WO2001088778A1

WO2001088778A1 - System and method for distributing digital data concerning commercial exchanges

Info

Publication number: WO2001088778A1
Application number: PCT/FR2001/001478
Authority: WO
Inventors: Philippe Blot-Lefevre
Original assignee: Hub2B Inc.
Priority date: 2000-05-15
Filing date: 2001-05-15
Publication date: 2001-11-22
Also published as: FR2808910A1; AU2001262415A1

Abstract

The invention concerns a system for distributing digital data concerning commercial exchanges, consisting of a computer server including a database and means for communicating with a plurality of client-stations, the client-stations being operated by a first type of user consisting of suppliers, for inputting and transmitting data concerning commercial offers, and by a second type of user, for consulting data recorded in the database, concerning accessible commercial offers. The invention is characterised in that the system comprises means for prior authentication of the supplier, which consists in recording in a database of the server an identifier for each certified supplier and certification means at the time of data exchange between the supplier and the server, the server comprising a computer programme for digital data exchanges with each identified supplier, said data being transmitted by the supplier in the form of files having a frame defined by the supplier, and an indicator of access rights to said data and for acknowledgement of notification for modifying or deleting a supplier's data.

Description

SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR THE DISTRIBUTION OF DIGITAL DATA RELATING TO TRADE EXCHANGES.

The present invention relates to the field of information processing, and more particularly to the field of electronic commerce.

The object of the invention is to provide a secure platform for the distribution of content and in no case a direct online sales site and to distribute this content and to formalize its reuse.

The actors or customers are the

"Suppliers" for the content, a computer server for managing the distribution of this content, "resellers or users" for the use or consultation of the content. The Suppliers will be identified below in “Supplier” and the resellers in “Users”.

This online catalog is the solution to reconcile local trade and online sales since it respects the complementary interests of the manufacturer, its distribution network, its installers. This online catalog ensures, through its Suppliers, the validity of product sheets (of its content), the uniqueness of its representation (of its form) and the rights to reuse.

The US patent US06038668 is known in the state of the art which relates to a networked system for matching, correlating information, extracting, searching in catalogs. This system allows Suppliers to publish information in electronic catalogs, to structure this information in an object-oriented representation distributed over a network of computers, such as the Internet. It also allows Users to search and extract information about products and Suppliers, which fulfill conditions dynamically specified by the customer. By extracting adaptive HTML pages, a search engine sends the extracted pages to an object-oriented database, which sorts the information received by the internal information organization structure. By searching for information as it is stored in the knowledge base, the User can quickly extract the information stored in a form highly suited to the User's search strategy. In addition, additional tools act on the stored information so that, among other things, exchanges of designs are organized between the selected elements where additional design and selection options are provided to each user. The system also supports the creation of products made up of several components. These products can be used as parts that can form higher level products (Figure 1).

The invention aims to provide a versatile and secure system for building an improved exchange platform. In general, the SYSTEM allows a natural or legal person to contract with one or more others of which only certain individual or professional characteristics are sufficient for him for the contract to be justified. The SYSTEM manages the adherence of the various parties to the contract as well as evidence useful for its application and monitoring.

The contractual exchange permitted by the SYSTEM concerns rights and rights transfers, means, conditions of use or application, etc., applicable to CONTENT (multimedia), this content may itself be contracts.

The exchange and the contractual commitment which is not necessarily reciprocal, applies to the contracting parties through and on the basis of the characteristics which define him as an individual or member of a community.

(VIRTUAL COMMUNITY) whatever its nature

(geographic, professional, hierarchical, etc.) as soon as the said contractor has signed up to the “pivot” contract constituting the SYSTEM.

Unless the contractor disappears, the SYSTEM includes a dynamic information mechanism (NOTIFICATION) such as to avoid any break in the flow of information and contractual amendments between individuals or between professional functions for which the intuu personnae is not decisive .

Multilingual (correspondence tables, multi-file version and Ideograms) the SYSTEM allows foreigners to contract and exchange rights over information in a uniform manner, each in their own language.

According to its most general meaning, the invention relates to a system for the distribution of digital data relating to commercial exchanges, composed of a computer server comprising a database and means of communication with a plurality of client stations, the stations customers being exploited by, a first type of user constituted by Suppliers, for entering and transmitting data relating to commercial offers, and by a second type of user, for consulting the data recorded in the database , relating to accessible commercial offers, characterized in that the system includes a means of prior authentication of the Supplier, consisting in registering in an server database an identifier of each approved Supplier and a means of certification at the time of data exchange between the Supplier and the server, the server comprising a computer program for the exchange of digital information with each identified supplier, said information being transmitted by the supplier in the form of files presenting a frame defined by the supplier, and of an indicator of the access rights to said information, and for acknowledgment of notification for modifications or deletion of information from a Supplier.

The invention also relates to a method for the distribution of digital data relating to commercial exchanges, the data coming from a first type of user constituted by suppliers and being intended for a second type of user, for consulting the data. recorded in the database, relating to accessible commercial offers, characterized in that the method comprises: a first step of supplier registration consisting in transmitting to the supplier an information sheet to be supplied, establishing communication with a database to verify the validity of the data in the information sheet, in the event of a positive verification proceed to the registration of said Supplier and the allocation of a secure means of access, and to create a memory space dedicated to said Supplier,

- a second step of putting a catalog online consisting in providing the registered Supplier with a description of a default catalog, a description of a default product file, said digital data by default being modifiable by the Supplier, and creating a specific catalog format for said Supplier, a third step of recording data in said specific catalog, - a fourth step of allocation of rights by the Supplier to determine the conditions of access by third parties to the information recorded in said specific catalog,

- a fifth step of declaring a user comprising a means of accreditation,

- and an additional step of duplicating digital information from a card in a Supplier's catalog for recording in a User's private catalog. The invention will be described in more detail with reference to a non-limiting example of embodiment and with the aid of the appended figures.

For the purposes of this patent,

MEMBERSHIP: MEMBERSHIP is a professional registered in the service. Each criterion constituting the membership form (names, addresses, activity code, etc.) is an element of categorization by the other MEMBERS who can use these precise or GENERIC elements to constitute VIRTUAL NETWORKS which replicate in particular their networks of suppliers or distribution. The SUBSCRIBER must provide a registration certificate as a professional (RCS or equivalent) to the Service. The member must sign the

CONTRACT.

Figures 2 to 5 respectively illustrate the diagram of the USER, CATALOG, PROFILE and NOTIFICATION model in which are listed: a Legal Entity (or MEMBER or professional registered as such in a country) which may be related to one or more Legal Entities of the same kind, which includes an Activity which may be related to one or more Activities of the same kind or to another Activity ; which includes an address in a geographic area (Contains Country - State); which employs people who have a Function in a Division; and which has a Contract with third parties (Legal Entities) validated in a Geographical Area;

- a COMMUNITY which can be related to one or more COMMUNITIES of the same nature, which groups together attributes belonging to each of the other elements of the model; - a TARGET which allows to group (sort, filter, ...) by COMMUNITY, Legal Entity, Activity code, person, division title, geographic area (filtering by one or more of these criteria, each of the criteria may give rise to additional filtering).

ADMINISTRATOR: It is the natural person who legally and administratively represents the MEMBER, both in the use of the SYSTEM and in the consequences of its use with respect to third parties, MEMBER or not. The ADMINISTRATOR manages the list and action limits of the people he authorizes to access the various functions of the SYSTEM.

Hub2b Administrator: The SYSTEM put into operation by a Service Operator - the company Hub2b by construction - is administered by the Administrator

Hub2b. This supervises the entire system and

MEMBERSHIP, therefore those of the DIRECTORS which it authorizes to exploit or not, in particular on the basis of commercial acquittals.

ACCREDITATION, Re-publication, Limited view, Transfer of rights: The CONTRACT which binds MEMBERS between them through the Hub2b SYSTEM, provides that the owners of CONTENT which, in the RULES configuration table, select the "Re-publication" button »Transfer to members accessing the CONTENT subject of the RULE, a contractual right of re-publication. Associated with the CONTRACT, the configuration of the explicit RULE makes it possible to limit this right, especially over time.

The same configurable RULE mechanism associated with the membership CONTRACT allows the owner of CONTENT to limit the consultation of a CONTENT to this strict consultation (limited view). ACCREDITATION is not involved. Re-publication is prohibited. Any misuse legally exposes the offender who can be prosecuted. All traces of electronic signature, registration form, administration under mandate, IDENTIFIER, configuration, access, injection - update - data extraction or copy made by the SYSTEM can be used to prove the fault.

The same mechanism is used to configure a total or partial transfer of this mechanism to another member, which is particularly useful for outsourcing the setting of the RULES to a marketplace.

The RULES setting is only accessible to MEMBERS who have the quality of SUPPLIER within the meaning of the SYSTEM.

CATALOG: application space reserved for the CONTENT PROVIDER. The catalog allows a tree or syntactic organization of CONTENTS at will providers. Figure 4 illustrates the CATALOG model, in which a CONTENT depends on a SUPPLIER (Legal entity). The SUPPLIER applies RULES to the CONTENT according to the CONTRACT he has signed, which depend on the active state of the CONTRACT signed by each of

MEMBERS. The CONTENT refers to a Category containing Products, which are defined by Attributes.

CONTENT: set of multimedia files generally organized in a tree structure, making it possible to describe a product or service and to enhance it. A LINKED CONTENT is a CONTENT A which, belonging to an AA member, relates to a B CONTENT from another BB member. The SYSTEM allows the BB member to declare this relationship of relativity between the two CONTENTS A and

B, in such a way that the BB member automatically benefits from a RULING for viewing on CONTENT A.

Membership CONTRACT: Members of the service sign an “open group” CONTRACT and at the end of which it is notably stipulated that those who put CONTENT agree to indicate what use may be made of this CONTENT, and those who will access a CONTENT undertake to use it only in compliance with the RULES determined by the SUPPLIER.

MEMBERS of the CONTRACT recognize different symbols as a means of imposing conditions of use relating to the CONTENT that they publish on the SYSTEM; and conversely the commitment to respect the conditions of use symbolized next to the CONTENT accesses.

The affixing of the re-publication symbol is contractually equivalent to an accreditation, the limits of which may be mentioned in text. The Hub2b SYSTEM manages the CONTRACT, links it to databases and computer traces; it ensures its legal integrity and technical uniqueness. The Hub2b SYSTEM develops and manages the technical evidence which makes the CONTRACT enforceable against third parties as well as implementing it in court. The Hub2b SYSTEM is recognized as such by the signatories.

Signing the contract gives access to the SYSTEM.

SYSTEM Hub2b: The SYSTEM, illustrated in Figure 1, is the main subject of the patent. It is a logical and functional nesting composed:

- a computer application operating on a network, - a legal CONTRACT and its ADHESION mechanism,

- and of evidence applicable to historical accesses connecting CONTENT implemented by SUPPLIERS for USERS.

Product information (Product sheet): CONTENT notably complies with one or more standards.

IDENTIFIER: the IDENTIFIER and the password are delivered by the SYSTEM to a member after he has fulfilled the conditions of ADHESION. The SYSTEM requires the use of electronic identification (such as e-mail address or telephone number, the normal operation of which validates the fact that the recipient is in a situation of being able to be contacted or, conversely, cannot not be contacted) to ensure that the delivery of information (in particular NOTIFICATIONS) has been carried out to the function / profile for which said information was intended. Non-response repeated telephone calls or the return of the e-mail to the sender indicates that the recipient person no longer receives the information. In the context of ADHESION, an ADMINISTRATOR can then replace the old address with that of the replacement in the function. In a supplier-buyer relationship, this mechanism ensures the delivery of operational information without the supplier needing to know the personal identity of the buyer. Figure 6 illustrates the use of electronic identification as an access code. Figure 7 illustrates an example of seeking responsibility in the event of disagreement on the Content posted by a Distributor with the use of the Access Identifier using the e-mail address as the traced Notification vector.

PRIVATE AREA: application area in which the member stores and articulates the CONTENT that interests him. The CONTENTS placed in PRIVATE AREA are the subject of NOTIFICATIONS.

CONTENT PROVIDER: owner or agent of the owner (s) of CONTENT (usually a Manufacturer)

GENERIC: The Hub2b SYSTEM allows a SUBSCRIBER to filter access, by other SUBSCRIBERS, to CONTENT to which he may possibly affect conditions of use or accreditation. This procedure is called "GENERIC" insofar as the RULES setting mechanism proposed by the SYSTEM makes it possible to work categorically. The categories are each of the elements that constitute the membership form (example: buyers (function) of mass distribution (sector) in Latin America (Geographic area)). Several categories can be combined in a single RULE by creating a VIRTUAL COMMUNITY; The target is GENERIC for the SUPPLIER but he knows that the USERS will inevitably be natural persons meeting this criterion under the form and the MEMBERSHIP CONTRACT. It is important to note that a change of physical person in the targeted position does not affect the identified-generic relationship between SUPPLIER / USER of

CONTENT (cf. NOTIFICATION and IDENTIFIER)

NOTARIZATION: The SYSTEM records on a partially independent information system and according to defined criteria in particular in terms of secure hosting and encrypted transfers, a digital copy of each access, CONTENT, contractual situation and other IT movements. Associated with the traces, the NOTARIZATION makes it possible to reconstruct a posteriori all the elements of descriptive evidence of a situation, object of the

SYSTEM.

NOTIFICATION: Any CONTENT posted by a member in their PRIVATE AREA is subject to automatic NOTIFICATION in the event of modification of the CONTENT or the RULES relating to its use. The SYSTEM manages several types of NOTIFICATIONS (implicit and explicit), illustrated in figure 11. The NOTIFICATIONS are notably carried out as standard by e-mail (cf. IDENTIFIER) at the address of the holder of the PRIVATE AREA. The non-delivery of an e-mail with return to the SYSTEM results in the blocking of the PRIVATE AREA, a NOTIFICATION by the Administrator responsible for the holder who can return to service towards the same USER or his replacement. This mechanism allows a non break in flow in the GENERIC SUPPLIER-USER relationship. It is a source of savings for the SUPPLIER who is not required to maintain his day-to-day contact base.

RULES: RULES are a setting reserved for SUPPLIERS. They are implemented in two stages:

1 °) Constitution of a VIRTUAL COMMUNITY (which or which network (s)?) To which are associated two qualifiers participating in the SYSTEM: the applicable law

(see, re-publish, delegate) and the period applicable to this right (when?).

2 °) Unblocking a CONTENT or a CONTENT tree (what?) For this COMMUNITY.

Figure 4 illustrates the profile model according to the invention, in which a RULE concerns or does not concern a Target. The RULE belongs to a Legal Entity (which defines it) and applies to content.

TRACEABILITY: Each movement of ADHERENT, of

CONTENT and RULE is traced by the SYSTEM in order to be produced as evidence of the configured or event situation. Figure 10 illustrates in particular the tracing of CONTENT.

USER (of CONTENT): MEMBER authorized by the SYSTEM to consult and possibly re-use the

CONTENT. The CONTENT USER accesses the NOTIFICATION via the PRIVATE AREA. Figure 2 illustrates the model

USER.

Break down a product sheet: Each CONTENT imported on Hub2b is technically inaccessible by a other member than the one authorized to assign to it RULES of contractual law (cf. CONTRACT) according to the VIRTUAL COMMUNITIES configured (cf. GENERIC). The breakdown of the product sheet results from this allocation of rights and in particular from ACCREDITATION.

VIRTUAL COMMUNITY (or network): By setting the RULES, a SUPPLIER can group SYSTEM MEMBERS according to any criteria participating in their membership form. A VIRTUAL COMMUNITY can be limited to a single ADHERENT individual. The homogeneity of the criteria is not compulsory in the same COMMUNITY. The setting up of a COMMUNITY aims to contract

(ACCREDITATION) with a GENERIC or individual package. All USERS belonging to the groups named below are clearly and specifically identified. Each USER has access rights for each element of the server content and rights to use the services associated with the server (services billed or not). These rights and services are open to customers when they join.

Regarding the technical solution, the software developed is based on an application server associated with a DBMS and is accessible via a Web server, as illustrated in Figure 8.

Concerning the general operation, the use of the System in accordance with the invention includes an adhesion step based on an identity card. Each element of the identity card is a criterion for possible membership of a community. Membership is only validated by the operator operating the system after contract signature. The membership base can be interfaced with other user bases on the market.

The pivotal contract is unique between all members (suppliers and users, each of whom may have the double label but independently). The rights owners (content providers) agree by this contract to issue rights and prohibitions that users agree to respect. The main rights and prohibitions are, for a configurable period:

- the access ban (the content is hidden, indirect access obliging the accessor to respect the rule which is directly applicable to it),

- viewing with ban on publication,

- re-publication (multi-media), accreditation clause,

- the delegation of rights (those above) to another member. The commercial contract is signed between two members as soon as:

- the System Operator (Hub2b) has noted their signature and accepted their membership, the rules have been set by the supplier so that content is accessible for a period and any conditions / accreditations to a user .

The System, illustrated in FIG. 9, includes a rules engine which implements the contract in a content-user pair. This function is individual or generic. The rules allow the supplier to allocate access and rights to other co-contracting users using a multiple choice computer form, online, according to identity criteria mentioned on the Identity sheet which it is possible to group into virtual communities.

For a type of use (right), duration and content, the Rules Engine can be interfaced with other market rules engines.

The System includes a catalog consisting of a private database of members with the label "Suppliers". Inaccessible by default, it is the receptacle for content produced outside the system.

It also includes a database organized as a link to the content selected by the subscriber under his “User” label. This database allows you to reorganize selected content here and there on the system to:

- benefit from notifications / updating of rules and / or content, configure the conditions for EXPORT of content to the user's own software. A system of notification and traces which constitute useful evidence for the respect of contractual clauses. Each IT event observed on the system (information or modification linked to membership, content registration, implementation of rules, communities and their components), is recorded and archived. In an exhaustive manner, each element which modifies the content-user couple for a content registered (or related according to the configuration) in the private space gives rise to a sending of information (notification) to the user holder of the private space . The shipment is made to the user's email address so as to avoid information breakdown, to provide (audit trail) useful evidence for compliance with contractual clauses. Two types of Members

Suppliers and Content Users are grouped within communities of interest, or within business lines, such as mass distribution, construction companies, resellers of electrical equipment, press officers , etc.

Suppliers represent all the depositors of product sheets, product catalogs or more generally of content. Suppliers have two distinct roles:

Define and make available (individually or through a catalog) their product sheets. The content is clearly specified.

Manage access rights to content individually, by product group or by user group. Users of the platform may be, in terms of rights profile, associated with communities of interest, business sectors, etc.

Each Supplier joins by signing a member contract. This membership leads to invoicing for the use of its services.

Each member appoints an account administrator. This account administrator is the privileged interlocutor in the relations between the server and the Supplier.

Users take out a subscription via a membership contract (free or not). This membership allows them access to the service and therefore to benefit from access rights to the content of the Supplier who can thus delegate his publication rights. By accessing content, Users have the right to (re) publish, particularly with a view to marketing the product.

The User has a space reserved for him. This private space is used to manage its own product catalog, a catalog made up of files that the latter will have selected from the files and attributes available to it in the Suppliers' catalogs.

The role of the server is the management and exploitation of the existing in terms of content, rights holders, and the integration of new participants (Supplier, User, ...).

The server defines the rules and conditions for joining its platform as well as the responsibilities of its members.

The server does not exercise control over the contents of the catalogs if they are in compliance with the legislation. The server offers a set of services through its platform. These services may give rise to invoicing.

The server takes care of all the notifications to the actors of the platform. These notifications are directed to Suppliers for all matters concerning the use of their respective catalogs, to Users for all modifications to the products used. These notifications can either be sent automatically by the system or sent on demand by the server.

The server ensures exhaustive traceability of the actions carried out on the site, access code (logins), consultation of the pages, updating of the content, ...). The server offers User or Supplier personalization services. These services will be detailed below in the document.

The server negotiates and places the hosting of the content with professional hosts that it approves and to which it makes respect its hosting specifications. The server billing system includes:

- monitoring volumes (disk space, traffic and backup), - traceability and audit trail,

- possible and partial re-invoicing of the Supplier to other members.

The Supplier is responsible for the following actions:

* Send content for publication to the server

Draw one or more sheet frames (design of product sheets, delivery of a visual identity guide, ...).

Draw the architecture and the sequence of files.

Provide the content of each sheet.

Describe the product families, possible groupings, categories.

Specify for each file or family of files the levels of access rights at the finest level (document).

Specify for each file or family of files the associated services (consultation statistics, consultation billing, distribution channels, geographic areas, ...).

A document that can be replaced by another for a given period (and other rights), the Supplier whether or not to allow automatic document reversal using an interface with an external application.

* Bring to life the contents of his catalog II must keep up to date the information he has published on the site.

In the event of deletion or modification of content (document or product), the Supplier must be able to specify replacement information accessible by the search engine via the old referencing.

* Manage access to documents

Distinguish the reuse rights and the consultation rights granted to Users.

Limit the right to download each file.

Initialize access to files at the final level

(document). These rights must apply to all Users (notion of default rights). Each standard file can be divided into three dimensions, for example by distribution axis, by geographic area, by period.

Process all new requests for access to its files (arrival of a new User, extension of the rights of a community of interests, ...).

Define for each modification of a file or each insertion of a new file the legal changes to be made.

A right of access takes the form of a rule, which is defined as follows:

Or a company s, with activity a, and located in country p, Let i be an individual belonging to the division d of society s' being logged into the Hub2b platform, i have the function f, Let ne N, A rule defines a set of individuals having the right to see content c. The condition of a rule can be composed of one or more targets of the same type or of different types. The possible types are: community, activity, society, individual, division, function or area. This information is collected when registering a new MEMBER and is necessary to validate their acceptance of the membership CONTRACT.

In the condition of the rule, a logical AND will be made between the targets of the same type while a logical OR will be made between the targets of different type. A certain number of constraints exist for the creation of a rule, if one does not want to create an empty set. In order for individual i to be able to access the content, he must meet all the conditions of at least one rule. If a rule r consists of activities a (l) ..a (n), divisions d (l) ..d (n), functions f (l) .. f (n) and areas z (l ) .. z (n), the individual i fulfills all the conditions; if a corresponds to one of the activities a (j) (je l..n), d to one of the divisions d (j) (je l..n), f to one of the functions f (j ) (i l..n) AND z to one of the zones z (j) (i l..n), then i is affected by the rule r.

* Trigger notifications II is the source of notifications on its products. These notifications are issued when a product is added to the catalog, modified (price, availability ...) or deleted. He manages the validity dates of the product sheets.

Notifications are triggered either piecemeal or automatically. When the Supplier joins, the latter defines the points on which it requests that an automatic notification be made.

* Define the elements of research To allow a research oriented on its products, the Supplier must provide as well as for the families of products, the characteristics of its products which can be used as a search parameter.

In case of change or unavailability of a product, the search engine must offer replacement products. These are informed by the

Provider.

As for the user:

He navigates the platform in search of information.

It collects information from the site for use or simple consultation.

It issues requests for access to catalogs or to certain files in a catalog. He searches for files using parameters "specific to his profession".

It integrates all notifications (for information or for action).

He is referenced on the site, if necessary, as a distributor of a product.

He can create his own workspace (space where his preferences in terms of product are stored).

Any member who has fulfilled the membership conditions can provide a list of prospect members to to integrate. The list of these prospects must allow a pre-registration to be confirmed "on-line" by each of them. Sponsors (coopters) have access to a statement of accounts of their contributions (list of referrals and capitalized discounts).

Supplier Registration

The Supplier has obtained, via the "institutional" portal or by any other means (mail, electronic mail, fax, ...), the list of information to be provided for its membership.

The server verifies in particular by interfacing with databases, the validity of the membership request. If necessary, he can ask the new member for additional information, or even refuse the membership request.

The server registers the requestor as a Supplier.

It creates a reception space on its memory space.

It provides the new Supplier with an administrator account (the rights linked to this account are described in the rest of the document).

It notifies the new Supplier that the latter has the possibility of inserting its product catalog (s).

Structure of a catalog

A catalog is a hierarchy of categories grouping together product sheets composed of attribute-value pairs.

For each Supplier, there is only one “mother” or “root” category. A category can contain one or more subcategories. A category can contain one or more products. A logo and description can be associated with a category. Two categories can share the same subcategory (ies).

A product is linked to at least one category. A product must include a reference (unique) and a name (unique). Couples (attribute, value) can be associated with a product. For each attribute, we define a type which can be: text, small image, large image, sound, video, other type of files or another product sheet.

Putting a product catalog online The server provides the Supplier with the following documents or specifications: - the description of a default catalog,

- the description of a default product sheet in terms of information,

- the description of a default product sheet in terms of presentation. The Supplier specifies the differences between the models delivered to him and the way in which he wants to present and arrange his products.

The server readjusts this model, if necessary, and sends it to the Supplier. It specifies the pivotal data exchange formats (formats based on databases, Excel files, paper, etc.).

The Supplier delivers its “product data”. The server requests, if necessary, a readjustment or additional information on the data if it is not directly usable.

It supports the integration of data on the platform. He reserves the right to modify or supplement the Supplier's catalog. This adjustment does not in any case concern the data but concerns their sequence and their access paths (technical accessibility).

Modification of catalog data: addition, deletion, modification of a product

The Supplier has an administrator account and has the possibility of acting on the content of its catalog.

The Supplier has the option to add a product to its catalog:

- to use a space dedicated to the creation of products on the platform for its catalog. This space dynamically incorporates the characteristics of its products (categorization, attributes, ...). This space is materialized by an input web page or by a computer input assistance module,

- to deliver, as he did for the creation of his catalog, a file or a document respecting the pivotal formats previously defined for publication.

The System reserves the right to modify or supplement the Supplier's product. This adjustment in no way concerns the data specific to the product but concerns its positioning in the catalog and more generally on the site.

Through automation functions or manually, the server notifies the actors affected by this addition of product. Concretely, the phases of putting online and modifying the catalog translate into a data import module. The most decisive option is the "replace" option, which determines whether we only add / update categories, products and attributes (the new tree merges with the old), or if the imported data replaces the old ones (the new tree replaces the old one).

The Supplier deposits on the platform a file describing the structure of the CONTENUS catalog to be imported, as well as the files to which reference is made (images, sounds, any other type of file ...). The file describing the structure can be of XML type or flat type but must follow a particular description.

The Supplier only has to indicate in which language he wishes to import his data and to run the import module.

Modification of catalog data: deletion of a product The Supplier has an administrator account and has the possibility of acting on the content of its catalog.

To remove a product from its catalog, the Supplier must be able to either:

- to use a space dedicated to the removal of product on the site for its catalog. This space dynamically incorporates the characteristics of its products

(categorization, attributes, values, ...). This space can be materialized either by a web entry page, or by a data entry assistance computer module, - to deliver, as it did for the creation of its catalog, a file or a document respecting the pivotal formats previously defined to take account of the deletion.

Through automation functions or manually, the server notifies the actors affected by this deletion.

Modification of catalog data: modification of a product The Supplier has an administrator account and has the possibility of acting on the content of its catalog. To modify a product in its catalog, the Supplier must either: - use a space dedicated to this modification operation on the site, for its catalog. This space dynamically incorporates the characteristics of its products (categorization, attributes, values, ...). This space can be materialized either by an input web page, or by a computer input assistance module.

- to deliver, as he did for the creation of his catalog, a file or a document respecting the pivotal formats previously defined to take into account the modification. The server reserves the right to modify or supplement the supplier's product. This adjustment in no way concerns the data specific to the product but concerns its positioning in the catalog and more generally on the site. Through automation functions or manually, the server notifies the actors affected by this modification.

Putting a product catalog online: assigning and modifying rights

Rights are by default of the “no rights” type.

The Supplier has the possibility of acting on the content of its catalog. The server provides the Supplier with the documents and software resources for the following specifications:

- the characteristics of access rights (who, what, when, ...). The construction of a rule has been detailed previously, - a model of right of access. The Supplier specifies the differences between the models delivered to it and its vision of securing its data.

The server readjusts this model, if necessary, and sends it to the Supplier.

It specifies the pivotal data exchange formats (formats based on databases, Excel files, paper, ...) for the management of access rights. The Supplier delivers its "access rights data".

If necessary, it requests a readjustment or additional information on the data if it is not directly usable. It supports the integration of access rights in the Supplier's catalog.

He reserves the right to modify or supplement the rights of access to the Supplier's products. This adjustment allows for example inter-supplier consistency

Once its CONTENT catalog is present on the SYSTEM, and it has created its rules, the Supplier only has to make the link between the two by applying the rules it has created to its CONTENT, at the finest levels, that is to say on the constituent elements of its product sheets or on a whole category by choosing to propagate it to all the sheets and categories that it groups together, by a recursive method.

Modification of catalog access rights

The Supplier has an administrator account and has the possibility of acting on the access rights of the products and documents of its catalog. The Supplier must, to modify access rights for a product, a family of products or a document from its catalog, have the possibility either:

- to use a space dedicated to access modifications on the site, for its catalog. This space dynamically incorporates the characteristics of its products

(breakdown of accesses within a product file, documents, access categories, ...). This space can be materialized either by an input web page, or by a computer input assistance module.

- to deliver, as it did for the creation of its catalog, a file or a document respecting the pivotal formats previously defined for the application of these new access rights.

Declaration by a member of a member-prospect file

The declarant issues a request to register a list of prospects. This request can be formalized on the public site in electronic form.

The server checks the validity of the registration request. If necessary, he can ask the declarant for additional information, or even refuse the request.

He may be required to notify new prospects of the request made by the declarant. A temporary account for online registration is opened for each prospect. This temporary account gives no right of access to the commercial content of the platform but to additional online registration. The prospect accepts or does not accept this cooptation and, if necessary, performs the additional registration procedures.

The server notifies the declarant of the registration of the new member. It gives the declarant at regular intervals a list of prospects who have not followed up on this cooptation.

User Registration

The User has obtained, via the “institutional” portal of the server or by any other means (mail, fax, etc.), the list of information to be provided for his membership as a User. The server verifies in particular by interfacing with databases the validity of the membership request. If necessary, he can ask the new member for additional information, or even refuse the membership request. It registers the applicant as User and provides the new Member with a User account. A reserved space, specific to the new User is created. This space is intended to become the “private catalog” of the User.

Constitution of a private catalog The User accesses the site and the product sheets for which access has been given.

He has the possibility, at each visit of a product sheet, to include it, for the part which is accessible to him in terms of documents, in his private space.

For this, a function of the style "add in my private space" is available.

The user is, after each addition of a product in his private space, notified of the modifications made by the Supplier on this product. The Supplier is notified of the products thus selected by the

Users. The User will be able to organize their SPACE

PRIVATE by prioritizing within sections the product sheets that he will add to it. This hierarchy of product sheets is based on the management of a tree in the IT sense.

Content export

Each User can, if authorized, export the CONTENT of a Supplier for reuse. The data export is made from the data included in the PRIVATE AREA of the USER. The export of a section of the PRIVATE AREA involves the export of all the sub-sections and product sheets it contains. Only the data for which the USER is contractually within the meaning of the SYSTEM, authorized to republish can then be exported.

The result of the export is located in a space reserved for the USER on the server; it consists of a file in XML format for the information extracted from the database as well as a copy of all the attached files (multimedia). This information can then be retrieved by the USER via a protocol such as FTP on his own application, in particular for the purpose of accredited re-use or re-publication.

Search for items on the platform

The User accesses the site and the product sheets for which access has been given. He has the possibility of carrying out research or product comparison operations. This search / comparison is carried out through product characteristics (the search is not limited to reconciliation codes

[matchcodes]). Explorer Registration

The Explorer obtained, via the "institutional" portal or by any other means (mail, fax, etc.), the list of information to be provided for his membership as an Explorer.

The server verifies in particular by interfacing with databases the validity of the membership request. If necessary, he can ask the new member for additional information, or even refuse the membership request. It registers the requester as Explorer and provides the new Explorer with a User account.

A space reserved for the new Explorer has been created. This space is intended to become the

Explorer's “private catalog”.

Constitution of a private area The Explorer accesses the site and the product sheets for which access has been given

The Explorer has the possibility, at each visit of a product sheet to include it, for the part which is accessible to him in terms of documents, in his private catalog.

For this a function of the style "add to my catalog" must be available.

The Explorer will, after each addition of a product to its private catalog, be notified of the modifications made by the Supplier to this product.

The Supplier may be notified of the products thus selected by the Explorers.

Search for elements on the site The Explorer accesses the site and the product sheets for which access has been given. The Explorer has the possibility of carrying out research operations or product comparisons.

This search / comparison is carried out through product characteristics (the search is not limited to the matchcodes).

The User can also carry out a search on criteria of geographic type, business sector, period.

Security & authorization management -

Authentication of platform users

Access and use of the site are subject to strong user authentication. An access control and authentication mechanism is implemented. This mechanism dynamically assesses, that is to say for each operation on the site (consultation, research, etc.), the rights associated with the User. These rights apply to all pages of the site as well as to all User functions and so-called site administration modules.

The User's login, corresponding to his e-mail address registered in the system, and his password, will allow the User to be identified. This identification is done at the level of the institutional site via two input fields.

If the name or login does not correspond to a User registered on the platform, an error page is displayed with a link to return to the institutional site and a new attempt. In the event that the login was successful, and therefore when the User has been identified, the home page is displayed to him corresponding to his user type, namely, Supplier or User. If authentication fails three times consecutively, the account is blocked and the holder of the account must then contact the Hub2b Administrator to recover a new access.

After authentication, the member's profile is loaded. The known information is then his identifier, his name, his company, the sector of activity and the geographical area where his company is located as well as his division and his hierarchical level in his company. It is by comparing his profile and the components of the rules chosen by the Suppliers that the SYSTEM determines whether he has access to the CONTENT or not.

Suppliers' specific access rights

Access to the Supplier includes additional functionality due to the actions it has to perform. Indeed, the Supplier must accumulate the following accesses:

* Administer the content: For everything concerning the updating of its catalog, the Supplier is represented • by an "account administrator". The server assigns, when registering a new Supplier, an access account for this account administrator. This account only gives rights to the elements of the Supplier's catalog, access to other catalogs being prohibited.

This access allows the account administrator to deposit new product files, delete or modify product files. These maintenance actions can be performed, either directly on the online catalog, or via an intermediate module having the required functionalities.

* Navigate the site, its catalog: The Supplier, once its membership has been completed, has the possibility of viewing its catalog on the site. To do so, a simple reader access is given to it. This access is associated with the access described above.

* Obtain statistical information:

When the Supplier joins, the types of statistical data and the frequency of updating these data are made available to the Supplier, either via a space reserved for the latter on the site, or by sending

(by email, paper, etc.).

Access rights for all members

During the member's pre-registration phase, the server creates a "temporary" account to allow the member to become a member; this account gives no right of access to the commercial content of the site. Once membership is complete, this account is destroyed and a user account is created. Each member must, when registering, register for two communities of interest and a business sector.

The member inherits via his communities of interest and his business sector the rights of access to the content corresponding to his activity; it is identified catalog by catalog. Its accesses are also calculated according to a time division.

The authentication of the member, and all its actions (reading a product file, finding elements, loading a product file, ...) on the site are traced by the system.

In addition, these access rights also allow the User to either make a link between his site sale and a product sheet, or download a product sheet.

Access procedure The site has two areas corresponding to two distinct types of access, the institutional site and the product catalogs.

The authentication of users is done inside the institutional site, after having requested entry into the so-called reserved or customer space.

Once the user is logged into the system, the hourly access restrictions are applied. It can thus be disconnected from a form at any time.

Data integrity (notions of effective date)

The integrity of the data consists in ensuring the users of the site the version of the documents made available to them. In fact, the server must take into account, at the established time, the modifications made or programmed on the content of the catalogs of product sheets and their documents.

To do so, you must:

- if necessary, complete the product sheet with its publication dates (start date and end date of publication).

- inform all the actors concerned of the modifications made on the site.

Full traceability of access and audit trail All operations carried out on the site are traced. Each event is clearly identified, time stamped and saved.

All this data is made available to those who use it for: - inform Suppliers on the use of their product sheets and the exhaustive content published

(Audit),

- be used as a billing support, in the case of a billing service by volume,

- compile its own statistics.

Multi-country support

The site must interface with a multi-country translation system. This translation system takes into account the linguistic translation aspects of the data but also the translation of the attributes of a product. We can give for example as attribute to translate the weight of a product, kg in France and lbs in Great Britain. This translator must operate dynamically, ie translate the data on display.

This translator must also interact when the Users load the product sheets. In fact, when a User loads a product file, he must obtain all of his geographic variations.

The search functions are broken down as follows:

- a product-oriented research module: the server must be able to define or use, for each product range, a model on product characteristics.

- a geographic search module: users must be able to search for the resellers of a product identified according to geographic criteria.

- a comparison module: as with oriented research, users must be able to compare products using a model of product characteristics. Three types of information have been identified, data or content, access rights to content and messages passing through the system.

Platform data

The supplier's data or content of the platform are associated with the following characteristics:

- Only the Supplier can release data access rights.

- Only the Supplier can give rights to republish data.

- All data from the server is signed. The use of server data as well as their distribution is done by keeping the signature of the server, this signature informing the reader of the origin and the protection of this data.

Access to data is managed by the server, and is broken down as follows: The Supplier decides, upon delivery of its catalog, the initial access rights to affix to its content.

It updates these access rights to each content extension. The server coordinates access rights between catalogs.

All access to the site and the member-content links are traced and collected (historical) for the audit trail.

Messages sent for information or notification

The platform automatically issues, following a programmed or manually triggered action, informational or action messages to users. These messages are either from a modification of catalog content (addition of a product, price modification, promotion, ...), or from a modification of rights, or generated by the server, via its statistical tools for information from Suppliers.

Each notification consists of a unique identifier, the date, the recipients, and the subject of the notification. The object included both a reference to

CONTENT concerned, to the rules which affect it with their respective parameters.

Confidentiality Certain information on the platform is confidential because it is linked to each client. Confidentiality between each client and the system must therefore be ensured. This therefore means that there can be no consultation or interception of information concerning a customer by a subscriber himself or a fortiori non-subscriber.

traceability

The system must allow complete traceability of the operations carried out. For this, the activation of the connection files (logs) of the Web service must be carried out in order to be able to feed a tool for analysis and statistics of the system with notarization, for the provision of a trusted third party by the server. In addition, the SYSTEM tracks all the actions carried out inside the platform, therefore in connection with the contract. They are written in a journal in text format.

A trace consists of a unique identifier, the date of the action, the identifier (IDENTIFIER) of 1 USER who performs it, the detailed action itself as well as various parameters concerning it. The main actions are:

* AC ti ons common to all types of USERS:

Registration and signing of the CONTRACT

Authentication

Display of the list of catalogs of

CONTENT,

Category display,

Display of a product sheet,

Visualization of the CONTENT of the PRIVATE AREA,

Navigation within the PRIVATE AREA,

Creation of a new section in SPACE

PRIVATE,

Addition of a product in the PRIVATE AREA, Addition of a category (i.e. all the products which depend on it) in the PRIVATE AREA,

Deletion of a product from the PRIVATE AREA, Deletion of a section from the PRIVATE AREA, Export of data CONTAINED in the PRIVATE AREA, Change of the navigation language, Choice of a default navigation language, Subscription to a NOTIFICATION, Unsubscribe from a NOTIFICATION, Deletion of a NOTIFICATION,

* Actions specific to SUPPLIERS of

CONTENT:

Creation of a VIRTUAL COMMUNITY, Visualization of the list of COMMUNITIES

VIRTUAL,

Modification of a VIRTUAL COMMUNITY, Deletion of a VIRTUAL COMMUNITY, RULE creation,

View the list of RULES, View a RULE, Modify a RULE, Delete a RULE,

Adding a RULE to a CONTENT, Deleting a RULE from a CONTENT, Importing data,

* Actions specific to administrators:

Creation of a company,

Modification of a company,

Deletion of a company,

Creation of a USER, Modification of a USER,

Deletion of a USER,

Creation of a CONTRACT,

Modification of a CONTRACT,

Deletion of a CONTRACT.

The unique identifier allows the SYSTEM to respond efficiently and quickly to requests from members regarding past actions. It also facilitates the creation of audit trails.

Archiving / Notarization

The software can be hosted anywhere. The System is operated by a host according to specifications dedicated to its operation as an operator.

The software processes the archiving of each version of CONTENT with its implementation (import / export), accessibility (RULES in particular) and hosting references. The traces of operation of the SYSTEM by its MEMBERS are archived by the operator on a second hosting site.

Incident management

When an incident occurs (non-response from the system for example), the information describing this incident is recorded in the application log. In the event of a System error, a standard page must be presented to the user.

Right click function

The member accessing the platform via a browser has an additional right-click function directly linked to the existing "save image as" function. This new function "register official content (available in all languages)" allows the Supplier to access and supply the server; other members to consult and / or reuse the documents available to them on the server.

Life cycle

Some CONTENTS can have several states during their existence. These states, and the different ways of going from one to the other, form the life cycle of a CONTENT.

A general life cycle, illustrated in Figure 10 and Figure 11, could be defined for all of the CONTENT. Four states have been identified. The life cycle of an entity begins when it is registered in the database and ends when it is removed from it.

Any entity therefore begins with a created state where it is generally not yet usable. Then it goes through an activated state where it can be used. Next comes an alternation between the activated and passivated states (setting aside the SYSTEM).

The last state, archived, marks the end of the life cycle and precedes the exit (not necessarily final) from the SYSTEM. The transition to this state is done automatically after a certain time spent in the state p a s s i va t e d. The output of the System necessarily leads to archiving on CD-Rom or other so as to allow the content to be found within the framework of NOTARIZATION.

For the CONTENT type entities, we can define different activation levels, making it possible to prioritize the CONTENT according to the interest that the catalog visitors have for them, their seniority, etc. :

- actived level 0: default level, visible to everyone,

- actived level 1: visible only by people who want to see this level,

- actived level n: CONTENT visited less often.

This takes into account the ease, for example, of storing information of high levels, which will be less often consulted, on remote bases, or others, having a longer access time, but making it possible to free up space for storage. more "frequent" level data.

Claims

CLAIM

1 - System for the distribution of digital data relating to commercial exchanges, composed of a computer server comprising a database and means of communication with a plurality of client stations, the client stations being operated by a first type of user constituted by suppliers, for entering and transmitting data relating to commercial offers, and by a second type of user, for consulting the data recorded in the database, relating to accessible commercial offers, characterized in that the system comprises a means of prior authentication of the supplier, consisting of recording in a database of the server an identifier of each approved supplier and a means of certification at the time of the exchange of data between the supplier and the server, the server comprising a computer program for the exchange of digital information with each f identified provider, said information being transmitted by the supplier in the form of files presenting a frame defined by the supplier, and of an indicator of the access rights to said information, and for the acknowledgment of notification for modifications or deletion of information 'a supplier.

2 - Method for the distribution of digital data relating to exchanges of information, in particular commercial, the data coming from a first type of user in particular constituted by suppliers and being intended for a second type of user, for consultation data recorded in the database, relating to in particular accessible commercial offers, characterized in that the process comprises: a first step of supplier registration consisting in transmitting to the supplier an information sheet to be provided, establishing communication with a database to verify the validity of the data in the information sheet, in the event of a positive verification to be carried out registration of said supplier and the allocation of a secure access means, and to create a memory space dedicated to said supplier, - a second step of putting a catalog online consisting in providing the registered supplier with a description of '' a default catalog, a description of a default product file, said default digital data being modifiable by the supplier, and creating a specific catalog format for said supplier, a third step of recording data in said specific catalog ,

- a fourth step of allocation of rights by the supplier to determine the conditions of access by third parties to the information recorded in said specific catalog,

- a fifth step of declaring a user comprising a means of accreditation,

- And an additional step of duplicating digital information from a card from a supplier's catalog for recording in a user's private catalog.