Negotiable information access in electronic social networks

• US 9,984,373 B2
• Filed: 08/03/2012
• Issued: 05/29/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/02/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Muller, Samuel, Sommer, Dieter M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ouellette, Jonathan P
• Application Number:
  US13/565,963
• Publication Number:
  US 20120297003A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,125 Days
• Field of Search: 705 11-912
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/188 Electronic negotiation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/234 for tracking messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/52 for supporting social networking services

Abstract

A method for implementing an electronically-based negotiation session between users within an ESN. The method includes sending a message including a request portion and a response portion from a first user to a second user in a round of successive rounds, and in response to receiving the message from the first user, sending a message from the second user to the first user in a subsequent round, the message from the second user including a response portion responsive to the request portion of the message from the first user and a request portion. When a new round is performed, evaluating whether an agreement exists by checking messages previously exchanged, and exchanging subsequent messages, when any rounds remain and the session has not been terminated, and granting access and exchanging data between the users, executing actions, and setting policies as negotiated, when the session has been terminated and an agreement exists.

Claims

1. A computer-executable method for exchanging negotiated profile information in accordance with an electronically based multi-round negotiation session for improving data privacy by reducing an amount of exchanged information, the electronically based multi-round negotiation session between computing devices in an electronic social network, the computer-executable method comprising:

implementing, by the computing devices, an initial round of a series of successive rounds within the electronically based multi-round negotiation session between first and second user profiles stored on the computing devices, the initial round includes providing an initial message by a first computer of the computing devices to a second computer of the computing devices, the initial message specifying an initial contact set;

implementing, by the computing devices, a subsequent round of the series of successive rounds within the electronically based multi-round negotiation session, the subsequent round comprising;

receiving a first subsequent message in response to the initial round from the second computer by the first computer,

de-escalating the electronically based multi-round negotiation session by modifying the initial contact set of the initial message to a reduced contact set of a modified initial message, and

providing the modified initial message as a response to the first subsequent message by the first computer to the second computer;

determining after the subsequent round that the modified initial message satisfies a termination condition by comparing the reduced contact set to a second subsequent message received from the second computer, the termination condition being an agreement between the reduced content set and a content of second subsequent message;

exchanging the negotiated profile information between the first and second users in response to the termination condition being determined as satisfied, the negotiated profile information being in accordance with the agreement; and

terminating the electronically based multi-round negotiation session in response to the exchanging of the negotiated profile information, the terminating of the electronically based multi-round negotiation session includes executing actions and setting policies as negotiated during the electronically based multi-round negotiation session with respect to the agreement.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the content of each message includes a request portion and a response portion, the request portion specifying the set of contacts as required by the first user or the second user, and the response portion of the message including the set of contacts that the other of the first user or second user agrees to satisfy.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the content of each message includes a query, the query specifying the set of contacts that are requested by the user corresponding to that message from the other of the user.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the content of each message includes a plurality of queries, each query corresponding to a set of ontology types, a set of policies, the set of contacts, a set of credentials, a set of conditions, a set of obligations, or a set of resulting actions.

5. A system for exchanging negotiated profile information in accordance with an electronically based multi-round negotiation session for improving data privacy by reducing an amount of exchanged information, comprising a first computer that includes a processor and a memory, configured to:

implement an initial round of a series of successive rounds within the electronically based multi-round negotiation session between first and second user profiles of an electronic social network, wherein the initial round includes an initial message provided by the first user profile stored on the first computer to the second user profile stored on a second computer of the electronic social network, the initial message specifying an initial contact set;

implement a subsequent round of the series of successive rounds within the electronically based multi-round negotiation session, wherein the subsequent round comprises;

a first subsequent message received in response to the initial round from the second computer by the first computer,

a de-escalation of the electronically based multi-round negotiation session by modifying the initial contact set of the initial message to a reduced contact set of a modified initial message, and

the modified initial message provided as a response to the first subsequent message by the first computer to the second computer;

determining after the subsequent round that the modified initial message satisfies a termination condition by comparing the reduced contact set to a second subsequent message received from the second computer, the termination condition being an agreement between the reduced content set and a content of second subsequent message;

exchange the negotiated profile information between the first and second users in response to the termination condition being determined as satisfied, wherein the negotiated profile information is in accordance with the agreement; and

terminate the electronically based multi-round negotiation session in response to the exchange of the negotiated profile information, wherein the terminating of the electronically based multi-round negotiation session includes an execution actions and setting policies as negotiated during the electronically based multi-round negotiation session with respect to the agreement,

wherein the content of each message includes a request portion and a response portion, the request portion specifying the set of contacts as required by the first user or the second user, and the response portion of the message including a reduced set of contacts that the other of the first user or second user agrees to satisfy.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the content of each message includes a request portion and a response portion, wherein the request portion specifies the set of contacts as required by the first user or the second user, and wherein the response portion of the message includes the set of contacts that the other of the first user or second user agrees to satisfy.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the content of each message includes a query, and wherein the query specifies the set of contacts that are requested by the user corresponding to that message from the other of the user.

8. The system of claim 5, wherein the content of each message includes a plurality of queries, wherein each query corresponds to a set of ontology types, a set of policies, the set of contacts, a set of credentials, a set of conditions, a set of obligations, or a set of resulting actions.

9. A computer program product, the computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having program instructions for exchanging negotiated profile information in accordance with an electronically based multi-round negotiation session for improving data privacy by reducing an amount of exchanged information embodied therewith, the program instructions executable by a processor to cause:

implementing an initial round of a series of successive rounds within the electronically based multi-round negotiation session between first and second user profiles of an electronic social network, the initial round includes providing an initial message by the first profile of to the second profile;

implementing a subsequent round of the series of successive rounds within the electronically based multi-round negotiation session, the subsequent round comprising;

receiving a subsequent message in response to the initial round from the second computer by the first computer,

de-escalating the electronically based multi-round negotiation session by modifying the initial contact set of the initial message to a reduced contact set of a modified initial message, and

providing the modified initial message as a response to the first subsequent message by the first computer to the second computer;

determining after the subsequent round that the modified initial message satisfies a termination condition by comparing the reduced contact set to a second subsequent message received from the second computer, the termination condition being an agreement between the reduced content set and a content of second subsequent message;

exchanging the negotiated profile information data between the first and second users in response to the termination condition being determined as satisfied, the negotiated profile information being in accordance with the agreement; and

terminating the electronically based multi-round negotiation session in response to the exchanging of the negotiated profile information, the terminating of the electronically based multi-round negotiation session includes executing actions and setting policies as negotiated during the electronically based multi-round negotiation session with respect to the agreement,

wherein the content of each message includes a request portion and a response portion, the request portion specifying the set of contacts as required by the first user or the second user, and the response portion of the message including a reduced set of contacts that the other of the first user or second user agrees to satisfy.

10. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the content of each message includes a request portion and a response portion, wherein the request portion specifies the set of contacts as required by the first user or the second user, and wherein the response portion of the message includes the set of contacts that the other of the first user or second user agrees to satisfy.

11. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the content of each message includes a query, and wherein the query specifies the set of contacts that are requested by the user corresponding to that message from the other of the user.

12. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the content of each message includes a plurality of queries, wherein each query corresponds to a set of ontology types, a set of policies, the set of contacts, a set of credentials, a set of conditions, a set of obligations, or a set of resulting actions.