Secure data sharing system

• US 20030074406A1
• Filed: 10/11/2001
• Published: 04/17/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 10/11/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Raytheon Company (Rtx Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Raytheon Company (Rtx Corporation)
• Inventors: Vu, Heip T., Noble, William B., Mayerski, Elizabeth R.
• Granted Patent: US 7,185,066 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/205
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6218 to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/04 for providing a confidential data exchange among entities communicating through data packet networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99939 Privileged access

Abstract

A system for sharing computer data between two or more sharing partners. The system includes copying of first private data from a first private data memory of a first sharing partner, to a first shared data memory associated with the first sharing partner. The system further includes a replication of the first shared data from the first shared data memory to a second shared data memory associated with a second sharing partner.

Claims

1. A method for data sharing comprising:

storing private data within a private data memory associated with a first sharing partner;

selecting a portion of the private data to provide a private data portion;

selecting one or more sharing partners associated with the first sharing partner;

associating the private data portion with the selected sharing partners; and

replicating the selected data to the selected sharing partners.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein associating the private data portion with the selected sharing partner further includes:

creating a data tag, including one or more of a first sharing partner tag portion associated with the first sharing partner, a selected sharing partners tag portion associated with the one or more selected sharing partners, an data identifier tag portion, and a data time identifier tag portion; and

associating the data tag with the private data portion to provide tagged private data.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein associating the private data portion with the one or more selected sharing partners further includes:

creating a copy of the tagged private data to provide a tagged private data copy; and

placing the tagged private data copy into a first shared data memory associated with the first sharing partner to a provide tagged shared data copy; and

associating the tagged shared data copy with a respective one of the one or more selected sharing partners indicated by the selected sharing partners tag portion.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein replicating the selected data to the selected sharing partners further includes:

copying the tagged shared data copy to a second shared data memory associated with the respective one of the one or more selected sharing partners to provide a tagged replicated data copy.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the copying further includes copying the tagged shared data copy with a write-only data connection between the first shared data memory and the second shared data memory.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein replicating the selected data to the selected sharing partners further includes copying the tagged private data copy to the second shared data memory associated with the respective one of the one or more selected sharing partners to provide the tagged replicated data copy.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the copying further includes copying the tagged private data copy with a write-only data connection between the first private data memory and the second shared data memory.

8. The method of claim 3, further including altering the private data portion, the data tag, the tagged private data, the tagged private data copy, the tagged shared data copy, and/or the tagged replicated data copy.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein altering further includes automatically updating the tagged private data, the tagged private data copy, the tagged shared data copy, and/or the tagged replicated data copy to match the private data portion when the private data portion is altered by the first sharing partner.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein altering the data tag further includes selecting the one or more sharing partners with a graphical user interface associated with the data tag and the first sharing partner.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein selecting the one or more sharing partners further includes altering the selected sharing partners tag portion with the graphical user interface.

12. The method of claim 8, further including automatically changing the tagged shared data, and the tagged replicated copy to match the tagged private data copy when the tagged private data copy is altered by the first sharing partner.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the first sharing partner and the one or more selected sharing partners correspond to military allies, and the private data portion corresponds to military data associated with the first sharing partner.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the military allies are located in different countries.

15. A data sharing apparatus comprising:

a first sharing partner further including;

a first client computer; and

a first sharing partner server coupled to the first client computer wherein the first sharing partner server further includes a first private data memory containing a private data portion and a private data copy coupled to a first shared data memory to provide a first shared data copy; and

one or more sharing partners associated with the first sharing partner including;

a second client computer associated with a respective one of the one or more sharing partners; and

a second sharing partner server coupled to the second client computer.

16. The data sharing apparatus of claim 15, wherein the second sharing partner server comprises:

a second private data memory coupled to a second shared data memory; and

a shared memory write-only data path from the first shared data memory to the second shared data memory, for coupling the first shared data copy to the second shared memory to provide a replicated data copy.

17. The data sharing apparatus of claim 15, wherein the second sharing partner server comprises:

a second private data memory coupled to a second shared data memory; and

a private memory write-only data path from the first private data memory to the second shared data memory, that couples the private data copy to the second shared data memory to provide the replicated data copy.

18. The data sharing apparatus of claim 15, wherein the one or more sharing partners correspond to military allies, and the first private data portion corresponds to military data.

19. The data sharing apparatus of claim 18, wherein the military allies are in different countries.