Referral identity system and method of operation thereof
Approaches, techniques, and mechanisms are disclosed for providing referral identity systems and services. The referral identity system can provide a hardware based system for identifying users and the devices they are using and recognizing referrals from one device to another and/or from one user to another. Each of the users can be uniquely identified using a device identifier associated with a device that the user is using. The authentication and identity services can be used to license software and/or devices coupled with such software dynamically using integrated hardware, software, and firmware, and provide a validated identification difficult to spoof.
1. A method of operation of a referral identity device system comprising:
creating, by a first network-connected device at a referral time, a referral key for a referral operation;
linking, by the first network-connected device, the referral key to the referral time and to a unique hardware device identifier of the first network-connected device;
causing, after the linking, a transfer of the referral key from the first network-connected device to a second network-connected device and to a referral server;
detecting, by the second network-connected device at an activation time, an activation of the referral key;
additionally linking, by the second network-connected device, the referral key to the activation time and to a unique hardware device identifier of the second network-connected device;
transmitting, after the additional linking, the referral key to the referral server for validation of the referral operation;
calculating, by the referral server, a referral status of the referral operation by comparing the referral time in the referral key to the activation time in the referral key; and
sending, by the referral server, a referral validation response to the second network-connected device based on the referral status of the referral operation.
2. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein linking the referral key to the referral time further includes:
receiving an input from a first user interface provided by the first network-connected device; and
determining the referral time based on a time when the input was received.
3. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein additionally linking the referral key to the activation time further includes:
receiving a second input from a second user interface provided by the second network-connected device; and
determining the activation time based on a time when the second input was received.
4. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein causing a transfer of the referral key further includes:
entering the referral key into a second user interface provided by the second network-connected device.
5. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein causing a transfer of the referral key further includes:
sending the referral key from the first network-connected device to network-connected device.
6. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the referral status is valid when the referral time is before the activation time, wherein the referral status is invalid when the referral time is not before the activation time.
7. The method as claimed claim 1 , further comprising:
sending, by the referral server, the referral validation response to the first network-connected device.
8. A system comprising:
a first network-connected device having a unique hardware device identifier of the first network-connected device;
a second network-connected device having a unique hardware device identifier of the second network-connected device;
a first application executing on the first network-connected device, the first application providing a user interface for creating a referral key for a referral operation and linking the referral key to the unique hardware device identifier of the first network-connected device and a referral time based on a time when the referral key was created;
a second application executing on the second network-connected device, the second application providing a user interface for detecting an activation of the referral key at an activation time and additionally linking the referral key to the unique hardware device identifier of the second network-connected device and the activation time; and
a referral server for receiving the referral key, the referral server calculating a referral status of the referral operation by comparing the referral time in the referral key to the activation time in the referral key and sending a referral validation response with the referral status to the second network-connected device.
9. The system as claimed in claim 8 , wherein the first application is for receiving an input from a first user interface provided by the first application and for determining the referral time based on a time when the input was received.
10. The system as claimed in claim 8 , wherein the second application is for receiving a second input from a second user interface provided by the second application and for determining the activation time based on a time when the second input was received.
11. The system as claimed in claim 8 , wherein the second application is for receiving the referral key in a second user interface provided by the second network-connected device.
12. The system as claimed in claim 8 , wherein the first application is for sending the referral key to the second application.
13. The system as claimed in claim 8 , wherein the referral server sets the referral status to valid when the referral time is before the activation time, wherein the referral server sets the referral status to invalid when the referral time is not before the activation time.
14. The system as claimed in claim 8 , wherein the referral server is for sending the referral validation response to the first network-connected device.
15. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing instruction that, when executed by one or more computing devices, cause the one or more computing devices to execute operations comprising:
creating, by a first network-connected device at a referral time, a referral key for a referral operation;
linking, by the first network-connected device, the referral key to the referral time and to a unique hardware device identifier of the first network-connected device;
causing, after the linking, a transfer of the referral key from the first network-connected device to a second network-connected device and to a referral server;
additionally linking, by second network-connected device, the referral key to an activation time and to a unique hardware device identifier of the second network-connected device;
transmitting, after the additional linking, the referral key to a referral server for validation of the referral operation;
calculating, by the referral server, a referral status of the referral operation by comparing the referral time in the referral key to the activation time in the referral key; and
sending, by the referral server, a referral validation response to the second network-connected device based on the referral status of the referral operation.
16. The media as claimed in claim 15 , wherein linking the referral key to the referral time further includes:
receiving an input from a first user interface provided by the first network-connected device; and
determining the referral time based on a time when the input was received.
17. The media as claimed in claim 15 , wherein additionally linking the referral key to the activation time further includes:
receiving a second input from a second user interface provided by the second network-connected device; and
determining the activation time based on a time when the second input was received.
18. The media as claimed in claim 15 , wherein causing a transfer of the referral key further includes:
entering the referral key into a second user interface provided by the second network-connected device.
19. The media as claimed in claim 15 , wherein causing a transfer of the referral key further includes:
sending the referral key from the first network-connected device to the second network-connected device.
20. The media as claimed in claim 15 , wherein the referral status is valid when the referral time is before the activation time, wherein the referral status is invalid when the referral time is not before the activation time.