Method and system for enabling and controlling communication topology, access to resources, and document flow in a distributed networking environment

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.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A method for use by a first computing device to transmit information to at least one other computing device over a network communication medium according to a protocol stack having a plurality of protocol layers, the method comprising: 
 determining at a particular protocol layer whether to transmit information over the network communication medium based on at least one term of a contract associated with the information; and    upon determining to present the information to the network communication medium, forwarding the information to a lower protocol layer in the protocol stack for transmission over the communication medium.    
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising associating an identifier with the information by which identifier the contract is associated with the information.  
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising associating an identifier with the information and including that identifier in the information before transmitting the information over the network communication medium.  
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising receiving the information at the particular protocol layer from a higher protocol layer in the protocol stack.  
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising receiving the contract from another computing device over the network communication medium.  
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5  wherein the step of receiving the contract occurs using one of IR (infrared) beaming, RF (radio frequency) communication, and wired communication.  
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising transmitting the contract over the network communication medium to another computing device.  
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising receiving the contract over a secure communication channel.  
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising storing the contract on the first computing device.  
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising storing a plurality of contracts on the first computing device.  
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10  wherein the stored contracts are unmodifiable by any program other than a program that handles the particular protocol layer.  
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the contract specifies one or more terms that the information must satisfy in order to be transmitted over the network communication medium.  
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the contract specifies one or more terms that determine which actions, if any, can be performed on the information by a computing device receiving the information.  
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the contract specifies at least one term comprising a parameter selected from a temporal parameter, an information-type parameter, an information-length parameter, and an information-content parameter.  
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising encrypting the information before transmitting the information over the network communication medium.  
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising transmitting the contract to each computing device used by a user belonging to a user group.  
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising allowing the user of a computing device that receives the contract to transmit a copy of the contract to the user of another computing device.  
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising providing the contract to a plurality of computing devices, wherein the contract permits one of the computing devices having the contract to transmit information associated with the contract and another of the computing devices having the contract to receive information associated with the contract.  
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising providing the contract to a plurality of computing devices, wherein the contract permits each computing device having the contract to transmit and to receive information associated with the contract.  
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising providing a user interface by which a user of the first computing device associates the contract with the information.  
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising choosing the contract for association with the information based on a content of the information.  
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising choosing the contract for association with the information based on an application program executing on the first computing device.  
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising choosing the contract for association with the information based on a temporal context of the first computing device.  
     
     
         24 . A method for use by a first computing device to receive information from at least one other computing device over a network communication medium according to a protocol stack having a plurality of protocol layers, the method comprising: 
 identifying at a particular protocol layer of a protocol stack a contract associated with information received over the network communication medium; and    determining at the particular protocol layer whether to present the information to a higher layer in the protocol stack based on at least one term of the contract.    
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 24  further comprising extracting from the information an identifier that is associated with the contract.  
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 24  wherein the step of determining whether to present the information to the higher layer in the protocol stack includes determining whether the first computing device has a copy the contract.  
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 24  further comprising receiving the contract from another computing device over the communication medium.  
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 27  wherein the step of receiving the contract occurs using one of IR (infrared) beaming, RF (radio frequency) communication, and wired communication.  
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 24  further comprising receiving the contract over a secure communication channel.  
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 24  further comprising storing the contract on the first computing device.  
     
     
         31 . The method of  claim 24  further comprising storing a plurality of contracts on the first computing device.  
     
     
         32 . The method of  claim 31  wherein the stored contracts are unmodifiable by any program other than a program that handles the particular protocol layer.  
     
     
         33 . The method of  claim 24  further comprising specifying one or more terms in the contract that the information must satisfy to be presented to the higher protocol layer of the protocol stack.  
     
     
         34 . The method of  claim 24  wherein the contract specifies at least one term comprising a parameter selected from a temporal parameter, an information-type parameter, an information-length parameter, and an information-content parameter.  
     
     
         35 . The method of  claim 24  further comprising decrypting the information before presenting the information to the higher protocol layer of the protocol stack.  
     
     
         36 . The method of  claim 24  further comprising receiving the contract to become a member of a user group.  
     
     
         37 . The method of  claim 24  further comprising allowing the user of the first computing device to transmit a copy of the contract to the user of another computing device.  
     
     
         38 . The method of  claim 24  further comprising providing the contract to a plurality of computing devices, wherein the contract permits one of the computing devices having the contract to transmit information associated with the contract and another of the computing devices having the contract to receive information associated with the contract.  
     
     
         39 . The method of  claim 24  further comprising providing the contract to a plurality of computing devices, wherein the contract permits each computing device having the contract to transmit and to receive information associated with the contract.  
     
     
         40 . The method of  claim 24  further comprising: 
 entering by the first computing device a secure mode of operation in response to the information received over the network communication medium;  
 issuing a reply indicating that the first computing device has entered the secure mode of operation;  
 activating an indicator on the first computing device that verifiably shows that the first computing device is operating in the secure mode of operation.  
 
     
     
         41 . The method of  claim 40  further comprising receiving the information over the network communication medium from a security station.  
     
     
         42 . The method of  claim 40  wherein the security station is a wireless access point [controlled by a server system].  
     
     
         43 . The method of  claim 40  wherein the security station includes an infrared beaming port.  
     
     
         44 . The method of  claim 40  further comprising placing the security station where a user of the first computing device entering a restricted zone necessarily passes near the security station.  
     
     
         45 . The method of  claim 40  wherein activating the indicator includes at least one of (i) affixing a sticker to a visible surface of the first computing device, (ii) causing the first computing device to produce a detectable output, and (iii) enabling the first computing device to respond correctly to a challenge.  
     
     
         46 . The method of  claim 45  wherein the detectable output is at least one of an illuminated LED (light emitting diode), an emitted sound, and a wireless transmission that indicates the first computing device is operating in the secure mode.  
     
     
         47 . The method of  claim 45 , wherein the challenge includes providing a predefined input to the first computing device.  
     
     
         48 . The method of  claim 45  wherein the challenge includes pressing one or more particular keys on a keyboard of the first computing device.  
     
     
         49 . The method of  claim 40 , wherein entering the secure mode of operation includes prohibiting the first computing device from at least one of (i) communicating over a particular physical link, (ii) launching an application program, (iii) storing data in memory, (iv) reading data from memory, (v) installing software, (vi) communicating with hardware, (vii) accessing a particular system library, (viii) performing a start-up type of action, and (ix) placing a restriction on a specific application program.  
     
     
         50 . The method of  claim 40 , further comprising maintaining a session on the first computing device across a start-up type of event.  
     
     
         51 . The method of  claim 40 , wherein the reply includes at least one of (i) a certificate of authenticity, (ii) a certificate of integrity, (iii) a version number, and (iv) a characteristic of the computing device.  
     
     
         52 . The method of  claim 40 , further comprising receiving a challenge over the wireless network medium and computing a response that demonstrates the authenticity and integrity of the first computing device.  
     
     
         53 . The method of  claim 40 , further comprising placing the first computing device in the secure mode of operation for a predefined duration.  
     
     
         54 . The method of  claim 53  wherein placing the first computing device includes transmitting a contract to the first computing device.  
     
     
         55 . The method of  claim 24  further comprising: 
 entering a secure session by the first computing device for a defined duration;  
 specifying a contract to supercede all other contracts presently on the first computing device for the duration of the secure session; and  
 marking the first computing device to show that the first computing device is in the secure session and is operating under the specified contract.  
 
     
     
         56 . The method of  claim 55  further comprising filtering, by the contract that supercedes all other contracts, all communications generated by the first computing device for transmission.  
     
     
         57 . An article of manufacture having computer-readable program means embodied thereon for communicating over a network communication medium, the article of manufacture comprising: 
 computer-readable program means for determining at a particular protocol layer of a protocol stack that a message is associated with a contract; and    computer-readable program means for accessing the contract at the particular protocol layer to determine from at least one term of the contract whether to forward the message from the particular protocol layer.    
     
     
         58 . The article of manufacture of  claim 57  further comprising computer-readable program means for receiving the contract from a computing device over the network communication medium.  
     
     
         59 . The article of manufacture of  claim 57  further comprising computer-readable program means for transmitting the contract over the network communication medium to a computing device.  
     
     
         60 . The article of manufacture of  claim 57  further comprising computer-readable program means for storing the contract on a computing device.  
     
     
         61 . The article of manufacture of  claim 57  further comprising computer-readable program means for storing a plurality of contracts on a computing device.  
     
     
         62 . The article of manufacture of  claim 61  wherein the stored contracts are unmodifiable by any program other than a program that handles the particular protocol layer.  
     
     
         63 . The article of manufacture of  claim 57  wherein the contract specifies one or more terms that the message must satisfy to be forwarded from the particular protocol layer.  
     
     
         64 . The article of manufacture of  claim 57  wherein the contract specifies at least one term comprising a parameter selected from a temporal parameter, an information-type parameter, an information-length parameter, and an information-content parameter.  
     
     
         65 . The article of manufacture of  claim 57  further comprising computer-readable program means for encrypting the message before placing the message on the network communication medium.  
     
     
         66 . The article of manufacture of  claim 57  further comprising computer-readable program means for transmitting the contract to each computing device used by a user belonging to a user group.  
     
     
         67 . The article of manufacture of  claim 57  further comprising computer-readable program means for allowing the user of a computing device that receives the contract to transmit a copy of the contract to the user of another computing device.  
     
     
         68 . The article of manufacture of  claim 57  further comprising computer-readable program means for providing the contract to a plurality of computing devices, wherein the contract permits one of the computing devices having the contract to transmit information associated with the contract and another of the computing devices having the contract to receive messages associated with the contract.  
     
     
         69 . The article of manufacture of  claim 57  further comprising computer-readable program means for providing the contract to a plurality of computing devices, wherein the contract permits each computing device having the contract to transmit and to receive messages associated with the contract.  
     
     
         70 . The article of manufacture of  claim 57  further comprising computer-readable program means for providing a user interface by which a user of a computing device associates the contract with the message.  
     
     
         71 . The article of manufacture of  claim 57  further comprising computer-readable program means for selecting the contract for association with the message based on a content of the message.  
     
     
         72 . The article of manufacture of  claim 57  further comprising computer-readable program means for selecting the contract for association with the message based on an application program executing on a computing device.  
     
     
         73 . The article of manufacture of  claim 57  further comprising computer-readable program means for selecting the contract for association with the message based on a temporal context of a computing device.  
     
     
         74 . A method for providing a computing device with a capability to perform an interaction with a resource in a wireless 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 capability;    receiving at the first computing device a response to the first message indicating a type of interaction that is supported by the second computing device; and    transmitting from the first computing device to the second computing device a second message including a contract corresponding to the type of interaction to provide the second computing device with the capability to perform the interaction.    
     
     
         75 . The method of  claim 74 , wherein the transmitting of the first message occurs when a predefined key of the first computing device is pressed.  
     
     
         76 . The method of  claim 74 , wherein the transmitting of the first message occurs through an infrared transceiver of the first computing device.  
     
     
         77 . The method of  claim 74 , wherein the transmitting of the first message includes transmitting type information representing content in the first message.  
     
     
         78 . The method of  claim 74 , wherein the transmitting of the first message is a point-to-point transmission directed to a specific transceiver on the second computing device that is dedicated to respond to the first message.  
     
     
         79 . The method of  claim 74 , further comprising transmitting the contract to the resource in the network to enable interaction between the resource and any computing device having the contract.  
     
     
         80 . A method for providing a capability to perform an interaction with a resource in a wireless network including a first and second computing devices, the method comprising: 
 receiving at the second computing device a first message to initiate a capability exchange with the first computing device;    transmitting by the second computing device a response to the first message to the first computing device indicating a type of interaction that is supported by the second computing device; and    receiving at the second computing device a second message including a contract corresponding to the type of interaction to provide the second computing device with the capability to perform the interaction.    
     
     
         81 . The method of claim  80 , wherein the receiving of the first message occurs through an infrared transceiver of the second computing device.  
     
     
         82 . The method of claim  80 , wherein the receiving of the first message includes receiving type information representing content in the first message.  
     
     
         83 . The method of claim  80 , wherein the receiving of the first message is a point-to-point communication directed to a specific transceiver on the second computing device that is dedicated to respond to the first message.  
     
     
         84 . A method of controlling access to an electronic resource, the method comprising the steps of: 
 providing to the electronic resource a contract having an identifier; and    processing by the electronic resource any communication received by the electronic resource that has the identifier of the contract, otherwise filtering out such communication from further processing.    
     
     
         85 . The method of claim  84 , wherein the contract specifies one or more conditions for using the electronic resource, and further comprising processing by the electronic resource a received communication if that communication satisfies each condition specified by the contract, otherwise filtering out such communication from further processing.  
     
     
         86 . The method of claim  84  further comprising providing the identifier of the contract to a computing device for inclusion in communications sent by the computing device to the electronic resource to enable the computing device to use the electronic resource.