Method and apparatus for a proximity warning system

• US 7,360,095 B2
• Filed: 05/22/2003
• Issued: 04/15/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/22/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Ratliff, Emily Jane, Girouard, Janice Marie, Hamzy, Mark Joseph
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu; Kim
• Assistant Examiner(s): SHAN, APRIL YING
• Application Number:
  US10/443,698
• Publication Number:
  US 20040236952A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,790 Days
• Field of Search: 713/182, 715/741, 715/742, 715/743, 726/2, 726/3, 726/4, 726/17, 726/20, 726/21, 726/22, 726/34, 340/505, 340/568.2, 709/224
• US Class Current: 713/182
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/554 involving event detection and direct action
• 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: G07C 9/28 the pass enabling tracking or indicating presence

Abstract

The present invention provides a method, apparatus, and computer instructions for warning of a presence of a person in a zone having an inadequate security clearance. Movement of the person in the zone is detected. A message is broadcast to selected data processing systems associated with the zone, wherein the data processing systems initiate actions to protect data in the selected data processing systems.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for warning of a presence of a person in a zone having an inadequate security clearance, the computer implemented method comprising:

receiving a message by a selected data processing system within a plurality of data processing systems located within the zone, wherein the message comprises a security level associated with a person detected entering the zone;

initiating security actions to protect data displayed on the selected data processing system, wherein initiating the security actions further comprises;

identifying a security level of each window in a plurality of windows displayed at the selected data processing system;

selecting at least one window in the plurality of windows on which to perform the security actions to form selected windows, wherein a window in the plurality of windows is selected to form the selected windows if a security level of the window is greater than the security level associated with the person; and

performing the security actions to protect the data displayed on the selected windows while data displayed in other windows in the plurality of windows remain displayed, wherein the security actions are performed depending on a confidentiality level of the data being displayed at the data processing system; and

monitoring for additional messages indicating a presence of an unauthorized person in the zone, wherein cessation of receiving messages indicates that the security actions no longer need to be taken.

2. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the security actions further comprises:

minimizing the selected windows while other windows in the plurality of windows remain displayed.

3. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

responsive to receiving the message, identifying the security level associated with the person from the message;

identifying applications executed on the selected data processing system requiring a higher security level than the security level associated with the person from the message to form identified applications; and

performing the security actions for the identified applications.

4. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the zone is selected from a room, a building, or a portion of a room.

5. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

responsive to receiving the message, identifying a security level of the message; and

performing a security action to protect data displayed on the selected data processing system, based on the security level of the message.

6. The computer implemented method of claim 5, further comprising:

responsive to determining that security tags are present in a document displayed on the selected data processing system, identifying a security level of the document based on the security tags; and

responsive to a determination that the security level of the document is greater than the security level of the message, performing a security action on the document.

7. The computer implemented method of claim 6, wherein the selected data processing system parses the document containing the security tags to identify the security actions to be performed.