Document architecture with fragment-driven role-based access controls

• US 10,606,921 B2
• Filed: 05/26/2017
• Issued: 03/31/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 05/27/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Open Text Sa Ulc (Open Text Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Open Text Sa Ulc (Open Text Corporation)
• Inventors: Lorensson, Johan, Wessman, Christian, Wendelov, Sverker, Smith, Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Lewis, Lisa C
• Assistant Examiner(s): Salman, Raied A
• Application Number:
  US15/607,111
• Publication Number:
  US 20170346828A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,040 Days
• Field of Search: 726 28, 709203, 704 9
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/93 Document management systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/604 Tools and structures for managing or administering access control systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/62 Protecting access to data via a platform, e.g. using keys or access control rules
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/103 Formatting, i.e. changing of presentation of documents automatic justification G06F40/189; automatic line break hyphenation G06F40/191
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/131 Fragmentation of text files, e.g. creating reusable text-blocks; Linking to fragments, e.g. using XInclude; Namespaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/197 Version control for software G06F8/71
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/101 Access control lists [ACL]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/104 Grouping of entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/123 received data contents, e.g. message integrity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes

Abstract

A document production system may construct a document from fragments based on a theme associated with the document. The theme may contain section(s), each section having an access control list (ACL) associated therewith. The ACL may specify role-based user group(s) and permission(s) for the role-based user group(s). The system may evaluable rules applicable to the document. At least one rule may pertain to the ACL(s). The evaluation may include, at least in part, utilizing user login information received over a network from a client device. In constructing the document, the system may assemble the document in accordance with the rules and utilizing the fragments and meta information that describes the document. The system may render the document thus assembled utilizing the ACL, generate a view of the document, and communicate the view of the document over the network to the client device for presentation on the client device.

Claims

1. A method for document production, comprising:

at a server computer communicatively connected to a resource repository, a client device, and a network;

receiving user login information from the client device over the network;

receiving a request for a new document from the client device, the request referencing a theme;

constructing the new document from formatted fragments based on the theme associated with the new document, wherein the constructing comprises;

retrieving, from the resource repository, the theme, the formatted fragments associated with the theme, and meta information that describes the new document, the theme containing at least one section in a layout of the new document, each section of the at least one section having at least one formatted fragment and an access control list associated therewith, the at least one formatted fragment comprising a system-formatted message that is augmented, extended, or refined with an instruction or additional information pertaining to the system-formatted message, the access control list specifying at least one role-based user group and at least one permission for the at least one role-based user group;

evaluating rules applicable to the new document, at least one rule of the rules utilizing the access control list; and

assembling the new document using the formatted fragments and the meta information in accordance with the rules;

rendering the new document utilizing the access control list;

generating a view of the new document; and

communicating the view of the new document to the client device over the network for presentation on the client device.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the evaluating comprises:

determining whether a user identified by the user login information received from the client device has permission to view or edit a section of the theme.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the rendering comprises selecting a section for which a user identified by the user login information has at least a read permission.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the rendering comprises rendering a section as user-editable when a user identified by the user login information has a write permission associated with the section.

5. The method according to claim 4, further comprising:

responsive to the user editing the section, updating the section with one or more fragments.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the updating comprises:

replacing a fragment in the section with a replacement fragment; and

re-rendering the new document to reflect the user edit of the section, the re-rendered new document including the replacement fragment in the section.

7. The method according to claim 5, wherein the updating comprises:

deleting a fragment in the section;

rearranging remaining fragments in the section; and

re-rendering the new document to reflect rearrangement of the remaining fragments in the section.

8. A system for document production, comprising:

a server computer communicatively connected to a resource repository, a client device, and a network, the server computer comprising at least one processor, at least one non-transitory computer readable medium, and stored instructions translatable by the at least one processor to perform;

receiving user login information from the client device over the network;

receiving a request for a new document from the client device, the request referencing a theme;

constructing the new document from formatted fragments based on the theme associated with the new document, wherein the constructing comprises;

retrieving, from the resource repository, the theme, the formatted fragments associated with the theme, and meta information that describes the new document, the theme containing at least one section, each section of the at least one section having at least one formatted fragment and an access control list associated therewith, the at least one formatted fragment comprising a system-formatted message that is augmented, extended, or refined with an instruction or additional information pertaining to the system-formatted message, the access control list specifying at least one role-based user group and at least one permission for the at least one role-based user group;

evaluating rules applicable to the new document, at least one rule of the rules utilizing the access control list; and

assembling the new document using the formatted fragments and the meta information in accordance with the rules;

rendering the new document utilizing the access control list;

generating a view of the new document; and

communicating the view of the new document to the client device over the network for presentation on the client device.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the evaluating comprises:

determining whether a user identified by the user login information received from the client device has permission to view or edit a section of the theme.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the rendering comprises selecting a section for which a user identified by the user login information has at least a read permission.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the rendering comprises rendering a section as user-editable when a user identified by the user login information has a write permission associated with the section.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the stored instructions are further translatable by the at least one processor to perform:

responsive to the user editing the section, updating the section with one or more fragments.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the updating comprises:

replacing a fragment in the section with a replacement fragment; and

re-rendering the new document to reflect the user edit of the section, the re-rendered new document including the replacement fragment in the section.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the updating comprises:

deleting a fragment in the section;

rearranging remaining fragments in the section; and

re-rendering the new document to reflect rearrangement of the remaining fragments in the section.

15. A computer program product comprising at least one non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions translatable by a server computer communicatively connected to a resource repository, a client device, and a network to perform:

receiving user login information from the client device over the network;

receiving a request for a new document from the client device, the request referencing a theme;

constructing the new document from formatted fragments based on the theme associated with the new document, wherein the constructing comprises;

retrieving, from the resource repository, the theme, the formatted fragments associated with the theme, and meta information that describes the new document, the theme containing at least one section, each section of the at least one section having at least one formatted fragment and an access control list associated therewith, the at least one formatted fragment comprising a system-formatted message that is augmented, extended, or refined with an instruction or additional information pertaining to the system-formatted message, the access control list specifying at least one role-based user group and at least one permission for the at least one role-based user group;

evaluating rules applicable to the new document, at least one rule of the rules utilizing the access control list; and

assembling the new document using the formatted fragments and the meta information in accordance with the rules;

rendering the new document utilizing the access control list;

generating a view of the new document; and

communicating the view of the new document to the client device over the network for presentation on the client device.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the evaluating comprises:

determining whether a user identified by the user login information received from the client device has permission to view or edit a section of the theme.

17. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the instructions are further translatable by the server computer to perform:

responsive to the user editing the section, updating the section with one or more fragments, wherein the updating comprises;

replacing a fragment in the section with a replacement fragment; and

re-rendering the new document to reflect the user edit of the section, the re-rendered new document including the replacement fragment in the section.

18. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the instructions are further translatable by the server computer to perform:

responsive to the user editing the section, updating the section with one or more fragments, wherein the updating comprises;

deleting a fragment in the section;

rearranging remaining fragments in the section; and

re-rendering the new document to reflect rearrangement of the remaining fragments in the section.

19. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the rendering comprises selecting a section for which a user identified by the user login information has at least a read permission.

20. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the rendering comprises rendering a section as user-editable when a user identified by the user login information has a write permission associated with the section.