System and method for providing access to data objects based on proximity

• US 8,782,136 B1
• Filed: 05/03/2011
• Issued: 07/15/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Ho, Ronald, Yeung, Wilfred
• Primary Examiner(s): Zong, Ruolei
• Application Number:
  US13/099,741
• Time in Patent Office: 1,169 Days
• Field of Search: 709/204, 709/203, 709/205, 709/206, 709/207, 709217-219, 709223-226, 709227-229
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/502 Proximity
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/468 Specific access rights for resources, e.g. using capability register
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• 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 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/02 Protecting privacy or anonymity, e.g. protecting personally identifiable information [PII]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/21 for social networking applications

Abstract

A system and method for providing access to data objects based on proximity. The system and method allow sharing of data objects by identifying one or more client devices proximate to the sharing device. The user of the sharing device may then select one or more of the identified devices with which to share the data object. Aspects of the invention include the ability to enable a “sharing mode” on the client devices to opt-in and allow communication with other similarly configured devices in the area. Access to the data object may be managed via an access control list present on a remote server, with the remote server hosting the data object.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for providing access to one or more data objects, the method comprising:

selecting a data object using a first client device;

interfacing with a social networking website to identify a plurality of second client devices proximate to the first client device using the first client device;

selecting one of the plurality of second client devices with which to share the data object using the first client device;

assigning permissions associated with the data object to the selected client device using an access control list associated with the data object, wherein the permissions comprise limited access permissions indicative of a predefined number of a plurality of other users to share the data object with; and

sharing the data object with the selected client device, wherein data associated with the selected client device is filtered such that the data is anonymized.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the data object is stored on a remote server.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of second client devices are identified by at least one of receiving a location of the plurality of second client devices, finding the plurality of second client devices on a Bluetooth network, finding the plurality of second client devices on a wireless network, or finding the plurality of second client devices on a mobile network.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of second client devices are within a specified radius of the first client device.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising enabling a sharing mode on the first client device.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the plurality of second client devices are identified by a sharing mode being enabled on the plurality of second client devices.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising filtering the plurality of second client devices by a type of identification method by which the plurality of second client devices were identified.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the type of identification method is at least one of detecting a second client device on the same Bluetooth network, on the same mobile network, on the same wireless network, present at the same calendar event, proximate to a particular location, or proximate to the user.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising interfacing with a location services system to identify the plurality of second client devices.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the limited access permissions are further indicative of a number of times a user device may open the data object and wherein the assigning permissions further comprises assigning the limited access permissions to the user device.

11. A processing system for providing access to one or more data objects, the processing system comprising:

a processor;

a memory for storing a plurality of data objects and an access control list associated with the plurality of data objects, the memory coupled to processor; and

a sharing module stored in the memory and executed by the processor,

wherein the sharing module is configured to;

determine a plurality of proximate client devices to a first client device by interfacing with a social networking website;

receive an access list from the first client device, the access list comprising one of the plurality of proximate client devices identified by the first client device;

identify one of the plurality of data objects; and

add the one proximate client device to the access control list for the identified data object, wherein the access control list comprises assigned permissions associated with the data object to the one proximate client device, and wherein the assigned permissions comprise limited access permissions indicative of a predefined number of a plurality of other users to share the data object with and wherein data associated with the one proximate client device is filtered such that the data is anonymized.

12. The processing system of claim 11, wherein the sharing module is further configured to send a device list comprising the plurality of proximate client devices to the first client device.

13. The processing system of claim 11, wherein the sharing module is further configured to interface with a location services system to identify the plurality of proximate client devices.

14. The processing system of claim 11, wherein the sharing module is further configured to interface with a location services system to receive the geographic location of at least one of the first client device or the plurality of proximate client devices.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed by a processor cause the processor to perform a method comprising:

selecting a data object using a first client device;

interfacing with a social networking website to identify plurality of second client devices proximate to the first client device using the first client device;

selecting one of the plurality of second client devices using the first client device;

assigning permissions associated with the data object to the selected client device using an access control list associated with the data object, wherein the permissions comprise limited access permissions indicative of a predefined number of a plurality of other users to share the data object with; and

sharing the data object with the selected client device, wherein data associated with the selected client device is filtered such that the data is anonymized.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the data object is stored on a remote server.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the plurality of second client devices are identified by at least one of receiving a location of the plurality of second client devices, finding the plurality of second client devices on a Bluetooth network, or finding the plurality of second client devices on a mobile network.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the plurality of second client devices are within a specified radius of the first client device.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, further comprising enabling a sharing mode on the first client device.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the plurality of second client devices are identified by a sharing mode being enabled on the plurality of second client devices.

21. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, further comprising filtering the plurality of second client devices by an identification method by which the plurality of second client devices were identified.

22. A computer-implemented method for providing access to one or more data objects, the method comprising:

receiving, using a processor, a set of data from a first client device, the set of data comprising an identifier designating a data object and a second client device within a predefined proximity of the first client device;

modifying an access control list associated with the data object, wherein the access control list comprises assigned permissions associated with the data object, wherein the assigned permissions comprise limited access permissions indicative of a predefined number of a plurality of other users to share the data object with; and

providing to the second client device access to the data object, wherein data associated with the second client device is filtered such that the data is anonymized.