Information control in federated interaction

• US 20070067852A1
• Filed: 08/30/2005
• Published: 03/22/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: James, Frances
• Granted Patent: US 7,673,347 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/28
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/35 communicating wirelessly
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6245 Protecting personal data, e.g. for financial or medical purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/84 output devices, e.g. displays or monitors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2111 Location-sensitive, e.g. geographical location, GPS

Abstract

Techniques are described for protecting information in a convenient and useful way. A user transmits information from a mobile device to an ambient display, so that other users may receive the information from the ambient display. A display controller detects a presence of a potentially unauthorized user relative to the ambient display, and modifies the outputting of the information at the ambient display so as to hide portions of the information that should not be seen by the potentially unauthorized user. The information, including the hidden portion, is nonetheless output, using one of a plurality of output channels of one or more secondary devices, either to the user and/or the other users. In this way, authorized users may continue to receive the information, and, moreover, may input an indication as to whether an extent of the hidden portion is sufficient to provide adequate security with regard to the information.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

providing information to a first device, for outputting to at least one recipient, using a first output mode;

determining an authorization of a person in proximity to the first device to receive the information;

preventing a subset of the information from being output at the first device using the first output mode, based on the authorization; and

outputting at least the subset of the information to the recipient at a second device, using a second output mode.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein providing information to a first device comprises:

transmitting the information from a mobile device to the first device, where the mobile device is in proximity to the first device and the first device includes a multi-user display as the first output mode.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein providing information to a first device comprises:

transmitting the information for an audio and/or visual display thereof at the first device.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein determining an authorization of a person in proximity to the first device to receive the information comprises:

receiving location information regarding a location of the person relative to the first device.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein receiving location information regarding a location of the person relative to the first device comprises:

receiving information at a sensor from an identifier associated with the person.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein determining an authorization of a person in proximity to the first device to receive the information comprises:

accessing security information associated with the person, relative to the information.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein preventing a subset of the information from being output at the first device using the first output mode comprises:

blocking visual portions of the information displayed at the first device.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein blocking visual portions of the information displayed at the first device comprises:

re-transmitting the information to the first device with blocked-out visual portions.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein preventing a subset of the information from being output at the first device using the first output mode comprises:

receiving a designation of at least a part of the subset from a user of a transmitting device that transmits the information to the first device.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein outputting at least the subset of the information to the recipient at a second device comprises:

outputting at least the subset of the information at a mobile device from which the information was transmitted to the first device.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein outputting at least the subset of the information to the recipient at a second device comprises:

outputting either an audio, video, text, and/or image within the information at the second device as audio output as the second output mode.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein outputting at least the subset of the information to the recipient at a second device comprises:

outputting at least the subset of the information at a mobile device of a presenting user, from which the information was transmitted to the first device; and

outputting at least the subset of the information to a computing device of the recipient, where the recipient is a non-presenting recipient of the information.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein outputting at least the subset of the information to the recipient at a second device comprises:

receiving an indication of greater and/or lesser security from the recipient; and

outputting a modified subset to the recipient, based on the indication.

14. A system comprising:

an originating device operated by a presenting user, and that is operable to output information to an output device, for receipt therefrom by a recipient; and

an output controller that is operable to determine a presence of an additional user relative to the output device, and further operable to prevent at least a portion of the information from being output at the output device,

wherein the output controller is further operable to output at least the portion of the information at a secondary output, for receipt thereof by the recipient.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the originating device is operable to provide the secondary output.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the secondary output includes a visual and/or auditory output at a secondary device that is local to the recipient and separate from the originating device.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the originating device is operable to receive an input of the presenting user and/or the recipient, and further operable to modify the portion of the information based thereon.

18. An apparatus comprising a storage medium having instructions stored thereon, the instructions including:

a first code segment for determining a transmission of information from an originating device to a multi-user output device, for receipt therefrom by a recipient;

a second code segment for determining a presence of a potentially-unauthorized user relative to the multi-user output device;

a third code segment for blocking a portion of the information from output by the multi-user output device, based on the presence; and

a fourth code segment for outputting at least the portion of the information at a secondary output, for receipt therefrom by the recipient.

19. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein the recipient includes either an originating user of the information at the originating device, and/or a receiving user of the information at a receiving device that is separate from the originating device.

20. The apparatus of claim 19 comprising:

a fifth code segment for receiving a modification of the portion of the information from either the originating user and/or the receiving user; and

a sixth code segment for modifying the blocking of the portion of the information, based on the modification.