Method and system for personal policy-controlled automated response to information transfer requests

• US 20050066010A1
• Filed: 09/24/2003
• Published: 03/24/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Treville, John De
• Granted Patent: US 7,631,048 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/207
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0823 using certificates cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving certificates H04L9/3263
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A user'"'"'s computer system sends a policy controlled response to an information request from a requesting computing system. A user policy is set by the user, and the user policy defines parameters, i.e. rules and values, for use in controlling the response information to be provided in reply to information requests from the requesting computing system. When an information request is received from the requesting computing system, parameters of the user policy are applied to the information request to allocate a response and to set a response level based on the user policy. A response based on the response level is created and sent to the requesting computing system. In one embodiment of the invention a policy engine system in a computing cell phone controls automated responses from the computing cell phone to a requesting computing system. The controlled responses are based on a user policy specified by the user of the computing cell phone. The user policy is stored in a database. An apply policy module applies rules of the user policy to information requests from the requesting computing system. It also filters stored response information to create a filtered response for the requesting computing system based on the rules of the user policy. A delegate response module sends the filtered response along with a use policy to the requesting computing system. The use policy controls use of the information in the filtered response by the requesting computing system.

Claims

1. In a user'"'"'s computer system, a method for sending from the user'"'"'s computer system a policy controlled response to an information transfer request from a requesting computing system, the method comprising:

setting a user policy controlled by the user, the user policy defining parameters for use in controlling a response to be provided an automated reply to information transfer requests from the requesting computing system;

receiving an information transfer request from the requesting computing system; and

applying parameters of the user policy to the information request to allocate a response and to set a response level based on the user policy in order to provide a policy-controlled automated response to the requesting computing system.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

delegating a response based on the response level and sending the response to the requesting computing system.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the response is response information requested by the requesting computing system.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the act of delegating a response comprises:

sending an unqualified response based on a first response level where an unqualified response is a complete response with no restrictions on its use; and

sending qualified response based on a second response level where a qualified response is partial response or a response with restrictions on its use.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the act of delegating a response further comprises sending no response based on a third response level.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the act of sending a qualified response comprises:

detecting if use restrictions are to be included with a response sent to the requesting computing system; and

attaching a restricted use policy to the response sent to the requesting computing system, the use policy controlling use and further distribution of the response by the requesting computing system.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of applying the user policy comprises:

comparing user policy parameters with request parameters in the request for information from the requesting computing system; and

allocating response information and setting a response level based on the comparison of the user policy parameters with the request parameters.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the response is authorization for the requesting computing system to send information to the user'"'"'s computing system.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

delegating a response based on the response level and sending the response with a notification of restrictions on receipt of the information by the user'"'"'s computing system, the restrictions being based on the response level.

10. A policy engine system in a computing cell phone for controlling automated responses from the computing cell phone to a requesting computing system, the controlled responses being based on a user policy specified by the user of the computing cell phone, the policy engine system comprising:

a database storing the user policy;

an apply policy module applying parameters of the user policy to information transfer requests from the requesting computing system and filtering stored response information to create a filtered response for the requesting computing system based on the parameters of the user policy; and

a delegate response module sending the filtered response along with a use policy to the requesting computing system.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein the information transfer request is a send request to send information to the computing cell phone and:

the apply policy module in response to the send request creates an authorization for the requesting computing system to send information to the computing cell phone; and

the delegate response module sends the authorization to the requesting computing system.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the use policy contain rules for use of the filtered response by the requesting computing system.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the use policy contain rules for distribution of the filtered response by the requesting computing system to other computing systems.

14. The system of claim 10 further comprising:

a set policy module controlled by the user for entering and updating user policy rules and response information.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the apply policy module comprises:

retrieving policy parameters of the user policy from the database;

a compare module comparing the policy parameters to request parameters in the request from the requesting computing system;

an allocate module generating the filtered response based on a match between policy parameters and request parameters; and

a compile module building a filtered response and a response level to pass to the delegate response module.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the delegate response module comprises:

a test module detecting whether a use policy is to be included with the filtered response, the use policy controlling use of the filtered response by the requesting computing system; and

a send module sending the filtered response with the use policy if the test module detects the use policy is to be included and sending only the filtered response if the test module detects the use policy is not to be included.

17. The system of claim 10, wherein the computing cell phone is within the communication domain of the requesting computing system and is being repeatedly polled by requests from the requesting computing system.

18. The system of claim 10 further comprising:

a test module detecting whether the apply policy module created a filtered response;

a query module for displaying the information request and identity of requesting computing system to the user if a filtered response was not created; and

an update module receiving new response information and new user policy rules from the user, storing the new response information and updating the user policy rules in the database.

19. A computer readable medium for storing computer instructions for a computer process for sending from a user'"'"'s computer system a personal, policy-controlled automated response to an information transfer request from a requesting computing system, the computer process comprising:

receiving an information transfer request from the requesting computing system; and

applying parameters of a user policy exclusively controlled by the user to the information request to compile a response and a response level based on the user policy; and

sending a response to the requesting computing system based on the response level in order to provide a policy-controlled automated response to the requesting computing system.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 19 wherein the computer process further comprises:

setting a user policy controlled by the user, the user policy defining parameters for use in controlling a response to be provided as an automated reply to information transfer requests from the requesting computing system;

21. The computer readable medium of claim 19 wherein the response is response information requested by the requesting computing system.

22. The computer readable medium of claim 21, wherein the act of sending a response comprises:

sending an unqualified response based on a first response level where an unqualified response is a complete response with no qualifications on its use; and

sending qualified response based on a second response level where a qualified response is partial response or a response with qualifications on its use.

23. The computer readable medium of claim 22, wherein the act of sending a response further comprises sending no response based on a third response level.

24. The computer readable medium of claim 22, wherein the act of sending a qualified response comprises:

detecting if use restrictions are to be included with a response sent to the requesting computing system; and

attaching a restricted use policy to the response sent to the requesting computing system, the use policy controlling use and further distribution of the response by the requesting computing system.

25. The computer readable medium of claim 19, wherein the act of applying the user policy comprises:

comparing user policy parameters with request parameters in the request for information from the requesting computing system; and

allocating response information and setting a response level based on the comparison of the user policy parameters with the request parameters.

26. The computer readable medium of claim 19 wherein the response is authorization for the requesting computing system to send information to the user'"'"'s computing system.

27. The computer readable medium of claim 26 further comprising:

sending a response based on the response level and sending the response with a notification of restrictions on receipt of the information by the user'"'"'s computing system, the restrictions being based on the response level.