NEGOTIABLE INFORMATION ACCESS IN ELECTRONIC SOCIAL NETWORKS

• US 20100257103A1
• Filed: 04/02/2009
• Published: 10/07/2010
• 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
• Granted Patent: US 9,626,681 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/80
• 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 implementing an electronically based negotiation session between a first user and a second user to provide information access in an electronic social network (ESN), wherein the negotiation session includes a series of k successive rounds, k being a positive integer greater than one, the method comprising:

sending a message including a request portion and a response portion from a first user to a second user in a round of the k successive rounds;

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 of the k successive rounds, 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 of the negotiation session is performed, evaluating whether an agreement exists by checking whether messages previously exchanged satisfy a termination condition;

exchanging, one or more subsequent messages, when any rounds of the k successive rounds remain and the negotiation session has not been terminated, each subsequent message comprising a request part and response part by commencing with a subsequent message being sent in a direction opposite that of an immediately preceding message between the first and second users; and

granting access and exchanging data between the first and second users, executing actions, and setting policies as negotiated during the negotiation session when the negotiation session has been terminated and an agreement exists.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the request portion of each message may include a set of a ontology types each having an access control policy or a usage control policy each governing requested data and associated access and usage control rights that the first or second user requests from the other of the first or the second user, and the response portion of each message includes a set of a ontology types each having an access control policy or a usage control policy each governing requested data and associated access and usage control rights that the first or second user is willing to grant the other of the first or second user access to, when an agreement exists upon termination of the negotiation session.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the request portion of each message each includes a query that specifies a set of contacts which the first user or the second user is requesting from the other of the first user or the second user, and the response portion of each message each includes a query that specifies a set of contacts which the first user or the second user is willing to give access to the other of the first user or the second user.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the request portion of each message each includes a query specifying one or more credentials that are requested by the first user or the second user from the other of the first user or the second user to be released by the other of the first user or second user when an agreement exists upon termination of the negotiation session.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the request portion of each message includes a set of conditions as required by the first user or the second user that the other of the first user or second user agrees to satisfy before an agreement is reached upon termination of the negotiation session, and the response portion of the message includes a set of conditions that the first user or second user satisfies;

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the request portion of each message includes a set of obligations the first user or the second user requests from the other of the first user or the second user to fulfill once an agreement has been reached and the negotiation session has been terminated, and the response portion of each message includes a set of obligations the first user or the second user agrees to fulfill once an agreement has been reached and the negotiation session has been terminated;

and wherein the request portion of each message includes a set of compensation actions that the first user or the second user requests to be executed by the other of the first or second user, and a response portion of each message includes a set of compensation actions that the first user or the second user accepts to be executed if the other of the first user or the second user fails to fulfill obligations as defined in the set of obligations;

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the request portion of each message may includes a resulting action parameter specifying one or more actions to be executed by the first user or the second user in case the negotiation does not terminate successfully.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein when a respective request portion of a message includes a specified resulting action parameter as specified by the first user or the second user, the specified resulting actions are executed when the respective request portion is not accepted by the other of the first user or the second user or when no agreement exists at the end of the negotiation session.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein an agreement is determined as existing when the response portion of a message and request portion of the immediately preceding message are contained in a relation for comparing request and response portions of messages, and the response portion of the immediately preceding message and the request portion of the message are contained in a relation for comparing request and response portions of messages, or the response portion of the immediately preceding message and a request portion of a message immediately preceding the immediately preceding message are contained in a relation for comparing request and response portions of messages.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the relation for comparing request and response portions of the messages is defined such that a tuple comprising a response portion and request portion are contained in the relation such that the response portion constitutes an offer which is at least as favorable to the first or second user from which the request portion originates in terms of at least one of ontology types, policies, contacts, credentials, conditions, and obligations as the request portion where the comparison is performed by a comparison function which receives the response and request portions to be compared as input and returns a binary output.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprises:

de-escalating the negotiation by modifying the request portion or response portion of a message of some previous round determined by an arbitrary function and resending this modified message in the next round as a new response to the message immediately preceding said message of the previous round.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the negotiated data is released in at least one of a plain text format or a digital rights management (DRM)-protected format.

13. A computer program product comprising a computer useable medium including a computer readable program, wherein the computer readable program when executed on a computer causes the computer to implement a method for performing an electronically based negotiation session between a first user and a second user to provide information access in an electronic social network (ESN), wherein the negotiation session includes a series of k successive rounds, k being a positive integer greater than one, the method comprising:

sending a message including a request portion and a response portion from a first user to a second user in a round of the k successive rounds;

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 of the k successive rounds, 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 of the negotiation session is performed, evaluating whether an agreement exists by checking whether messages previously exchanged satisfy a termination condition;

exchanging one or more subsequent messages, when any rounds of the k successive rounds remain and the negotiation session has not been terminated, each subsequent message comprising a request part and response part by commencing with a subsequent message being sent in a direction opposite that of an immediately preceding message between the first and second users; and

granting access and exchanging data between the first and second users, executing actions, and setting policies as negotiated during the negotiation session when the negotiation session has been terminated and an agreement exists.

14. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the request portion of each message may include a set of a ontology types each having an access control policy or a usage control policy each governing requested data and associated access and usage control rights that the first or second user requests from the other of the first or the second user, and the response portion of each message includes a set of a ontology types each having an access control policy or a usage control policy each governing requested data and associated access and usage control rights that the first or second user is willing to grant the other of the first or second user access to, when an agreement exists upon termination of the negotiation session.

15. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the request portion of each message each includes a query that specifies a set of contacts which the first user or the second user is requesting from the other of the first user or the second user, and the response portion of each message each includes a query that specifies a set of contacts which the first user or the second user is willing to give access to the other of the first user or the second user.

16. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the request portion of each message each includes a query specifying one or more credentials that are requested by the first user or the second user from the other of the first user or the second user to be released by the other of the first user or second user when an agreement exists upon termination of the negotiation session.

17. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the request portion of each message includes a set of conditions as required by the first user or the second user that the other of the first user or second user agrees to satisfy before an agreement is reached upon termination of the negotiation session, and the response portion of the message includes a set of conditions that the first user or second user satisfies.

18. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the request portion of each message includes a set of obligations the first user or the second user requests from the other of the first user or the second user to fulfill once an agreement has been reached and the negotiation session has been terminated, and the response portion of each message includes a set of obligations the first user or the second user agrees to fulfill once an agreement has been reached and the negotiation session has been terminated;

and wherein the request portion of each message includes a set of compensation actions that the first user or the second user requests to be executed by the other of the first or second user, and a response portion of each message includes a set of compensation actions that the first user or the second user accepts to be executed if the other of the first user or the second user fails to fulfill obligations as defined in the set of obligations;

19. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the request portion of each message may include a resulting action parameter specifying one or more actions to be executed by the first user or the second user in case the negotiation does not terminate successfully.

20. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein when a respective request portion of a message includes a specified resulting action parameter as specified by the first user or the second user, the specified resulting actions are executed when the respective request portion is not accepted by the other of the first user or the second user or when no agreement exists at the end of the negotiation session.

21. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein an agreement is determined as existing when the response portion of a message and request portion of the immediately preceding message are contained in a relation for comparing request and response portions of messages, and the response portion of the immediately preceding message and the request portion of the message are contained in a relation for comparing request and response portions of messages, or the response portion of the immediately preceding message and the request portion of a message immediately following the immediately preceding message are contained in a relation for comparing request and response portions of messages.

22. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein the relation for comparing request and response portions of the messages is defined such that a tuple comprising a response portion and request portion are contained in the relation such that the response portion constitutes an offer which is at least as favorable to the first or second user from which the request portion originates in terms of at least one of ontology types, policies, contacts, credentials, conditions, and obligations as the request portion where the comparison is performed by a comparison function which receives the response and request portions to be compared as input and returns a binary output.

23. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the method further comprises:

de-escalating the negotiation by modifying the request portion or response portion of a message of some previous round determined by an arbitrary function and resending this modified message in the next round as a new response to the message immediately preceding said message of the previous round.

24. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the negotiated data is released in at least one of a plain text format or a digital rights management (DRM)-protected format.

25. A hardware product comprising of storage medium readable by a processing circuit and storing instructions for execution by the processing circuit for facilitating a method for performing an electronically based negotiation session between a first user and a second user to provide information access in an electronic social network (ESN), wherein the negotiation session includes a series of k successive rounds, k being a positive integer greater than one, the method comprising:

sending a message including a request portion and a response portion from a first user to a second user in a round of the k successive rounds;

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 of the k successive rounds, 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 of the negotiation session is performed, evaluating whether an agreement exists by checking whether messages previously exchanged satisfy a termination condition;

exchanging one or more subsequent messages, when any rounds of the k successive rounds remain and the negotiation session has not been terminated, each subsequent message comprising a request part and response part by commencing with a subsequent message being sent in a direction opposite that of an immediately preceding message between the first and second users; and

granting access and exchanging data between the first and second users, executing actions, and setting policies as negotiated during the negotiation session when the negotiation session has been terminated and an agreement exists.