Distributed management framework for personal attributes

• US 20060224597A1
• Filed: 04/03/2006
• Published: 10/05/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/04/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: YOUnite Inc.
• Original Assignee: YOUnite Inc.
• Inventors: Siress, Anthony, Fitzpatrick, Mark
• Granted Patent: US 7,461,071 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/11 File system administration, e.g. details of archiving or snapshots file system backup G06F11/14
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/27 Replication, distribution or synchronisation of data between databases or within a distributed database system; Distributed database system architectures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/60 Protecting data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6218 to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6245 Protecting personal data, e.g. for financial or medical purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2141 Access rights, e.g. capability lists, access control lists, access tables, access matrices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2145 Inheriting rights or properties, e.g., propagation of permissions or restrictions within a hierarchy
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99939 Privileged access

Abstract

A technique for distributed management of attributes includes propagating attributes based upon attribute-granularity permissions. An example of a system according to the technique may include a server, coupled to a first client and a second client, that includes a module that receives attribute data from the first client; a permissions database where first permissions associated with the first client are set at the individual attribute level for the second client; an engine for updating the permissions database and for validating the first permissions for the second client; and an engine for distributing first client updates based on validated permissions to destinations associated with the one or more second destination stores.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

maintaining first attributes associated with a first entity of a plurality of entities and second attributes associated with a second entity of the plurality of entities;

linking the first entity with a second entity;

providing first destinations, associated with the first entity, for the second attributes;

granting first permissions for the first attributes to the second entity;

providing second destinations, associated with the second entity, for the first attributes;

granting second permissions for the second attributes to the first entity;

facilitating the propagation of shared attributes to the destinations through the permissions;

managing subsequent changes of attributes to create a syndicated distributed secure data exchange.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

reading user ID and device ID from a local cache;

if permissions are not stored locally, calling a server method to request permissions for the user ID;

if permissions are stored locally, reading permissions from a local file.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

calling a server method to request a personal attribute record (PAR) if the PAR is stored remotely;

reading the PAR from a local file if the PAR is stored locally.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

getting transactions by either requesting pending transactions from a server or waiting or the server to send the transactions.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

selecting one or more grantees from a contact list;

enabling attribute permissions for selected contacts;

calling a server method to update permission settings on a server.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

updating a permissions table as specified by a grantor;

for each new device owned by the grantor, sending new permission settings;

for each device owned by a grantee, sending new attribute values;

if the grantor is granting permission, sending the attribute value sent in an update permissions call;

if the grantor is taking away permissions, sending a null value.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

selecting from a permissions table grantees for attributes of a grantor;

joining grantees with the attribute changes;

creating attribute transactions;

sending the attribute transactions changes to destinations associated with the grantees.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

selecting from a device table devices of a grantor;

joining grantees with the attribute changes;

creating personal attribute record (PAR) transactions;

sending PAR changes to destinations associated with the grantor.

9. A method comprising:

granting to a second entity first permissions for first attributes associated with a first entity;

granting to the first entity second permissions for second attributes associated with the second entity;

facilitating the propagation of shared attributes through permissions;

changing first permissions for the first attributes to third permissions for third attributes associated with the first entity;

recalling propagated shared attributes in accordance with the third permissions.

10. A system comprising:

a first client that includes;

a first attribute data store;

one or more first destination stores;

an engine for identifying attribute updates to the first data store, for generating a permissions-based transaction including the data associated with the updates, and for transmitting the updated data associated with the permissions-based transaction;

a second client that includes;

a second attribute data store;

one or more second destination stores;

an engine for identifying permissions-based updates to the first data store, generating a transaction including the data associated with he permissions-based updates, and for transmitting the data associated with the permissions-based updates;

a server, coupled to the first client and the second client, that includes;

a module that receives attribute data from the first client;

a permissions database where first permissions associated with the first client are set at the individual attribute level for the second client;

an engine for updating the permissions database and for validating the first permissions for the second client;

an engine for distributing first client updates based on validated permissions to destinations associated with the one or more second destination stores.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein the first client further includes an address book plugin.

12. The system of claim 10 wherein the first client further includes a personal attribute record (PAR) database.

13. The system of claim 10 wherein the first client further includes a shared PIM database.

14. The system of claim 10 wherein the second client further includes an address book plugin.

15. The system of claim 10 wherein the second client further includes a personal attribute record (PAR) database.

16. The system of claim 10 wherein the second client further includes a shared PIM database.

17. The system of claim 10, wherein the first client further includes a transaction history database.

18. The system of claim 10, wherein the second client further includes a transaction history database.

19. The system of claim 10, wherein the first client further includes an installer that includes PIM plugins.

20. The system of claim 10, wherein the second client further includes an installer that includes PIM plugins.