APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR SHARING CONTENTS OF SOCIAL NETWORK SERVICE IN COMMUNICATION SYSTEM

• US 20120227089A1
• Filed: 08/05/2011
• Published: 09/06/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/03/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., Seoul National University R&DB Foundation (Seoul National University)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., Seoul National University R&DB Foundation (Seoul National University)
• Inventors: Lee, Jeong-Soo, Kim, Hong-Gee, Yang, Sang-Won, Song, Seung-Jae, Ahn, Jin-Hyun, Kim, James G.
• Granted Patent: US 9,219,608 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/4
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3213 using tickets or tokens, e.g. Kerberos network architectures or network communication protocols for entities authentication using tickets in a packet data network H04L63/0807
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3234 involving additional secure or trusted devices, e.g. TPM, smartcard, USB or software token network architectures or network communication protocols for supporting authentication of entities using an additional device in a packet data network H04L63/0853

Abstract

A system, apparatus, and method in a communication system allow sharing contents of users by acquiring an access right even if there is no connection relationship in a Social Network Service (SNS). The system includes an SNS provider and a middleware server. The SNS provider provides the SNS and generates an authorization key and an authorization token according to an open authorization protocol. The middleware server obtains contents of a second user from the SNS provider by using an authorization key of the second user when a first user requests sharing SNS contents of the second user, and transmits the contents of the second user to the first user.

Claims

1. A communication system supporting a Social Network Service (SNS), the system comprising:

an SNS provider configured to provide the SNS and generate an authorization key and an authorization token according to an open authorization protocol; and

a middleware server configured to obtain contents of a second user from the SNS provider by using an authorization key of the second user when a first user requests sharing SNS contents of the second user, and transmit the contents of the second user to the first user.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the SNS provider is further configured to generate the authorization key of the second user when the second user registers an account for the SNS.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the middleware server is further configured to receive the authorization key from the second user when the second user registers an account to the middleware server.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the middleware server is further configured to provide the authorization key of the second user to the SNS provider, request an authorization token for reading the contents of the second user, and when the authorization token is provided, collect the contents of the second user by using the authorization token for reading the contents of the second user.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein after the authorization token for reading the contents of the second user is requested, the middleware server is further configured to transmit an address of an authorization page to the second user upon receiving the address of the authorization page from the SNS provider.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the SNS provider is further configured to provide the authorization token for reading the contents of the second user to the middleware server when the second user reads the authorization page.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein when a third user requests sharing contents of the second user, the middleware server is further configured to inquire the second user about whether sharing of internal contents with the third user is accepted, and if an acceptance is received from the second user to share the contents of the second user, transmit the contents to the third user.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the open authorization protocol is Open Authorization (OAuth).

9. A method for operating a middleware server in a communication system supporting a Social Network Service (SNS), the method comprising:

determining an authorization key of a second user according to an open authorization protocol when a request to share SNS contents of the second user is received from a first user;

obtaining the contents of the second user from an SNS provider by using the authorization key of the second user; and

transmitting the contents of the second user to the first user.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising receiving the authorization key from the second user when the second user registers an account to the middleware server.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein obtaining the contents of the second user from the SNS provider by using the authorization key of the second user comprises:

providing the authorization key of the second user to the SNS provider;

requesting an authorization token for reading the contents of the second user; and

collecting the contents of the second user by using the authorization token when the authorization token is received.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein obtaining the contents of the second user from the SNS provider by using the authorization key of the second user comprises, after requesting the authorization token for reading the contents of the second user, transmitting to the second user an address of an authorization page when the address of the authorization page is received from the SNS provider.

13. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

when a third user request to share internal contents of the second user is received, inquiring the second user about whether sharing the internal contents is accepted; and

when the internal contents are provided from the second user, transmitting the internal contents to the third user.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the open authorization protocol is Open Authorization (OAuth).

15. A method of operating a Social Network Service (SNS) provider in a communication system supporting an SNS, the method comprising:

generating an authorization key for a user according to an open authorization protocol when registering a user account;

providing an authorization token for reading contents of the user when a request for the authorization token comprising the authorization key of the user is received from a middleware server; and

providing the contents of the user when a request to read the contents of the user comprising the authorization token is received.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein providing the authorization token comprises:

generating an authorization page when the request for the authorization token is received;

providing an address of the authorization page to the middleware server; and

providing the authorization token to the middleware server when the user reads the authorization page.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the open authorization protocol is Open Authorization (OAuth).

18. A method of operating a portable terminal in a communication system supporting a Social Network Service (SNS), the method comprising:

generating an authorization key of a user for the SNS according to an open authorization protocol when an account for the user is registered to the SNS;

providing the authorization key of the user to a middleware server; and

when a request to share contents of the user is received, displaying a screen for inquiring the user about whether the sharing of the contents is accepted.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the screen for inquiring about whether the sharing of the contents is accepted comprises at least one of information stored in a phone book regarding a requester who requests the sharing of the contents and a tag specified by the requester.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the screen for inquiring about whether the sharing of the contents is accepted comprises an inquiry about whether to read an authorization page generated by an SNS provider.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising reading the authorization page when an acceptance to share the contents of the user is received.

22. The method of claim 22, wherein the open authorization protocol is Open Authorization (OAuth).

23. A middleware server apparatus in a communication system supporting a Social Network Service (SNS), the apparatus comprising:

a controller configured to determine an authorization key of a second user according to an open authorization protocol when a request to share SNS contents of the second user is received from a first user, and obtain the contents of the second user from an SNS provider by using the authorization key of the second user; and

a communication unit configured to transmit the contents of the second user to the first user.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the controller is further configured to receive the authorization key from the second user when the second user registers an account to the middleware server.

25. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the controller is further configured to provide the authorization key of the second user to the SNS provider, request an authorization token for reading the contents of the second user, and collect the contents of the second user by using the authorization token when the authorization token is received.

26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein after requesting the authorization token for reading the contends of the second user, the controller is further configured to transmit to the second user an address of an authorization page when the address of the authorization page is received from the SNS provider.

27. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein when a third user request to share internal contents of the second user is received, the controller is further configured to inquire the second user about whether sharing the internal contents is accepted, and transmit the internal contents to the third user when the internal contents are provided from the second user.

28. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the open authorization protocol is Open Authorization (OAuth).

29. A Social Network Service (SNS) provider apparatus in a communication system supporting an SNS, the apparatus comprising:

a controller configured to generate an authorization key for a user according to an open authorization protocol when registering a user account; and

a communication unit configured to provide the authorization token for reading contents of the user when a request for the authorization token comprising the authorization key of the user is received from a middleware server, and provide the contents of the user when a request to read the contents of the user comprising the authorization token is received.

30. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the controller is further configured to generate an authorization page when the request for the authorization token is received, provide an address of the authorization page to the middleware server, and provide the authorization token to the middleware server when the user reads the authorization page.

31. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the open authorization protocol is Open Authorization (OAuth).

32. A portable terminal apparatus in a communication system supporting a Social Network Service (SNS), the apparatus comprising:

a controller configured to generate an authorization key of a user for the SNS according to an open authorization protocol when an account for the user is registered to the SNS;

a communication unit configured to provide the authorization key of the user to a middleware server; and

a display unit configured to display a screen for inquiring the user about whether sharing of contents of the user is accepted when a request to share the contents of the user is received.

33. The apparatus of claim 32, wherein the screen for inquiring about whether the sharing of the contents is accepted comprises at least one of information stored in a phone book regarding a requester who requests the sharing of the contents and a tag specified by the requester.

34. The apparatus of claim 32, wherein the screen for inquiring about whether the sharing of the contents is accepted comprises an inquiry about whether to read an authorization page generated by an SNS provider.

35. The apparatus of claim 34, wherein the controller is further configured to read the authorization page when an acceptance to share the contents of the user is received.

36. The apparatus of claim 32, wherein the open authorization protocol is Open Authorization (OAuth).