Inferred user identity in content distribution

A computer program product for inferred user identity in content distribution, the computer program product comprising:

• a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having computer readable program code embodied therewith, the computer readable program code comprising:
• computer readable program code for receiving a connection for a content server distributing content over a computer communications network from an unidentified end user at a computing device, the end user requesting access to content in the content server;
• computer readable program code for retrieving from the data store of the computing device by the content server during the accessing of the data store a set of data describing multiple different moments of utilization of the computing device at multiple different times for different interactions between the computing device and different computers other than the content server, each of the different moments corresponding to a different interaction with a different one of the computers over the computer communications network;
• computer readable program code for determining from the set of data once retrieved from the data store pattern of utilization of the computing device comprising a set of multiple different interactions between the computing device and individual ones of the different computers at respectively different times;
• computer readable program code for comparing the identified pattern of utilization to multiple different known patterns of utilization corresponding to different known, previously identified users, the multiple different known patterns each comprising a listing of different ones of the different computers and corresponding times of access in connection with one of the previously identified users;
• computer readable program code for, on condition that the identified pattern of utilization at least partially matches one of the multiple different known patterns, inferring an identity of the unidentified end user as one of previously identified users associated with the partially matched one of the multiple different known patterns of data;
• and,
• computer readable program code for managing user interactions of the unidentified user based upon the inferred identity without requiring the use of cookies, without requiring the use of flash files, without requiring the use of manual authentication and without requiring the use of biometric identification methods.

A content distribution data processing system comprising:

• a content server executing in memory by at least one process of a host computer;
• and,
• a user identity inference module comprising program code configured upon execution in the host computer to receive a connection from over a computer communications network from an unidentified end user at a computing device, the end user requesting access to content in the content server, to access by the content server, a data store in the computing device of the unidentified end user from over the computer communications network, to retrieve from the data store of the computing device by the content server during the accessing of the data store a set of data describing multiple different moments of utilization of the computing device at multiple different times for different interactions between the computing device and different computers other than the content server, each of the different moments corresponding to a different interaction with a different one of the computers over the computer communications network, to determine from the set of data once retrieved from the data store pattern of utilization of the computing device comprising a set of multiple different interactions between the computing device and individual ones of the different computers at respectively different times, to compare the identified pattern of utilization to multiple different known patterns of utilization corresponding to different known, previously identified users, the multiple different known patterns each comprising a listing of different ones of the different computers and corresponding times of access in connection with one of the previously identified users, on condition that the identified pattern of utilization at least partially matches one of the multiple different known patterns, to infer an identity of the unidentified end user as one of previously identified users associated with the partially matched one of the multiple different known patterns of data, and to manage user interactions of the unidentified user based upon the inferred identity based upon the inferred identity without requiring the use of cookies, without requiring the use of flash files, without requiring the use of manual authentication and without requiring the use of biometric identification methods.