Implicit population of access control lists
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A method comprising:
- logging a first client device into a server;
logging a second client device into the server;
accessing, using the server, a first user list associated with a first user of the first client device;
accessing, using the server, a second user list associated with a second user of the second client device, wherein the first user list and the second user list are maintained separately from one another;
analyzing, using the server, the accessed first user list to determine whether an identifier of the second user is included in the first user list;
analyzing, using the server, the accessed second user list to determine whether an identifier of the first user is included in the second user list;
regulating, using the server, a communications pathway between the first client device and the second client device based on both the determination of whether the identifier of the first user is included on the second user list and the determination of whether the identifier of the second user is included on the first user list.
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Abstract
Communication applications may include lists of users with which a user of the application communicates. If two users of a communications application each include the other user on their user lists, an implicit trust may be established between the users. For example, if user A includes user B in her list and user B includes user A in his list, then it may be determined that each user knows and/or trusts the other user. As a result, a connection or communications pathway may be automatically created between the client devices of the users to facilitate communications between the users based on the implicit trust.
554 Citations
44 Claims
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1. A method comprising:
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logging a first client device into a server; logging a second client device into the server; accessing, using the server, a first user list associated with a first user of the first client device; accessing, using the server, a second user list associated with a second user of the second client device, wherein the first user list and the second user list are maintained separately from one another; analyzing, using the server, the accessed first user list to determine whether an identifier of the second user is included in the first user list; analyzing, using the server, the accessed second user list to determine whether an identifier of the first user is included in the second user list; regulating, using the server, a communications pathway between the first client device and the second client device based on both the determination of whether the identifier of the first user is included on the second user list and the determination of whether the identifier of the second user is included on the first user list. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A system comprising:
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a first client device; a second client device; and a server configured to; access a first user list associated with a first user of the first client device; access a second user list associated with a second user of the second client device, wherein the first user list and the second user list are maintained separately from one another; analyze the accessed first user list to determine whether an identifier of the second user is included in the first user list; analyze the accessed second user list to determine whether an identifier of the first user is included in the second user list; and regulate a communications pathway between the first client device and the second client device based on both the determination of whether the identifier of the first user is included on the second user list and the determination of whether the identifier of the second user is included on the first user list. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A host system comprising:
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an interface to receive a communication from a first client device associated with a first user and to transmit a communication to a second client device associated with a second user; storage to store a first user list associated with the first user and to store a second user list associated with the second user; and a host configured to; determine an identifier of the first user and an identifier of the second user; access the first user list associated with the first user of the first client device; access the second user list associated with the second user of the second client device, wherein the first user list and the second user list are maintained separately from one another; analyze the accessed first user list to determine whether an identifier of the second user is included in the first user list; analyze the accessed second user list to determine whether an identifier of the first user is included in the second user list; and regulate a communications pathway between the first client device and the second client device based on both the determination of whether the identifier of the first user is included on the second user list and the determination of whether the identifier of the second user is included on the first user list. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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25. A method comprising:
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establishing a first type of communication between a first user computer and a second user computer by providing a first message display to the first user computer and a second message display to the second user computer, the first type of communication provided in a first protocol comprising a messaging protocol; accessing, by at least one processor, a first user list associated with a first user corresponding to the first user computer; accessing, by the at least one processor, a second user list associated with a second user corresponding to the second user computer, wherein the first user list associated with the first user and the second user list associated with the second user are maintained independently of one another; determining that an identifier of the first user is included within the second user list and that an identifier of the second user is included within the first user list; and establishing a second type of communication between the first user computer and the second user computer based on the determination that the identifier of the first user is included within the second user list and that the identifier of the second user is included within the first user list, the second type of communication provided in a second protocol different from the first protocol. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40)
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41. A method comprising:
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establishing a first type of communication between a first user computer and a second user computer by providing a first message display to the first user computer and a second message display to the second user computer, the first type of communication provided in a first protocol comprising a messaging protocol; receiving a request from the first user computer to establish a second type of communication between the first user computer and the second user computer; in response to receiving the request from the first user computer to establish the second type of communication, determining whether an identifier of a first user corresponding to the first user computer is included within a second user list associated with a second user corresponding to the second user computer and an identifier of the second user is included within a first user list associated with the first user, wherein the first user list associated with the first user and the second user list associated with the second user are maintained independently of one another; and establishing the second type of communication between the first user computer and the second user computer based on the determination that the identifier of the first user is included within the second user list and the identifier of the second user is included within the first user list, the second type of communication provided in a second protocol different from the first protocol. - View Dependent Claims (42, 43)
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44. A system comprising:
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at least one processor; and at least one non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing instructions thereon that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to; maintain a first user list associated with a first user and a second user list associated with a second user, wherein the first user list associated with the first user and the second user list associated with the second user are maintained independently of one another; establish a first type of communication between a first user computer of the first user and a second user computer of the second user, the first type of communication provided in a first protocol comprising a messaging protocol; determine that an identifier of the first user is included within the second user list and that an identifier of the second user is included within the first user list; and establish a second type of communication between the first user computer and the second user computer based on the determination that the identifier of the first user is included within the second user list and that the identifier of the second user is included within the first user list, the second type of communication provided in a second protocol different from the first protocol.
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Specification