Method for Managing Opaque Presence Indications Within a Presence Access Layer

• US 20100095109A1
• Filed: 10/14/2008
• Published: 04/15/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/14/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: MARTIN-COCHER, Gaelle, MCCOLGAN, Brian
• Granted Patent: US 8,473,733 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/151
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/065 for group communications cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key management involving conference or group key H04L9/0833
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/00 Network arrangements or protocols for supporting network services or applications user-to-user messaging H04L51/00; network arrangements, protocols or services for supporting real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/54 Presence management, e.g. monitoring or registration for receipt of user log-on information, or the connection status of the users

Abstract

A method for a presentity to provide private presence information for a watcher. The method includes the presentity providing the private presence information in an encrypted form. The method also includes a presence access layer obtaining the private presence information. The method also includes the presence access layer performing one of decrypting the private presence information and sending the decrypted private presence information to the watcher, and leaving the private presence information in the encrypted form and sending the encrypted private presence information to the watcher, wherein the watcher decrypts the private presence information.

Claims

1. A method for a presentity to provide private presence information for a watcher, comprising:

the presentity providing the private presence information in an encrypted form;

a presence access layer obtaining the private presence information; and

the presence access layer performing one of;

decrypting the private presence information and sending the decrypted private presence information to the watcher, and

leaving the private presence information in the encrypted form and sending the encrypted private presence information to the watcher, wherein the watcher decrypts the private presence information.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the presence access layer performs one of decrypting the private presence information and leaving the private presence information encrypted according to at least one of:

a rule;

a base rule;

a policy; and

a base policy.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the at least one rule is specified by one of:

the presentity;

a representative of a group to which the presentity belongs;

a class of service; and

a service.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein the at least one policy is specified by one of:

the presentity;

a representative of a group to which the presentity belongs;

a class of service; and

a service.

5. The method of claim 2 wherein at least one of the rule and the policy is based on at least one of:

whether the watcher is allowed to see the presentity'"'"'s private presence information;

whether a representative of a group the presentity belongs to allows the watcher to see the presentity'"'"'s private presence information;

which private presence information the watcher is allowed to see;

a circumstance under which the watcher is allowed to see the private presence information;

which presence information the presentity makes private;

which private presence information a presence server makes available to the presence access layer;

which private presence information the presence access layer decrypts; and

which private presence information the presence access layer leaves in the encrypted form.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein, when the presence access layer decrypts the private presence information, the presence access layer performs the decryption using keys stored in one of:

the presence access layer; and

a key store to which the presence access layer has access.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the key store to which the presence access layer has access is located in a presence server.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein the presence access layer retrieves the key and performs at least one of:

using the key for current operations; and

storing the key for subsequent decryption operations.

9. The method of claim 6 wherein the keys are provided by one of:

the presentity; and

a representative of a group to which the presentity belongs.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein, when the watcher decrypts the private presence information, the watcher performs the decryption using keys stored in one of:

the watcher;

the presence access layer; and

a key store to which the watcher has access.

11. The method of claim 5 wherein the keys are provided by one of:

the presentity; and

a representative of a group to which the presentity belongs.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the presentity provides the private presence information to the presence access layer directly.

13. The method of claim 2 wherein the presentity provides the private presence information to the presence access layer via a presence server.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the presentity provides both the private presence information and non-encrypted presence information to the presence server, the presence server creates a presence document containing both the private presence information and the non-encrypted presence information, the presence server provides the presence document to the presence access layer, and the presence access layer follows at least one of the rule and the policy specifying an action the presence access layer is to take regarding the private presence information in the presence document.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the presence server is capable of including the private presence information in the presence document without being capable of recognizing the contents of the private presence information.

16. A system, comprising:

a presence access layer configured to obtain private presence information in an encrypted form from a presentity, and further configured to follow at least one of a rule and a policy specifying that the presence access layer is to perform one of decrypting the private presence information and sending the decrypted private presence information to a watcher, and leaving the private presence information in the encrypted form and sending the encrypted private presence information to the watcher, wherein the watcher decrypts the private presence information.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein at least one of the rule and the policy is specified by one of:

the presentity;

a representative of a group to which the presentity belongs;

a class of service; and

a service.

18. The system of claim 16 wherein at least one of the rule and the policy is based on at least one of:

whether the watcher is allowed to see the presentity'"'"'s private presence information;

whether a representative of a group the presentity belongs to allows the watcher to see the presentity'"'"'s private presence information;

which private presence information the watcher is allowed to see;

a circumstance under which the watcher is allowed to see the private presence information;

which presence information the presentity makes private;

which private presence information a presence server makes available to the presence access layer;

which private presence information the presence access layer decrypts; and

which private presence information the presence access layer leaves in the encrypted form.

19. The system of claim 16 wherein, when the presence access layer decrypts the private presence information, the presence access layer performs the decryption using keys stored in one of:

the presence access layer;

a presence server; and

a key store to which the presence access layer has access.

20. The system of claim 16 wherein, when the watcher decrypts the private presence information, the watcher performs the decryption using keys stored in one of:

the watcher;

the presence access layer; and

a key store to which the watcher has access.

21. The system of claim 19 wherein the keys are provided by one of:

the presentity; and

a representative of a group to which the presentity belongs.

22. The system of claim 20 wherein the keys are provided by one of:

the presentity; and

a representative of a group to which the presentity belongs.

23. The system of claim 16 wherein the presentity provides the private presence information to the presence access layer directly.

24. The system of claim 16 wherein the presentity provides the private presence information to the presence access layer via a presence server.

25. The system of claim 24 wherein the presentity provides both the private presence information and non-encrypted presence information to the presence server, the presence server creates a presence document containing both the private presence information and the non-encrypted presence information, the presence server provides the presence document to the presence access layer, and the presence access layer follows at least one of the rule and the policy specifying an action the presence access layer is to take regarding the private presence information in the presence document.

26. The system of claim 25 wherein the presence server is capable of including the private presence information in the presence document without being capable of recognizing the contents of the private presence information.

27. The system of claim 16 wherein the presence access layer is capable of receiving a request for an element of presence information from the watcher, sending the request to a presence server, receiving a plurality of presence information from the presence server, extracting from the plurality of presence information the requested element of presence information, and returning the requested element of presence information to the watcher.