Method of accessing a file for editing with an application having limited access permissions

• US 20060047727A1
• Filed: 08/30/2004
• Published: 03/02/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Karp, Alan H., Miller, Mark S., Stiegler, Marc D.
• Application Number:
  US10/928,188
• Publication Number:
  US 20060047727A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6218 to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database

Abstract

A method for accessing a file for editing includes limiting access permissions of an application to one or more directories including a first directory and receiving a request to edit the file stored in a second directory using the application. The second directory is not included in the one or more directories available to the application. The file is copied from the second directory to the first directory.

Claims

1. A method for accessing a file for editing, the method comprising:

limiting access permissions of an application to one or more directories, the one or more directories including a first directory;

receiving a request to edit the file using the application, wherein the file is stored in a second directory, the second directory not being included in the one or more directories; and

copying the file from the second directory to the first directory.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising monitoring the file in the first directory to detect a change in the file.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising copying the file from the first directory to the second directory when a change is detected.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising creating the first directory when the application runs.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising deleting the first directory when the application is closed.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising running a program operable to receive the request to edit the file and copy the file from the second directory to the first directory.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising creating a script operable to send the request to the program.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising running the script when the file is selected for editing by a user.

9. The method of claim 6, further comprising displaying a dialog box showing contents of the second directory.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising selecting a control in the application to generate the dialog box.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising sending the request to edit the program in response to a user selecting the file from the contents of the second directory.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising starting a second instance of the application in a restricted user account that does not have access to the one or more directories.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

limiting access permissions of the second instance of the application to one or more directories for the restricted user account, wherein the restricted user account only has access to the one or more directories for the restricted user account;

receiving a request to edit the file using the second instance of the application, wherein the file is stored in the second directory, the second directory not being included in the one or more directories for the restricted user account; and

copying the file from the second directory to another directory, the another directory being included in the one or more directories for the restricted user account.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising copying the file from the another directory to the first directory in response to detecting an edit to the file or the file being closed.

15. A system for editing a file in a first directory, the system comprising:

means for limiting an application to access a predetermined directory;

means for copying the file from the first directory to the predetermined directory;

means for monitoring changes in the file located in the predetermined directory; and

means for copying the file from the predetermined directory to the first directory upon detecting a change in the file.

16. The system of claim 15, further comprising means for creating the predetermined directory.

17. The system of claim 15, further comprising means for requesting copying of the file from the first directory to the predetermined directory.

18. The system of claim 15, further comprising means for displaying contents of the first directory to a user.

19. The system of claim 18, further comprising means for allowing a user to select the file from the contents of the first directory.

20. The system of claim 15, further comprising means for starting a second instance of the application in a restricted user account which does not have access to the predetermined directory.

21. The system of claim 20, further comprising means for limiting the second instance of the application to access a second predetermined directory and means for copying the file from the first directory to the second predetermined directory.

22. The system of claim 21, further comprising means for monitoring changes in the file located in the second predetermined directory and means for copying the file from the second predetermined directory to the first directory upon detecting a change in the file.

23. A computer readable medium on which is embedded one or more computer programs, said one or more computer programs implementing a method for editing a file in a first directory with an application having access to a predetermined directory, said one or more computer programs comprising a set of instructions for:

receiving a request to edit the file with the application;

copying the file from the first directory to the predetermined directory in response to the request;

determining whether the file in the predetermined directory has been modified; and

copying the file from the predetermined directory to the first directory when the file has been modified.

24. The computer readable storage medium according to claim 23, the one or more computer programs further comprising a set of instructions for creating the predetermined directory.

25. The computer readable storage medium according to claim 23, the one or more computer programs further comprising a set of instructions for creating the request to edit the file.

26. The computer readable storage medium according to claim 23, the one or more computer programs further comprising a set of instructions for displaying a dialog box showing contents of the first directory.

27. The computer readable storage medium according to claim 26, wherein the one or more computer programs further comprises a set of instructions for creating the request to edit the file in response to a user selecting the file from the contents of the first directory.

28. The computer readable storage medium according to claim 26, wherein the one or more computer programs further comprises a set of instructions for displaying a control in the application and displaying the dialog box in response to a user selecting the control.

29. The computer readable storage medium according to claim 23, the one or more computer programs further comprising a set of instructions for running a second instance of the application, the second instance of the application having access to a second predetermined directory and not the predetermined directory.

30. The computer readable storage medium according to claim 29, the one or more computer programs further comprising a set of instructions for receiving a request to edit the file with the second instance of the application and copying the file from the first directory to the second predetermined directory in response to the request.

31. The computer readable storage medium according to claim 30, the one or more computer programs further comprising a set of instructions for determining whether the file in the first predetermined directory has been modified and copying the file from the first predetermined directory to the first directory when the file has been modified.

32. A computer system comprising:

a restricted user account operable run an application on the computer system and access files in a predetermined directory of the computer system;

a file located in a first directory not accessible by the user account;

a program for copying the file located in the first directory to the predetermined directory, wherein the application is operable to edit the file.

33. The system of claim 32, wherein the predetermined directory is a temporary directory created by the application.

34. The system of claim 32, wherein the program is further operable to monitor changes of the file in the predetermined directory.

35. The system of claim 32, wherein the program is further operable to copy the file from the predetermined directory to the first directory when the file is changed.

36. The system of claim 32, further comprising a script for sending a request to the program for copying the file from the first directory to the predetermined directory.

37. The system of claim 36, wherein the script is run when the file is selected.

38. The system of claim 32, wherein the application further comprises a dialog box showing contents of the first directory.

39. The system of claim 38, wherein the application further comprises a control selectable by the user for displaying the dialog box.

40. The system of claim 39, wherein the application further comprises a pop-up menu having the control.

41. The system of claim 32, further comprising a second user account permitted to run a second instance of the application on the computer system and access files in a second predetermined directory of the computer system, the second predetermined directory being different from the predetermined directory.

42. The system of claim 41, wherein the second user account is not permitted to access the first directory.

43. The system of claim 42, wherein the program is configured for copying the file located in the first directory to the second predetermined directory, wherein the application is operable to edit the file.