Ad hoc access rights in restricted-access electronic space

• US 8,069,117 B1
• Filed: 05/28/2004
• Issued: 11/29/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/28/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Adobe Inc.
• Original Assignee: Adobe Systems Incorporated (Adobe Inc.)
• Inventors: Guilizzoni, Giacomo, Gay, Jonathan
• Primary Examiner(s): Fischer; Andrew J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): WEST, THOMAS C
• Application Number:
  US10/856,424
• Time in Patent Office: 2,741 Days
• Field of Search: 705 50- 79
• US Class Current: 705/54
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/604 Tools and structures for managing or administering access control systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6218 to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database

Abstract

One embodiment of the present invention provides the administrator of an access restricted electronic system with a flexible management scheme. In this scheme, users request access to the electronic system. Users who submit verified access information, such as a login identification and password, are immediately granted access as authorized users. Users who have not submitted access information, are presented to the administrator through an interface that enables the administrator to grant ad hoc access.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a database of authorized users; and

a server configured to host said system, the server configured to;

receive a request for a requester to access an electronic meeting hosted by the server;

based on determining that the request provides information sufficient for the server to automatically associate the requester with an authorized user in the database of authorized users, grant access to the requester;

based on determining that the request does not provide information sufficient for the server to automatically associate the requester with an authorized user in the database of authorized users, provide a graphical user interface in real time during the electronic meeting comprising a request interface, wherein said request interface provides user identification information from the request and receives input to grant or deny access to said requester.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein said access request comprises access information.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein said access information comprises:

a login identification and a password.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein said request interface comprises:

an option menu integrated into the graphical user interface.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein said option menu comprises one or more of a plurality of access rights.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein one or more of a plurality of access rights comprises a right to access a single session.

7. The system of claim 4 wherein the option menu comprises an option to deny access to said requester.

14. The system set forth in claim 1, wherein the server is configured to identify a moderator within the electronic meeting, and wherein the graphical user interface is presented to the moderator.

15. The system set forth in claim 1, wherein the identification information is a name of said requester.

16. The system set forth in claim 1, wherein the identification information is an electronic mail address of said requester.

17. The system set forth in claim 1, wherein the identification information is an internet protocol address of a computing system used to request access to said system by said requester.

8. A method comprising:

receiving, by at least one computing device comprised in an access-restricted system, a request for a requester to access an electronic meeting hosted by the access-restricted electronic system;

based on determining that the request provides access information sufficient for the at least one computing device to automatically verify the access information, granting, by the at least one computing device, access to the requester;

based on determining that the request does not provide access information sufficient for the at least one computing device to automatically verify the access information, providing, by the at least one computing device, a graphical user interface in real time during the electronic meeting comprising a request interface, wherein said request interface provides user identification information from the request and receives input to grant or deny access to said requester.

9. The method set forth in claim 8, further comprising:

comparing the access information with associated information stored in a database.

10. The method set forth in claim 9, wherein the access information is a login identification and a password.

11. The method set forth in claim 8, further comprising:

presenting, in the request interface an option to grant one or more of a plurality of rights to the requester.

12. The method set forth in claim 11, wherein one or more of a plurality of rights comprises temporary access.

13. The method set forth in claim 8, wherein the option in the request interface is provided after the request from the requester but prior to any automatic grant or denial of access.