U.S. patent application number 13/611253 was filed with the patent office on 2013-01-03 for preventing on-line violations of legal regulations on users of a communication system.
This patent application is currently assigned to INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION. Invention is credited to Diane Weir, Robert C. Weir.
Application Number | 20130007893 13/611253 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 39529237 |
Filed Date | 2013-01-03 |
United States Patent
Application |
20130007893 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Weir; Robert C. ; et
al. |
January 3, 2013 |
PREVENTING ON-LINE VIOLATIONS OF LEGAL REGULATIONS ON USERS OF A
COMMUNICATION SYSTEM
Abstract
A system for preventing on-line violations of open meeting
regulations and similar laws, in which one or more special classes
of users are defined for an electronic communication system. The
definition of each special class may include quorum requirements,
including the number of group members that make up a quorum for
that special class. Users identified as members of special classes
may be reminded of the restrictions on communications using the
communication system arising from that special class membership.
When a user composes a message for posting or sending through the
communication system, the user's identity is checked to determine
whether they are a member of a restricted special class. If the
user is a member of a special class, a determination is made as to
whether posting or sending the message would violate any legal
restrictions associated with that special class.
Inventors: |
Weir; Robert C.; (Westford,
MA) ; Weir; Diane; (Westford, MA) |
Assignee: |
INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES
CORPORATION
Armonk
NY
|
Family ID: |
39529237 |
Appl. No.: |
13/611253 |
Filed: |
September 12, 2012 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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11554134 |
Oct 30, 2006 |
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13611253 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
726/27 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06Q 10/10 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
726/27 |
International
Class: |
G06F 21/00 20060101
G06F021/00 |
Claims
1. A method for preventing violations of legal regulations on users
of an electronic communication system, comprising: determining
whether a user composing a message to be conveyed using said
electronic communication system is a member of a special class of
users whose communications are subject to said legal regulations;
responsive to determining that said user is a member of said
special class, determining a number of special class members that
would be participating in a communication to which said message
would be added if said message were conveyed using said electronic
communication system; determining whether said number of special
class members that would be participating in said communication if
said message were conveyed using said electronic communication
system would be as large as a limit associated with said special
class; and responsive to determining that said number of special
class members that would be participating in said communication if
said message were conveyed using said communication system would be
at least as large as said limit associated with said special class,
preventing said message from being conveyed by said electronic
communication system.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein said limit associated with said
special class is a quorum associated with said special class.
3. The method of claim 2, further comprising: defining said special
class, wherein said defining includes entering said quorum
associated with said special class.
4. The method of claim 3, wherein said defining said special class
further comprises defining said user as a member of said special
class.
5. The method of claim 1, further comprising: in the event that
said message is prevented from being conveyed using said electronic
communication system, presenting a notification indicating to said
user that said message is prevented from being conveyed because of
said determination that said user is a member of said special
class, and wherein said notification provides an option for
redirecting said message.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein said electronic communication
system comprises one of a set consisting of a synchronous
electronic communication system and an asynchronous electronic
communication system.
7. The method of claim 1, further comprising: in response to said
determination that said user is a member of said special class,
presenting a notification to said user reminding said user of
restrictions associated with said special class with regard to
communications using said electronic communication system.
8. The method of claim 1, further comprising: in the event that
said number of members of said special class that would be
participating in said communication if said message were conveyed
using said electronic communication system would be less than said
limit associated with said special class, allowing said message to
be conveyed using said electronic communication system.
9. The method of claim 1, wherein said determining whether said
user is a member of said special class further comprises checking
an identity of said user against a special class definition
database.
10. The method of claim 1, wherein said determining whether said
user is a member of said special class further comprises checking
an identity of said user against a user profile database.
11. The method of claim 1, wherein said determining whether said
user is a member of said special class further comprises providing
a user interface object within a message composition user interface
enabling said user to provide an indication that said user is a
member of said special class.
12. The method of claim 1, wherein said determining whether said
number of special class members that would be participating in said
communication if said message were conveyed using said electronic
communication system would be as large as a limit associated with
said special class comprises counting special class members that
have entered posts into a discussion thread into which said message
would be added to in an on-line discussion forum when conveyed by
said communication system.
13. The method of claim 1, wherein said determining whether said
number of special class members that would be participating in said
communication if said message were conveyed using said electronic
communication system would be as large as a limit associated with
said special class comprises counting members of the special class
that are currently participating in a real-time communication
session to which said message would be added when conveyed by said
electronic communication system.
14. The method of claim 1, further comprising: determining whether
said message regards subject matter within a purview of said
special class; and performing said step of preventing said message
from being conveyed by said electronic communication system only in
the event that said message regards said subject matter within said
purview of said special class.
15. A system including a computer readable memory, said computer
readable memory having stored thereon program code for preventing
violations of legal regulations on users of an electronic
communication system, said program code comprising: program code
for determining whether a user composing a message to be conveyed
using said electronic communication system is a member of a special
class of users whose communications are subject to said legal
regulations; program code for, responsive to determining that said
user is a member of said special class, determining a number of
special class members that would be participating in a
communication to which said message would be added in the event
that said message were conveyed using said electronic communication
system; program code for determining whether said number of special
class members that would be participating in said communication if
said message were added to said communication would be as large as
a limit associated with said special class; and program code for,
responsive to determining that said number of special class members
that would be participating in said communication if said message
were added to said communication would be at least as large as said
limit associated with said special class, preventing said message
from being conveyed by said electronic communication system.
16. A computer program product including a computer readable
storage medium, said computer readable storage medium having stored
thereon program code for preventing violations of legal regulations
on users of an electronic communication system, said program code
comprising: program code for determining whether a user composing a
message to be conveyed using said electronic communication system
is a member of a special class of users whose communications are
subject to said legal regulations; program code for, responsive to
determining that said user is a member of said special class,
determining a number of special class members that would be
participating in a communication to which said message would be
added in the event that said message were conveyed using said
electronic communication system; program code for determining
whether said number of special class members that would be
participating in said communication if said message were added to
said communication would be as large as a limit associated with
said special class; and program code for, responsive to determining
that said number of special class members that would be
participating in said communication if said message were added to
said communication would be at least as large as said limit
associated with said special class, preventing said message from
being conveyed by said electronic communication system.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] The present application is a Continuation application under
35 U.S.C. 120 of commonly owned prior application Ser. No.
11/554,134, filed on Oct. 30, 2006 in the names of Robert C. Weir
et al., now allowed, all disclosures of which are hereby included
by reference herein.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The disclosed system relates generally to automated systems
for controlling information shared between computer system users,
and more specifically to a method and system for preventing on-line
violations of open meeting regulations and similar laws.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] In various contexts or situations, requirements exist to the
effect that a specific group of people cannot discuss certain
topics or subject matter in private. Often these requirements arise
out of regulations that are designed to protect the public's right
to be informed about certain matters. For example, the Commonwealth
of Massachusetts has enacted the Open Meeting Law ("OML")
(Massachusetts General Laws--Chapter 39, Section 23B), which
governs the behavior of all state and municipal boards. As in many
such regulations, the provisions of the OML prohibit a quorum of
board members from meeting and deliberating on matters of public
business in private, i.e. outside of duly posted and constituted
public board meetings. The Massachusetts Attorney General and the
courts have interpreted this law to apply to so-called "serial
quorums" or "revolving door" meetings, in which a quorum of members
participates in a serial fashion, e.g. one member discussing public
business with other board members one at a time, but never actually
with a concurrent quorum deliberating. See Open Meeting Law
Guidelines, Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Office of the Attorney
General, page 26. It is likely that similar interpretations are or
will be made with regard to other similar regulations intended to
protect the public's right to be informed about matters of public
interest.
[0004] Problems have arisen due to the fact that regulations such
as the OML were written before the widespread adoption of the
Internet, and accordingly before the existence of popular
communication channels provided over the Internet, including
synchronous communication applications such as Internet chat rooms,
Web conferences, electronic meetings, etc., and also including
asynchronous communication applications such as electronic mail,
on-line discussion forums, and others. For example, in
Massachusetts, the issue of the applicability of these regulations
to on-line communications has recently been raised in the press,
and with the Middlesex District Attorney. It has generally been
acknowledged that a quorum of board members deliberating board
business via private email is impermissible, as well as discussion
by a quorum of members within a closed, on-line discussion
forum.
[0005] Existing systems have fallen significantly short of
providing an effective solution to these problems. For example, a
prohibition could be applied to an entire class of persons
preventing them from participating in all electronic
communications. However, this simplistic approach would be overly
restrictive, since it prevents many legal and useful communications
from occurring. Another possible solution would require automatic
logging of all users that participate in a chat room or forum,
etc., so that if someone later alleges an violation, it can be more
easily investigated. This approach, however, does not prevent the
problem from occurring in the first place, or give participants
fair warning to avoid an inadvertent prohibited contact.
[0006] United States published patent application US20030236751A1,
entitled "Method and Apparatus for Managing Conflicts of Interest
During the Selection of Legal and Legal-Related Service Providers",
describes a method for avoiding conflicts of interest when a client
submits a request for proposals ("RFP") to a pool of legal service
providers. By having the clients list their opponents, and the
service providers list their clients, a host system in
US20030236751A1 can prevent an RFP from being viewed by a service
provider who might have a potential conflict of interest with the
client that posted the RFC. However, the teachings of
US20030236751A1 are narrowly directed to this specific purpose, and
include no teaching or suggestion of dealing with the concept of a
quorum, such that one or more specified persons may participate in
the electronic communications channel, but not a full quorum.
[0007] In the context of on-line voting systems (e.g. as found at
http://www.votenet.com), software is used to verify quorum
requirements for voting. Some such systems can verify that a
minimum number or percentage of votes from qualified classes of
people are cast before a ballot can give valid results. These types
of existing systems are designed for use in holding elections, and
not for online communications systems such as instant messaging,
email, discussion forums, etc. Additionally, existing on-line
voting systems also include no techniques for preventing online
communications that cause a serial quorum to occur, and are instead
concerned with validating participation of voters in an on-line
vote.
[0008] Some other existing systems have enforced quotas and other
mechanisms for limiting concurrent access to a system resource. For
example, such an existing system might limit the number users that
can be concurrently logged onto an FTP (File Transfer Protocol)
site. Another such system for a telephone-based customer service
line may allow only a limited number of people to be added to a
waiting queue, and cause any callers beyond that limit get a busy
signal. These types of systems are intended to bound costs, limit
system resource utilization, and to ensure minimum service levels
to system users. However, these existing systems are limited to
access restrictions on concurrent access by users, and fail to
address cases of serial access, e.g. via asynchronous communication
channels, such as on-line discussion forums. Also, in the area of
synchronous communication mechanisms, these existing systems
include no provision for determining a number of users relevant to
quorum based not only on the number of concurrent board members or
the like that are presently chatting, but also on the number of
such special users which have been chatting. Accordingly there is
no way to address concerns relating to detection and prevention of
serial quorums with regard to synchronous communication
channels.
[0009] For the above reasons and others, it would be desirable to
have a new system for controlling the use of electronic
communication systems that allows a specific class of user, such as
board members or the like, to conveniently use online
communications, but that also effectively prevents inadvertent
violations of public meeting and similar regulations.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0010] To address the above described and other shortfalls of
previous approaches, a new method and system are disclosed for
preventing on-line violations of open meeting regulations and the
like. In the disclosed system, one or more special classes of users
are defined for an electronic communication system. For example,
the definition of each special class may include quorum
requirements, including the number of members of the special class
that make up a quorum. Users are then registered to use the
communication system. When a user is registered, an indication is
stored as to whether that user is a member of a special class. A
user may be determined to be a member of a special class in any
appropriate manner. For example, a user may be determined to be a
member of a special class as a result of the user indicating in a
user registration or message composition user interface that they
are a member of the special class, as a result of the user being
identified as a member of the special class in a list of class
members entered through a special class definition user interface,
or in some other appropriate way for a given embodiment. In
response to a user being identified as a member of a special class,
in one embodiment of the disclosed system they are reminded of the
restrictions on communications using the communication system
arising from that membership.
[0011] When a user composes a message for posting or sending
through the communication system, a determination is made as to
whether they are a member of a special class. For example, the
user's identity may be checked against a special class group
database to determine whether they are a member of a special class.
If the user is not a member of a special class, then their message
is passed into the communication system for posting and/or delivery
to its indicated recipients. Otherwise, if the user is a member of
a special class, then a determination is made as to whether posting
or sending the message would trigger any restrictions associated
with that class of users. For example, in one embodiment, if a user
is a member of a special class prohibiting communications resulting
in a serial or other type of quorum, then the disclosed system
would calculate the total number of group members participating in
the communication to which the message would be added.
[0012] For example, in an on-line discussion forum in which replies
are posted to topics to form discussion threads, the disclosed
system would determine how many members of the class have
previously added one or more messages to the discussion thread to
which the message currently being composed would be added, and then
determine whether the quorum for the class would be reached if the
current message were added to that discussion thread.
[0013] Alternatively, in. an e-mail communication system,
participants in a communication to which the message is to be added
may be determined based on the class members that are included as
intended recipients of the current message. In addition, previous
recipients of the message may be counted as participants in the
communication, such as when the message is being forwarded between
multiple users. Other examples of determining the participants in a
communication to which the message is to be added include counting
the current participants in a real-time, on-line meeting, such as a
chat session, or Web conference. In any case, if the number of
group members participating in a communication would reach the
quorum number for the special class if the message were added to
the communication, then the message is rejected, and prevented from
entry into the communication system.
[0014] In the event a message is rejected, in one embodiment of the
disclosed system, the user is notified of the rejection, and may
also be notified of one or more permitted options for the message,
such as having the message added to the agenda of a scheduled
public meeting associated with the special class of users.
[0015] Thus there is disclosed a system that allows for
communication technology to be structured so that it allows a
specific class of user, such as board member or the like, to
conveniently use online communications, and that also effectively
prevents inadvertent violations of public meeting and similar
regulations.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0016] The subject matter regarded as the invention is particularly
pointed out and distinctly claimed in the concluding portion of the
specification. The invention, both as to organization and method of
operation, together with objects, features, and advantages thereof,
may best be understood by reference to the following detailed
description when read with the accompanying drawings in which:
[0017] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing hardware and software
components in an illustrative embodiment of the disclosed
system;
[0018] FIG. 2 is a flow chart showing steps performed in an
illustrative embodiment of the disclosed system;
[0019] FIG. 3 is another flow chart showing steps performed in an
illustrative embodiment of the disclosed system;
[0020] FIG. 4 is a flow chart showing steps performed in an
alternative illustrative embodiment of the disclosed system;
[0021] FIG. 5 is a simplified screen shot showing a special class
definition user interface for an illustrative embodiment of the
disclosed system;
[0022] FIG. 6 is a simplified screen shot showing a message
rejection user interface for an illustrative embodiment of the
disclosed system; and
[0023] FIG. 7 is a simplified screen shot showing a message
composition user interface for an illustrative embodiment of the
disclosed system.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS
[0024] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing hardware and software
components in an illustrative embodiment of the disclosed system.
As shown in FIG. 1, software components in an operational
environment including an illustrative embodiment of the disclosed
system include server system(s) 10, communication network 12, and
client systems 14. The server system(s) 10 is shown including
communication application software 22, together with communication
checking logic 24 and board membership database 26. The board
membership database 26 is an illustrative example of a database in
which are stored indications of whether specific users are members
of special user classes. A registered user profile database may be
used additionally, or as an alternative to the board membership
database 26, in order to store indications of special class
membership for specific users.
[0025] In the illustrative embodiment of FIG. 1, the communication
checking logic 24 includes quorum counters that are used to count
the number of members in a special class that are participating in
a communication to which a message would be added if it were
allowed into the communication application 22. For purposes of
example, in the illustrative embodiment of FIG. 1, the board
membership database includes membership lists of one or more
specific boards, and the quorum requirements associated with those
boards.
[0026] The client systems 14 include client systems associated with
users 20 that are members of special user classes (e.g. board
member users), shown as client systems 14a, 14b, etc., as well as
client systems that are associated with users 21 that are not
members of special classes (e.g. non-board member users), shown as
client systems 14c, 14d, etc. Each of the client systems 14
includes client software, shown as client software 16a, 16b, 16c,
16d, etc., which generates a user interface through which the
communication application 22 can be accessed, and shown for
purposes of illustration in FIG. 1 as user interfaces 18a, 18b, and
18c. The user interfaces to the communication application 22 may be
embodied as any specific type of user interface. For example, in
one embodiment, client system software may be made up of or include
a browser application program operable to present Web pages
received over the communication network 12, from the communication
application 22, e.g. through a multi-window graphical user
interface.
[0027] The user interface provided to the communication application
22 may be navigated using any specific type of user interface
device, such as a computer keyboard or mouse, and/or using voice
commands or the like.
[0028] The server system(s) 10 may be embodied as any specific
number of software processes and/or components executing on one ore
more computer systems that are communicably connected. Such
computer systems may, for example, each consist of at least one
processor, program storage, such as memory, for storing program
code executable on the processor, one or more input/output devices
and/or interfaces, such as data communication and/or peripheral
devices and/or interfaces, and may each further include appropriate
operating system software. Similarly, the client systems 14 may
include any specific type of computer system or other type of
client device, such as, for example, desktop computer systems, PDAs
(Personal Digital Assistants), cell phones, tablet PCs, or any
other appropriate device capable of providing the user interface 18
to a user. The communication network 12 through which are connected
the server system(s) 10 and the client systems 14 may include or be
made up of a data communication network, such as the Internet, a
Local Area Network (LAN), or any other specific type of
communication system or network.
[0029] While a client-server embodiment is shown in FIG. 1, in
which the user interface is provided by a separate client system
from the server system, the disclosed system is not limited to such
an approach. Accordingly, alternative embodiments may include
software corresponding to the server application software 22 as
well as software corresponding to the client software (16a, 16b,
16c, 16d, etc.) both with a single computer system.
[0030] The communication application software 22 may be embodied as
any specific computer program that operates at least in part by
providing asynchronous or synchronous electronic communications
between multiple users. For example, the communication application
22 may also be embodied, for example, as an asynchronous
communication application. Examples of such asynchronous
communication applications that may be used include on-line
discussion forum applications that enable users to enter text
replies to message threads contained under specified topics,
electronic mail ("e-mail") applications, and others.
[0031] Alternatively, the communication application 22 may be
embodied as a synchronous communication application, in which
multiple on-line users concurrently participate in a communication
session. Examples of such synchronous communication applications
include instant messaging (i.e. "chat") applications, electronic
meeting applications, Web conferencing applications, Voice over
Internet Protocol (VOIP) applications, and others.
[0032] FIG. 2 is a flow chart showing steps performed in an
illustrative embodiment of the disclosed system. The steps
described by the flow chart of FIG. 2 may, for example, be
performed by the communication checking logic 24 and/or
communication application software 22, operating at least in part
through the user interfaces on the client systems 14 of FIG. 1.
[0033] As shown in FIG. 2, at step 36 an embodiment of the
disclosed system defines one or more special classes of users. The
special class definitions made at step 36 include information
describing each special class. Such information may, for a given
special class, include names and/or identifiers for each of the
members of the class, a class name, and quorum requirements for the
class. Quorum requirements for a special class group may include a
number of group members that constitutes a quorum for the class of
users. For example, a special class of users corresponding to a
board or the like might have a quorum number of 5. In such a case,
the disclosed system would operate to prevent non-public
communications involving 5 or more of the members of the special
class. The information associated with a special class may further
include information regarding one or more public meetings
associated with the special class, and potentially an
electronically represented and stored agenda for such meetings.
[0034] At step 38, a user enters the electronic communication
system, such as the electronic communication system provided by the
communication application software 22 shown in FIG. 1. Entry into
the communication system may involve the user logging in, for
example by providing a username and password or other
authentication information.
[0035] At step 40, an embodiment of the disclosed system determines
whether this is the first time that the user has used the
communication system. If so, step 40 is followed by step 42, in
which the user registers with the communication system. Otherwise,
step 40 is followed by step 44.
[0036] Registration of the user at step 42 may, for example,
include the user providing indication of whether they are a member
of any special class, identifying any special classes of which they
are a member, providing their user identifiers through which can be
identified any special class of which they are members, and/or
providing any other relevant information needed for registration
and association with one or more special user classes. The user
registration performed at step 42 may be performed by the user
through one of the user interfaces shown in FIG. 1 (18a, 18b, 18c,
18d, etc.) associated with the user. The information collected
during user registration performed at step 42 may be stored in a
database accessible the communication system, such as the board
membership database 26 of FIG. 1, a general user database, or other
database. Step 42 is followed by step 44.
[0037] At step 44, the disclosed system determines whether the user
is subject to restrictions on communications defined by a special
class. The determination at step 44 may, for example, be based at
least in part on information provided by the user during
registration at step 42. Accordingly, the determination performed
at step 44 may involve checking the contents of a database of user
information and/or restricted group information that is accessible
to the communication system. If the user is subject to restrictions
associated with a restricted group, then step 44 is followed by
step 46, in which the user is reminded of the obligations and/or
restrictions imposed on the user as a result of their membership in
the restricted group. Otherwise, step 44 is followed by step
48.
[0038] In order to remind the user of restrictions associated with
a special class to which they belong, at step 46 the disclosed
system may access information regarding such restrictions from a
database, such as information in the board membership database 26
of FIG. 1. The disclosed system presents the user with a reminder
of these restrictions at step 46 through one of the user interfaces
shown in FIG. 1 provided to the user. For example, the information
may be displayed to the user as text displayed in a pop-up window,
modal dialog box or other specific type of display object in the
user interface. Step 46 is followed by step 48, in which the user
is allowed to access the communication system.
[0039] FIG. 3 is another flow chart showing steps performed in an
illustrative embodiment of the disclosed system. The steps
described by the flow chart of FIG. 3 may, for example, be
performed by the communication checking logic 24 and/or
communication application software 22, through the user interfaces
on the client systems 14 of FIG. 1.
[0040] As shown in FIG. 3, at step 50 a user logs into an
embodiment of the disclosed system. In response to the user logging
in at step 50, a user profile is obtained, for example from a
database accessible to the communication system. At step 54, the
user composes a message to be passed into the communication system.
In response to the user attempting to compose a message at step 54,
the embodiment of the disclosed system illustrated in FIG. 3
determines at step 56 whether the user is a member of a special
user class. The determination at step 56 may be made in response to
the contents of the user profile obtained at step 52, and/or to the
contents of a special class membership database, such as the board
membership database 26 shown in FIG. 1. In an alternative
embodiment, the user is allowed to expressly provide an indication,
for example by a way of a check box or the like presented within
the message composition user interface through which the user
composes the message, that the user is a member of a special class
of users. If the user is a member of a special class, then step 56
is followed by step 58. Otherwise step 56 is followed by step
64.
[0041] In step 58, the embodiment of the disclosed system shown in
FIG. 3 calculates the number of members of the restricted group
that are participating in the communication to which the message is
to be added. For example, in one embodiment the communication
system is an on-line discussion forum, such as a Web site through
which users may participate in asynchronous text discussions that
are organized into topics and nested responses to those topics. In
such an embodiment, a topic plus all responses to the topic is
considered to be a communication thread. At step 58, the disclosed
system would accordingly count the number of special class members
that are currently participating in that the thread into which the
message is to be added. For example, the special class members that
have entered at least one message into the thread may be considered
to be participating in the thread.
[0042] In another embodiment, in the case of a e-mail communication
system, at step 58 the disclosed system would count the number of
intended recipients of the message that are members of the special
class. The disclosed system may further be embodied to count at
step 58 all previous recipients of the message that are members of
the special class. Accordingly, each time an e-mail message is
forwarded to another recipient that is within the special class of
users, that recipient is counted towards the total number of
special class members participating in the communication.
[0043] Alternatively, in an embodiment in which a synchronous
communication system is used, at step 58 the disclosed system would
count the number of members in the special class that are currently
participating in and/or have earlier participated in but previously
left or exited a real-time communication session to which the
message is to be added, including the user composing the message.
Such a communication session could, for example, be a chat session,
on-line meeting, Web conference, VOIP conference call, or other
specific type of synchronous communication session.
[0044] At step 60, the embodiment of FIG. 3 determines whether the
total number of members of the special class would reach the limit
associated with the special class if the message is conveyed. In
other words, the disclosed system determines whether the number of
special class members participating in the communication to which
the message is to be added will meet or exceed a quorum associated
with that special class if the message is added to the
communication. For example, if the number of members needed for a
quorum in a special class is N, and the number of members of the
special class currently participating in a communication to which
the message is determined to be N-1 at step 58, and the user
sending the message has not yet participated in the communication,
then the result of sending the message would be to add 1 more user
to the current N-1 special class users participating in the
communication, causing the quorum of N users for the special class
to be reached. In an embodiment using an on-line discussion forum,
if the number of special class users participating in a thread N-1,
and the user composing the current message has not yet posted a
message to the thread, then at step 60 the disclosed system would
determine that the quorum N would be reached if the message were
allowed to be conveyed by the communication system. Similarly, if
the number of members of a special class participating in a
real-time, on-line communication session (e.g. chat session,
e-meeting, Web conference, etc.) were N-1, and another member of
that special class seeks to also participate in that communication
session, e.g. by adding a message to the session or in some other
way, then the disclosed system would determine that the quorum N
for that special class would be reached if special class member
were allowed to send the message or otherwise join the session.
Also, if the currently indicated and/or previous recipients of an
e-mail message include N-1 members of a special class, and the
sender of the e-mail message is also a member of the special class,
then the disclosed system would determine that the quorum N for
that special class would be reached if the message were allowed to
be conveyed by the communication system to a recipient who is also
a member of the special class.
[0045] If, at step 60 a determination is made that the limit for
that special class would be reached if the message from the special
class member were conveyed by the communication system, then step
60 is followed by step 62. Otherwise, if a determination is made at
step 60 that the limit on members of the special class
participating in a communication would not be reached if the
message were conveyed by the communication system, then step 60 is
followed by step 64, at which the message composed at step 64 is
allowed into the communication system for posting to a
communication thread, sending to its intended recipients, and the
like.
[0046] At step 62, in the event that the quorum for the special
class would be reached by allowing the message being composed at
step 54 to be conveyed, then the message is rejected. A
notification message is passed to the user, informing the user that
the message has been rejected because it is in violation of the
limits on the special class of users to which the user belongs. The
notification may be provided in a pop-up window, modal dialog box
or the like, provided through the user interface (18a, 18b) of FIG.
1. The notification provided at step 62 may also include one or
more options that can be selected by the user. In one embodiment,
the notification provided at step 62 enables the user to add the
rejected message to an electronic copy of an agenda for a public
meeting that is scheduled for the special user class.
[0047] FIG. 4 is a flow chart showing steps performed in an
alternative illustrative embodiment of the disclosed system. As
shown in FIG. 4, at step 63 a message in the disclosed system may
be tagged as a special matter that is subject to special class
restrictions. For example, a message or topic may be tagged as a
special matter in the event that it contains or refers to public or
board business within the purview of a special class (e.g. "any
public business or policy within its jurisdiction"). Messages not
containing or referring to any such special subject matter, such as
messages that are part of purely social communications or on-line
conversations, would not be tagged at step 63.
[0048] The tagging performed at step 63 may be accomplished in a
variety of ways. In a first embodiment of the disclosed system, a
message composition user interface enables a user that is a member
of a special class to expressly tag a message as containing or
referring to public or board business. Such express tagging of a
message may, for example, be accomplished by a message author
checking a check box display object or through some other type of
user indication through one or more display objects in the message
composition user interface. Alternatively, a message may be tagged
as a special matter in step 63 by another user or group of users,
potentially other than the message author, that subsequently read
the message after it has been posted, for example through a message
reading interface provided by an on-line discussion forum or the
like. Such tagging may similarly be accomplished by a non-author
user, who may or may not be a member of the relevant special class,
through check box or other suitable display objects within a user
interface such as the user interfaces 18c and 18d shown in FIG. 1.
In one embodiment, a voting scheme in which the number of users
that indicate a given message or topic should be considered a
special matter is counted and compared to a threshold. If the
number of users indicating that the message should be considered a
special matter reaches or exceeds the threshold number, then the
message is tagged as a special matter at step 63. In another
embodiment, the disclosed system performs an automatic text
analysis on the contents of the message to determine whether it
should be tagged as a special matter at step 63.
[0049] In the illustrative embodiment of FIG. 4, steps 65, 66, 67,
and 68 are only performed in the event that a message is tagged as
a special matter. Otherwise, if a message is not tagged as a
special matter, it is allowed to be entered into the communication
system at step 69.
[0050] The remaining steps of FIG. 4 correspond to steps described
above with respect to FIG. 3, and are performed analogously. Step
65 corresponds to step 56 of FIG. 3, step 66 corresponds to step 58
of FIG. 3, step 67 corresponds to step 60 of FIG. 3, step 68
corresponds to step 62 of FIG. 3, and step 69 corresponds to step
64 of FIG. 3.
[0051] FIG. 5 is a simplified screen shot showing a restricted
group definition user interface for an illustrative embodiment of
the disclosed system. The restricted group definition user
interface 70 of FIG. 5 may, for example, be provided by the
communication application 22 as part of the user interfaces (18a,
18b, 18c, 18d, etc.) of FIG. 1, for example as part of a user
interface provided to a member of a restricted group, to an
appropriate administrative user such as a town clerk of the like,
or to a regular user. The information obtained through the
restricted group definition user interface 70 of FIG. 5 may, for
example, be stored in restricted group definition database, such as
the board membership database 26 of FIG. 1. In one embodiment, the
restricted group definition user interface 70 may be presented
during step 36 of FIG. 2.
[0052] As shown in FIG. 5, an example of a special class definition
user interface 70 includes a group name field 72 into which a user
can enter the name of the special class being defined. Members of
the special class can be added to a member list for the special
class by entering a member name into the field 74, and then
entering the username or e-mail address of the member into the
field 76. Clicking on the ADD MEMBER button 78 then causes a member
with name and username or e-mail address to be added to the member
list for the special class.
[0053] A field 80 enables a user to enter a number of members that
constitute a quorum for the special class, and a meeting date field
82 enables the user to enter a date for a next scheduled meeting to
be associated with the special class. When the user clicks on the
OK button 84, information entered for the special class is added to
a database storing special class definition information.
[0054] FIG. 6 is a simplified screen shot showing a message
rejection user interface for an illustrative embodiment of the
disclosed system. The message rejected user interface 90 of FIG. 6
may, for example, be provided by the communication application 22
as part of the user interfaces (18a, 18b, etc.) of FIG. 1, and
provided to a member of a restricted group in the event a message
has been rejected due to the restrictions associated with a special
class. The information provided through the message rejected user
interface 90 of FIG. 6 may include information stored in a special
class definition database, such as the board membership database 26
of FIG. 1. The message rejected user interface 90 may, for example,
be provided by an embodiment of the disclosed system at step 62 of
FIG. 3 or step 68 of FIG. 4.
[0055] As shown in FIG. 6, the message rejected user interface 90
includes an indication 92 that the message that the user was
attempting to transmit or otherwise enter into the communication
system was rejected due to restrictions associated with a special
class that the user belongs to. An indication 94 is also included
advising that the user can select an optional step with regard to
the rejected message. In the example of FIG. 6, the user is allowed
to add the rejected message to the electronically stored agenda for
the next scheduled meeting of the special class on a date 96. The
example of FIG. 6 provides a first graphical button object 98 that
causes the rejected message to be added to the agenda if the user
clicks on it, and a second graphical button object 100 that does
not cause the rejected message to be added to the agenda, but
simply returns the user to the message that they were attempting to
enter into the communication system. At that point the user may
decide to delete the message, change the list of recipients, or
take some other action.
[0056] FIG. 7 is a simplified screen shot showing a message
composition user interface 110 for an illustrative embodiment of
the disclosed system. As shown in FIG. 7, the user interface 110
includes a number of action buttons 112, shown for purposes of
illustration including a send button 112a, an attach button 112b,
an encrypt button 112c, etc. A TO: field 114 and a Cc: field 116
allow a message author to indicate the recipients of the message
being composed, which is shown including the new message content
120. A Subject: field allows the message author to indicate a
message subject. A check box 122 enables the message author to
indicate that they are a member of a special class, e.g. a member
of the Board of Selectmen or another special class. The check box
122 is an example of how a message can be tagged as a special
matter consistent with step 63 in the illustrative embodiment of
the disclosed system shown in FIG. 4.
[0057] Those skilled in the art will recognize that while the
message composition user interface 110 is for an electronic mail
communication application or the like, the present system is not so
limited, and alternative message composition user interfaces may be
used as appropriate for on-line discussion forums, instant
messaging, and/or any other appropriate type of communication
system for a given embodiment. Moreover, while a check box 122 is
shown for purposes of illustration as an example of a display
object enabling a message author to indicate that they are a member
of a special class, any other specific type of display object that
enables the user to make such indication may be used in the
alternative.
[0058] The disclosed system may be embodied to address enforcement
of public meeting laws, such as the Open Meeting Law ("OML") of
Massachusetts (Massachusetts General Laws--Chapter 39, Section
23B). In such an embodiment, when a user signs up to use a
communication system, such as an on-line discussion forum or the
like, they specify whether they are a member of a special class of
persons subject to the OML, e.g., a Selectman. Such special class
users would be prohibited from participating in on-line discussions
with others of that same special group, e.g., other members of the
Board of Selectmen, if doing so would create a quorum of that group
discussing the same issue. In one embodiment, the disclosed system
would disable the user's ability to compose a response to a topic
in an on-line discussion forum in the event that entering that
response would cause a quorum of special class members to be
created within that topic.
[0059] For example, consider a use case in which a town has a Board
of Selectmen with 5 members: Dini, Jeff, Chris, Jim and Val.
Further assume for purposes of example that the number of Selectmen
resulting in a quorum is 3. In such a case, any three of Dini,
Jeff, Chris, Jim or Val would constitute a quorum. The town may
then provide an on-line discussion forum using an embodiment of the
disclosed system. A citizen named Rob may then post a comment in
the on-line discussion forum regarding the town's budget. Selectman
Jim then enters a response to Rob's post, and later in the same
discussion thread Selectman Chris also enters a response to Rob's
post. At that point, if Selectman Jeff tries to enter a response to
the topic, he would be prevented from doing so by the disclosed
system, since a third Selectman commenting on the same issue could
be interpreted as allowing a quorum of Selectmen to deliberate
outside of a properly constituted public meeting, in violation of
the OML.
[0060] As described above, the disclosed system can be embodied to
identify members of any specific special class of users having
access to a communication system. Special classes may be defined to
cover any category of persons to whom an open meeting regulation
might apply, such as a Board of Selectman member, a School
Committee member, a Planning Board member, etc. This membership
identification information for each special class may be maintained
either within a database accessible to server application code for
the communication system, and/or within in a client-side software
"cookie" or the like stored on the client system. The forum
software would also allow the administrator of the server to record
the statutory number of persons on each board which constitute a
quorum of that board, e.g., three if majority constitutes a quorum
on a seven-person board.
[0061] Those skilled in the art will recognize that while the above
description includes reference to operation of various embodiments
with regard to controlling the entry of messages into a
communication system, the disclosed system may further be embodied
to control access to content based on the number of members of a
special class of users that have accessed the content. In such an
embodiment, the disclosed system would count the number of members
of a special class that have accessed a content item, such as a
file, document, etc. When the number of special class members
having accessed the content item reaches one less than a quorum
associated with the special class, subsequent attempts by other
special class members to access the content item would be
denied.
[0062] Those skilled in the art will further recognize that the
disclosed system can be embodied to control communications
involving any specific type of message contents, such as text,
images, audio, video, etc. For example, an embodiment of the
disclosed system could be provided that prevented a quorum of
special class members from participating in a video conference,
accessing the same video content, etc.
[0063] The present invention can be realized in hardware, software,
or a combination of hardware and software. A system according to
the present invention can be realized in a centralized fashion in
one computer system, or in a distributed fashion where different
elements are spread across several interconnected computer systems.
Any kind of computer system or other apparatus adapted for carrying
out the methods described herein is suited. A typical combination
of hardware and software could be a general purpose computer system
with a computer program that, when being loaded and executed,
controls the computer system such that it carries out the methods
described herein.
[0064] The figures include block diagram and flowchart
illustrations of methods, apparatus(s) and computer program
products according to an embodiment of the invention. It will be
understood that each block in such figures, and combinations of
these blocks, can be implemented by computer program instructions.
These computer program instructions may be loaded onto a computer
or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a
machine, such that the instructions which execute on the computer
or other programmable data processing apparatus create means for
implementing the functions specified in the block or blocks. These
computer program instructions may also be stored in a
computer-readable medium or memory that can direct a computer or
other programmable data processing apparatus to function in a
particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the
computer-readable medium or memory produce an article of
manufacture including instruction means which implement the
function specified in the block or blocks. The computer program
instructions may also be loaded onto a computer or other
programmable data processing apparatus to cause a series of
operational steps to be performed on the computer or other
programmable apparatus to produce a computer implemented process
such that the instructions which execute on the computer or other
programmable apparatus provide steps for implementing the functions
specified in the block or blocks.
[0065] Those skilled in the art should readily appreciate that
programs defining the functions of the present invention can be
delivered to a computer in many forms; including, but not limited
to: (a) information permanently stored on non-writable storage
media (e.g. read only memory devices within a computer such as ROM
or CD-ROM disks readable by a computer I/O attachment); (b)
information alterably stored on writable storage media (e.g. floppy
disks and hard drives); or (c) information conveyed to a computer
through communication media for example using wireless, baseband
signaling or broadband signaling techniques, including carrier wave
signaling techniques, such as over computer or telephone networks
via a modem.
[0066] While the invention is described through the above exemplary
embodiments, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in
the art that modification to and variation of the illustrated
embodiments may be made without departing from the inventive
concepts herein disclosed.
* * * * *
References