Lawrence C. Stewart

Bio: Lawrence C. Stewart is an academic researcher. The author has contributed to research in topics: Server & The Internet. The author has an hindex of 8, co-authored 9 publications receiving 3496 citations.

Network sales system

Abstract: A network-based sales system includes at least one buyer computer for operation by a user desiring to buy a product, at least one merchant computer, and at least one payment computer. The buyer computer, the merchant computer, and the payment computer are interconnected by a computer network. The buyer computer is programmed to receive a user request for purchasing a product, and to cause a payment message to be sent to the payment computer that comprises a product identifier identifying the product. The payment computer is programmed to receive the payment message, to cause an access message to be created that comprises the product identifier and an access message authenticator based on a cryptographic key, and to cause the access message to be sent to the merchant computer. The merchant computer is programmed to receive the access message, to verify the access message authenticator to ensure that the access message authenticator was created using the cryptographic key, and to cause the product to be sent to the user desiring to buy the product.

Internet server access control and monitoring systems

Abstract: This invention relates to methods for controlling and monitoring access to network servers. In particular, the process described in the invention includes client-server sessions over the Internet. In this environment, when the user attempts to access an access-controlled file, the server subjects the request to a secondary server which determines whether the client has an authorization or valid account. Upon such verification, the user is provided with a session identification which allows the user to access to the requested file as well as any other files within the present protection domain.

Designing Systems for Internet Commerce

Abstract: From the Book: PREFACE: In 1994, The Economist ranked the Internet between the telephone and the printing press in its long-term impact on the world. Just as those inventions transformed society, so the Internet has already begun a transformation—one that is happening much faster than the earlier revolutions. Commerce, of course, is one arena already feeling the effects of the Internet. In the past few years, we have seen dramatic changes in some businesses, the creation of new businesses, and significant effects on others. In the nineteenth century, fast transportation—the railroad—fundamentally changed commerce. At the end of the twentieth century, the Internet is making fundamental changes to commerce for the next century. We are just at the beginning of the revolution. It is a revolution made possible by technology, offering a tremendous variety of new business opportunities. The technology will continue to change, and change at a rapid pace. New markets will appear; old ones will be transformed or disappear entirely. The short-term changes in technology and markets are important, but the reaction to them must be balanced with a long-term business vision. The challenge is using the technology effectively to achieve business goals. The audience for this book is what we call the "Internet commerce team." This team includes people responsible for business and those responsible for technology. It includes those who develop the strategic vision for a company, and those who put the strategy into action. In other words, the Internet commerce team is the group of people who make Internet commerce happen, from vision to implementation. Our focus isonmaking Internet commerce happen, and making it successful over the long term. In some ways, Internet commerce seems deceptively simple: companies think "let's put up a web site, and watch the money roll in." A year later, they're wondering what happened, and why it wasn't successful. As anyone involved in running a business knows, nothing is ever that easy. The most basic rules of business haven't changed, but the Internet does change the playing field. It offers new markets, new ways to get close to customers, new ways to work with partners. For some, the excitement over Internet commerce has created a "credibility gap" between grand visions of change and the day-to-day problems of running computer systems for a business. It is easy to paint an exciting vision of the future, yet often difficult to figure out to get there. This book aims to help bridge this gap, grounding the vision of change with what is possible for businesses to achieve with the changing technology. Throughout the book, we emphasize both practice and principles—the what and the why. Practices are the actions; the specific ideas for specific circumstances. Principles are the general rules; the elements on which practices are built. As technology changes (or, for that matter, as business models change), the practices will need to change. The principles, in contrast, change more slowly, and can be applied in a wide variety of circumstances. When a team understands the principles underlying what they do, they can adapt to changing circumstances and develop new practices for it. Without that understanding, they can become incapacitated when the situation changes and different practices are needed to be successful. What the technology brings is a combination of new opportunities, changing cost structures, new customers, and faster response times. The technology opportunities must be combined with and tempered by the business goals. This book is about that combination—designing computer systems for doing business on open networks. When we say this book is about design, we mean that it is intended to help with the design process. It doesn't give all the answers—the actual design for your business requirements is likely to be very different from someone else's. Nonetheless, we can explore some of the common issues and critical questions to ask when planning any system for Internet commerce. In the process, we look at some of the key technologies of today, and apply those technologies in several examples. A word of warning: at times it may seem that we are overly concerned with potential problems—the things that can go wrong. These are not reasons to avoid Internet commerce. Rather, we think it is important to approach Internet commerce as you would any other business proposition, understanding the downside as well as the upside, the risks as well as the benefits. On balance, using the Internet for commerce can be a tremendous asset for businesses. Doing everything possible to maximize the chances for success is merely good business. Acknowledgments This book is an attempt to write down what we have learned about Internet Commerce so far. Much of our experience in this area is drawn from our association with Open Market, which began operations in April 1994, but we have applied many of the lessons learned about the Internet and about systems design during our earlier careers at Xerox, Digital Equipment, and MIT, as well as from our academic associations with MIT, Harvard, and Stanford University. We would like first to acknowlege the great contributions and support we have received in this endeavor from Shikhar Ghosh, Gary Eichhorn, Andy Payne, Peter Woon, and the rest of our colleagues at Open Market. In one way or another, everyone at Open Market has contributed to this work. The editorial team at Addison-Wesley has been outstanding, with our editor Karen Gettman, editorial assistant Mary Harrington, and the editor who inspired this work, Carol Long. We have been fortunate to have many insightful reviewers for early drafts of our manuscript. Our thanks to Russell Nelson, Nathaniel Borenstein, Marcus Ranum, Richard Smith, Brian Reistad, Dave Crocker, Ray Kaplan, Bruce Schneier, John Adams, John Romkey, Fred Avolio, Kurt Friedrich, Alex Mehlman, Paul Baier, Ian Reid, Jeff Bussgang, and the anonymous reviewers. Writing a book is a challenge not only for the authors, but for our families as well. To our wives, Marie and Catherine, and our daughters, Erica and Samantha, go our thanks and our love. We are truly blessed. Win Treese Cambridge, MA Larry Stewart Burlington, MA

Audiofile: a network-transparent system for distributed audio applications

Abstract: AudioFile is a portable, device-independent, network-transparent system for computer audio systems. Similar to the X Window System, it provides an abstract audio device interface with a simple network protocol to support a variety of audio hardware and multiple simultaneous clients. AudioFile emphasizes client handling of audio data and permits exact control of timing. This paper describes our approach to digital audio, the AudioFile protocol, the client library, the audio server, and some example client applications. It also discusses the performance of the system and our experience using standard networking protocols for audio. A source code distribution is available by anonymous FTP.

Payment switches for open networks

Abstract: We describe the first operational Internet payment switch that provides real-time authorization suitable for direct use by merchant servers. A payment switch is a server that creates digital representations of conventional financial instruments, and forwards authentic payment orders on these instruments to their corresponding conventional financial networks and institutions. Our payment switch provides support for time-based and item-based pricing, implements switch based authorization and settlement aggregation for micropayments, and includes an extensive customer support system in order to provide a high level of customer confidence in electronic commerce. Fraud control is based on a transaction-specific multi-level security model that accommodates existing Internet browsers. Multiple authentication technologies are applied to every transaction.

Systems and Methods for Secure Transaction Management and Electronic Rights Protection

Abstract: PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve the problem, wherein it is impossible for an electronic content information provider to provide commercially secure and effective method, for a configurable general-purpose electronic commercial transaction/distribution control system. SOLUTION: In this system, having at least one protected processing environment for safely controlling at least one portion of decoding of digital information, a secure content distribution method comprises a process for encapsulating digital information in one or more digital containers; a process for encrypting at least a portion of digital information; a process for associating at least partially secure control information for managing interactions with encrypted digital information and/or digital container; a process for delivering one or more digital containers to a digital information user; and a process for using a protected processing environment, for safely controlling at least a portion of the decoding of the digital information. COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Method of delivery, targeting, and measuring advertising over networks

Abstract: Methods and apparatuses for targeting the delivery of advertisements over a network such as the Internet are disclosed. Statistics are compiled on individual users and networks and the use of the advertisements is tracked to permit targeting of the advertisements of individual users. In response to requests from affiliated sites, an advertising server transmits to people accessing the page of a site an appropriate one of the advertisement based upon profiling of users and networks.

Method and apparatus for a cryptographically assisted commercial network system designed to facilitate buyer-driven conditional purchase offers

Abstract: The present invention is a method and apparatus for effectuating bilateral buyer-driven commerce. The present invention allows prospective buyers of goods and services to communicate a binding purchase offer globally to potential sellers, for sellers conveniently to search for relevant buyer purchase offers, and for sellers potentially to bind a buyer to a contract based on the buyer's purchase offer. In a preferred embodiment, the apparatus of the present invention includes a controller which receives binding purchase offers from prospective buyers. The controller makes purchase offers available globally to potential sellers. Potential sellers then have the option to accept a purchase offer and thus bind the corresponding buyer to a contract. The method and apparatus of the present invention have applications on the Internet as well as conventional communications systems such as voice telephony.

Method and system for placing a purchase order via a communications network

Abstract: A method and system for placing an order to purchase an item via the Internet. The order is placed by a purchaser at a client system and received by a server system. The server system receives purchaser information including identification of the purchaser, payment information, and shipment information from the client system. The server system then assigns a client identifier to the client system and associates the assigned client identifier with the received purchaser information. The server system sends to the client system the assigned client identifier and an HTML document identifying the item and including an order button. The client system receives and stores the assigned client identifier and receives and displays the HTML document. In response to the selection of the order button, the client system sends to the server system a request to purchase the identified item. The server system receives the request and combines the purchaser information associated with the client identifier of the client system to generate an order to purchase the item in accordance with the billing and shipment information whereby the purchaser effects the ordering of the product by selection of the order button.

Internet-based customer referral system

Abstract: Disclosed is an Internet-based referral system that enables individuals and other business entities ("associates") to market products, in return for a commission, that are sold from a merchant's Web site. The system includes automated registration software that runs on the merchant's Web site to allow entities to register as associates. Following registration, the associate sets up a Web site (or other information dissemination system) to distribute hypertextual catalog documents that includes marketing information (product reviews, recommendations, etc.) about selected products of the merchant. In association with each such product, the catalog document includes a hypertextual "referral link" that allows a user ("customer") to link to the merchant's site and purchase the product. When a customer selects a referral link, the customer's computer transmits unique IDs of the selected product and of the associate to the merchant's site, allowing the merchant to identify the product and the referring associate. If the customer subsequently purchases the product from the merchant's site, a commission is automatically credited to an account of the referring associate. The merchant site also implements an electronic shopping cart that allows the customer to select products from multiple different Web sites, and then perform a single "check out" from the merchant's site.