Group Opt-In Links

• US 20130066975A1
• Filed: 09/08/2011
• Published: 03/14/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Bockelman, Jonathan A., Steinbok, Jeffrey E., Citron, David A., Kantor, Arcadiy G., Filman, Sarah M.
• Application Number:
  US13/228,283
• Publication Number:
  US 20130066975A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/205
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/335 for accessing specific resources, e.g. using Kerberos tickets
• 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 2221/2141 Access rights, e.g. capability lists, access control lists, access tables, access matrices
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/101 Access control lists [ACL]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/321 Interlayer communication protocols or service data unit [SDU] definitions; Interfaces between layers

Abstract

Techniques for sharing of items from online storage (e.g., cloud storage) are described herein. In some embodiments, sharing links can be configured as group opt-in links designed to provide recipients with an option to join a group having permissions on a corresponding shared item. A sharing link to an item may be generated and provided to a user for distribution to recipients in various ways. When selected by recipients, the sharing link causes an option to be exposed to the recipients to opt-in to a group having permissions on a corresponding item. Group membership is determined by recipients that exercise the option and recipients that opt-in are granted permissions on the item established for the group. Subsequently, an owner of the item/group may view a list of recipients who have opted-in as members and manage corresponding permissions on an individual basis.

Claims

1. A method implemented by a computing device, the method comprising:

generating a sharing link for distribution to one or more recipients to share an item from online storage associated with a user account with the recipients responsive to a request;

responsive to selection of the sharing link by the one or more recipients, exposing an option for the one or more recipients to opt-in to a group having permissions on the item; and

adding the one or more recipients that exercise the option to the group having permissions on the item.

2. A method as described in claim 1, further comprising distributing the sharing link to the one or more recipients.

3. A method as described in claim 1, further comprising outputting a user interface having the sharing link to a client to enable copying and distribution of the sharing link.

4. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the generating the sharing link comprises encoding permissions to the item within the sharing link.

5. A method as described in claim 1, further comprising mapping the sharing link that is generated to the permissions on the item defined by an access control list.

6. A method as described in claim 1, wherein membership in the group is determined by the recipients that exercise the option to opt-in to the group.

7. A method as described in claim 1, further comprising granting limited access to the item to recipients of the sharing link until the recipients exercise the option to opt-in to the group.

8. A method as described in claim 1, wherein adding recipients that exercise the option to the group comprises associating account identifiers of the recipients that opt-in with the group to make the recipients that opt-in members of the group.

9. A method as described in claim 1, further comprising presenting representations of recipients that opt-in in association with the item in a user interface for viewing and managing the online store.

10. A method as described in claim 9, further comprising enabling through the user interface management of the recipients that opt-in individually and separate from management of the sharing link.

11. One or more computer-readable storage media storing instructions that, when executed by one or more components of a computing device, implement a collaboration service configured to perform operations including:

providing online storage that is allocated to user accounts with a service provider;

generating a sharing link to share an item stored in online storage associated with a user in response to a request to get the sharing link for the item, the sharing link configured to enable the recipients to optionally join a group having permissions on the shared item;

communicating the sharing link to the user for distribution to the recipients;

responsive to selection of the sharing link by one or more of the recipients, outputting an opt-in user interface to present an option for the one or more recipients to opt-in to the group having permissions on the item; and

adding the one or more recipients that exercise the option as members of the group by associating user accounts of the recipients with the permissions on the item.

12. One or more computer-readable storage media as recited in claim 11, wherein the collaboration service is further configured to perform operations including:

changing a level of access to the shared item granted to recipients that exercise the option from limited permissions available through the sharing link to enhanced permissions available through the group.

13. One or more computer-readable storage media as recited in claim 11, wherein associating user accounts of the recipients with the permissions on the item includes prompting at least one recipient to select a particular user account to use for subsequent access to item and associating the selected user account with the permissions on the item to grant the at least one recipient access to the item.

14. One or more computer-readable storage media as recited in claim 11, wherein the sharing link is generated to include a sharing key used to uniquely identify the sharing link and associate permissions on the item with the sharing link.

15. One or more computer-readable storage media as recited in claim 11 wherein communicating the sharing link comprises outputting a user interface having the sharing link for copying by a user and including one or more options to distribute the sharing link through services available from the service provider.

16. One or more computer-readable storage media as recited in claim 11, wherein the collaboration service is provided in conjunction with a plurality of resources available to clients over a network from the service provider.

17. One or more computer-readable storage media as recited in claim 11, wherein the collaboration service is further configured to perform operations including:

presenting representations of recipients that opt-in in association with the item in a user interface for viewing and managing the online storage;

providing one or more options to enable management of the recipients that opt-in as members individually and separate from management of the sharing link, including at least associating different permissions with different members and invalidating the sharing link without affecting the access permissions of members of the group.

18. A computing system comprising:

one or more processing components;

one or more computer-readable storage media storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processing components, implement a collaboration service configured to perform operations including;

outputting a user interface including an option to request a sharing link to share an item from online storage that is allocated to a user account with a service provider;

generating the sharing link for the item responsive to a request formed via the user interface including configuring the sharing link to cause a group opt-in option to be exposed when the sharing link is selected by recipients;

adding one or more recipients that exercise the group opt-in option to a group having permissions on the item; and

reconfiguring the user interface to present representations of the one or more recipients that exercise the group opt-in option in association with the shared item for viewing and management by a user of the user account.

19. A computing system as described in claim 18, wherein generating the sharing link further comprises configuring the sharing link to implement tiered access levels such that a level of access granted to recipients that exercise the group opt-in option changes from a first level of access before opting-in to a second level of access after opting-in.

20. A computing system as described in claim 18, wherein reconfiguring the user interface further comprises reconfiguring the user interface to include controls operable to associate different permissions with different members and invalidate the sharing link without affecting access permissions of individual members of the group.