System and Method for Managing Electronic Interactions Based on Defined Relationships

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016269237-A1
Application number	US-201514645454-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Mar 12, 2015
Priority date	Mar 12, 2015
Publication date	Sep 15, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

Aspects of the subject disclosure may include, for example, a process that includes receiving first input defining a relationship between first and second entities, generating a first rule based on the first input, wherein the first rule determines accessibility of a networked service, and associating the first rule with the relationship. The first rule modifies settings of a service management infrastructure to effectuate the first rule in accordance with the relationship, wherein the service management infrastructure provides access to the networked service based on the accessibility. Other embodiments are disclosed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method comprising:
providing, by a system comprising a processor, information related to selectable rules to equipment of a first party and equipment of a second party, wherein the selectable rules define a relationship between the first party and the second party; generating, by the system, a first rule according to first selections received from the equipment of the first party and second selections received from the equipment of the second party; associating, by the system, the first rule with the relationship between the first party and the second party, wherein the first rule modifies settings of a network element to effectuate the first rule, wherein the network element provides a network-accessible service, and wherein the settings modified by the first rule restrict data accessibility of the network-accessible service; and storing, by the system, the first rule in association with the relationship between the first party and the second party.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the first selections determine one of a behavior, a trait, a characteristic, an expectation, a norm, or a combination thereof of interactions of the first party, the second party or both with the network accessible services, the method further comprising:
receiving, by the system, a request to access the network-accessible service; identifying, by the system, the first party, the second party, or both parties from the request to access the network-accessible service; identifying the relationship based on the identifying of the first party, the second party, or both parties; retrieving, by the system, the first rule in response to the identifying of the relationship; configuring, by the system, infrastructure equipment based on the first rule resulting in configured infrastructure equipment that supports access to the network element in accordance with the first rule; and providing, by the system, access to the network-accessible service via the configured infrastructure equipment.

3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the rule comprises one of a instructions to configure the infrastructure equipment, executable code that configures the infrastructure equipment or both, the method further comprising, receiving, by the system, messages indicating an acceptance of the first rule by the equipment of the first party and the equipment of the second party, wherein the configuring of the infrastructure equipment is in response to the receiving of the messages indicating the acceptance of the first rule.

4 . The method of claim 2 , further comprising:
receiving, by the system, an update of the first rule; generating, by the system, a second rule based on the update; associating, by the system, the second rule with the relationship between the first party and the second party, wherein the second rule modifies settings of the network element to effectuate the second rule; receiving, by the system, a second request to access the network-accessible service; determining, by the system, that the second request to access the network-accessible service is associated with the relationship; retrieving, by the system, the second rule in response to the determining that the request is associated with the relationship; reconfiguring, by the system, the network element based on the second rule resulting in reconfigured infrastructure equipment that supports access to the network element in accordance with the second rule; and providing, by the system, access to the network-accessible service via the reconfigured infrastructure equipment.

5 . The method of claim 4 , wherein the providing of the access to the network-accessible service via the reconfigured infrastructure equipment in accordance with the first rule is responsive to the request received from communication equipment of the first party, wherein the providing of the access to the network-accessible service via the reconfigured infrastructure equipment in accordance with the second rule is responsive to the request received from communication equipment of the second party, and wherein the first rule differs from the second rule.

6 . The method of claim 2 , wherein one of the first party or the second party is a network service provider.

7 . The method of claim 6 , wherein the network service provider provides one of the network-accessible service, the network element, the infrastructure equipment that supports access to the network element, or a combination thereof.

8 . The method of claim 2 , further comprising:
receiving, by the system, a credential from the equipment of the first party or a trusted credentialing authority; and authorizing, by the system, access to the network-accessible service based on the credential, wherein the configuring of the network element is in response to the authorizing of the access.

9 . A device comprising:
a memory that stores executable instructions; and a processor coupled to the memory, wherein the processor, responsive to executing the executable instructions, performs operations comprising:
receiving preferences from equipment of a first party, equipment of a second party or both, wherein the preferences define a relationship between the first party and the second party;
generating a first rule based on the preferences;
associating the first rule with the relationship between the first party and the second party, wherein the first rule modifies settings of a service infrastructure to effectuate the first rule in accordance with the relationship between the first party and the second party, wherein the service infrastructure provides a network-accessible service, and wherein the settings modified by the first rule restrict data accessibility of the network-accessible service; and
storing the first rule in association with the relationship between the first party and the second party.

10 . The device of claim 9 , further comprising:
receiving a request to access the network accessible service; identifying the first party, the second party, or both parties from the request to access the network-accessible service; identifying the relationship based on the identifying of the first party, the second party, or both parties; retrieving the first rule in response to the identifying of the relationship; configuring the service infrastructure based on the first rule resulting in configured infrastructure equipment that supports access to the network accessible service in accordance with the first rule; and providing access to the network-accessible service via the configured infrastructure equipment.

11 . The device of claim 10 , further comprising, receiving an indication of an acceptance of the first rule by the equipment of the first party and the equipment of the second party, wherein the configuring of the service infrastructure is in response to the receiving of the indication of the acceptance of the first rule.

12 . The device of claim 10 , wherein the request to access the network accessible service is received from communication equipment of the first party, the operations further comprising:
receiving a second preference; generating a second rule based on the second preference; associating the second rule with the relationship between the first party and the second party, wherein the second rule modifies operations of the service infrastructure; receiving a second request from communication equipment of the second party to access the network-accessible service; determining that the second request to access the network accessible service from the communication of the second party is associated with the relationship; retrievi

Assignees

• At & T Ip I Lp

Inventors

• Higgins Robert M
• Cartaya Julio
• Siegel Steven A

Classifications

• H04W12/08

  Access security · CPC title

• H04L63/10 Primary

  for controlling access to devices or network resources · CPC title

• H04L41/0893

  Assignment of logical groups to network elements · CPC title

• H04L41/0894

  Policy-based network configuration management · CPC title

• H04L41/0816 Primary

  the condition being an adaptation, e.g. in response to network events · CPC title