Document management apparatus, a document management method, a document management program and a recording medium storing the document management program

• US 20050125378A1
• Filed: 11/04/2004
• Published: 06/09/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/17/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Kawada, Jun
• Application Number:
  US10/980,773
• Publication Number:
  US 20050125378A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/10 Protecting distributed programs or content, e.g. vending or licensing of copyrighted material protection in video systems or pay television H04N7/16 ; Digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/33 using certificates
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6218 to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database

Abstract

A document management apparatus receives an acquisition request of authentication information from a client that requests acquisition authentication information regarding the documents or the document storing means for storing the documents, the authentication information containing information regarding a time limit of use of the authentication information and/or information regarding a number of times of use of the authentication information. The authentication information is produced in accordance with the acquisition request of the authentication information, and is sent to a client. The document management apparatus receives a request containing the authentication information from the client that has sent the authentication information or a client different from the client that has sent the authentication information. The document management apparatus determines validity of the authentication information contained in the request.

Claims

1. A document management apparatus for managing documents, comprising:

authentication information acquisition request receiving means for receiving an acquisition request of authentication information from a client that requests acquisition of the authentication information regarding the documents or the document storing means for storing the documents, the authentication information containing information regarding a time limit of use of the authentication information and/or information regarding a number of times of use of the authentication information;

authentication information producing means for producing the authentication information in accordance with the acquisition request of the authentication information;

authentication information sending means for sending the authentication information to said client;

request receiving means for receiving a request containing the authentication information from said client that has sent the authentication information or a client different from said client that has sent the authentication information; and

validity determining means for determining validity of the authentication information contained in the request.

2. The document management apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said validity determining means determines the validity of the authentication information based on the time limit of use of the authentication information.

3. The document management apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said validity determining means determines the validity of the authentication information based on the number of times of use of the authentication information.

4. The document management apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the acquisition request of the authentication information further contains information regarding authority of the authentication information when the time limit of use or the number of times of use runs out.

5. The document management apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the information regarding the time limit of use of the authentication information indicates whether the authentication information is valid within a designated time limit or the authentication information is valid permanently.

6. The document management apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the information regarding the number of times of use of the authentication information indicates whether the authentication information is valid for one time use or valid for any number of times of use.

7. The document management apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the information regarding the number of times of use of the authentication information indicates whether the authentication information is valid for designated number of times of use or valid for any number of times of use.

8. The document management apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein the information regarding authority of the authentication information when running out the time limit of use or the number of times of use indicates whether to invalidate the authentication information or give a limited authority when the time limit of use or the number of times of use runs out.

9. The document management apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising changing means for changing the time limit of use and/or the number of times of use of the authentication information in accordance with the request containing the authentication information.

10. A document management method for managing documents in a document management apparatus, comprising:

an authentication information acquisition request receiving step of receiving an acquisition request of authentication information from a client that requests acquisition of the authentication information regarding the documents or the document storing means for storing the documents, the authentication information containing information regarding a time limit of use of the authentication information and/or information regarding a number of times of use of the authentication information;

an authentication information producing step of producing the authentication information in accordance with the acquisition request of the authentication information;

an authentication information sending step of sending the authentication information to said client;

a request receiving step of receiving a request containing the authentication information from said client that has sent the authentication information or a client different from said client that has sent the authentication information; and

a validity determining step of determining validity of the authentication information contained in the request.

11. The document management method as claimed in claim 10, wherein said validity determining step determines the validity of the authentication information based on the time limit of use of the authentication information.

12. The document management method as claimed in claim 10, wherein said validity determining step determines the validity of the authentication information based on the number of times of use of the authentication information.

13. The document management method as claimed in claim 10, wherein the acquisition request of the authentication information further contains information regarding authority of the authentication information when the time limit of use or the number of times of use runs out.

14. The document management method as claimed in claim 10, wherein the information regarding the time limit of use of the authentication information indicates whether the authentication information is valid within a designated time limit or the authentication information is valid permanently.

15. The document management method as claimed in claim 10, wherein the information regarding the number of times of use of the authentication information indicates whether the authentication information is valid for one time use or valid for any number of times of use.

16. The document management method as claimed in claim 10, wherein the information regarding the number of times of use of the authentication information indicates whether the authentication information is valid for designated number of times of use or valid for any number of times of use.

17. The document management method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the information regarding authority of the authentication information when running out the time limit of use or the number of times of use indicates whether to invalidate the authentication information or give a limited authority when the time limit of use or the number of times of use runs out.

18. The document management method as claimed in claim 10, further comprising a changing step of changing the time limit of use and/or the number of times of use of the authentication information in accordance with the request containing the authentication information.

19. A recording medium storing a document management program that causes a computer to perform a document management method for managing documents in a document management apparatus, the document management method comprising:

an authentication information acquisition request receiving step of receiving an acquisition request of authentication information from a client that requests acquisition of the authentication information regarding the documents or the document storing means for storing the documents, the authentication information containing information regarding a time limit of use of the authentication information and/or information regarding a number of times of use of the authentication information;

an authentication information producing step of producing the authentication information in accordance with the acquisition request of the authentication information;

an authentication information sending step of sending the authentication information to said client;

a request receiving step of receiving a request containing the authentication information from said client that has sent the authentication information or a client different from said client that has sent the authentication information; and

a validity determining step of determining validity of the authentication information contained in the request.

20. A document management program that causes a computer to perform a document management method for managing documents in a document management apparatus, the document management method comprising:

an authentication information acquisition request receiving step of receiving an acquisition request of authentication information from a client that requests acquisition of the authentication information regarding the documents or the document storing means for storing the documents, the authentication information containing information regarding a time limit of use of the authentication information and/or information regarding a number of times of use of the authentication information;

an authentication information producing step of producing the authentication information in accordance with the acquisition request of the authentication information;

an authentication information sending step of sending the authentication information to said client;

a request receiving step of receiving a request containing the authentication information from said client that has sent the authentication information or a client different from said client that has sent the authentication information; and

a validity determining step of determining validity of the authentication information contained in the request.