CONTROL FOR INVITING AN UNAYTHENTICATED USER TO GAIN ACCESS TO DISPLAY OF CONTENT THAT IS OTHERWISE ACCESSIBLE WITH AN AUTHENTICATION MECHANISM

• US 20140067980A1
• Filed: 11/11/2013
• Published: 03/06/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/29/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Slack Technologies, Inc. (Salesforce.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Yahoo! Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: La Rotonda, Michael, Sample, Neal, Farmer, F. Randall, Brody, Paul, Perelman, Ellen Sue
• Granted Patent: US 10,264,095 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6218 to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6227 where protection concerns the structure of data, e.g. records, types, queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/52 for supporting social networking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/916 Audio
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/959 Network
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/961 Associative
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99939 Privileged access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

Enabling an authenticated user to access content associated with an authenticated user as though the authenticated user had a selected user relationship with the authenticated user. The user relationship may comprise a relationship degree, a relationship category, a relationship rating, and/or the like. An invitation to join an electronic service, such as an online social network, is sent to the unauthenticated user at an address known to the authenticated user. The invitation includes a time-limited token, such as a URL, that includes an invitation identifier, which relates the invitation to the authenticated user content. The token may be encrypted in the invitation. The unauthenticated user returns the token as a request to preview the authenticated user content without first becoming an authenticated user of the electronic service. If the token is still valid, access is granted. The unauthenticated user may also request to establish a connection with the authenticated user.

Claims

1-20. -20. (canceled)

21. A method comprising:

associating, via a computing device, electronic content with an authenticated user, said authenticated user is a member of a computerized, online social network, said social network hosted by an electronic service and enabled for communication to and from authenticated users of the social network in addition to communication to and from authenticated and unauthenticated users;

associating, via the computing device, the electronic content with a user relationship involving the authenticated user, said user relationship is created and controlled by the authenticated user;

transmitting, via the computing device, a request generated by the authenticated user for the unauthenticated user to join said user relationship, said request comprising a request by said electronic service for said unauthenticated user to join said social network, said request further comprising an invitation by said authenticated user for said unauthenticated user to access said electronic content in accordance with a relationship category, said relationship category designated by said authenticated user and relates to an updated version of said electronic content and associations between said content and said user relationship;

receiving, at the computing device, a response to said request from said unauthenticated user, said response comprising information representative said authenticated user intends to join said user relationship and said social network; and

establishing, via the computing device, the user relationship between the authenticated user and unauthenticated user, said establishing comprising enabling access for said unauthenticated user to at least a portion of said electronic content associated with the user relationship based at least in part upon said relationship category.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein said electronic content comprises a preview of data associated with activity said authenticated user has performed via said electronic service, said activity associated with said social network.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein said electronic content comprises a subset of data associated with the authenticated user, wherein another subset of data is associated with a different user relationship.

24. The method of claim 21, wherein said invitation to said unauthenticated user is further based upon a relationship rating associated with said user relationship, said relationship rating comprising information indicating a connection between said authenticated user and said unauthenticated user.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein said information indicating a connection is based upon activity between said authenticated user and said unauthenticated user in either the real-world or over a network.

26. The method of claim 21, wherein said invitation to said unauthenticated user is further based upon a relationship degree between said authenticated user and said unauthenticated user, said relationship degree comprising information representing a degree of separation between said authenticated user and said unauthenticated user.

27. The method of claim 21, wherein said relationship category is further based upon a type of said electronic content.

28. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

determining whether the response provided by the unauthenticated user is valid, said determination further comprising;

determining that an expiration period associated with the request has not elapsed;

determining that the authenticated user associated with the request is still an authenticated user of the electronic service,

wherein said request comprises a token associated with said electronic content and an identifier associated with said user relationship.

29. The method of claim 21, wherein said user relationship comprises permissions set by said authenticated user, said permissions controlling said access by said unauthenticated user to said electronic content.

30. A computer-readable storage medium tangibly encoded with computer-executable instructions, that when executed by a computing device, performs a method comprising:

associating electronic content with an authenticated user, said authenticated user is a member of a computerized, online social network, said social network hosted by an electronic service and enabled for communication to and from authenticated users of the social network in addition to communication to and from authenticated and unauthenticated users;

associating the electronic content with a user relationship involving the authenticated user, said user relationship is created and controlled by the authenticated user;

transmitting a request generated by the authenticated user for the unauthenticated user to join said user relationship, said request comprising a request by said electronic service for said unauthenticated user to join said social network, said request further comprising an invitation by said authenticated user for said unauthenticated user to access said electronic content in accordance with a relationship category, said relationship category designated by said authenticated user and relates to an updated version of said electronic content and associations between said content and said user relationship;

receiving a response to said request from said unauthenticated user, said response comprising information representative said authenticated user intends to join said user relationship and said social network; and

establishing the user relationship between the authenticated user and unauthenticated user, said establishing comprising enabling access for said unauthenticated user to at least a portion of said electronic content associated with the user relationship based at least in part upon said relationship category.

31. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 30, wherein said electronic content comprises a preview of data associated with activity said authenticated user has performed via said electronic service, said activity associated with said social network.

32. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 30, wherein said electronic content comprises a subset of data associated with the authenticated user, wherein another subset of data is associated with a different user relationship.

33. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 30, wherein said invitation to said unauthenticated user is further based upon a relationship rating associated with said user relationship, said relationship rating comprising information indicating a connection between said authenticated user and said unauthenticated user.

34. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 33, wherein said information indicating a connection is based upon activity between said authenticated user and said unauthenticated user in either the real-world or over a network.

35. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 30, wherein said invitation to said unauthenticated user is further based upon a relationship degree between said authenticated user and said unauthenticated user, said relationship degree comprising information representing a degree of separation between said authenticated user and said unauthenticated user.

36. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 30, wherein said relationship category is further based upon a type of said electronic content.

37. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 30, further comprising:

determining whether the response provided by the unauthenticated user is valid, said determination further comprising;

determining that an expiration period associated with the request has not elapsed;

determining that the authenticated user associated with the request is still an authenticated user of the electronic service,

wherein said request comprises a token associated with said electronic content and an identifier associated with said user relationship.

38. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 30, wherein said user relationship comprises permissions set by said authenticated user, said permissions controlling said access by said unauthenticated user to said electronic content.

39. A system comprising:

at least one computing device comprising;

memory storing computer-executable instructions; and

one or more processors for executing said computer-executable instructions, comprising;

associating electronic content with an authenticated user, said authenticated user is a member of a computerized, online social network, said social network hosted by an electronic service and enabled for communication to and from authenticated users of the social network in addition to communication to and from authenticated and unauthenticated users;

associating the electronic content with a user relationship involving the authenticated user, said user relationship is created and controlled by the authenticated user;

transmitting a request generated by the authenticated user for the unauthenticated user to join said user relationship, said request comprising a request by said electronic service for said unauthenticated user to join said social network, said request further comprising an invitation by said authenticated user for said unauthenticated user to access said electronic content in accordance with a relationship category, said relationship category designated by said authenticated user and relates to an updated version of said electronic content and associations between said content and said user relationship;

receiving a response to said request from said unauthenticated user, said response comprising information representative said authenticated user intends to join said user relationship and said social network; and

establishing the user relationship between the authenticated user and unauthenticated user, said establishing comprising enabling access for said unauthenticated user to at least a portion of said electronic content associated with the user relationship based at least in part upon said relationship category.

40. The system of claim 39

determining whether the response provided by the unauthenticated user is valid, said determination further comprising:

determining that an expiration period associated with the request has not elapsed;

determining that the authenticated user associated with the request is still an authenticated user of the electronic service,

wherein said request comprises a token associated with said electronic content and an identifier associated with said user relationship.