Access rights used for resource discovery in peer-to-peer networks

• US 20090063691A1
• Filed: 08/30/2007
• Published: 03/05/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Antoniou, Zoe, Reynolds, Franklin, Kalofonos, Dimitris
• Granted Patent: US 8,271,649 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/229
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/104 Peer-to-peer [P2P] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1068 Discovery involving direct consultation or announcement among potential requesting and potential source peers

Abstract

Secure resource discover in peer-to-peer networks involves creating a resource discovery record associated with a computing resource of a user device that is made available via the user device to peers of a peer-to-peer network. The resource discovery record describes the computing resource and may be independent of native service discovery mechanisms of the peer-to-peer network. An access right record is created that controls the ability of one or more contacts to gain access to the resource discovery record. The resource discovery record is sent to the one or more contacts via the peer-to-peer network. The one or more contacts can use the resource discovery record to access the computing resource via the peer-to-peer network in accordance with the access right record.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

creating a resource discovery record associated with a computing resource of a user device that is made available via the user device to peers of a peer-to-peer network, wherein the resource discovery record describes how to access the computing resource via the peer-to-peer network;

creating an access right record that controls the ability of one or more contacts to gain access via the peer to peer network to the resource discovery record; and

sending the resource discovery record to one or more contacts via a peer-to-peer network.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the resource discovery record is independent of native service discovery mechanisms of the peer-to-peer network.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising replicating the resource discovery record and the access rights record of the user device to a respective second resource discovery record and second access rights record of additional devices that form, with the user device, a personal device cluster.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending the access right record to the one or more contacts via the peer-to-peer network in conjunction with the sending of the resource discovery record to the one or more contacts.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending the access right record to the one or more contacts via the peer-to-peer network before the sending of the resource discovery record.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a request for the computing resource via the peer-to-peer network;

determining a service application corresponding to the request based on the resource discovery record associated with the computing resource; and

launching the service application in response to the request, wherein the operation of the service application is modified based on the access right document associated with the resource discovery record.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising authenticating the sender of the request before launching the service application.

8. A computer-readable storage medium having instructions executable by a processor of a user device to perform the method of claim 1.

9. A method comprising:

receiving, at a user device, a resource record associated with a computing resource available via a peer device of a peer-to-peer network, wherein the record describes the computing resource and is associated with user-specific rights allowing the user device to access the computing resource via the peer-to-peer network;

presenting, via a user interface, a graphical component representing the computing resource;

sending, to the peer in response to a user selection of the graphical component, a request to access the computing resource; and

utilizing the computing resource according to instructions in the resource record.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the resource record is independent of native service discovery mechanisms of the peer-to-peer network.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the resource record comprises a resource discovery record that describes how to access the computing resource and is associated with an access right record that defines the user-specific rights.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the resource record comprises an access right record that defines the user-specific rights and is associated with a resource discovery record that describes how to access the computing resource.

13. The method of claim 9, further comprising replicating the resource record of the user device to a respective second resource discovery record of additional devices that form, with the user device, a personal device cluster.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the resource record comprises at least one of a resource discovery record that describes how to access the computing resource and an access right record that defines the user specific rights utilizing the computing resource, the method further comprising:

receiving, via the user-interface, a user request to access the computing resource;

determining a client application corresponding to the request based on the resource record associated with the computing resource; and

launching the client application in response to the user request, wherein the operation of the client application is modified based on a usage permission record associated with the resource record that describes the computing resource.

15. A computer-readable storage medium having instructions executable by a processor of a user device to perform the method of claim 9.

16. An apparatus comprising:

a network interface capable of connecting to a peer-to-peer network;

a processor coupled to the network interface; and

memory coupled to the processor, wherein the memory comprises;

a computing resource capable of being offered via the peer-to-peer network;

a resource manager that causes the processor to create a resource discovery record associated with a computing resource of the user device capable of being offered via the peer-to-peer network, wherein the resource discovery record describes how to access the computing resource via the peer-to-peer network;

a permissions manager that causes the processor to create an access right record that controls the ability of one or more contacts to gain access to the resource discovery record; and

a resource discovery server that causes the processor to send the resource discovery record to the one or more contacts via the peer-to-peer network.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the resource discovery server further causes the processor to send the access right record to the one or more contacts via the network.

18. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the resource record is independent of native service discovery mechanisms of the peer-to-peer network.

19. An apparatus comprising:

a network interface capable of connecting to a peer-to-peer network;

a processor coupled to the network interface; and

memory coupled to the processor, wherein the memory comprises;

a resource discovery client that causes the processor to receive a resource record associated with a computing resource available via a peer device of a peer-to-peer network, wherein the record describes the computing resource and is associated with user-specific rights allowing a user of the user device to access the computing resource;

a resource viewer that causes the processor to present, via a user interface, a graphical component representing the computing resource, and in response to a user selection of the graphical component, causes the resource discovery client to send in response to the peer a request to access the computing resource; and

a resource discovery module that causes the processor to utilize the computing resource according to instructions in the resource record.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the resource record is independent of native service discovery mechanisms of the peer-to-peer network.

21. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the resource record comprises a resource discovery record that describes how to access the computing resource and is associated with an access right record that defines the user-specific rights.

22. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the resource record comprises an access right record that defines the user-specific rights and is associated with a resource discovery record that describes how to access the computing resource.

23. A system comprising:

a first and second device capable of being coupled as peers via a peer-to-peer network;

wherein the first device comprises;

means for creating a resource discovery record associated with a computing resource of the first device that is made available via the peer-to-peer network;

means for creating an access right record that controls the ability of the second device to gain access to the resource record via the peer-to-peer network; and

means for sending the resource discovery record to the second device via the peer-to-peer network; and

wherein the second device comprise;

means for receiving the resource discovery record;

means for presenting, to a user of the second device, a graphical component representing the computing resource;

means for sending, to the first device in response to a user selection of the graphical component, a request to access the computing resource; and

means for utilizing the computing resource according to instructions in the resource discovery record.

24. The system of claim 23, further comprising first additional devices that form a first personal device cluster with the first device via the peer-to-peer network, and wherein the first device further comprises means for replicating the resource discovery record to the first additional devices, so that the second device is capable of utilizing the computing resource via any of the first additional devices.

25. The system of claim 23, further comprising second additional devices that form a second personal device cluster with the second device via the peer-to-peer network, and wherein the second device further comprises means for replicating the resource discovery record to the second additional devices, and wherein the access right record further controls the ability of the second device cluster to gain access to the resource record via the peer-to-peer network so that any of the second additional devices are capable of utilizing the computing resource according to instructions in the resource discovery record.