Methods of enabling inter-organizational and public social collaboration

• US 10,305,912 B2
• Filed: 02/17/2016
• Issued: 05/28/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: MOVO Holdings LLC
• Original Assignee: Smart Social Media, Inc.
• Inventors: Diestler, Scott, Schloegel, Kirk, Shimonek, Doug, Bartkus, Leo, Carley, Dave, Arthur, Erik
• Primary Examiner(s): Hirl, Joseph P
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguy, Chi D
• Application Number:
  US15/045,719
• Publication Number:
  US 20160255089A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,196 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6236 between heterogeneous systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles

Abstract

Systems and methods for controlling access to electronic collaboration content data associated with a plurality of organizations. The system includes one or more databases storing the electronic collaboration content data. An identity aggregator receives a request for access to the electronic collaboration content data from an individual'"'"'s client device and determines an internal user identifier of the individual, that represents an aggregate identity of the individual corresponding to at least one of organizational identities or external identities. A content access manager maps the internal user identifier to content permissions associated with the individual across each organization that is associated with the individual and the external content services associated with the individual. The content access manager permits access by the client device to at least a portion of the electronic data stored among the databases across each organization associated with the individual and based on the individual'"'"'s content permissions.

Claims

1. A system for controlling access to electronic collaboration content data associated with a plurality of organizations that each separately support social network collaboration, the system comprising:

a collaboration platform comprising a non-transitory memory storing computer readable instructions and a processor configured to execute said instructions, the collaboration platform including;

an identity aggregator configured to receive an electronic request for access to the electronic collaboration content data from a client device of an individual over a communication network, the electronic request including an encrypted internal token associated with the collaboration platform, the identity aggregator configured to determine an internal user identifier of the individual responsive to the electronic request based on decryption of the encrypted internal token, the internal user identifier comprising a single unified identity of the individual that is a composite of multiple individual identities and representing an aggregate identity of the individual corresponding to at least one of one or more organizational identities of the individual among the plurality of organizations or one or more external identities of the individual among one or more external content services;

a content access manager configured to map the internal user identifier of the individual to content permissions associated with the individual across each organization among the plurality of organizations that is associated with the individual and the one or more external content services associated with the individual; and

one or more internal databases associated with the collaboration platform configured to collect and store the electronic collaboration content data associated with the plurality of organizations,

wherein the content access manager permits, by the client device, over the communication network, access to a particular portion of the electronic collaboration content data stored among the one or more internal databases across each organization associated with the individual and based on the content permissions of the individual according to the internal user identifier.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the content permissions include at least one of a read content permission, a write content permission, or a share content permission.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein each organizational identity is associated with at least one of a different organization, a different hierarchical level within a same organization, different cross-hierarchy content permissions or different cross-organization content permissions.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the electronic collaboration content data includes at least one of an electronic file, a video, an electronic post, an electronic message, an electronic question, an electronic answer, a blog, an electronic comment, a private conversation, a public conversation, an electronic engagement, a virtual community or a virtual sub-community.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the content access manager configures the one or more internal databases to store the electronic collaboration content data in a predetermined configuration associated with data access across the plurality of organizations, the predetermined configuration including at least one of a partitioned configuration, an integrated configuration, an asymmetrical configuration, a symmetrical configuration, a logical hierarchy configuration or a configuration based on a predetermined relationship among the plurality of organizations.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the content access manager is configured to create at least one virtual community having one or more members and configured to store one or more electronic items of content associated with the community in the one or more internal databases, the content access manager configured to map each member to respective community access permissions.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the community access permissions, for each member, include at least one of a read permission, a write permission, a share permission or access permission of at least one of imported or authored content or external access permission.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the content access manager is configured to receive, from the client device of the individual over the communication network, a request to access the at least one virtual community, the content access manager permitting the client device to access the at least one virtual community based on the community access permissions associated with the individual.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein the content access manager is configured to create one or more sub-communities within the at least one virtual community.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the content access manager is configured to communicate, over the communication network, with an external identity server associated with one among the plurality of organizations and the one or more external content services to import content into the one or more internal databases, based on a respective identity among the one or more organizational identities and the one or more external identities of the individual.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the identity aggregator is configured to communicate, over the communications network with an external identity server associated with one among the plurality of organizations and the one or more external content services, and establish a secure tunnel between the external identity server and the client device, to cause the client device to login to the external identity server via the collaboration platform.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the encrypted internal token comprises a security token, the identity aggregator being configured to determine, prior to the electronic request for access, the security token and a private key associated with the individual, based on the internal user identifier of the individual, and to send the security token to the client device over the communication network.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the electronic request for access includes the security token associated with the individual, and the identity aggregator determines the internal user identifier by decrypting the security token received in the electronic request using the private key associated with the individual.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the collaboration platform is configured to capture one or more metrics associated with social network collaboration by one or more client devices via the collaboration platform, the social network collaboration including at least one of intra-organizational collaboration, or inter-organizational collaboration.

15. A computer-implemented method for controlling access to electronic collaboration content data associated with a plurality of organizations that each separately support social network collaboration, the method comprising:

storing, in one or more internal databases associated with a collaboration platform, the electronic collaboration content data collected from and associated with the plurality of organizations;

receiving, by an identity aggregator of the collaboration platform, over a communication network, an electronic request for access to the electronic collaboration content data from a client device of an individual, the electronic request including an encrypted internal token associated with the collaboration platform;

determining, by the identity aggregator, an internal user identifier of the individual responsive to the electronic request based on decryption of the encrypted internal token, the internal user identifier comprising a single unified identity of the individual that is a composite of multiple individual identities and representing an aggregate identity of the individual corresponding to at least one of one or more organizational identities of the individual among the plurality of organizations or one or more external identities of the individual among one or more external content services;

mapping, by a content access manager of the collaboration platform, the internal user identifier of the individual to content permissions associated with the individual across each organization among the plurality of organizations that is associated with the individual and the one or more external content services associated with the individual; and

permitting, by the content access manager, the client device to access, over the communication network, a particular portion of the electronic collaboration content data stored among the one or more internal databases across each organization associated with the individual and based on the content permissions of the individual according to the internal user identifier.

16. The method of claim 15, the method further comprising:

creating, by the content access manager, at least one virtual community having one or more members and configured to store one or more electronic items of content associated with the community in the one or more internal databases; and

mapping, by the content access manager, each member to respective community access permissions.

17. The method of claim 16, the method further comprising:

receiving, by the content access manager, from the client device of the individual over the communication network, a request to access the at least one virtual community; and

permitting, by the content access manager, the client device to access the at least one virtual community, responsive to the request, based on the community access permissions associated with the individual.

18. The method of claim 16, the method further comprising:

creating, by the content access manager, one or more sub-communities within the at least one virtual community.

19. The method of claim 15, the method further comprising:

communicating, by the content access manager, over the communication network, with an external identity server associated with one among the plurality of organizations and the one or more external content services to import content into the one or more internal databases, based on a respective identity among the one or more organizational identities and the one or more external identities of the individual.

20. The method of claim 15, the method further comprising:

communicating, by the identity aggregator, over the communications network with an external identity server associated with one among the plurality of organizations and the one or more external content services, to establish a secure tunnel between the external identity server and the client device; and

causing the client device to login to the external identity server via the collaboration platform using the secure tunnel.

21. The method of claim 15, wherein the electronic collaboration content data includes at least one of an electronic file, a video, an electronic post, an electronic message, an electronic question, an electronic answer, a blog, an electronic comment, a private conversation, a public conversation, an electronic engagement, a virtual community or a virtual sub-community.

22. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium programmed to include instructions that, when executed by one or more processing devices, cause the one or more processing devices to perform functions including:

storing, in one or more internal databases associated with the one or more processing devices, electronic collaboration content data collected from and associated with a plurality of organizations that each separately support social network collaboration;

receiving, over a communication network, an electronic request for access to the electronic collaboration content data from a client device of an individual, the electronic request including an encrypted internal token associated with the one or more processing devices;

determining an internal user identifier of the individual responsive to the electronic request based on decryption of the encrypted internal token, the internal user identifier comprising a single unified identity of the individual that is a composite of multiple individual identities and representing an aggregate identity of the individual corresponding to at least one of one or more organizational identities of the individual among the plurality of organizations or one or more external identities of the individual among one or more external content services;

mapping the internal user identifier of the individual to content permissions associated with the individual across each organization among the plurality of organizations that is associated with the individual and the one or more external content services associated with the individual; and

permitting the client device to access, over the communication network, a particular portion of the electronic collaboration content data stored among the one or more internal databases across each organization associated with the individual and based on the content permissions of the individual according to the internal user identifier.