Communication device, communication system and method therefor

• US 20030135761A1
• Filed: 12/12/2002
• Published: 07/17/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Kotani, Hiroki, Kumagai, Naoko, Mimura, Atsuhiko
• Granted Patent: US 7,596,805 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/201
• 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 63/104 Grouping of entities

Abstract

A communication device including an access authority data managing DB device for managing access authority data with which access authority for at least one of storage area defined logically or physically in a storage device and file data stored in the storage area is defined while at least one of a user making the access and a group to which the user concerned belongs is set as a unit, and a non-open WWW device for controlling an access to the storage device on the basis of the access authority data achieved from the access authority data managing DB device in accordance with an access from a terminal device.

Claims

1. A communication device which accepts an access from a single or plural other communication devices through a network in accordance with the operation of plural users, characterized by comprising:

storage means;

managing means for managing access authority data which defines access authority for at least one of a directory defined in a storage area of said storage means and file data stored in the directory concerned every at least one of a user who makes the access and a group to which the user concerned belongs; and

access control means for making an inquiry to said managing means in accordance with the access and controlling the access to said storage means on the basis of the access authority data received from said managing means in response to the inquiry concerned every user or group.

2. The communication device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said access control means receives an operation instruction relating to the directory or the file data from the other communication device in association with the access, judges on the basis of the access authority data whether the operation instruction has justice and carries out the processing corresponding to the operation instruction if the justice of the operation instruction is authorized.

3. The communication device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the operation instruction is an instruction concerning at least one of search, name change, copy, movement, deletion and upload of the directory or file data.

4. The communication device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the access authority data defines at least one of authority for receiving a display of the directory defined in said storage area, authority for changing the name of the directory concerned, authority for adding file data into the directory concerned, authority for altering file data stored in the directory concerned, authority for changing a comment of file data stored in the directory concerned and authority for changing access authority given to the directory concerned.

5. The communication device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said storage means stores the comment data corresponding to the file data, said managing means manages the access authority data which defines authority for performing at least one of change and addition of the comment data every at least one of the user and-the group, and said access control means controls at least one of the change and addition of the comment data on the basis of the access authority data for the user or group.

6. The communication device as claimed in claim 1, wherein when receiving from the other communication device an operation instruction indicating at least one of the change and addition of the access authority indicated by the access authority data, the access control means judges whether the operation instruction has justice, and instructs at least one of the change and addition of the access authority data corresponding to the operation instruction to said managing means if the operation instruction is judged to have justice.

7. The communication device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said access control means supplies the other communication device with a display screen containing an image in which the directory is indicated in a tree structure, an image indicating access authority data received from said managing means and an image indicating the directory thus indicated and the operation pertaining to the file data on the display screen.

8. The communication device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising authenticating means for performing user authentication and permitting an access from the other communication device to said access control means under the condition that the justice of the user concerned is accepted.

9. The communication device as claimed in claim 8, wherein said storage means, said managing means, said access control means and said authenticating means are protected by fire wall.

10. A communication system which accepts an access from a single or plural other communication devices through a network in accordance with the operation of plural users, characterized by comprising:

storage means;

managing means for managing access authority data for defining access authority for at least one of first and second areas logically or physically defined in a storage area of said storage means and file data stored in the first and second storage areas concerned every at least one of a user making the access and a group to which the user concerned belongs;

first access control means for making an inquiry to said managing means in response to a request for an access to the first storage area and controlling the access to the first storage area on the basis of the access authority data received from said managing means in response to the inquiry every user or group; and

second access control means for making an inquiry to said managing means in response to a request for an access to the second storage area and controlling the access to the second storage area on the basis of the access authority data received from said managing means in response to the inquiry every user or group.

11. The communication system as claimed in claim 10, further comprising:

first authenticating means for performing user authentication to judge whether a user has access authority for said first access control means, and permitting an access from the other communication device to said first access control means under the condition that the justice of the user concerned is acknowledged; and

second authenticating means for performing user authentication to judge whether a user has access authority for said second access control means, and permitting an access from the other communication device to said second access control means under the condition that the justice of the user concerned is acknowledged.

12. The communication system as claimed in claim 11, wherein said first authenticating means permits a prescribed user making the access through a generally open communication network and a prescribed user making the access through a specific dedicated line to make the access to said first access control means, and second authenticating means permits a prescribed user making the access through a specific dedicated line to make an access to said second access control means.

13. A communication method for receiving an access from single or plural other communication devices through a network in accordance with an operation of plural users to perform prescribed processing, characterized by comprising:

a step of managing access authority data in which access authority for at least one of a directory defined in a storage area of storage means and file data stored in the directory concerned is defined while at least one of a user making the access and a group to which the user belongs is set as a unit; and

a step of controlling the access to the storage means on the basis of the access authority data in accordance with the access with the user or the group as a unit.

14. The communication method as claimed in claim 13, further comprising:

a step of receiving an operation instruction relating to the directory or file data from the other communication device in connection with the access;

a step of judging the justice of the operation instruction on the basis of the access authority data; and

a step of performing the processing corresponding to the operation instruction when the justice of the operation instruction is acknowledged.

15. The communication method as claimed in claim 14, wherein the operation instruction is an instruction for at least one of search, name change, copy, movement, deletion and upload of the directory or file data.

16. The communication method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the access authority data defines at least one of authority for receiving a display of the directory, authority for changing the name of the -directory, authority for adding file data in the directory, authority for changing file data stored in the directory, authority for changing the comment of file data stored in the directory, and authority for changing access authority given to the directory.

17. The communication method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the access authority data in which authority for performing at least one of change and addition of the comment data is defined every at least one of the user and the group as a unit is managed when the storage means stores the comment data corresponding to the file data, and at least one of change and addition of the comment data is controlled on the basis of the access authority data every user and the group.

18. The communication method as claimed in claim 13, wherein when an operation instruction indicating at least one of change and addition of the access authority indicated by the access authority data is received from the other communication device, justice of the operation instruction is judged, and if the justice of the operation instruction is acknowledged, at least one of change and addition of the access authority data corresponding to the operation instruction is carried out.

19. The communication method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the other communication device is provided with a screen containing an image in which the directory is shown in a tree structure, an image indicating the access authority data received from the managing means, and an image for indicating the operation relating to the indicated directory and file data on the screen.

20. A communication method for receiving an access from single or plural other communication devices through a network in accordance with operations of plural users and carrying out processing by using storage means, managing means, first access control means and second access control means, characterized in that the managing means manages access authority data which define access authority for at least one of first and second storage areas defined logically or physically in the storage means and file data stored in the first and second storage areas every at least one of a user making the access and a group to which the user concerned belongs, the first access control means makes an inquiry to the managing means in accordance with the access to the first storage area and controls the access to the first storage area on the basis of the access authority data received from the managing means in response to the inquiry every user or group, and the second access control means makes an inquiry to the managing means in accordance with the access to the second storage area, and controlling the access to the second storage area on the basis of the access authority data received from the managing means in response to the inquiry every user or group.

21. The communication method as claimed in claim 20, wherein user authentication to judge whether a user has access authority for the first access control means is performed, an access from the other communication device to the first access control means is permitted, under the condition that the justice of the user concerned is acknowledged, user authentication to judge whether a user has access authority for the second access control means is judged, and an access from the other communication device to the second access control means is permitted under the condition that the justice of the user concerned is acknowledged.

22. The communication method as claimed in claim 21, wherein a prescribed user making the access through a generally open communication network and a prescribed user making the access through a specific dedicated line are permitted to make the access to the first access control means, and a prescribed user making the access through a specific dedicated line is permitted to make an access to the second access control means.