Permissions using a Namespace

• US 20100100943A1
• Filed: 12/16/2009
• Published: 04/22/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/06/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Augustine, Matthew S., Torres, Michael I., Beher, Mukeshkumar M., Pacholec, Michael A., Dalia, Apurva F.
• Granted Patent: US 7,970,800 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/4
• 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: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface

Abstract

Permissions using a namespace is described. In an embodiment, a namespace system includes a network resource that has a resource permission, and includes a namespace that has one or more members associated with the namespace. The namespace system also includes a namespace permission to permission the network resource to one or more of the members of the namespace.

Claims

1. A method implemented by a computer comprising:

configuring a namespace permission to permission access to a network resource for one or more members associated with a namespace; and

configuring an inferred relationship to permission access to the network resource to additional members of an additional namespace, the inferred relationship having a degree of separation that is equal to a number of inferred relationships used to permission the additional members to access the network resource.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the additional namespace is associated with a member of the namespace.

3. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein:

the additional members are not associated directly with the namespace; and

access to the network resource is not attainable by the additional members absent the inferred relationship.

4. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the inferred relationship further permissions access to the network resource to the additional members of one or more additional namespaces, the inferred relationship having the designated degree of separation to indicate the degree of the inferred relationship.

5. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the namespace permission further permissions the access to a role of the network resource for the one or more members of the namespace.

6. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the namespace permission further permissions the access to the network resource based on a permission level for one or more of the members of the namespace.

7. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising further establishing the namespace by permissioning a resource to the namespace, the resource including resource permissions and different resource permission levels, and wherein the namespace permission further permissions the access to the network resource for only one or more of the members that have permissioned access to the resource.

8. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising further establishing the namespace by configuring an additional namespace permission that permissions the additional members of the additional namespace for access to the network resource.

9. A system implementing a namespace, the system comprising:

a first resource that includes at least one resource permission and at least one role, the role having one or more designated role memberships;

a second resource that includes an additional resource permission and an additional role; and

a nested permission configured to permission the designated role memberships of the first resource role to the additional role of the second resource.

10. A system as recited in claim 9, further comprising:

a members list that includes a permissioned identity; and

a namespace permission configured to permission the permissioned identity from the members list to a role in the first resource.

11. A system as recited in claim 9, further comprising an additional namespace permission configured to permission group members of an additional namespace such that the members list includes the group members as permissioned members of the namespace.

12. A system as recited in claim 9, further comprising an additional namespace permission configured to permission group members of an additional namespace such that the group members are permissioned to access a role in the first resource via the namespace permission and via the additional namespace permission.

13. A system as recited in claim 9, wherein the first resource is at least one of a contact list, a calendar, a message board, an on-line photo album, an instant messaging service, a social network, a space, a blog, a profile, a document, a guestbook, a list, or a music playlist.

14. One or more computer-readable storage media comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed, direct a computing-based device to establish a namespace by:

configuring a namespace permission that permissions access to a network resource for one or more members of the namespace such that a member of the namespace can access the network resource; and

configuring an inferred relationship that permissions access to the network resource to additional members of an additional namespace, the inferred relationship having a degree of separation which is equal to a number of inferred relationships used to permission the additional members to access the network resource.

15. One or more computer-readable storage media as described in claim 14, wherein the additional namespace is associated with a member of the namespace and the additional members are not associated directly with the namespace such that access to the network resource is not attainable by the additional members absent the inferred relationship.

16. One or more computer-readable storage media as described in claim 14, wherein the inferred relationship further permissions access to the network resource to the additional members of one or more additional namespaces, the inferred relationship having the designated degree of separation to indicate the degree of the inferred relationship.

17. One or more computer-readable storage media as described in claim 14, wherein the namespace permission further permissions the access to a role of the network resource for the one or more members of the namespace.

18. One or more computer-readable storage media as described in claim 14, wherein the namespace permission further permissions the access to the network resource based on a permission level for one or more of the members of the namespace.

19. One or more computer-readable storage media as described in claim 14, further comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed, direct the computing-based device to further establish the namespace by permissioning a resource to the namespace, the resource including resource permissions and different resource permission levels, and wherein the namespace permission further permissions the access to the network resource for only one or more of the members that have permissioned access to the resource.

20. One or more computer-readable storage media as described in claim 14, further comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed, direct the computing-based device to further establish the namespace by configuring an additional namespace permission that permissions the additional members of the additional namespace for access to the network resource.