Information control in federated interaction

• US 7,673,347 B2
• Filed: 08/30/2005
• Issued: 03/02/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: James, Frances
• Primary Examiner(s): Dada; Beemnet W
• Application Number:
  US11/215,187
• Publication Number:
  US 20070067852A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,645 Days
• Field of Search: 726 26- 28, 726/29, 713/168, 713/182, 713/193
• US Class Current: 726/28
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/35 communicating wirelessly
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6245 Protecting personal data, e.g. for financial or medical purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/84 output devices, e.g. displays or monitors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2111 Location-sensitive, e.g. geographical location, GPS

Abstract

Techniques are described for protecting information in a convenient and useful way. A user transmits information from a mobile device to an ambient display, so that other users may receive the information from the ambient display. A display controller detects a presence of a potentially unauthorized user relative to the ambient display, and modifies the outputting of the information at the ambient display so as to hide portions of the information that should not be seen by the potentially unauthorized user. The information, including the hidden portion, is nonetheless output, using one of a plurality of output channels of one or more secondary devices, either to the user and/or the other users. In this way, authorized users may continue to receive the information, and, moreover, may input an indication as to whether an extent of the hidden portion is sufficient to provide adequate security with regard to the information.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

providing information from a mobile device of a presenting user to a first device, for outputting to at least one recipient, using a first output mode of the first device;

determining, using a proximity sensor, an authorization of a person in proximity to the first device to receive the information;

preventing a subset of the information from being output at the first device using the first output mode, based on the authorization;

outputting at least the subset of the information to the recipient at a second device, using a second output mode, while outputting at least the subset of the information to the presenting user using the mobile device; and

providing, to the presenting user and using the mobile device, control of the output of the information at the mobile device, the first device, and the second device.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein providing information to a first device comprises:

transmitting the information from the mobile device to the first device, where the mobile device is in proximity to the first device and the first device includes a multi-user display as the first output mode.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein providing information to a first device comprises:

transmitting the information for an audio and/or visual display thereof at the first device.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein determining an authorization of a person in proximity to the first device to receive the information comprises:

receiving location information regarding a location of the person relative to the first device.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein receiving location information regarding a location of the person relative to the first device comprises:

receiving information using the proximity sensor from an identifier associated with the person.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein determining an authorization of a person in proximity to the first device to receive the information comprises:

accessing security information associated with the person, relative to the information.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein preventing a subset of the information from being output at the first device using the first output mode comprises:

blocking visual portions of the information displayed at the first device.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein blocking visual portions of the information displayed at the first device comprises:

re-transmitting the information to the first device with blocked-out visual portions.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein preventing a subset of the information from being output at the first device using the first output mode comprises:

receiving a designation of at least a part of the subset from the presenting user by way of the mobile device.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein outputting at least the subset of the information to the recipient at a second device comprises:

outputting either an audio, video, text, and/or image within the information at the second device as audio output as the second output mode.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein providing, to the presenting user and using the mobile device, control of the output of the information at the mobile device, the first device, and the second device comprises:

receiving an indication of greater and/or lesser security from the recipient; and

outputting a modified subset to the recipient, based on the indication.

12. A system including functional descriptive material recorded on a computer-readable medium, the system comprising:

an originating device associated with a presenting user, and that is operable to output information to an output device and thereby to a recipient; and

an output controller associated with the originating device and including functional descriptive material recorded on a computer-readable medium, and that is operable to determine a presence of an additional user relative to the output device, and further operable to prevent at least a portion of the information from being output at the output device, based on the determination,

wherein the output controller is further operable to output at least the portion of the information at a secondary output of a secondary device of the recipient, for receipt thereof by the recipient, and

wherein the output controller is further operable to provide, to the presenting user and using the originating device, control of the output of the information at the originating device, the output device, and the secondary device.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the secondary output includes a visual and/or auditory output at the secondary device that is local to the recipient.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the originating device is operable to receive an input of the presenting user and/or the recipient, and further operable to modify the portion of the information based thereon.

15. An apparatus comprising a storage medium having instructions stored thereon, wherein the instructions, when executed on a data processing apparatus, cause the data processing apparatus to:

determine a transmission of information from an originating device to a multi-user output device, for receipt therefrom by a recipient;

determine a presence of a potentially-unauthorized user relative to the multi-user output device;

block a portion of the information from output by the multi-user output device, based on the presence; and

output at least the portion of the information at a secondary output, for receipt therefrom by the recipients,

wherein the originating device and a secondary device are in proximity to the multi-user output device, and wherein the instructions further cause the data processing apparatus to provide at least the portion of the information at the originating device and at the secondary output of the secondary device, and to provide control of a display of at least the portion of the information at both the originating device and the secondary device to an operator of the originating device.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the recipient includes either an originating user of the information at the originating device, and/or a receiving user of the information at a receiving device that is separate from the originating device.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein the instructions further cause the data processing apparatus to:

receive a modification of the portion of the information from either the originating user and/or the receiving user; and

modify the blocking of the portion of the information, based on the modification.