System and method for controlling access to assets in a network-based media sharing system using tagging

• US 20070118525A1
• Filed: 11/18/2005
• Published: 05/24/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/18/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qurio Holdings Incorporated
• Original Assignee: FlashPoint Technology, Inc.
• Inventors: Svendsen, Hugh
• Granted Patent: US 9,141,825 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/51 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/58 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6218 to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6245 Protecting personal data, e.g. for financial or medical purposes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/104 Peer-to-peer [P2P] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1063 Discovery through centralising entities

Abstract

A system and method for controlling access to digital assets in an online media sharing system based on keywords are provided. In general, each digital asset is tagged with a number of keywords. The owner of the digital assets defines a guest list including a number of guests. For each guest, the owner defines permissions controlling the guest'"'"'s access to the digital assets based on keywords. Thereafter, when a request to view the digital assets is received from a guest node associated with one of the guests, the digital assets that the guest is permitted to view are identified based on the permissions assigned to the guest and provided to the guest at the guest node.

Claims

1. A method for controlling access to digital assets in an online media sharing system comprising:

tagging each of a plurality of digital assets with at least one of a plurality of keywords;

defining a guest list including a plurality of guests; and

for each of the plurality of guests, assigning permissions defining ones of the plurality of digital assets that the guest is permitted to view based on the plurality of keywords.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of digital assets comprises a plurality of photo albums each comprising a plurality of digital images.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein tagging each of the plurality of digital assets comprises tagging each of the plurality of photo albums with at least one of the plurality of keywords.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein tagging each of the plurality of digital assets comprises tagging each of the plurality of digital images within each of the plurality of photo albums with at least one of the plurality of keywords.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of digital assets comprises a plurality of digital images.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of digital assets comprises at least one of a group consisting of:

a plurality of photo albums each comprising a plurality of digital images, a plurality of digital images, and a plurality of digital videos.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein for each of the plurality of guests, assigning the permissions comprises selecting at least one select keyword from the plurality of keywords such that the ones of the plurality of digital assets that the guest is permitted to view are ones of the plurality of digital assets tagged with the at least one select keyword.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein for each of the plurality of guests, assigning the permissions comprises defining a keyword equation such that the ones of the plurality of digital assets that the guest is permitted to view are ones of the plurality of digital assets tagged with keywords satisfying the keyword equation.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of keywords comprises at least one dynamic keyword.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving a request from one of the plurality of guests at a guest node; and

providing the ones of the plurality of digital assets that the one of the plurality of guests is permitted to view to the guest node.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the plurality of keywords comprises at least one dynamic keyword and the permissions for the one of the plurality of guests is defined, at least in part, based on one of the at least one dynamic keyword, wherein providing the ones of the plurality of digital assets that the one of the plurality of guests is permitted to view comprises invoking a software process associated with one of the at least one dynamic keyword to determine a state of the one of the at least one dynamic keyword.

12. A node for an online media sharing system comprising:

a) a communication interface coupling the node to a network; and

b) a control system associated with the communication interface and adapted to;

i) store a plurality of digital assets associated with an owner in a media database, each of the plurality of digital assets tagged with at least one of a plurality of keywords;

ii) obtain a guest list including a plurality of guests from the owner;

iii) for each of the plurality of guests, obtain permissions from the owner defining ones of the plurality of digital assets that the guest is permitted to view based on the plurality of keywords; and

iv) store the permissions for the plurality of guests in a permissions database.

13. The node of claim 12 wherein the plurality of digital assets comprises a plurality of photo albums each comprising a plurality of digital images.

14. The node of claim 13 wherein each of the plurality of photo albums are tagged with the at least one of the plurality of keywords.

15. The node of claim 13 wherein, for each of the plurality of photo albums, the plurality of digital images within the photo album are tagged with the at least one of the plurality of keywords.

16. The node of claim 12 wherein the plurality of digital assets comprises a plurality of digital images.

17. The node of claim 12 wherein the plurality of digital assets comprises at least one of a group consisting of:

a plurality of photo albums each comprising a plurality of digital images, a plurality of digital images, and a plurality of digital videos.

18. The node of claim 12 wherein for each of the plurality of guests, the permissions are obtained by identifying at least one select keyword from the plurality of keywords for the guest such that the ones of the plurality of digital assets that the guest is permitted to view are ones of the plurality of digital assets tagged with the at least one select keyword.

19. The node of claim 12 wherein for each of the plurality of guests, the permissions comprise a keyword equation and the ones of the plurality of digital assets that the guest is permitted to view are ones of the plurality of digital assets tagged with keywords satisfying the keyword equation.

20. The node of claim 12 wherein the plurality of keywords comprise at least one dynamic keyword.

21. The node of claim 12 wherein the control system is further adapted to:

receive a request from one of the plurality of guests associated with a guest node; and

provide the ones of the plurality of digital assets that the one of the plurality of guests is permitted to view to the guest node.

22. The node of claim 21 wherein the plurality of keywords comprises at least one dynamic keyword and if the permissions for the one of the plurality of guests is defined, at least in part, based on one of the at least one dynamic keyword, the control system is further adapted to identify the ones of the plurality of digital assets that the one of the plurality of guests is permitted to view based on, at least in part, invoking a software process associated with the one of the at least one dynamic keyword to determine a state of the one of the at least one dynamic keyword.