Elevating Rights

• US 20070180501A1
• Filed: 01/30/2006
• Published: 08/02/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Scallen, Steve, Koh, Jerry, Yadav, Anil
• Granted Patent: US 7,941,848 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/5
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6218 to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database

Abstract

System(s), techniques, and/or method(s) (“tools”) are described that enable a user to elevate his or her rights. The tools may do so by switching a user to an account having higher rights or a different, higher-rights context of a same account. The tools may elevate a user'"'"'s rights after a user enters a secure access sequence, such as Control+Alt+Delete, clicks on a button, or enters credentials. The tools may also enable a user to identify tasks that need higher rights to be performed by visually correlating graphic indicia with these tasks.

Claims

1. A method implemented at least in part by a computer, comprising:

indicating, to a user currently logged on to a computer'"'"'s operating system with rights insufficient to permit a task, that entry of a secure access sequence is needed; and

elevating, following entry of the secure access sequence, the user'"'"'s rights effective to permit the task.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the user is currently logged on to the computer'"'"'s operating system with an account having multiple rights contexts and while in a limited-rights context, and wherein the act of elevating elevates the user to a higher-rights context of the account and that permits the task.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of indicating is responsive to the user attempting the task and the operating system prohibiting the task.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of elevating is performed following entry of the secure access sequence and prior to another entry by the user.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising, following entry of the secure access sequence and prior to the act of elevating, enabling the user to assent to permit the task through a user entry in addition to the secure access sequence.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the act of enabling enables the user to assent without entering credentials.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the act of enabling enables the user to assent by selecting an account having rights sufficient to permit the task and entering credentials usable to authenticate the account.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising receiving the credentials and authenticating the account based on the credentials, and wherein the act of elevating elevates the user'"'"'s rights to that of the account.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein the act of enabling the user to assent to permit the task comprises presenting a graphical user interface, the graphical user interface having:

multiple account regions, each account region identifying an account capable of permitting the task; and

a credential region capable of receiving a credential for one of the accounts capable of permitting the task.

10. One or more computer-readable media having computer-readable instructions therein that, when executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to present a user interface comprising one or more first tasks, one or more second tasks, and indicia indicating a need to elevate rights to perform the first tasks and not the second tasks.

11. The user interface of claim 10, wherein the indicia is selectable to elevate rights or initiate a process to elevate rights to perform the first tasks and not the second tasks.

12. The user interface of claim 10, further comprising a second indicia indicating a need to elevate rights to perform the second tasks and not the first tasks.

13. The user interface of claim 10, further comprising a first region containing the first tasks and the indicia and a second region containing the second tasks, the first region and the second region differentiated sufficient to indicate that the indicia indicates a need to elevate rights to perform the first tasks and not the second tasks.

14. The user interface of claim 13, wherein the second region comprises a second indicia, the second indicia indicating a need to elevate rights to perform the second tasks and not the first tasks.

15. The user interface of claim 10, wherein the indicia comprises a triangular graphic.

16. The user interface of claim 10, wherein the indicia indicates no other need other than a need to elevate rights.

17. One or more computer-readable media having computer-readable instructions therein that, when executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to present:

a first user interface comprising indicia indicating, to a user logged on to a computer operating system with a single account having a limited-rights context and a higher-rights context and while the user is operating within the limited-rights context, that a task requires the user'"'"'s assent to permit the task, and enabling the user to assent to permit the task or select to initiate a process to assent to permit the task; and

a second user interface enabling the user to perform the task responsive to receiving the user'"'"'s assent to permit the task.

18. The media of claim 17, wherein the first user interface enables the user to assent to permit the task without any credentials.

19. The media of claim 17, wherein the indicia is selectable effective to enable the user to select to initiate a process to assent to permit the task.

20. The media of claim 17, further comprising, prior to presenting the second user interface, receiving a selection to initiate a process to assent to permit the task, presenting a third user interface enabling entry of a credential from the user, and authenticating the credential.