Managing a virtual persona through selective association

• US 7,321,877 B2
• Filed: 09/29/2004
• Issued: 01/22/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Chan, Victor, Khusial, Darshanand, Mirlas, Lev, McKegney, Ross
• Primary Examiner(s): Trammell; James P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Badii; Behrang
• Application Number:
  US10/953,990
• Publication Number:
  US 20060074806A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,210 Days
• Field of Search: 705/8, 705/26, 705/80, 705/39, 705/1, 705/10, 707/10, 707/100, 709/228
• US Class Current: 705/51
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/60 for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records

Abstract

A technique is provided to generally provide user support across multiple accounts by allowing a single person or user to represent multiple organizations. An embodiment may typically provide support for a user to act on behalf of an account in the form of a virtual persona and also to provide the ability to manage the assignment of access rights allowing only prescribed privileged users to act on behalf of an account. This may then be accomplished through registration of a single identity for the user or person on the system, while allowing that person to then select the desired organization to represent for a particular session (which will be stored in the user'"'"'s session).

Claims

1. A data processing system-implemented method for directing a data processing system to manage a virtual persona within a user session through selective association of the user with a buyer from among a plurality of buyers, the data processing system-implemented method comprising:

initiating a software session between a Seller and a user, wherein the user is initially associated with a Buyer A from a plurality of buyers, and wherein the software session initially utilizes software objects provided from Buyer A to authorize the user to represent Buyer A;

selectively specifying a Buyer B, from the plurality of buyers, as being an organization for which the user is to be authorized to act as an agent, wherein selectively specifying Buyer B is initiated by and performed by the user;

determining if software objects that are associated with Buyer B are locked to prevent the user from using the software objects that are associated with Buyer B, wherein the software objects that are associated with Buyer B are selectively lockable to prevent the user from using the software objects that are associated with Buyer B, and wherein all software objects associated with Buyer A are never lockable against the user that is initially associated with Buyer A;

in response to determining that the software objects associated with Buyer B are not locked, inheriting attributes and privileges from software objects associated with Buyer B to software objects that are associated with Buyer A;

persisting the inherited attributes and privileges of software objects used in the session with the Seller, wherein the inherited attributes and privileges authorize the user to represent Buyer B instead of Buyer A in the session with the Seller, wherein the user can represent only one buyer at a time, and wherein the inherited attributes and privileges persistently authorize the user to represent the Buyer B until a Buyer C is selected, by the user, to be a new buyer that is represented by the user in the session with the Seller, wherein the user presently represents only Buyer C in the session with the Seller;

tailoring content of the software session in accordance with the inherited attributes and privileges such that the user is presently representing Buyer B instead of Buyer A; and

in response to the user closing a browser used by the user in the session with the Seller in which the user is representing Buyer B, terminating the user'"'"'s permission to act on behalf of Buyer B by deleting attributes and privileges inherited from the software objects associated with Buyer B, and returning, to the user, permission to represent Buyer A in the session with the Seller.

2. The data processing system-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the software session is controlled by a session bean in a server that directs content to the user, and wherein the session bean filters and enhances content sent from the Seller to the user while the user is representing Buyer B.

3. The data processing system-implementable method of claim 1, wherein the step of selectively specifying further comprises:

determining that the user has an “

Organization Participant”

role in the specified organization.

4. The data processing system-implementable method of claim 2, wherein the software session is between a patient records database and the user who represents a mobile health care professional instead of between a buyer and a seller, and wherein the mobile health care professional is permitted to access records for a selected organization, from a plurality of permitted organizations, as described by the session bean.

5. The data processing system-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the user is able to represent, to the Seller, a single one of the plurality of buyers by using another buyer from the plurality of buyers as a gateway to the seller.

6. The data processing system-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the step of tailoring further comprises at least one organization dependent function enabling session context sensitive processing using the inherited attributes and privileges to direct the dependent function processing of objects including contract entitlement, promotion determination, pricing quotations, targeted advertising, addressing and orders, quotes and shopcart processing.

7. The data processing system-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of buyers further comprises organizations for which the user has been assigned a participant privilege role, thereby enabling the user to act on behalf of one or more of the buyers.

8. A data processing system for managing a virtual persona within a user session through selective association of the user with a buyer from among a plurality of buyers, the data processing system comprising a computer readable medium having:

an initiator for initiating a software session between a Seller and a user, wherein the user is initially associated with a Buyer A from a plurality of buyers, and wherein the software session initially utilizes software objects provided from Buyer A to authorize the user to represent Buyer A;

a selector for selectively specifying a Buyer B from the plurality of buyers, as being an organization for which the user is authorized to act as an agent, wherein selectively specifying Buyer B is initiated by and performed by the user;

determining logic for determining if software objects that are associated with Buyer B are locked to prevent the user from using the software objects that are associated with Buyer B, wherein the software objects that are associated with Buyer B are selectively lockable to prevent the user from using the software objects that are associated with Buyer B, and wherein all software objects associated with Buyer A are never lockable against the user that is initially associated with Buyer A;

inheritance logic for, responsive to a determination that the software objects associated with Buyer B are not locked, inheriting attributes and privileges from software objects associated with Buyer B to software objects associated with Buyer A;

persistence logic for persisting the inherited attributes and privileges of software objects used in the session with the Seller, wherein the inherited attributes and privileges authorize the user to represent Buyer B instead of Buyer A in the session with the Seller, wherein the user can represent only one buyer at a time;

tailoring logic for tailoring content of the session in accordance with the inherited attributes and privileges such that the user is presently representing Buyer B instead of Buyer A; and

terminating ˜

for, in response to the user closing a browser used by the user in the session with the Seller in which the user is representing Buyer B, terminating the user'"'"'s permission to act on behalf of Buyer B by deleting attributes and privileges inherited from the software objects associated with Buyer B, an returning, to the user, authority to represent Buyer A in the session with the Seller.

9. The data processing system of claim 8, wherein the software session is controlled by a session bean in a server that directs content to the user, and wherein the session bean filters and enhances content sent from the Seller to the user while the user is representing Buyer B.

10. The, data processing system of claim 8, wherein the selector for selectively specifying further comprises determination logic for:

determining that the user has an “

Organization Participant”

role in the specified organization.

11. The data processing system of claim 9, wherein the Java session wherein the software session is between a patient records database and the user who represents a mobile health care professional instead of between a buyer and a seller, and wherein the mobile health care professional is permifted to access records for a selected organization, from a plurality of permitted organizations, as described by the session bean.

12. The data processing system of claim 8, wherein the selector for selectively specifying further comprises specification of a parent organization, wherein organization switching occurs regardless of organization lock status.

13. The data processing system of claim 8, wherein the tailoring means further comprises at least one organization dependent function enabling session context sensitive processing using the inherited attributes and privileges to direct the dependent function processing of objects including contract entitlement, promotion determination, pricing quotations, targeted advertising, addressing and orders, quotes and shopcart processing.

14. The data processing system of claim 8, wherein the selector for selectively specifying further comprises scoping information for a currently active organization to an active store.

15. The data processing system of claim 8, wherein the plurality of buyers further comprises organizations for which the user has been assigned a participant privilege role, thereby enabling the user to act on behalf of one or more of the buyers.

16. A computer program product for directing a data processing system to manage a virtual persona within a user session through selective association of the user with an organization from among a plurality of permitted organizations, the computer program product embodied on a program usable medium embodying instructions executable by the data processing system, said instructions comprising:

data processing system executable instructions for initiating a software session between a Seller and a user, wherein the user is initially associated with a Buyer A from a plurality of buyers, and wherein the software session initially utilizes software obiects provided from Buyer A to authorize the user to represent Buyer A;

data processing system executable instructions for selectively specifying a Buyer B, from the plurality of buyers, as being an organization for which the user is authorized to act as an agent, wherein selectively specifying Buyer B is initiated by and performed by the user;

data processing system executable instructions for determining if software objects that are associated with Buyer B are locked to prevent the user from using the software objects that are associated with Buyer B, wherein the software objects that are associated with Buyer B are selectively lockable to prevent the user from using the software objects that are associated with Buyer B, and wherein all software objects associated with Buyer A are never lockable against the user that is initially associated with Buyer A;

data processing system executable instructions for in response to determining that the software objects associated with Buyer B are not locked, inheriting attributes and privileges from software objects associated with Buyer B to software objects that are associated with Buyer A;

data processing system executable instructions for persisting the inherited attributes and privileges of software objects used in the session with the Seller, wherein the inherited attributes and privileges authorize the user to represent Buyer B instead of Buyer A in the session with the Seller, wherein the user can represent only one buyer at a time;

data processing system executable instructions for tailoring content of the software session in accordance with the inherited attributes and privileges such that the user is presently representing Buyer B instead of Buyer A; and

data processing system executable instructions for, in response to the user closing a browser used by the user in the session with the Seller in which the user is representing Buyer B, terminating the user'"'"'s permission to act on behalf of Buyer B by deleting attributes and privileges inherited from the software objects associated with Buyer B, and returning, to the user, authority to represent Buyer A in the session with the seller.

17. The computer readable tangible medium of claim 16, wherein the data processing system executable instructions for selectively specifying further comprises data processing system executable instructions for specification of an alternate permitted organization other than a user parent organization.

18. The computer readable tangible medium of claim 16, wherein the data processing system executable instructions for selectively specifying further comprises data processing system executable instructions for:

determining that the user has an “

Organization Participant”

role in the specified organization.

19. The computer readable tangible medium of claim 16, wherein the data processing system executable instructions for inheriting further comprises data processing system executable instructions for acquiring access control determined privileges for a specified organization.

20. The computer readable tangible medium of claim 16, wherein the inherited attributes and privileges persistently authorize the user to represent the Buyer B until another organization is selected by the user.

21. The computer readable tangible medium of claim 16, wherein the data processing system executable instructions for tailoring further comprises data processing system executable instructions for at least one organization dependent function enabling session context sensitive processing using the inherited attributes and privileges to direct the dependent function processing of objects including contract entitlement, promotion determination, pricing quotations, targeted advertising, addressing and orders, quotes and shopcart processing.

22. The computer readable tangible medium of claim 16, wherein the data processing system executable instructions for selectively specifying further comprises data processing system executable instructions for scoping information for a currently active organization to an active store.

23. The computer readable tangible medium of claim 16, wherein the plurality of buyers further comprises organizations for which the user has been assigned a participant privilege role, thereby enabling the user to act on behalf of the buyers.