SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR ACCESS-CONTROLLED INTERACTIONS

• US 20150019666A1
• Filed: 09/29/2014
• Published: 01/15/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/09/2013
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Evernym, Inc. (Gen Digital Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Evernym, Inc. (Gen Digital Inc.)
• Inventors: Ruff, Timothy, Law, Jason
• Application Number:
  US14/499,892
• Publication Number:
  US 20150019666A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1621 Group acknowledgement, i.e. the acknowledgement message defining a range of identifiers, e.g. of sequence numbers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/70 Admission control; Resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/08 Annexed information, e.g. attachments
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/212 using filtering or selective blocking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/104 Grouping of entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/082 using revocation of authorisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/086 using security domains
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/088 using filters or firewalls
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/06 Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/08 User group management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/90 Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/30 Resource management for broadcast services

Abstract

An interaction server controls access between a plurality of senders and/or users exchanging electronic interactions. A sender may identify a user with whom the sender desires to interact using a public identifier associated with the user. The interaction server may coordinate the desired interaction without revealing private information, such as information about private user resources (e.g., personal contact information, personal payment information, personal data, etc.). The interaction server may determine whether to provide an interaction by evaluating an access code, by determining whether a user is trusted, and/or the like. The interaction server may provide the interaction, a notice of the interaction, a payload associated with the interaction, and/or the like to a user resource associated with the public identifier if access is allowed.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for controlling access to and interaction with user resources, the method comprising:

associating, in a storage device, a single, unique public identifier with a user, the single, unique public identifier usable to receive a plurality of types of interactions;

receiving a first interaction addressed to the single, unique public identifier from a sender, the first interaction comprising an access code;

a processor determining, based on at least the access code, whether the first interaction should be provided to one or more user resources associated with the single, unique public identifier;

if the first interaction should be provided;

selecting at least a first user resource; and

providing the first interaction to at least the first user resource;

receiving an indication from the user that the sender is trusted; and

providing additional interactions from the sender to at least one of the one or more user resources without evaluating access codes.

2. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein selecting at least the first user resource comprises selecting at least the first user resource from among the one or more user resources associated with the single, unique public identifier, and

wherein providing the first interaction to at least the first user resource comprises routing at least one of the first interaction, a notice of the first interaction, and a payload associated with the first interaction to at least the first user resource.

3. The computer implemented method of claim 2, wherein routing comprises routing the first interaction without disclosing an address associated with the first user resource to the sender of the first interaction.

4. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein selecting at least the first user resource comprises selecting at least one user resource from the group consisting of a phone, a voice mailbox, an instant messaging client, an email client, a short message service (SMS) client, a multimedia messaging service (MMS) client, a social media account, an application, a device designated by a device identifier, a device designated by an internet protocol (IP) address, a processing module, a sensor, a file system, a database, a web server, a web service, a service bus, a store-and-forward device, and a location designated by a postal address.

5. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein selecting at least the first user resource comprises selecting the first user resource based on interaction rules received from the user.

6. The computer implemented method of claim 5, further comprising converting the first interaction from a first type to at least a second type based on the interaction rules prior to providing the first interaction to at least the first user resource.

7. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein selecting at least the first user resource comprises evaluating interaction rules, and wherein evaluating the interaction rules includes examining at least one of a location of the user, the access code, an identity of the sender, an address of the sender, a trust level of the sender, a location of the sender, a user resource requested by the sender, a type of the first interaction, an indication of urgency, an indication of importance, a parental control, a zone, a current date, and a current time.

8. The computer implemented method of claim 7, wherein providing the first interaction comprises repeatedly routing at least one of the first interaction, a notice of the first interaction, and a payload associated with the first interaction.

9. The computer implemented method of claim 7, wherein providing the first interaction comprises routing to a plurality of user resources at least one of the first interaction, a notice of the first interaction, and a payload associated with the first interaction.

10. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising receiving an acknowledgement of the first interaction from the user.

11. The computer implemented method of claim 10, further comprising making the acknowledgement available to the sender of the first interaction.

12. The computer implemented method of claim 10, further comprising ending an escalation process in response to receiving the acknowledgement.

13. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising confirming that delivery of the first interaction to the user was achieved.

14. The computer implemented method of claim 13, further comprising making a notice of delivery available to the sender of the first interaction.

15. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the first interaction comprises a request for information, and wherein determining whether the first interaction should be provided comprises determining how much of the requested information to make available to the sender.

16. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of types of interactions are selected from the group consisting of an email message, a short message service (SMS) message, a multimedia messaging service (MMS) message, an instant message, an application message, a device notification, a social media message, a voice message, a phone call, a video message, a video call, multimedia data, a request for user data, an integrated public alert and warning system (IPAWS) alert, a chat message, a verification code, an authorization code, a wireless application protocol (WAP) message, and postal mail.

17. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising, prior to receiving the indication from the user that the sender is trusted, receiving a second interaction comprising the access code;

and providing the second interaction to the first user resource.

18. A system for controlling access to and interaction with user resources, the system comprising:

a registration module configured to associate a single, unique public identifier with a user, the single, unique public identifier usable to receive a plurality of types of interactions;

an access module configured to;

receive a first interaction addressed to the single, unique public identifier from a sender, the first interaction comprising an access code, and

determine, based on at least the access code, whether the first interaction should be provided to one or more user resources associated with the single, unique public identifier; and

a fulfillment module configured to, in response to a determination the first interaction should be provided;

select at least a first user resource, and

provide the first interaction to at least the first user resource,

wherein the access module is further configured to receive an indication from the user that the sender is trusted, and wherein the fulfillment module is further configured to provide additional interactions from the sender to at least one of the one or more user resource without evaluating access codes in response to receiving the indication that the sender is trusted.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the fulfillment module is configured to select at least the first user resource by selecting at least the first user resource from among the one or more user resources associated with the single, unique public identifier, and

wherein the fulfillment module is configured to provide the first interaction to at least the first user resource by routing at least one of the first interaction, a notice of the first interaction, and a payload associated with the first interaction to at least the first user resource.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the fulfillment module is configured to route the first interaction without disclosing an address associated with the first user resource to the sender of the first interaction.