Methods and apparatuses for dynamically enforcing privileges for use during a data collaboration session

• US 8,296,362 B2
• Filed: 07/18/2006
• Issued: 10/23/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/18/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Roberts, Jeff, Wu, Linda, Nothhaft, Henry Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Feild, Lynn
• Assistant Examiner(s): Pollack, Melvin H
• Application Number:
  US11/458,314
• Publication Number:
  US 20080022002A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,289 Days
• Field of Search: 709203-205, 709/226, 709/229, 726/5, 726/14, 726 27- 30, 707/9, 707/10, 707/104.1, 715739-742, 715/748, 715/753
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1822 Conducting the conference, e.g. admission, detection, selection or grouping of participants, correlating users to one or more conference sessions, prioritising transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/60 Types of network addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/695 using masks or ranges of addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/104 Grouping of entities

Abstract

In one embodiment, the methods and apparatuses detect a first participant wherein the first participant corresponds with a primary group name; identify a profile based on the primary group name; detect a second participant; identify a secondary group name based on the second participant; select a privilege within the profile based on the secondary group name; and apply the privilege to the first participant and the second participant.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

detecting a first participant in a data collaboration session for sharing data among a plurality of participant devices wherein the first participant is associated with a first group of participants having a primary group name;

identifying a profile based on the primary group name;

detecting a second participant in the data collaboration session wherein the second participant is associated with a second group of participants;

identifying a secondary group name based on the second participant of the second group of participants;

selecting a privilege from within the profile of the first group of participants based on the secondary group name; and

applying the privilege from within the profile of the first group of participants to the first participant and the second participant, wherein the privilege from within the profile of the first group of participants restricts how data flows during the data collaboration session from the first group of participants to the second participant over a network.

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein the privilege from within the profile of the first group of participants includes one of limiting a quantity of data transmitted to the second participant, limiting the type of data transmitted to the second participant, limiting recording of the data collaboration session when initiated by the second participant, and limiting transmission of an attachment to the second participant.

3. The method according to claim 2 wherein the attachment includes one of a document, a presentation, an audio file, a graphical file, a textual file, and a spreadsheet.

4. The method according to claim 1 wherein detecting the second participant further comprises detecting a serial number of a device utilized by the second participant.

5. The method according to claim 1 wherein detecting the second participant further comprises detecting an IP address associated with a device utilized by the second participant.

6. The method according to claim 1 wherein detecting the second participant further comprises detecting a login identification utilized by the second participant.

7. The method according to claim 1 wherein the secondary group name is a known company.

8. The method according to claim 1 wherein the secondary group name is an unknown company.

9. The method according to claim 1 further comprising initiating the data collaboration session between the first participant and the second participant over the network.

10. The method according to claim 1 wherein the primary group name and the secondary group name correspond to a common company.

11. A method comprising:

detecting a first participant in a data collaboration session for sharing data among a plurality of participant devices wherein the first participant is associated with a first group of participants having a primary group name;

identifying a first profile based on the primary group name of the first group of participants;

detecting a second participant in the data collaboration session;

identifying a secondary group name based on the second participant;

selecting a privilege from the first profile of the first group of participants based on the secondary group name; and

limiting data access to the second participant over a network during the data collaboration session based on the privilege of the first profile of the first group of participants.

12. The method according to claim 11 wherein the privilege from the first profile of the first group of participants includes one of limiting a quantity of data transmitted to the second participant, limiting the type of data transmitted to the second participant, limiting recording of the data collaboration session when initiated by the second participant, and limiting transmission of an attachment to the second participant.

13. The method according to claim 12 wherein the attachment includes one of a document, a presentation, an audio file, a graphical file, a textual file, and a spreadsheet.

14. The method according to claim 11 further comprising initiating by the first participant the data collaboration session over the network between the first participant and the second participant.

15. The method according to claim 14 wherein data is selectively shared between the first participant and the second participant through the data collaboration session depending on the privilege.

19. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

identifying a second profile based on the secondary group name;

selecting a privilege from the second profile based on the primary group name; and

selectively sharing data between the first participant and the second participant through the data collaboration session depending on the privilege selected from the second profile.

20. The method of claim 11 wherein limiting comprises limiting data access to the first participant over the network during the data collaboration session based on the privilege of the profile of the first group of participants.

16. A system, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory configured to store a plurality of software modules executable by the processor, the software modules including,

a device detection module configured to determine an identity of a participant of a first group of participants participating in a data collaboration session for sharing data among a plurality of participant devices;

a profile manager module configured to track a profile of the first group of participants, wherein the profile of the first group of participants includes privilege information associated with a second participant, wherein the privilege information restricts transmission of information from the first group of participants to the second participant during the data collaboration session; and

an interface module configured to identify devices associated with the first group of participants and a device associated with the second participant in order to restrict the transmission of the information during the data collaboration session.

17. The system according to claim 16 further comprising a storage module configured to store the profile of the first group of participants.

18. The system according to claim 16 further comprising a privileges module for managing a plurality of privileges wherein each of the privileges is configured to limit transmission of data during the collaboration session.