Enabling trusted conferencing services

• US 9,621,561 B2
• Filed: 02/27/2009
• Issued: 04/11/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Ananthanarayanan, Krishnan, Narayanan, Sankaran, Sekaran, Dhigha A.
• Primary Examiner(s): CONAWAY, JAMES E
• Application Number:
  US12/394,061
• Publication Number:
  US 20100223389A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,965 Days
• Field of Search: 709203, 709206
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/44 Program or device authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/57 Certifying or maintaining trusted computer platforms, e.g. secure boots or power-downs, version controls, system software checks, secure updates or assessing vulnerabilities
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2101 Auditing as a secondary aspect
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2117 User registration
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2141 Access rights, e.g. capability lists, access control lists, access tables, access matrices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2147 Locking files
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2149 Restricted operating environment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1813 for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms instant messaging H04L51/04; protocols for multimedia communication H04L65/1101; arrangements for multi-party communication H04L65/403; telephonic conference arrangements H04M3/56; television conference systems H04N7/15
• 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 63/104 Grouping of entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/105 Multiple levels of security
• 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: H04M 3/38 Graded-service arrangements, i.e. some subscribers prevented from establishing certain connections queuing arrangements H04Q3/64
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/527 Centralised call answering arrangements not requiring operator intervention
• 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

Abstract

Architecture for providing a superuser privilege in a conferencing environment. A pre-configured entity such as a bot program receives special conferencing privileges. A request can be identified as originating from a trusted service and an associated predetermined set of privileges passed to the service. The trusted service can impersonate a user, and join a conference using its own identity or using the identity of a user. Conference control rules can be enforced on the trusted user (e.g., no other users can eject or mute this entity). Moreover, the trusted service can (optionally) hide itself from the conference roster to remain invisible to all participants.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented communications system, comprising:

a conferencing component configured to;

receive, from a service, a request to join a conference session,

validate that the service, from which the request is received, is a trusted service, wherein one or more privileges are assigned to the service based on the validation,

add the trusted service to the conference session in a first conference listing of service participants that is separate from a second conference listing of user participants for the conference session, wherein the first conference listing is hidden from at least one of the user participants and the second conference listing is provided to each of the user participants;

process requests for the service based on the one or more privileges assigned to the service; and

a processor that executes computer-executable instructions associated with at least one of the trust component or the conferencing component.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the conferencing component is further configured to send a notification to only the service participants of the first conference listing.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the conferencing component is further configured to assign superuser conferencing privileges to the service based on a validation of the service as the trusted service.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the conferencing component is configured to use the assigned superuser conferencing privileges to add the trusted service to a locked conference session.

5. A method comprising:

receiving, from a service, a request to join a conference session;

validating that the service, from which the request is received, is a trusted service, wherein one or more privileges are assigned to the service based on the validation;

adding the trusted service to the conference session in a first conference listing of service participants that is separate from a second conference listing of user participants for the conference session, wherein the first conference listing is hidden from at least one of the user participants and the second conference listing is provided to each of the user participants; and

processing requests for the service based on the one or more privileges assigned to the service.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising sending a notification to only the service participants of the first conference listing.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising assigning superuser conferencing privileges to the service based on a validation of the service as the trusted service.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising adding the trusted service to a locked conference session based on the assigned superuser conferencing privileges.

9. A non-transitory computer-readable medium including computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to execute a method comprising:

receiving, from a service, a request to join a conference session;

validating that the service, from which the request is received, is a trusted service, wherein one or more privileges are assigned to the service based on the validation; and

adding the trusted service to the conference session in a first conference listing of service participants that is separate from a second conference listing of user participants for the conference session, wherein the first conference listing is hidden from at least one of the user participants and the second conference listing is provided to each of the user participants; and

processing requests for the service based on the one or more privileges assigned to the service.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the method further comprising sending a notification to only the service participants of the first conference listing.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the method further comprising assigning superuser conferencing privileges to the service based on a validation of the service as the trusted service.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the method further comprising adding the trusted service to a locked conference session based on the assigned superuser conferencing privileges.