Enabling trusted conferencing services

• US 9,871,799 B2
• Filed: 02/21/2017
• Issued: 01/16/2018
• 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:
  US15/437,554
• Publication Number:
  US 20170163649A1
• Time in Patent Office: 329 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 method comprising:

validating a service as a trusted service, wherein one or more privileges are assigned to the service based on a validation of the trusted service;

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

processing, during the conferencing session, a request from the trusted service based on the one or more privileges assigned to the trusted service; and

transmitting a notification to the trusted service based on the processed request.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the notification is transmitted to the trusted service and one or more other services that are associated with the first listing.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the adding of the trusted service to the conferencing session further comprises bypassing a challenge for authentication of the trusted service based on the validation.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

hiding the notification from the one or more user participants associated with the second listing.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

separating communications sent to the at least one user participant and the trusted service based on the first listing and the second listing.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting a separate notification to the at least one user participant based on an association with the second listing, wherein the separate notification is hidden from the trusted service.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

updating a display of the conferencing session for the one or more user participants based on the processing of the request.

8. A system comprising:

at least one processor; and

a memory operatively connected with the at least one processor storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, causes the at least one processor to execute a method that comprises;

validating a service as a trusted service, wherein one or more privileges are assigned to the service based on a validation of the trusted service,

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

processing, during the conferencing session, a request from the trusted service based on the one or more privileges assigned to the trusted service, and

transmitting a notification to the trusted service based on the processed request.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the notification is transmitted to the trusted service and one or more other services that are associated with the first listing.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the adding of the trusted service to the conferencing session further comprises bypassing a challenge for authentication of the trusted service based on the validation.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the method, executed by the at least one processor, further comprises:

hiding the notification from the one or more user participants associated with the second listing.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the method, executed by the at least one processor, further comprises:

separating communications sent to the at least one user participant and the trusted service based on the first listing and the second listing.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the method, executed by the at least one processor, further comprises:

transmitting a separate notification to the at least one user participant based on an association with the second listing, wherein the separate notification is hidden from the trusted service.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein the method, executed by the at least one processor, further comprises:

updating a display of the conferencing session for the one or more user participants based on the processing of the request.

15. A computer-readable storage device storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, causes the at least one processor to execute a method comprising:

validating a service as a trusted service, wherein one or more privileges are assigned to the service based on a validation of the trusted service;

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

processing, during the conferencing session, a request from the trusted service based on the one or more privileges assigned to the trusted service; and

transmitting a notification to the trusted service based on the processed request.

16. The computer-readable storage device of claim 15, wherein the notification is transmitted to the trusted service and one or more other services that are associated with the first listing.

17. The computer-readable storage device of claim 15, wherein the adding of the trusted service to the conferencing session further comprises bypassing a challenge for authentication of the trusted service based on the validation.

18. The computer-readable storage device of claim 15, wherein the executed method further comprising:

hiding the notification from the one or more user participants associated with the second listing.

19. The computer-readable storage device of claim 15, wherein the executed method further comprising:

transmitting a separate notification to the at least one user participant based on an association with the second listing, wherein the separate notification is hidden from the trusted service.

20. The computer-readable storage device of claim 15, wherein the executed method further comprising:

updating a display of the conferencing session for the one or more user participants based on the processing of the request.