Securing user contact information in collaboration session

• US 8,752,138 B1
• Filed: 12/02/2011
• Issued: 06/10/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Bennett, David Scrymgeour, Marsh, Brian David, Vander Mey, Christopher David, Owens, David H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Zecher, Cordelia
• Assistant Examiner(s): MCCOY, RICHARD ANTHONY
• Application Number:
  US13/310,597
• Time in Patent Office: 921 Days
• Field of Search: 726 1- 3, 726/21, 726 27- 28, 707/781, 707783-785, 709/225, 709227-229
• US Class Current: 726/4
• 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: G06F 2221/2141 Access rights, e.g. capability lists, access control lists, access tables, access matrices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/468 Specific access rights for resources, e.g. using capability register
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/542 Event management; Broadcasting; Multicasting; Notifications
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/103 Workflow collaboration or project management
• 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 63/101 Access control lists [ACL]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/403 Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/141 Setup of application sessions admission control or resource allocation in data switching networks H04L47/70
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42008 Systems for anonymous communication between parties, e.g. by use of disposal contact identifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/56 Arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities video conference systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/566 relating to a participants right to speak arrangements for multi-party communication with floor control, e.g. for conferences, H04L65/4038, H04L65/4046, H04L65/4053
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/567 Multimedia conference systems

Abstract

A system and machine-implemented method for providing access to one or more shared objects to a user participating in a collaboration session, including receiving a request from a user to receive access to one of one or more shared objects within a collaboration session, each shared object having a corresponding access control list including one or more authorized users having access to the shared object, determining whether the user has access to the one of the one or more shared objects by referencing the access control list in response to receiving the request and adding the user as an authorized user within the access control list for each of the one or more shared objects when it is determined that the user does not have access to the one of the one or more shared objects, such that the user is provided access to the one or more shared objects.

Claims

1. A method, executed by one or more computing devices, for providing access to one or more shared objects to a user within a collaboration session, the method comprising:

receiving an indication of a request from a user to receive access to one of one or more shared objects within a collaboration session, each shared object of the one or more shared objects having a corresponding access control list, the access control list for each shared object of the one or more shared objects including one or more authorized users having access to the shared object of the one or more shared objects, wherein the user is one of one or more users currently participating in the collaboration session;

determining, using the one or more computing devices, whether the user is authorized to access the one of the one or more shared objects by referencing the access control list associated with the one of the one or more shared objects in response to receiving the indication of the request, wherein contact information of the user is not accessible by the one or more authorized users, while the user is participating in the collaboration session, if the user is not an authorized user listed in the access control list associated with the one of the one or more shared objects; and

providing a notification to the user in response to receiving the indication of the request when it is determined that the user is not authorized to access the one or more shared objects, the notification describing that contact information of the user will be accessible by the one or more authorized users having access to the one or more shared objects;

adding the user as an authorized user within the access control list for each of the one or more shared objects when it is determined that the user is not authorized to access the one of the one or more shared objects upon receiving an indication that the user has agreed to the notification, such that the user is provided access to the one or more shared objects, wherein the adding the user as an authorized user within the access control list for each of the one or more shared objects causes the contact information of the user to be accessible by the one or more authorized users.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the contact information for the one or more authorized users is viewable by the one or more authorized users.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of providing a notification to the user comprises providing a prompt window for display to the user, the prompt window including the notification, and a selection mechanism for allowing the user to accept or reject the notification.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving an indication of a request from the user to join the collaboration session;

determining whether the contact information of the user should be secured within the collaboration session; and

providing the user with access to the collaboration session without adding the user to the access control list associated with the one or more shared objects of the collaboration session when it is determined that the contact information of the user should be secured within the collaboration session.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

adding the user as an authorized user within the access control list for each of the one or more shared objects within the collaboration session when it is determined that the contact information of the user should not be secured within the collaboration session; and

providing the user with access to the collaboration session.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the step of determining whether the contact information of the user should be secured comprises determining whether the user is in the same domain as a second user initiating the collaboration session.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing the user with access to the one of the one or more shared objects in response to adding the user as an authorized user within the access control list for each of the one or more shared objects.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the step of providing the user with access comprises providing the shared object for display to the user.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more shared objects comprise objects added to the collaboration session by one or more users collaborating within the collaboration session.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the access control list for each of the one or more shared objects comprises contact information for the authorized users.

11. A system for providing access to one or more shared objects to a user within a collaboration session, the system comprising:

one or more processors; and

a machine-readable medium comprising instructions stored therein, which when executed by the processors, cause the processors to perform operations comprising;

receiving an indication of a request from the user to receive access to one of one or more shared objects within a collaboration session, each shared object having a corresponding access control list, the access control list including one or more authorized users having access to the shared object, wherein the user is one of one or more users participating in the collaboration session;

determining whether the user has access to the one of the one or more shared objects by referencing the access control list associated with the one of the one or more shared objects in response to receiving the indication of the request, wherein the contact information of the user is not accessible by the one or more authorized users, while the user is participating in the collaboration session, if the user is not an authorized user of the access control list associated with the one or more shared objects;

providing a notification to the user when it is determined that the user does not have access to the one of the one or more shared objects, the notification describing that contact information of the user will be accessible by one or more authorized users having access to the one or more shared objects; and

adding the user as an authorized user within the access control list for the one of the one or more shared objects upon receiving an indication that the user has agreed to the notification when it is determined that the user does not have access to the one of the one or more shared objects, such that the user is provided access to the one of the one or more shared objects, wherein the adding the user as an authorized user within the access control list for the one of the one or more shared objects causes the contact information of the user to be accessible by the one or more authorized users.

12. The system of claim 11, further comprising:

adding the user as an authorized user within the access control list for other shared objects of the one or more shared objects when it is determined that the user does not have access to the one of the one or more shared objects, such that the user is provided access to all of the one or more shared objects.

13. The system of claim 11, further comprising:

receiving an indication of a request from the user to join the collaboration session;

determining that the contact information of the user should be secured within the collaboration session; and

providing the user with access to the collaboration session without adding the user to the access control list associated with the one or more shared objects of the collaboration session in response to determining that the contact information of the user should be secured within the collaboration session.

14. The system of claim 13, further comprising:

adding the user to the access control list associated with the one or more shared objects of the collaboration session when it is determined that the contact information of the user should not be secured within the collaboration session; and

providing the user with access to the collaboration session.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the step of determining that the contact information of the user should be secured comprises determining that the user satisfies a pre-defined condition.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein the step of providing a notification to the user comprises providing a prompt window for display to the user, the prompt window including the notification, and a selection mechanism for allowing the user to accept or reject the notification.

17. A non-transitory machine-readable medium comprising instructions stored therein, which when executed by a machine, cause the machine to perform operations comprising:

receiving an indication of a request from a user to receive access to one of one or more shared objects within a collaboration session, each shared object of the one or more shared objects being associated with an access control list including a listing of one or more authorized users having access to the shared object, wherein the user is one of one or more users participating in the collaboration session;

determining whether the user is one of the one or more authorized users associated with the one of the one or more shared objects by referencing the access control list associated with the one of the one or more shared objects in response to receiving the indication of the request, wherein the contact of the user is not accessible by the one or more authorized users, while the user is participating in the collaboration session, if the user is not an authorized user within the access control list associated with the one or more shared objects;

providing the user with a notification of the consequences of being granted access to the shared object in response to the request when it is determined that the user does not have access to the one of the one or more shared objects; and

adding the user as an authorized user within the access control list for the one of the one or more shared objects upon receiving an indication from a user that the user agrees with the notification, such that the user is provided access to the one or more shared objects, wherein the adding the user as an authorized user within the access control list for the one or more shared objects causes the contact information of the user to be accessible by the one or more authorized users associated with the one of the one or more shared objects.