Systems and methods for secure data exchange in a distributed collaborative application

• US 8,676,988 B1
• Filed: 11/03/2009
• Issued: 03/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/26/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: Open Invention Network LLC
• Inventors: Wanek, Charles, Jones, Dan, Vernon, Todd
• Primary Examiner(s): Baturay, Alicia
• Application Number:
  US12/611,391
• Time in Patent Office: 1,596 Days
• Field of Search: 709/227
• US Class Current: 709/227
• 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 51/00 User-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, transmitted according to store-and-forward or real-time protocols, e.g. e-mail
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/066 Format adaptation, e.g. format conversion or compression
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/06 for supporting key management in a packet data network cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key management H04L9/08

Abstract

A collaborative communication system that includes a plurality of endpoints and interconnecting nodes configured to communicate via messages over interconnecting channels. Each of the plurality of endpoints and/or interconnecting nodes can determine whether to apply protection to the messages on a per message basis and/or base on the interconnecting channel being used. Thus, a balance between adequate protection and use of system resources and bandwidth can be maintained.

Claims

1. A collaborative communication system, comprising:

a plurality of interconnecting channels configured to route messages between endpoints; and

a plurality of endpoints configured to communicate messages with other of the plurality of endpoints via the plurality of channels, each of the plurality of endpoints further configured to selectively apply protection to messages sent to other endpoints on a per message basis and based on dynamic system variables, the plurality of endpoints configured to identify a dynamic change in message properties, connection properties, properties of a channel producing the message or a combination of the message, connection and channel properties and selectively apply the protection as needed to each message without a change to a predefined connection, wherein to selectively apply protection to the messages sent comprises applying protection to at least one message among the messages to be transmitted across the predefined connection prior to transmitting the at least one message across the predefined connection.

2. The collaborative system of claim 1, wherein the system variables include properties related to an interconnecting channel used by the endpoint to send messages.

3. The collaborative system of claim 1, wherein the system variables include properties related to each message sent by the endpoint.

4. The collaborative system of claim 1, wherein the system variables include properties related to a connection used to support the interconnecting channel used by the endpoint to send messages.

5. The collaborative communication system of claim 1, wherein the system variables include interconnecting channel trustworthiness.

6. The collaborative communication system of claim 1, wherein the system variables include message sensitivity.

7. The collaborative communication system of claim 1, wherein the system variables include whether a message has previously been encrypted.

8. The collaborative communication system of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of endpoints is configured to apply a decision criteria to the system variables in order to determine whether to apply protection to a message.

9. The collaborative communication system of claim 8, wherein at least some of the plurality of endpoints are configured to use different decision criteria relative to other of the plurality of endpoints.

10. The collaborative communication system of claim 8, wherein the system variables can be assigned a plurality of values, and wherein the decision criteria uses the values to determine whether protection should be applied.

11. The collaborative communication system of claim 10, wherein at least some of the plurality of endpoints are configured to assign a different value or weight to the system variables relative to other of the plurality of endpoints.

12. The collaborative communication system of claim 1, wherein at least some of the plurality of endpoints are configured to consider different system variables relative to other of the plurality of endpoints.

13. The collaboration system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of endpoints are configured to apply protection by encrypting the messages.

14. The collaboration system of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of intermediate nodes configured to pass messages from one endpoint to another via the plurality of interconnecting channels, and wherein the intermediate nodes can be configured to determine whether to apply protection to the messages on a per message basis.

15. The collaboration system of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of contexts, and wherein the plurality of endpoints are configured to join one or more of the plurality of contexts.

16. The collaboration system of claim 15, wherein each endpoint is configured to apply protection based system variables, and wherein the system variables are different for different contexts of the plurality of contexts.

17. The collaboration system of claim 15, wherein each endpoint is configured to apply protection based on decision criteria, and wherein the decision criteria are different for different contexts of the plurality of contexts.

18. A collaborative communication system, comprising:

a plurality of interconnecting channels configured to route messages between endpoints; and

a plurality of endpoints configured to communicate messages with other of the plurality of endpoints via the plurality of channels, at least some of the plurality of endpoints further configured to selectively apply protection to messages sent to other endpoints based on an interconnecting channel used to send the messages and at least some of the plurality of endpoints further configured to selectively apply protection to messages sent to other endpoints on a per message basis and based on dynamic system variables, the plurality of endpoints configured to identify a dynamic change in message properties, connection properties, properties of a channel producing the message or a combination of the message, connection and channel properties and selectively apply the protection as needed to each message without a change to a predefined connection, wherein to selectively apply protection to the messages sent comprises applying protection to at least one message among the messages to be transmitted across the predefined connection prior to transmitting the at least one message across the predefined connection.

19. The collaborative system of claim 18, wherein the system variables include properties related to an interconnecting channel used by the endpoint to send messages.

20. The collaborative system of claim 18, wherein the system variables include properties related to each message sent by the endpoint.

21. The collaborative communication system of claim 18, wherein the system variables include interconnecting channel trustworthiness.

22. The collaborative communication system of claim 18, wherein the system variables include message sensitivity.

23. The collaborative communication system of claim 18, wherein the system variables include whether a message has previously been encrypted.

24. The collaborative communication system of claim 18, wherein at least some of the plurality of endpoints are configured to apply a decision criteria to the system variables in order to determine whether to apply protection to a message.

25. The collaborative communication system of claim 24, wherein at least some of the plurality of endpoints are configured to use different decision criteria relative to other of the plurality of endpoints.

26. The collaborative communication system of claim 24, wherein the system variables can be assigned a plurality of values, and wherein the decision criteria uses the values to determine whether protection should be applied.

27. The collaborative communication system of claim 26, wherein at least some of the plurality of endpoints are configured to assign a different value or weight to the system variables relative to other of the plurality of endpoints.

28. The collaborative communication system of claim 18, wherein at least some of the plurality of endpoints are configured to consider different system variables relative to other of the plurality of endpoints.

29. The collaboration system of claim 18, wherein the plurality of endpoints are configured to apply protection by encrypting the messages.

30. The collaboration system of claim 18, further comprising a plurality of intermediate nodes configured to pass messages from one endpoint to another via the plurality of interconnecting channels, and wherein the intermediate nodes are be configured to determine whether to apply protection to the messages on a per message basis.

31. The collaboration system of claim 18, further comprising a plurality of contexts, and wherein the plurality of endpoints are configured to join one or more of the plurality of contexts.

32. The collaboration system of claim 31, wherein at least some of the endpoint are configured to apply protection based on system variables, and wherein the system variables are different for different contexts of the plurality of contexts.

33. The collaboration system of claim 31, wherein at least some of the endpoints are configured to apply protection based decision criteria, and wherein the decision criteria are different for different contexts of the plurality of contexts.