Legal discovery tool implemented in a mobile device

• US 10,191,907 B2
• Filed: 02/27/2015
• Issued: 01/29/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Greetham, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Featherstone, Mark D
• Assistant Examiner(s): Gmahl, Navneet
• Application Number:
  US14/634,490
• Publication Number:
  US 20160253347A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,432 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/148 File search processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/152 using file content signatures, e.g. hash values
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/182 Distributed file systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/18 Legal services

Abstract

An approach is provided for collecting data files from target devices. A data collection manager implemented in a mobile device generates a collector based, at least in part, on collection definition data. The collector is configured to perform a data search on a target device. The data collection manager causes to transmit the collector to a network server for storing the collector in the network server, and causes to transmit a notification to the network server to notify a custodian of the target device that the collector is to be downloaded from the network server to the target device for execution. Executing the collector causes the collector to selectively determine one or more data files that have certain characteristics and that are hosted on the target device, collect the one or more data files from the target device, and store the one or more data files in the network server.

Claims

1. One or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media storing instructions which, when processed by one or more processors, cause:

a mobile data collection manager generating a collector based, at least in part, on collection definition data that specifies one or more data types to be searched on a target device and one or more data computer resources to be searched on the target device;

wherein the mobile data collection manager is implemented in a mobile device;

wherein the collector is configured to perform a data search, on the target device, of data specified by the collection definition data;

the mobile data collection manager storing the collector on the mobile device;

the mobile data collection manager causing to transmit the collector from the mobile device, via one or more computer networks, to a network server for storing the collector in the network server;

wherein the network server is separate from the mobile device and separate from the target device;

the mobile data collection manager generating, and causing to be transmitted to a custodian, a notification for notifying the custodian of the target device that the collector is available for downloading from the network server to the target device for execution on the target device;

wherein executing the collector on the target device includes the collector to;

selectively determine one or more data files that have certain characteristics that correspond to the one or more data types specified in the collection definition data of the collector downloaded, in response to a custodian request that is received in response to the notification sent by the mobile data collection manager to the custodian, from the network server, via the one or more computer networks, to the target device, and that are hosted on the one or more data computer resources of the target device and are specified in the collection definition data of the collector downloaded to the target device from the network server;

collect the one or more data files from the target device; and

store the one or more data files in the network server.

2. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 1,

wherein the certain characteristics of the one or more data files are determined based on contents of one or more of:

a signature of a file included in the file, a digital certificate of the file included in the file, a unique code of the file embedded in the file; and

wherein the collector relies on the certain characteristics to select and collect the one or more data files from the target device.

3. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 1,

wherein the one or more data files to be collected from the target device are selected based on file signatures embedded in the one or more data files.

4. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 1,

wherein upon receiving the notification from the mobile data collection manager, the custodian of the target device downloads the collector from the network server to the target device for the execution on the target device;

and

wherein upon completing executing of the collector on the target device, the collector generates, and causes transmitting to the mobile data collection manager, an electronic message indicating that the one or more data files have been collected and stored on the network server.

5. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 1,

wherein the collection definition data is used by the mobile data collection manager to specify one or more of:

one or more file types of the one or more data files to be searched, one or more sources to be searched, one or more attachments to be searched, one or more legal forms to be attached, storage types to be used, storage location for storing data, user credentials, group credentials, time constrains, types of processing the data, types of modifications, types of communications exchanged with the custodian and the mobile data collection manager, email addresses of the custodian and one or more users, types of notifications, or error handling procedures.

6. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 1,

wherein storing the one or more data files in the network server comprises including the one or more data files in one or more containers and transmitting the one or more containers to the network server.

7. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 1, wherein the executing of the collector on the target device further causes the collector to perform:

generating one or more logs containing information about collecting the one or more data files; and

transmitting to the network server the one or more logs to be stored on the network server.

8. A method for collecting data and data files from computer resources of a target system for a computerized legal discovery, the method executed by a mobile data collection manager implemented in a mobile device and comprising:

generating a collector based, at least in part, on collection definition data that specifies one or more data types to be searched on a target device and one or more data computer resources to be searched on the target device;

wherein the collector is configured to perform a data search, on the target device, of data specified by the collection definition data;

storing the collector on the mobile device;

causing to transmit the collector from the mobile device, via one or more computer networks, to a network server for storing the collector in the network server;

wherein the network server is separate from the mobile device and separate from the target device;

generating, and causing to be transmitted to a custodian, a notification for notifying the custodian of the target device that the collector is available for downloading from the network server to the target device for execution on the target device;

wherein executing the collector on the target device causes the collector to;

selectively determine one or more data files that have certain characteristics that correspond to the one or more data types specified in the collection definition data of the collector downloaded, in response to a custodian request that is received in response to the notification sent by the mobile data collection manager to the custodian, from the network server, via the one or more computer networks, to the target device, and that are hosted on the one or more data computer resources of the target device and are specified in the collection definition data of the collector downloaded to the target device from the network server;

collect the one or more data files from the target device; and

store the one or more data files in the network server.

9. The method of claim 8,

wherein the certain characteristics of the one or more data files are determined based on contents of one or more of:

a signature of a file included in the file, a digital certificate of the file included in the file, a unique code of the file embedded in the file; and

wherein the collector relies on the certain characteristics to select and collect the one or more data files from the target device.

10. The method of claim 8,

wherein the one or more data files to be collected from the target device are selected based on file signatures embedded in the one or more data files.

11. The method of claim 8,

wherein upon receiving the notification from the mobile data collection manager, the custodian of the target device downloads the collector from the network server to the target device for the execution on the target device;

and

wherein upon completing executing of the collector on the target device, the collector generates, and causes transmitting to the mobile data collection manager, an electronic message indicating that the one or more data files have been collected and stored on the network server.

12. The method of claim 8,

wherein the collection definition data is used by the mobile data collection manager to specify one or more of:

one or more file types of the one or more data files to be searched, one or more sources to be searched, one or more attachments to be searched, one or more legal forms to be attached, storage types to be used, storage location for storing data, user credentials, group credentials, time constrains, types of processing the data, types of modifications, types of communications exchanged with the custodian and the mobile data collection manager, email addresses of the custodian and one or more users, types of notifications, or error handling procedures.

13. The method of claim 8,

wherein storing the one or more data files in the network server comprises including the one or more data files in one or more containers and transmitting the one or more containers to the network server.

14. The method of claim 8,

wherein the executing of the collector on the target device further causes the collector to perform:

generating one or more logs containing information about collecting the one or more data files; and

transmitting to the network server the one or more logs to be stored on the network server.

15. A computer-implemented legal discovery system comprising:

a collector configured to perform a computerized legal discovery;

a mobile data collection manager implemented in a mobile device and configured to;

generating a collector based, at least in part, on collection definition data that specifies one or more data types to be searched on a target device and one or more data computer resources to be searched on the target device;

wherein the collector is configured to perform a data search, on the target device, of data specified by the collection definition data;

storing the collector on the mobile device;

causing to transmit the collector from the mobile device, via one or more computer networks, to a network server for storing the collector in the network server;

wherein the network server is separate from the mobile device and separate from the target device;

generating, and causing to be transmitted to a custodian, a notification for notifying the custodian of the target device that the collector is available for downloading from the network server to the target device for execution on the target device;

wherein executing the collector on the target device causes the collector to;

selectively determine one or more data files that have certain characteristics that correspond to the one or more data types specified in the collection definition data of the collector downloaded, in response to a custodian request that is received in response to the notification sent by the mobile data collection manager to the custodian, from the network server, via the one or more computer networks, to the target device, and that are hosted on the one or more data computer resources of the target device and are specified in the collection definition data of the collector downloaded to the target device from the network server;

collect the one or more data files from the target device; and

store the one or more data files in the network server.

16. The computer-implemented legal discovery system of claim 15,

wherein the certain characteristics of the one or more data files are determined based on contents of one or more of:

a signature of a file included in the file, a digital certificate of the file included in the file, a unique code of the file embedded in the file; and

wherein the collector relies on the certain characteristics to select and collect the one or more data files from the target device.

17. The computer-implemented legal discovery system of claim 15,

wherein the one or more data files to be collected from the target device are selected based on file signatures embedded in the one or more data files.

18. The computer-implemented legal discovery system of claim 15,

wherein upon receiving the notification from the mobile data collection manager, the custodian of the target device downloads the collector from the network server to the target device for the execution on the target device;

and

wherein upon completing executing of the collector on the target device, the collector generates, and causes transmitting to the mobile data collection manager, an electronic message indicating that the one or more data files have been collected and stored on the network server.

19. The computer-implemented legal discovery system of claim 15,

wherein the collection definition data is used by the mobile data collection manager to specify one or more of:

one or more file types of the one or more data files to be searched, one or more sources to be searched, one or more attachments to be searched, one or more legal forms to be attached, storage types to be used, storage location for storing data, user credentials, group credentials, time constrains, types of processing the data, types of modifications, types of communications exchanged with the custodian and the mobile data collection manager, email addresses of the custodian and one or more users, types of notifications, or error handling procedures.

20. The computer-implemented legal discovery system of claim 15,

wherein storing the one or more data files in the network server comprises including the one or more data files in one or more containers and transmitting the one or more containers to the network server.