IDENTITY MANAGEMENT FOR OPEN OVERLAY FOR SOCIAL NETWORKS AND ONLINE SERVICES

• US 20120233263A1
• Filed: 05/25/2012
• Published: 09/13/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Red Hat, Inc. (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Red Hat, Inc. (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Inventors: Fischer, Donald, Penington, Havoc, Clark, Bryan, Taylor, Owen, Walters, Colin
• Granted Patent: US 8,626,837 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

Methods and systems to manage users of a social network. The method includes receiving, at a server, a request to contact a user from another user of a social network based on a selected one of a plurality of associated identity resources of the user known by other users. The method also includes restricting views of other users for the identity of the user to the selected one of the plurality of associated identity resources.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, at a server, a request to contact a user from another user of a social network based on a selected one of a plurality of associated identity resources of the user known by the another user; and

restricting views of the another user for the identity of the user to the selected one of the plurality of associated identity resources.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving information from the user that binds the plurality of associated identity resources to a master identity of the user; and

consolidating previous interactions with the plurality of associated identity resources into the master identity of the user.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving information from the user that binds the plurality of associated identity resources to a master identity of the user;

consolidating previous interactions with the plurality of associated identity resources into the master identity of the user; and

permitting views of the another user for the identity of the user to any of the plurality of associated identity resources and the master identity of the user.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving information from the user that binds the plurality of associated identity resources to a master identity of the user; and

updating an appearance of the plurality of associated identity resources to indicate that the plurality of associated identity resources have been bound to the master identity of the user.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving information that indicates unilateral relationships between the user and the another user; and

restricting views of the another user for the identity of the user based on the unilateral relationships.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing a list of people that the another user knows within the social network; and

displaying a plurality of associated identity resources for each person in the list of people.

7. A system comprising:

a database to store identity resources of a user;

a server coupled to the database, the server to;

receive a request to contact the user from another user of a social network based on a selected one of a plurality of associated identity resources of the user known by the another user; and

restrict views of the another user for the identity of the user to the selected one of the plurality of associated identity resources.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the server is further configured to:

receive information from the user that binds the plurality of associated identity resources to a master identity of the user; and

consolidate previous interactions with the plurality of associated identity resources into the master identity of the user.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the server is further configured to:

receive information from the user that binds the plurality of associated identity resources to a master identity of the user;

consolidate previous interactions with the plurality of associated identity resources into the master identity of the user; and

permit views of the another user for the identity of the user to any of the plurality of associated identity resources and the master identity of the user.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the server is further configured to:

receive information from the user that binds the plurality of associated identity resources to a master identity of the user; and

update an appearance of the plurality of associated identity resources to indicate that the plurality of associated identity resources have been bound to the master identity of the user.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein the server is further configured to:

receive information that indicates unilateral relationships between the user and the another user; and

restrict views of the another user for the identity of the user based on the unilateral relationships.

12. The system of claim 7, wherein the server is further configured to:

provide a list of people that the another user knows within the social network; and

display a plurality of associated identity resources for each person in the list of people.

13. A non-transitory machine readable storage medium including components that, when executed by a service, cause the service to perform operations comprising:

receiving, at a server, a request to contact a user from another user of a social network based on a selected one of a plurality of associated identity resources of the user known by the another user; and

restricting views of the another user for the identity of the user to the selected one of the plurality of associated identity resources.

14. The non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving information from the user that binds the plurality of associated identity resources to a master identity of the user; and

consolidating previous interactions with the plurality of associated identity resources into the master identity of the user.

15. The non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving information from the user that binds the plurality of associated identity resources to a master identity of the user;

consolidating previous interactions with the plurality of associated identity resources into the master identity of the user; and

permitting views of the another user for the identity of the user to any of the plurality of associated identity resources and the master identity of the user.

16. The non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving information from the user that binds the plurality of associated identity resources to a master identity of the user; and

updating an appearance of the plurality of associated identity resources to indicate that the plurality of associated identity resources have been bound to the master identity of the user.

17. The non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving information that indicates unilateral relationships between the user and the another user; and

restricting views of the another user for the identity of the user based on the unilateral relationships.

18. The non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the operations further comprise:

providing a list of people that the another user knows within the social network; and

displaying a plurality of associated identity resources for each person in the list of people.