Dynamic distributed group registry apparatus and method for collaboration and selective sharing of information

• US 5,884,035 A
• Filed: 03/24/1997
• Issued: 03/16/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 03/24/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: PFN, Inc.
• Inventors: Butman, Ronald A., Ramachandran, Raja, Burns, Thomas A., Malone, Thomas J., Kmiec, Michael D., Dougherty, Joseph C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dinh, Dung C.
• Application Number:
  US08/828,142
• Time in Patent Office: 722 Days
• Field of Search: 395/200.35, 395/200.47, 395/200.48, 395/200.49, 395/200.55, 395/200.56, 395/200.57, 395/200.59, 395/682, 395/680, 707/10, 707/104, 345/331
• US Class Current: 709/218
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/30 Managing network names, e.g. use of aliases or nicknames name-to-address mapping H04L61/45
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/35 involving non-standard use of addresses for implementing network functionalities, e.g. coding subscription information within the address or functional addressing, i.e. assigning an address to a function
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/45 Network directories; Name-to-address mapping
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0209 Architectural arrangements, e.g. perimeter networks or demilitarized zones
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/04 for providing a confidential data exchange among entities communicating through data packet networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/083 using passwords cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using a predetermined code H04L9/3226
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1001 for accessing one among a plurality of replicated servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10015 Access to distributed or replicated servers, e.g. using brokers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A dynamic group registry for organizing information created by a client entity for sharing, having a plurality of publication computers networked together inside the client, each publication computer having a disk for storing a dynamic group registry and resource locators containing function names, a web server which causes the publication computer to respond to resource locators by loading the function name indicated, a database management program for organizing the dynamic group registry; a client side communications server to respond to resource locators directed to it and to direct the database management program in organizing the dynamic group registry; a client side communications resource locator list stored in each publication computer that causes functions to be selected for execution in the client side communications server so that the dynamic group registry indicates how information is to be shared amongst the designated individuals and groups with the client entity.

Claims

1. A dynamic group registry for organizing information created by a client entity for sharing, comprising;

a plurality of publication computers in communications relationship with each other inside the client entity, each of said publication computers having electronic storage media for storing a dynamic group registry thereon and for storing resource locators containing function names thereon, each publication computer further comprising a web server program which, when executed by the publication computer, causes the publication computer to respond to resource locators by loading the function name indicated therein into the publication computer, each publication computer further comprising a database management program for organizing the dynamic group registry;

a client side communications server program stored in each publication computer, which, when loaded by the web server program responding to the appropriate resource locator therefor, is executed by each publication computer, and is further responsive to resource locators directed to the client side communications server program and which directs the database management program in organizing the dynamic group registry;

a client side communications resource locator list stored in each publication computer that causes predetermined functions to be selected for execution in the client side communications server in each publication computer so that the dynamic group registry indicates how information is to be shared amongst the designated individuals and groups with the client entity.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the predetermined functions further comprise

a content producer function which contains information about the producer of content and the content being produced.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the predetermined functions further comprise

a content consumers function which identifies the consumers of the content.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the predetermined functions further comprise

group functions which identify a group and its members.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the predetermined functions further comprise access type functions which identify which types of access a member of a group may have.

6. A computer implemented dynamic group registry method for organizing information created by a client entity for sharing, comprising the steps of;

establishing a plurality of publication computers in communications relationship with each other inside the client entity, each of said publication computers having electronic storage media for storing a dynamic group registry thereon and for storing resource locators containing function names thereon, each publication computer further comprising a web server program which, when executed by the publication computer, causes the publication computer to respond to resource locators by loading the function name indicated therein into the publication computer, each publication computer further comprising a database management program for organizing the dynamic group registry;

executing a client side communications server program in each publication computer for responding to resource locators directed to the client side communications server program and directing the database management program in organizing the dynamic group registry;

storing a client side communications resource locator list in each publication computer for causing predetermined functions to be selected for execution in the client side communications server in each publication computer so that the dynamic group registry indicates how information is to be shared amongst the designated individuals and groups with the client entity.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the step of selecting predetermined functions further comprises the step of selecting a content producer function which contains information about the producer of content and the content being produced.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein the step of selecting predetermined functions further comprises the step of selecting a content consumers function which identifies the consumers of the content.

9. The method of claim 6 wherein the step of selecting predetermined functions further comprises the step of selecting group functions which identify a group and its members.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the step of selecting predetermined functions further comprises the step of selecting access type functions which identify which types of access a member of a group may have.