System for granting ownership of device by user based on requested level of ownership, present state of the device, and the context of the device

• US 5,544,321 A
• Filed: 06/07/1995
• Issued: 08/06/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 12/03/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: UbiComm, LLC (Patrick J. Curry)
• Original Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Theimer, Marvin M., Want, Roy, Elrod, Scott A., Schilit, William N., Spreitzer, Michael J., Krivacic, Robert T., Goldstein, Richard J., Swinehart, Daniel C., Weiser, Mark D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Thomas C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): MEKY, MOUSTAFA M
• Application Number:
  US08/474,282
• Time in Patent Office: 426 Days
• Field of Search: 395/200.01, 395/200.02, 395/200.03, 395/187.01, 395/200.06, 395/200.09, 395/200.10, 395/200.11, 380/25, 380/49
• US Class Current: 709/226
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/35 communicating wirelessly
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2111 Location-sensitive, e.g. geographical location, GPS
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2803 Home automation networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/282 based on user interaction within the home receiver circuitry for displaying additional information being controlled by a remote control apparatus H04N21/42204
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2841 Wireless
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2845 Telephone line
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/00 Network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/133 Protocols for remote procedure calls [RPC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/303 Terminal profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/62 Establishing a time schedule for servicing the requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/63 : Location-dependent; Proximity-dependent
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 : Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 : Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

The present invention describes a method for superimposing prespecified locational, environmental, and contextual controls on user interactions, including interactions of mobile users, with computational resources. A system is described for electronically monitoring contextual information concerning users and machines, including state and locational information including proximity. Interaction policies, including user specified interaction policies, may be registered on an identifiable address path. Methods are described for detecting, selecting and controlling computercontrolled devices, based on the proximity of the device to the user, the current context of the user, the location of other nearby users and devices, and the current state of the devices. Temporary transfer of control, including exclusive control, of particular computers and computer controlled devices to individual users based on the context and environment in proximity to those computing devices is also described.

Claims

1. A method in a system of mobile and fixed computer controlled devices and mobile users for performing a multiplicity of operations, each computer controlled device and user being identifiable and locatable by the system, and having at least one allowable operation, the method establishing ownership control of at least a portion of a particular device by an identified user based on the context of the system and the environment of the particular device, the method comprising the steps of:

requesting a level of ownership control of said particular device;

identifying device properties of said particular device, the device properties including ownership policies;

determining a present state of said particular device, including an ownership state;

determining context of said particular device, including users and devices in proximity to said particular device;

based on said requested level of ownership control, said present state of said particular device, and said context of said particular device, determining an ownership access of said particular device to be granted to said identified user consistent with the ownership policies of the particular device; and

granting said ownership access to said identified user.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of requesting a level of ownership control of said particular device further comprises requesting ownership control of said particular device when said identified user is in proximity to said particular device.