METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR ENABLING AND CONTROLLING COMMUNICATION TOPOLOGY, ACCESS TO RESOURCES, AND DOCUMENT FLOW IN A DISTRIBUTED NETWORKING ENVIRONMENT

• US 20120272295A1
• Filed: 02/22/2012
• Published: 10/25/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Charles Patton, Jeremy Roschelle, Phil Vahey, Roy D. Pea
• Original Assignee: Charles Patton, Jeremy Roschelle, Phil Vahey, Roy D. Pea
• Inventors: Roschelle, Jeremy, Pea, Roy D., Vahey, Phil, PATTON, CHARLES
• Granted Patent: US 9,246,586 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/4
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/1149 Arrangements for indoor wireless networking of information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0442 wherein the sending and receiving network entities apply asymmetric encryption, i.e. different keys for encryption and decryption cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for public-key encryption H04L9/30
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/061 for key exchange, e.g. in peer-to-peer networks cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key agreement H04L9/0838
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/10 Flow control between communication endpoints
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/00 Wireless channel access
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 Network addressing or numbering for mobility support
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/00 Wireless network protocols or protocol adaptations to wireless operation

Abstract

Described are a system and method for use by a computing device to transmit information over a communication medium. The computing device communicates over the medium according to a protocol stack having a plurality of protocol layers. Information having an identifier is received at a first protocol layer from a higher protocol layer in the protocol stack. The computing device determines whether to present the information to the network communication medium based on at least one term of a contract associated with the identifier. Upon determining to present the information to the communication medium, the computing device incorporates the identifier in the information before placing the information on the network communication medium.

Claims

1. A method for providing a first computing device with a permission to perform an interaction in a network, the method comprising;

transmitting by the first computing device a message that requests a permission to perform the interaction;

receiving at the first computing device a response to the first message, the response including a contract corresponding to the interaction, the contract restricting one or more capabilities of the first computing device, and said contract specifying one or more actions that are permitted to be performed by the first computing device on information associated with the contract; and

enforcing the contract by a security manager operating locally on the first computing device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

obtaining by the first computing device the permission in response to the enforcing.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the contract restricts a launch of one or more applications on the first computing device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the contract restricts a hosting of one or more applications on the first computing device.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the security manager verifies that the one or more applications are not present on the first computing device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the contract restricts an access to one or more resources by the first computing device.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the one or more resources includes one or more documents.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the one or more resources includes one or more communication links.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the one or more resources includes one or more communication protocols.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more capabilities are restricted for a limited period of time.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the limited period of time is a duration of the interaction.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the interaction is an interaction with a second computing device in the network.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein a presence of the security manager on the first computing device is authenticated by the second computing device prior to the interaction.

14. A method for providing a first computing device with a permission to perform an interaction with a second computing device in a network, the method comprising;

transmitting a first message from the first computing device to the second computing device to initiate an exchange for obtaining the permission to perform the interaction with the second computing device;

automatically selecting by the first computing device a contract corresponding to a type of interaction that is supported by the second computing device to provide the second computing device with the permission to perform the interaction, the contract specifying one or more terms that information associated with the contract must satisfy in order to be transmitted between the first computing device and the second computing device;

transmitting from the first computing device to the second computing device a second message including the contract,

wherein the one or more terms specify one or more actions that are permitted to be performed on the information associated with the contract by the first computing device or by the second computing device.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the transmitting of the first message occurs when a predefined key of the first computing device is pressed.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the first message includes a metadata component indicating content in the first message.

17. The method of claim 14, further comprising transmitting the contract to a resource in the network to enable interaction between the resource and any computing device having the contract.

18. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

transmitting a document from the first computing device to the second computing device in accordance with the contract, wherein an identifier is transmitted with the document, the identifier identifying the contract.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein each of the one or more terms comprises at least one parameter, the at least one parameter comprising at least one of:

a temporal parameter, an information-type parameter, an information-length parameter, and an information-content parameter.

20. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

storing the contract at the first computing device.

21. The method of claim 14, wherein the type of interaction is a secure type of interaction in which an authenticity and an integrity of at least one of the first computing device and the second computing device is verified.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the secure type of interaction involves restricting one or more capabilities of at least one of the first computing device and the second computing device.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the restricting is enforced by a security manager operating locally on the first computing device.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein the secure type of interaction involves at least temporarily restricting a launch of one or more applications on the first computing device.

25. The method of claim 14, wherein the one or more terms are enforced directly by the first computing device and the second computing device.

26. The method of claim 14, wherein the method is implemented within an educational environment.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the first computing device is operated by a first individual who is a target of an educational assessment, and the second computing device is operated by a second individual who is administering the educational assessment.

28. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

receiving at the first computing device a response to the first message from the second computing device indicating the type of interaction that is supported by the second computing device.