encrypted form, the personal record comprising a personal profile and a message filtering policy;

distribute a database operation from the centralized database to a client device, wherein the database operation is performed on the personal record in an unencrypted form in a quarantine memory at the client device by use of a security element including an encrypted private key securely maintained by and accessible only to the subject such that the encrypted private key is inaccessible to all others, and wherein causing the machine to distribute the database operation from the centralized database to the client device comprises causing the machine to;

download a session agent by a resident application, the resident application being resident on the client device, the session agent comprising a software update, the personal record, and the security element including the encrypted private key, and

perform a database query by the session agent on the personal record in an unencrypted form; and

establish an intermediary between the subject and a message sponsor for the purpose of allowing the message sponsor to send a message to the subject based on the personal profile while maintaining an anonymity of the subject.

15. The storage media of claim 14 wherein the client device comprises:

a device capable of sending and receiving a signal over a digital network, the client device being under a physical control of the subject.

16. The storage media of claim 14 wherein causing the machine to establish the intermediary between the subject and the message sponsor comprises causing the machine to:

receive a message deposit from the message sponsor, the message deposit comprising a message, a message targeting specification, and a message profile;

negotiate permission to deliver the message to the subject;

deliver the message to the subject;

receive a delivery confirmation from the subject; and

send the delivery confirmation to the message sponsor while maintaining an anonymity of the subject.

17. The storage media of claim 16 wherein causing the machine to negotiate permission to deliver the message comprises causing the machine to:

perform a targeting database query wherein the message targeting specification is compared to the personal profile; and

perform a filtering database query wherein the message filtering policy is compared to the message profile.

18. The storage media of claim 16 further comprising causing the machine to:

account for a message charge to the message sponsor;

account for a message credit to the subject;

communicate the message charge to an external payment system; and

communicate the message credit to an external payment system.