System and method for providing a secure environment during the use of electronic documents and data
First Claim
1. In a network interfaced with an electronic device, a method, comprising the steps of:
- providing a document on said electronic device, said document associated with a workflow, said workflow being a sequence of steps required to accomplish a task;
allowing access to said document in response to a request from a remotely located device interfaced with said electronic device via said network, said access being allowed after authenticating the user of said remote electronic device;
updating said workflow to indicate the completion of a task listed in said workflow, said task performed using said document; and
storing said document on said electronic device, said document including an electronic signature from the user of said remote electronic device.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
The illustrative embodiment of the present discloses a method of providing a secure environment during the use of electronic documents and data. Authenticated users are able to access, act upon and sign, via a secure connection, a workflow object that is stored on a remote server. The workflow object includes a sequence of action items, the steps in a workflow, and includes documents or references to documents required by the workflow. Also included in the workflow object is an Access Control List ( ACL ) which specifies which users can access which documents at which times. Each document has its own ACL which allows the access of each document to be specified independently from other documents at a given time. The documents may be encrypted and decrypted using a variety of methods designed to enhance security, including the use of digital signatures. Once a document is decrypted ( if encrypted), the user performs a task specified in the workflow using the decrypted document. The workflow is updated to reflect completed tasks, the document may be electronically signed, and the altered document is then re-encrypted.
180 Citations
31 Claims
-
1. In a network interfaced with an electronic device, a method, comprising the steps of:
-
providing a document on said electronic device, said document associated with a workflow, said workflow being a sequence of steps required to accomplish a task;
allowing access to said document in response to a request from a remotely located device interfaced with said electronic device via said network, said access being allowed after authenticating the user of said remote electronic device;
updating said workflow to indicate the completion of a task listed in said workflow, said task performed using said document; and
storing said document on said electronic device, said document including an electronic signature from the user of said remote electronic device. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
-
-
11. In a network interfaced with an electronic device, a method, comprising the steps of:
-
providing a document encrypted using Public Key Infrastructure ( PKI ) on said electronic device, said encrypted document associated with a workflow;
providing a server interfaced with said network, said server interfaced with a certificate authority, said certificate authority issuing certificates binding user identities with public and private encryption keys;
storing at least one encrypted document and an accompanying certificate issued by said certificate authority on said server, said encrypted document associated with a workflow;
decrypting the encrypted document using the information in said certificate in response to a request from a remotely located device interfaced with said network;
updating said workflow to indicate the completion of a task listed in said workflow, said task performed using said document; and
storing said previously encrypted document on said electronic device, said previously encrypted document being re-encrypted prior to being stored. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
-
-
18. In a network interfaced with an electronic device, a method, comprising the steps of:
-
providing an encrypted document on said electronic device, said encrypted document associated with a workflow;
said workflow being a sequence of steps required to accomplish a task;
decrypting said encrypted document in response to a request from a remotely located device interfaced with said electronic device via said network;
performing a task with said document indicated by said workflow; and
updating said workflow to indicate the completion of a task listed in said workflow, said task performed using said document.
-
-
19. In a network interfaced with an electronic device, a method, comprising the steps of:
-
providing an encrypted document on said electronic device, said encrypted document associated with a workflow, said workflow being a sequence of steps required to accomplish a task;
decrypting said encrypted document in response to a request from a remotely located device interfaced with said electronic device via said network;
updating said workflow to indicate the completion of a task listed in said workflow, said task performed using said document; and
storing said previously encrypted document on said electronic device, said previously encrypted document being re-encrypted prior to being stored. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28)
-
-
29. In a network with an electronic device, said electronic device holding at least one encrypted document associated with a workflow, a medium holding computer-executable steps for a method, said method comprising the steps of:
-
decrypting said encrypted document in response to a request from a remotely located device interfaced with said network over a secure connection;
updating said workflow to indicate the completion of a task listed in said workflow, said task performed using said document; and
storing said previously encrypted document, said previously encrypted document being re-encrypted prior to being stored. - View Dependent Claims (30, 31)
-
Specification