Method, apparatus and computer program product for providing context triggered distribution of context models

• US 8,849,870 B2
• Filed: 06/26/2008
• Issued: 09/30/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Sathish, Sailesh
• Primary Examiner(s): DWIVEDI, MAHESH H
• Application Number:
  US12/146,787
• Publication Number:
  US 20090327327A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,287 Days
• Field of Search: 707/803
• US Class Current: 707/803
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/20 for managing network security; network security policies in general filtering policies H04L63/0227
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/303 Terminal profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/18 Information format or content conversion, e.g. adaptation by the network of the transmitted or received information for the purpose of wireless delivery to users or terminals

Abstract

A method for providing context triggered distribution of context models may include receiving current context information related to a first device, accessing a context profile and a security profile associated with the first device, and developing a composite context tree based on at least a portion of the current context information related to the first device and context information related to at least one other device based at least in part on the context profile defining, for a current context of the first device, aspects of the current context information to be utilized for the developing of the composite context tree. An apparatus and computer program product corresponding to the method are also provided.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving current context information related to a first device;

accessing a context profile and a security profile associated with the first device;

developing a composite context tree based on at least a portion of the current context information related to the first device and context information related to at least one other device based at least in part on the context profile defining, for a current context of the first device, aspects of the current context information to be utilized for the developing of the composite context tree, wherein developing the composite context tree comprises generating a schema based on the security profile and the context profile in which the schema defines the portion of the current context information and applying the schema to a context tree including the current context information such that only a portion of the context tree defined by the schema is visible to an entity developing the composite context tree;

determining a context change has occurred with respect to the first device;

determining whether the context change to the composite context tree is allowed based on the security profile and the context profile;

wherein in an instance in which the context change is determined to be allowed, the context tree is updated for the context change; and

wherein in an instance in which the context change is determined to not be allowed, the context tree is not updated for the context change.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein developing the composite context tree comprises applying the security profile and the context profile to a context tree including the current context information to define a node list providing the portion of the current context information to be used for composite context tree development.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising distributing the composite context tree to the first device and the other device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein accessing the context profile comprises determining whether the context profile is a dynamic profile and, if the context profile is a dynamic profile, building an updated context profile based on the current context information.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein accessing the security profile comprises determining whether the security profile is a dynamic profile and, if the security profile is a dynamic profile, building an updated security profile based on the current context information.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein accessing the context profile and the security profile comprises determining whether a profile exists for either of the context profile or the security profile for the current context information.

7. An apparatus comprising a processor and a memory storing computer program code, wherein the memory and stored computer program code are configured, with the processor, to cause the apparatus to at least:

receive current context information related to a first device;

access a context profile and a security profile associated with the first device; and

develop a composite context tree based on at least a portion of the current context information related to the first device and context information related to at least one other device based at least in part on the context profile defining, for a current context of the first device, aspects of the current context information to be utilized for the developing of the composite context tree,

wherein the apparatus being caused to develop the composite context tree comprises generating a schema based on the security profile and the context profile in which the schema defines the portion of the current context information and applying the schema to a context tree including the current context information such that only a portion of the context tree defined by the schema is visible to an entity developing the composite context tree;

determine a context change has occurred with respect to the first device;

determine whether the context change to the composite context tree is allowed based on the security profile and the context profile;

wherein in an instance in which the context change is determined to be allowed, the context tree is updated for the context change; and

wherein in an instance in which the context change is determined to not be allowed, the context tree is not updated for the context change.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein developing the composite context tree comprises applying the security profile and the context profile to a context tree including the current context information to define a node list providing the portion of the current context information to be used for composite context tree development.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the processor is further configured to distribute the composite context tree to the first device and the other device.

10. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the processor is configured to access the context profile by determining whether the context profile is a dynamic profile and, if the context profile is a dynamic profile, building an updated context profile based on the current context information.

11. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the processor is configured to access the security profile by determining whether the security profile is a dynamic profile and, if the security profile is a dynamic profile, building an updated security profile based on the current context information.

12. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the processor is configured to access the context profile and the security profile by determining whether a profile exists for either of the context profile or the security profile for the current context information.

13. A computer program product comprising at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable program code portions stored therein, the computer-executable program code portions comprising:

a first program code portion for receiving current context information related to a first device;

a second program code portion for accessing a context profile and a security profile associated with the first device;

a third program code portion for developing a composite context tree based on at least a portion of the current context information related to the first device and context information related to at least one other device based at least in part on the context profile defining, for a current context of the first device, aspects of the current context information to be utilized for the developing of the composite context tree, wherein the third program code portion includes instructions for generating a schema based on the security profile and the context profile in which the schema defines the portion of the current context information and for applying the schema to a context tree including the current context information such that only a portion of the context tree defined by the schema is visible to an entity developing the composite context tree;

a fourth program code portion for determining a context change has occurred with respect to the first device;

a fifth program code portion for determining whether the context change to the composite context tree is allowed based on the security profile and the context profile;

wherein in an instance in which the context change is determined to be allowed, the context tree is updated for the context change; and

wherein in an instance in which the context change is determined to not be allowed, the context tree is not updated for the context change.

14. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the third program code portion includes instructions for applying the security profile and the context profile to a context tree including the current context information to define a node list providing the portion of the current context information to be used for composite context tree development.

15. The computer program product of claim 13, further comprising a sixth program code portion for distributing the composite context tree to the first device and the other device.

16. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the second program code portion includes instructions for determining whether the context profile is a dynamic profile and, if the context profile is a dynamic profile, building an updated context profile based on the current context information.

17. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the second program code portion includes instructions for determining whether the security profile is a dynamic profile and, if the security profile is a dynamic profile, building an updated security profile based on the current context information.

18. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the second program code portion includes instructions for determining whether a profile exists for either of the context profile or the security profile for the current context information.

19. An apparatus comprising:

means for receiving current context information related to a first device;

means for accessing a context profile and a security profile associated with the first device;

means for developing a composite context tree based on at least a portion of the current context information related to the first device and context information related to at least one other device based at least in part on the context profile defining, for a current context of the first device, aspects of the current context information to be utilized for the developing of the composite context tree, wherein the means for developing the composite context tree comprise means for generating a schema based on the security profile and the context profile in which the schema defines the portion of the current context information and means for applying the schema to a context tree including the current context information such that only a portion of the context tree defined by the schema is visible to an entity developing the composite context tree

means for determining a context change has occurred with respect to the first device;

means for determining whether the context change to the composite context tree is allowed based on the security profile and the context profile;

wherein in an instance in which the context change is determined to be allowed, the context tree is updated for the context change; and

wherein in an instance in which the context change is determined to not be allowed, the context tree is not updated for the context change.