Clipboard management

• US 10,255,446 B2
• Filed: 07/07/2015
• Issued: 04/09/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 01/08/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Brooks, Simon, Hawkins, Siavash James Joorabchian, Rankin, Christopher
• Primary Examiner(s): Arani, Taghi T
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lane, Gregory A
• Application Number:
  US14/793,115
• Publication Number:
  US 20150310220A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,372 Days
• Field of Search: 713189, 715770
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/606 by securing the transmission between two devices or processes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/543 User-generated data transfer, e.g. clipboards, dynamic data exchange [DDE], object linking and embedding [OLE]

Abstract

Embodiments provide methods, devices and computer program arranged to control access to clipboards by applications. In one embodiment a user device comprises: at least one processor; and at least one memory comprising computer program code and an application that has been provisioned by an application provisioning entity, the application having access to a first clipboard of a first type, to which data can be transferred and/or from which data can be retrieved by a further, different, application on the user device, wherein the application is configured with an encryption key for the transfer of data to and/or retrieval of data from a second clipboard of a second, type, clipboard, the encryption key being associated with the application provisioning entity. The user device can control the transfer of data to and/or retrieval of data from the second clipboard by the application via the encryption key.

Claims

1. A user device comprising:

at least one processor;

at least one memory comprising computer program code; and

a first application that has been provisioned by an application provisioning entity, the application provisioning entity being remote from the user device, the first application having access to a first clipboard of a first type, to which data is configured to be transferred and from which data is configured to be retrieved by a further, different, second application on the user device, wherein the first application is configured with an encryption key for a transfer of data to and a retrieval of data from a second clipboard of a second, different type, the encryption key for the first application is configured by the application provisioning entity that has provisioned the first application, the first application encrypts a data item based on the encryption key and transfers the encrypted data item to the second clipboard, wherein the first clipboard, the second clipboard, the first application, and the second application are stored in the at least one memory of the user device, the first clipboard is accessible by both the first application and the second application, and the second clipboard is accessible by the first application,

wherein the first application is configured to execute in a foreground operational state or a background operational state, and in response to an indication that the first application is transiting into the background operational state, the first application is configured to associate an identifier with the encrypted data item and transfer the encrypted data item from the second clipboard to the first clipboard on a basis of a predetermined rule; and

wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code being configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the user device to control the transfer of data to and retrieval of data from the second clipboard by the first application via the encryption key.

2. The user device according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined rule comprises one or more of the following:

a policy specified by the application provisioning entity;

a timestamp associated with the encrypted data item; and

a data type associated with the encrypted data item.

3. The user device according to claim 1, wherein, in response to an indication that the first application has transited into the foreground operational state, the first application is configured to:

retrieve the encrypted data item on a basis of the associated identifier from the first clipboard; and

transfer the encrypted data item to the second clipboard.

4. The user device according to claim 1, wherein, in response to an indication that the first application has transited into the foreground operational state, the first application is configured to:

retrieve a data item from the first clipboard;

determine whether the retrieved data item has been encrypted on a basis of the encryption key;

in dependence on the determination, encrypt the retrieved data item on the basis of the encryption key; and

transfer the encrypted data item to the second clipboard.

5. The user device according to claim 1, wherein the first application has access to a third clipboard of the second type and is configured with a user key for transfer of data to and retrieval of data from the third clipboard, the user key being associated with a user.

6. The user device according to claim 5, wherein the first application has access to a fourth clipboard of the second type and is configured with a provisioning key for transfer of data to and retrieval of data from the fourth clipboard, the provisioning key being associated with an application provisioning repository from which the first application was downloaded.

7. The user device according to claim 6, wherein, the user device comprises a processing system configured to:

determine which of the clipboards is accessible by the first application; and

selectively allow transfer of data to and retrieval of data from one of the accessible clipboards on a basis of a predetermined criterion.

8. The user device according to claim 7, wherein the predetermined criterion comprises one or more of the following:

a policy specified by the application provisioning entity;

an indication of whether a clipboard comprises at least one data item; and

a timestamp associated with data items maintained by at least one of the accessible clipboards.

18. The user device according to claim 1, wherein a clipboard of the first type is an open clipboard that is accessible without an encryption key, and a clipboard of the second type is a restricted clipboard that is accessible via an encryption key.

9. A method of controlling clipboard operations on a user device, the user device comprising a first application that has been provisioned by an application provisioning entity remote from the user device, the first application having access to a first clipboard of a first type, to which data is configured to be transferred and from which data is configured to be retrieved by a further, different, second application on the user device, wherein the first application is configured with an encryption key for a transfer of data to and a retrieval of data from a second clipboard of a second, different type, the encryption key for the first application is configured by the application provisioning entity that has provisioned the first application, the first application encrypts a data item based on the encryption key and transfers the encrypted data item to the second clipboard, the first clipboard, the second clipboard, the first application, and the second application being stored in at least one memory of the user device, the first clipboard being accessible by both the first application and the second application, the second clipboard being accessible by the first application, and

the method comprising:

controlling the transfer of data to and retrieval of data from the second clipboard by the first application via the encryption key on a basis of a predetermined criterion; and

wherein the first application is configured to execute in a foreground operational state or a background operational state, and in response to an indication that the first application is transiting into the background operational state, the method further comprising;

associating an identifier with the encrypted data item and transferring the encrypted data item from the second clipboard to the first clipboard on a basis of a predetermined rule.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the predetermined rule comprises one or more of the following:

a policy specified by the application provisioning entity;

a timestamp associated with the encrypted data item;

or

a data type associated with the encrypted data item.

11. The method according to claim 9, the method further comprising:

responsive to an indication that the first application has transited into the foreground operational state;

retrieving the encrypted data item on a basis of the associated identifier from the first clipboard; and

transferring the encrypted data item to the second clipboard.

12. The method according to claim 9, the method further comprising:

in response to an indication that the first application has transited into the foreground operational state;

retrieving a data item from the first clipboard;

determining whether the retrieved data item has been encrypted on a basis of the encryption key;

in dependence on the determination, encrypting the retrieved data item on the basis of the encryption key; and

transferring the encrypted data item to the second clipboard.

13. The method according to claim 9, wherein the first application has access to a third clipboard of the second type and is configured with a user key for transfer of data to and retrieval of data from the third clipboard, the user key being associated with a user, the method comprising selectively allowing the first application to transfer data to and retrieve data from the third clipboard on the basis of the predetermined criterion.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the first application has access to a fourth clipboard of the second type and is configured with a provisioning key for transfer of data to and retrieval of data from the fourth clipboard, the provisioning key being associated with an application provisioning repository from which the first application was downloaded, the method further comprising:

selectively allowing the first application to transfer data to and retrieve data from the fourth clipboard on the basis of the predetermined criterion.

15. The method according to claim 14, the method further comprising:

determining which of the clipboards is accessible by the first application; and

selectively allowing transfer of data to and retrieval of data from one of the accessible clipboards on the basis of the predetermined criterion.

16. The method according to claim 9, wherein the predetermined criterion comprises one or more of the following:

a policy specified by the application provisioning entity;

an indication of whether a clipboard comprises at least one data item;

or

a timestamp associated with data items maintained by at least one of the accessible clipboards.

17. A tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising a set of instructions, which, when executed by a user device, cause the user device to perform a method of controlling clipboard operations on the user device,

the user device comprising a first application that has been provisioned by an application provisioning entity remote from the user device, the first application having access to a first clipboard of a first type, to which data is configured to be transferred and from which data is configured to be retrieved by a further, different, second application on the user device, wherein the first application is configured with an encryption key for a transfer of data and a retrieval of data from a second clipboard of a second, different type, the encryption key for the first application is configured by the application provisioning entity that has provisioned the first application, the first application encrypts a data item based on the encryption key and transfers the encrypted data item to the second clipboard, the first clipboard, the second clipboard, the first application, and the second application being stored in at least one memory of the user device, the first clipboard being accessible by both the first application and the second application, the second clipboard being accessible by the first application, and

wherein the first application is configured to execute in a foreground operational state or a background operational state, and in response to an indication that the first application is transiting into the background operational state, the first application is configured to associate an identifier with the encrypted data item and transfer the encrypted data item from the second clipboard to the first clipboard on a basis of a predetermined rule;

and

the user device comprising a processing system arranged to cause the user device to control the transfer of data to and retrieval of data from the second clipboard by the first application via the encryption key on a basis of a predetermined criterion.