Providing Controlled Access to the Use of Electronic Devices

• US 20100146438A1
• Filed: 12/10/2008
• Published: 06/10/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Bush, Christopher L., Garcia, Didier, Nedelka, Joshua F., Rutenburg, Mark
• Granted Patent: US 8,935,633 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/810
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6209 to a single file or object, e.g. in a secure envelope, encrypted and accessed using a key, or with access control rules appended to the object itself
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/629 to features or functions of an application
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2103 Challenge-response
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2137 Time limited access, e.g. to a computer or data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2141 Access rights, e.g. capability lists, access control lists, access tables, access matrices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2149 Restricted operating environment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2151 Time stamp
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/109 Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/1095 Meeting or appointment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1818 Conference organisation arrangements, e.g. handling schedules, setting up parameters needed by nodes to attend a conference, booking network resources, notifying involved parties
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles

Abstract

A meeting controller provides controlled access to the use of an electronic device by sending a meeting request to at least one invitee, wherein the meeting request specifies access rights to use only at least one particular feature of multiple features of an electronic device accessible to the invitee during a scheduled time for the meeting. In response to the invitee accepting the meeting request, the electronic device is automatically configured to only provide access to the at least one particular feature allowed in the access rights specified in the accepted meeting request and during the scheduled time for the meeting, the invitee is only allowed use of the particular feature of the electronic device.

Claims

1. A method in at least one computer system for providing controlled access to the use of an electronic device, comprising:

sending a meeting request for a meeting to at least one invitee, wherein the meeting request specifies access rights to use only at least one particular feature of a plurality of features of an electronic device accessible to the at least one invitee during a scheduled time for the meeting; and

in response to the at least one invitee accepting the meeting request, automatically configuring the electronic device to only provide access during the scheduled time for the meeting to the at least one particular feature allowed in the access rights specified in the accepted meeting request;

only allowing use of the at least one particular feature of the electronic device by the at least one invitee during the scheduled time for the meeting.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

detecting whether the at least one invitee is attending the meeting during the scheduled time for the meeting; and

responsive to detecting the at least one invitee is attending the meeting during the scheduled time for the meeting, activating a module for restricting use of the electronic device to only allow use of the at least one particular feature of the electronic device.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

scanning the at least one electronic device associated with the at least one invitee to identify the plurality of features;

comparing the plurality of features with a selection of features specified for control by the access rights;

identifying a first selection of features from among the plurality of features allowed for use during the meeting according to the access rights and a second selection of features from among the plurality of features disallowed from use during the meeting according to the access rights;

displaying the first selection of features and the second selection of features in a dynamic meeting restriction interface during the scheduled time for the meeting; and

offering a selectable option for the at least one invitee to select at least one particular feature from among the second selection of features to request to add to the first selection of features during the scheduled time for the meeting.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

displaying an interface comprising a selectable option for a user to request adjustment of the access rights to comprise at least one additional feature from among said plurality of features during the scheduled meeting, independent of which of said plurality of features are already included in the access rights.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

during the meeting specified by the meeting request, receiving a request from the at least one invitee for use of a particular feature not allowed by the access rights from among the plurality of features; and

responsive to a meeting administrator authorizing use of the particular feature during the meeting, adjusting the access rights for the electronic device to allow use of the particular feature not allowed.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein sending a meeting request for a meeting to at least one invitee, further comprises:

sending the meeting request specifying access rights for controlling at least one of at least one network use feature from among the plurality of features of the electronic device, at least one application from among the plurality of features of the electronic device, and at least one hardware element from among the plurality of features of the electronic device.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein automatically configuring the electronic device to only provide access to the at least one particular feature allowed in the access rights specified in the accepted meeting request further comprises:

downloading a module to the at least one electronic device comprising the instructions for controlling use of only the at least one particular feature of the device during the meeting;

installing the module on the at least one electronic device.

8. The method according to claim 7, further comprising:

responsive to detecting at least one of an end of the scheduled time for the meeting and said at least one invitee leaving the meeting, automatically disabling the module from controlling use of the plurality of features of the at least one electronic device.

9. A system for providing controlled access to the use of an electronic device, comprising:

a meeting manager for sending a meeting request for a meeting to at least one invitee, wherein the meeting request specifies access rights to use only at least one particular feature of a plurality of features of an electronic device accessible to the at least one invitee during a scheduled time for the meeting;

the meeting manager, in response to the at least one invitee accepting the meeting request, for automatically configuring the electronic device to only provide access during the scheduled time for the meeting to the at least one particular feature allowed in the access rights specified in the accepted meeting request; and

the meeting manager for only allowing use of the at least one particular feature of the electronic device during the scheduled time for the meeting.

10. The system according to claim 9, the meeting manager further comprising:

means for detecting whether the at least one invitee is attending the meeting during the scheduled time for the meeting; and

means, responsive to detecting the at least one invitee is attending the meeting during the scheduled time for the meeting, for activating a module for restricting use of the electronic device to only allow use of the at least one particular feature of the electronic device.

11. The system according to claim 9, the meeting manager further comprising:

means for scanning the at least one electronic device associated with the at least one invitee to identify the plurality of features;

means for comparing the plurality of features with a selection of features specified for control by the access rights;

means for identifying a first selection of features from among the plurality of features allowed for use during the meeting according to the access rights and a second selection of features from among the plurality of features disallowed from use during the meeting according to the access rights;

means for displaying the first selection of features and the second selection of features in a dynamic meeting restriction interface during the scheduled time for the meeting; and

means for offering a selectable option for the at least one invitee to select at least one particular feature from among the second selection of features to request to add to the first selection of features during the scheduled time for the meeting.

12. The system according to claim 9, the meeting manager further comprising:

means for displaying an interface comprising a selectable option for a user to request adjustment of the access rights to comprise at least one additional feature from among said plurality of features during the scheduled meeting, independent of which of said plurality of features are already included in the access rights.

13. The system according to claim 9, the meeting manager further comprising:

means, during the meeting specified by the meeting request, for receiving a request from the at least one invitee for use of a particular feature not allowed by the access rights from among the plurality of features; and

means, responsive to a meeting administrator authorizing use of the particular feature during the meeting, for adjusting the access rights for the electronic device to allow use of the particular feature not allowed.

14. The system according to claim 9, wherein the meeting manager for sending a meeting request for a meeting to at least one invitee, further comprises:

means for sending the meeting request specifying access rights for controlling at least one of at least one network use feature from among the plurality of features of the electronic device, at least one application from among the plurality of features of the electronic device, and at least one hardware element from among the plurality of features of the electronic device.

15. The system according to claim 9, wherein the meeting manager for automatically configuring the electronic device to only provide access to the at least one particular feature allowed in the access rights specified in the accepted meeting request further comprises:

means for downloading a module to the at least one electronic device comprising the instructions for controlling use of only the at least one particular feature of the device during the meeting;

means for installing the module on the at least one electronic device.

16. The system according to claim 15, the meeting manager further comprising:

means, responsive to detecting at least one of an end of the scheduled time for the meeting and said at least one invitee leaving the meeting, for automatically disabling the module from controlling use of the plurality of features of the at least one electronic device.

17. A computer program product for providing controlled access to the use of an electronic device, the computer program product comprising:

a computer usable medium having computer usable program code embodied therewith, the computer usable program code comprising;

computer usable program code configured to;

send a meeting request for a meeting to at least one invitee, wherein the meeting request specifies access rights to use only at least one particular feature of a plurality of features of an electronic device accessible to the at least one invitee during a scheduled time for the meeting; and

in response to the at least one invitee accepting the meeting request, automatically configure the electronic device to only provide access during the scheduled time for the meeting to the at least one particular feature allowed in the access rights specified in the accepted meeting request; and

only allow use of the at least one particular feature of the electronic device during the scheduled time for the meeting.

18. The computer program product according to claim 17, the computer usable program code further configured to:

detect whether the at least one invitee is attending the meeting during the scheduled time for the meeting; and

responsive to detecting the at least one invitee is attending the meeting during the scheduled time for the meeting, activate a module for restricting use of the electronic device to only allow use of the at least one particular feature of the electronic device.

19. The computer program product according to claim 17, the computer usable program code further configured to:

scan the at least one electronic device associated with the at least one invitee to identify the plurality of features;

compare the plurality of features with a selection of features specified for control by the access rights;

identify a first selection of features from among the plurality of features allowed for use during the meeting according to the access rights and a second selection of features from among the plurality of features disallowed from use during the meeting according to the access rights;

display the first selection of features and the second selection of features in a dynamic meeting restriction interface during the scheduled time for the meeting; and

offer a selectable option for the at least one invitee to select at least one particular feature from among the second selection of features to request to add to the first selection of features during the scheduled time for the meeting.

20. The computer program product of claim 17, the computer usable program code further configured to:

display an interface comprising a selectable option for a user to request adjustment of the access rights to comprise at least one additional feature from among said plurality of features during the scheduled meeting, independent of which of said plurality of features are already included in the access rights.