System for protecting information over the internet

Abstract

A system for protecting information over the Internet, or other public network, is provided at a web site addressable by one or more client computer systems. Each client computer system connects to the web site to receive a respondent identifier and viewer software. When the viewer software is installed at the client computer system, it generates a unique viewer identifier identifying the client computer system. The viewer identifier is sent to the web site for registering the viewer identifier with the respondent identifier. The web site has a database and one or more web servers coupled to the database. The database stores registration information including the viewer identifier and associated respondent identifiers for the client computer systems, encrypted content information files and keys to decrypt such files, survey invitation information for each of the surveys, and exposure limit information. The client computer system receives an E-mail invitation to participate in a survey. In response to receiving a survey in accordance with the E-mail invitation, the client computer system enables the content viewer to connect to the web site of the content protection system and download a file with the encrypted content information for that survey. The viewer software then sends a request to the content protection system for a key to decrypt the downloaded content information file. The content protection system determines based on the respondent, viewer and survey identifiers and associated exposure limit information whether to send a decryption key. If so, a decryption key is sent to the client computer system and the viewer uses the key to decrypt the encrypted content information file, and then opens a viewer window to show the decrypted content information on the display of the computer system. During viewing, the viewer ignores interrupts from the user interface of the computer which typically allow the user to access information and thereby enable copying. If the user selects another window other than the window of the viewer, the viewer stops showing the decrypted content and displays a protection image in its place.

1 . A system for protecting information received over a network comprising: 
 at least one first computer system connected to said network;    a plurality of second computer systems capable of connecting to said first computer system through said network in which each of said second computers has a user interface to enable the user of the second computer to interact with the second computer system;    means for registering one or more of said second computer systems by uniquely identifying each of said second computer systems with the user of the second computer system;    means for selecting one or more of said registered second computer systems; means for sending content information from the first computer system via said network to at least one of said selected registered second computer systems without associated information defining the use of said content information by said second computer systems; and    means for enabling display of the received content information at the registered second computer system which receives the content information and limiting the user interface of the second computer system to operate responsive to the user of the second computer system to prevent copying of the content information when said received content information is being displayed.    
   
   
       2 . The system according to  claim 1  wherein said content information sent to said one of said registered second computer systems is encrypted, further comprising: 
 means at said second computer system for requesting a key from said first computer system for decrypting said received encrypted content information;    means at said first computer system for sending a key to decrypt the encrypted content information to the second computer system which requested the key; and    means at the second computer system for decrypting the encrypted content information in accordance with the received key, in which said second computer system when displaying the decrypted content information ignores signals from the user interface capable of enabling access to the decrypted content information.    
   
   
       3 . The system according to  claim 2  wherein one or more of said registered second computer systems are selected by said selecting means to view the content information, and said key sending means only sends said key to said selected second computer systems.  
   
   
       4 . The system according to  claim 2  wherein said key sending means only sends said key during a certain time period.  
   
   
       5 . The system according to  claim 2  wherein said key sending means only send said key to said second computer system a certain number of times.  
   
   
       6 . The system according to  claim 1  wherein said display enabling means at said second computer systems is provided by viewer software installed at the second computer system, and said registering means is enabled when said viewer software is installed.  
   
   
       7 . The system according to  claim 1  wherein said sending means, and display enabling means are enabled by viewer software installed at the second computer system.  
   
   
       8 . The system according to  claim 7  wherein said viewer software is automatically executed in response to executing a program received by said second computer system via the network.  
   
   
       9 . The system according to  claim 1  wherein said second computer systems each have a display, and said display enabling means provides for playing said content information is a window on the display.  
   
   
       10 . The system according to  claim 9  wherein said display enabling means disables playing of said content information in said window when the user of the second computer system selects another window on the display.  
   
   
       11 . The system according to  claim 10  wherein said display enabling means places a protection image in the window when said playing of said content information in said window is disabled.  
   
   
       12 . The system according to  claim 1  wherein said first computer system comprises one or more server computers and a database coupled to at least one of said server computers storing at least information representing the registered second computer systems and information related to the users of each of said registered second computer systems.  
   
   
       13 . The system according to  claim 1  wherein said second computer systems each have means for interfacing to said network and capable of connecting to said first computer system at one or more network addresses.  
   
   
       14 . The system according to  claim 1  wherein said network represents a public network.  
   
   
       15 . The system according to  claim 1  wherein said content information is part of a survey.  
   
   
       16 . The system according to  claim 15  wherein said first computer system comprises one or more server computers capable of communicating with said plurality of second computer systems via said network, and a database coupled to at least one of said network computers containing at least information defining the registered second computer systems, information identifying which of the registered ones of said second computer systems are associated with participants for the survey, and information determining whether the survey was taken by the participants, in which said content information is sent encrypted by said first computer system, said first computer system has means for sending to said second computer systems a key to decrypted the encrypted file when, in accordance with said database, said second computer system is associated with one of the participants for the survey not having taken the survey, and said second computer system has means for decrypting said encrypted content information in accordance with said key for displaying the decrypted content information.  
   
   
       17 . A method for protecting information received over a network, such as the Internet, comprising the steps of: 
 providing at least one first computer system;    providing a plurality of second computer systems capable of connecting to said first computer system through said network in which each of said second computers has a user interface to enable the user of the second computer to interact with the second computer system;    registering one or more of said second computer systems by uniquely identifying each of said second computer systems with the user of the second computer system;    selecting one or more of said registered second computer systems,    sending content information from the first computer system to at least one of said selected registered second computer systems without associated information defining the use of said content information by said second computer systems; and    displaying of the received content information at the registered second computer system which receives the content information and limiting the user interface of the second computer system to operate responsive to the user of the second computer system to prevent copying of the content information when said received content information is being displayed.    
   
   
       18 . The method according to  claim 17  wherein said content information sent to said one of said registered second computer systems is encrypted, said method further comprising the steps of: 
 requesting at said second computer system a key from said first computer system for decrypting said received encrypted content information;    sending from said first computer system a key to decrypt the encrypted content information to the second computer system which requested the key; and    decrypting at the second computer system the encrypted content information in accordance with the received key, in which said second computer system when displaying the decrypted content information ignores signals from the user interface capable of enabling access to the decrypted content information.    
   
   
       19 . The method according to  claim 18  wherein said key sending step only sends said key to the selected second computer systems which requested the key.  
   
   
       20 - 25 . (canceled)  
   
   
       26 . A system for protecting an information file received over a public network from a World Wide Web site by one or more computer systems capable of communicating via the network to the web site, said system comprising: 
 a web site connected to the network which uniquely registers one or more of said computer systems identifying said computer system to said web site and stores in a database encrypted information files and their associated keys, in which said web site is capable of sending said encrypted information file to registered computer systems, and sending a key to decrypt an encrypted information file to one of said registered second computer system when said second computer system is authorized to receive the key;    each of said computer system being capable of connecting to said web site through the Internet and registered with said web site to send a request to said web site for a certain encrypted information file and to receive the encrypted information file, and then request a key from said web site to decrypt the file, and in response to receiving the key, decrypts the encrypted information file and plays the file through a window on the display of the computer system; and    each of said computer systems having a display and a user interface in which, when said file is played, signals from the user interface at the second computer system are ignored which enable access to the decrypted file, and when another window is selected than the window displaying the decrypted file, disables the playing of the decrypted file.    
   
   
       27 . An Internet web site for supporting concept surveys which are capable of connecting to one or more client computer systems comprising: 
 one or more computer servers capable of connecting to the Internet in which said client computer system are registered with said web site; and    a database coupled to one or more of said servers which stores encrypted information files representing parts of one or more surveys and their associated keys, in which said web site is capable of sending said encrypted information file to registered client computer systems for carrying out a survey received by said client computer systems, and sending a key to decrypt an encrypted information file to one of said registered second computer system when said second computer system is authorized to receive the key to enable the client computer system to play the information file as part of the survey, in which said survey represents one or more questions answerable by the user of the client computer system.    
   
   
       28 . (canceled)  
   
   
       29 . The web site according to  claim 27  wherein at least one of said computer servers provides downloadable viewer software to client computer systems capable of requesting and receiving said encrypted information file from said web site, and requesting and receiving said key to decrypt said encrypted information file from said web site, and for displaying said decrypted information file in which during said display the operation of the user interface of the client computer system is limited to prevent copying of the decrypted information file.  
   
   
       30 . A system for conducting a survey over a network comprising: 
 at least one first computer system connected to said network;    a plurality of second computer systems capable of connecting to said first computer system through said network in which said second computer systems are registered at said first computer system;    means for sending a survey from said first computer system to at least one of said registered second computers;    means for downloading an encrypted file from said first computer system to said one of said registered second computer systems in which said encrypted file is stored at said one of said registered second computer systems for use in said survey;    means at said one of said registered second computer systems for requesting a key from said first computer system to decrypt said encrypted file when said one of said registered second computer systems is associated with a participant preselected to take said survey;    means for receiving a key at said one of said registered second computers from said first computer system; and    means at said one of said registered second computer systems for decrypting the encrypted file in accordance with said key and playing the decrypted file as part of the survey at said one of said registered second computer systems, in which said survey represents one or more questions answerable by the user of the client computer system.    
   
   
       31 . The system according to  claim 30  wherein said network represents the Internet, and said first computer system represents one or more computer servers addressable via the Internet.  
   
   
       32 . The system according to  claim 30  further comprising means at said one of said registered second computer systems for sending answers to said survey to said first computer system.  
   
   
       33 . A system for conducting a survey at a computer connected to the Internet comprising a first computer system representing one or more computer servers, and at least one second computer system capable of connecting to said first computer system through the Internet, and said first computer system has memory storing at least one survey and one or more downloadable files, said first computer system having keys for decrypting each of said files when encrypted, in which said files are downloadable and the keys are available from at least one network address, wherein: 
 said first computer system sends said survey to the second computer system via the Internet which references a network address to obtain a file for said survey; and    said second computer system has memory and downloads said file from said network address for storage in said memory of said second computer system in which said file is encrypted, said second computer system requests a key to decrypt said encrypted file from a network address where said key is available, receives a key when said second computer system is associated with a participant selected to take said survey, and decrypts the file in accordance with said key and plays the decrypted file as part of the survey.    
   
   
       34 . The system according to  claim 33  wherein said second computer system further comprises a display and plays the decrypted file in a window on said display, and protects said window from being accessed by the user of the second computer system when another window on the display is selected.  
   
   
       35 . The system according to  claim 33  wherein said second computer system is registered with said first computer system for receiving said survey prior to said second computer system receiving said survey.  
   
   
       36 . The system according to  claim 33  wherein said first computer system sends the key to the second computer system when said key has been requested during a certain period of time.  
   
   
       37 . The system according to  claim 33  wherein said first computer system sends the key to the second computer system when the second computer system has not already received the encrypted file a preset number of times.  
   
   
       38 . The system according to  claim 33  wherein said first computer system sends the key to the computer when a participant has not taken the survey.  
   
   
       39 . A system for conducting surveys comprising: 
 at least one first computer system connected to said network representing one or more computer servers;    a plurality of second computer systems each capable of connecting to said first computer system through said network;    a database registering uniquely said second computer systems and associating each of said registering second computer systems with data describing one or more characteristics of the user of the second computer system;    said first computer system enabling selection of one or more users from said database as participants to take a survey comprising one or more questions; and    said first computer system is capable of sending the survey and sending encrypted content information via the network to at least one of said registered second computer systems associated with a user selected to participate in the survey, in which said second computer system downloads the survey from a first network address associated with said first computer system, requests a key from a second network address associated with said first computer system for decrypting said content information, and when said key is received said second computer system utilizes said key to decrypt said content information and then outputs said decrypted content information as part of said survey in which one or more questions of said survey relates to said outputted content information.    
   
   
       40 . The system according to  claim 39  wherein each of said second computer systems has a user interface which limits the second computer system to operate responsive to the user of the second computer system to prevent copying of the content information while said received content information is being outputted.  
   
   
       41 . The system according to  claim 39  wherein said one or more characteristics of the user comprises at least one of age or sex of the user.  
   
   
       42 . The system according to  claim 1  wherein said user interface has at least one input device, and said means for enabling display and limiting the user interface operates to limit one or more user interactions via said at least one input device with said second computer system when said received content information is being displayed.  
   
   
       43 . The system according to  claim 42  wherein said at least one input device comprises at least one of a keyboard having keys or a mouse having buttons, and said one or more user interactions limited are in response to certain one or more of said keys or buttons selectable by the user.  
   
   
       44 . The method according to  claim 17  wherein said limiting the user interface limits one or more user interactions via at least one input device of the user interface when said received content information is being displayed.