Systems and Methods for Simplified Information Archival

• US 20070112784A1
• Filed: 10/31/2006
• Published: 05/17/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/17/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Iron Mountain Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Iron Mountain Incorporated
• Inventors: Blumenau, Steven
• Application Number:
  US11/555,237
• Publication Number:
  US 20070112784A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/122 using management policies backup systems G06F11/1446; file migration policies for HSM systems G06F16/185
• 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 21/16 Program or content traceability, e.g. by watermarking
• 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: G06F 2221/2101 Auditing as a secondary aspect
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2135 Metering
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2137 Time limited access, e.g. to a computer or data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2143 Clearing memory, e.g. to prevent the data from being stolen
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]

Abstract

Systems and methods for managing digital assets in a distributed computing environment are described. Meta-data for the digital assets is stored separately from the digital assets. Meta-data for some of the digital assets is copied and stored at a central location. Meta-data for the digital assets is generated by clients of the system. A method of providing controlled access to a digital asset of a distributed computing environment includes: creating a repository on the file server to store the digital asset; creating a database within the created repository, the database comprising access control information; recording in the database a first action of a client related to the digital asset; and prior to allowing a second action by the client or another client, evaluating the database to control access to the digital asset.

Claims

1. A method of providing controlled access to a digital asset of a distributed computing environment, the distributed computing environment including at least a file server and one or more clients in communication with the file server, the method comprising:

(a) creating a repository on the file server to store the digital asset;

(b) creating a database within the created repository, the database comprising access control information;

(c) recording in the database a first action of a client related to the digital asset; and

(d) prior to allowing a second action by the client or another client, evaluating the database to control access to the digital asset.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising locking the database when a first end-user requests access to the database.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising unlocking the database after step (c).

4. The method of claim 1 further associating the repository with the respective digital asset and storing an additional version of the same digital asset in the repository.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising assigning the name of the digital asset to the additional version of the digital asset and renaming the previous version of the digital asset.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising preventing access to the digital asset when the evaluation of the database indicates another client has control of the digital asset.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising limiting access to the digital asset when the evaluation of the database indicates another client has control of the digital asset.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the evaluating comprises evaluating by a process that is owned by an entity other than the end-user of the client.

9. A system for providing controlled access to a digital asset of a distributed computing environment, the distributed computing environment including at least a file server and one or more clients in communication with the central computing device, the system comprising:

(a) a client in communication with the network;

(b) a file server in communication with the network, the file server having a repository to store a digital asset and a database within the repository, the database comprising access control information; and

(c) a process running on at least one of the file server and the client, the process recording a first action of the client related to the digital asset in the database and, prior to allowing a second action by the client or another client, evaluating the database to control access to the digital asset.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein the process locks the database when a first end-user requests access to the database.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein the process unlocks the database after step (c).

12. The system of claim 9 wherein the repository is associated with the respective digital asset and the repository stores an additional version of the same digital asset in the repository.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein the name of the additional version of the digital asset comprise a base name and the previous version of the digital asset is renamed.

14. The system of claim 9 wherein the process prevents access to the digital asset when the evaluation of the database indicates another client has control of the digital asset.

15. The system of claim 9 wherein the process limits access to the digital asset when the evaluation of the database indicates another client has control of the digital asset.

16. The system of claim 9 wherein the process is owned by an entity other than the end-user of the client.

17. A computer readable medium having executable instructions thereon to provide controlled access to a digital asset of a distributed computing environment, the distributed computing environment including at least a file server and one or more clients in communication with the file server, the computer readable medium comprising:

(a) instructions to create a repository on the file server to store the digital asset;

(b) instructions to create a database within the created repository, the database comprising access control information;

(c) instruction to record in the database a first action of a client related to the digital asset; and

(d) instructions to, prior to allowing a second action by the client or another client, evaluate the database to control access to the digital asset.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 17 further comprising instructions to lock the database when a first end-user requests access to the database.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 18 further comprising instructions to unlock the database after step (c).

20. The computer readable medium of claim 17 further comprising instructions to associate the repository with the respective digital asset and storing an additional version of the same digital asset in the repository.

22. The computer readable medium of claim 17 further comprising instructions to prevent access to the digital asset when the evaluation of the database indicates another client has control of the digital asset.

23. The computer readable medium of claim 17 further comprising instructions to limit access to the digital asset when the evaluation of the database indicates another client has control of the digital asset.

24. The computer readable medium of claim 17 wherein the instructions to evaluate comprise instructions to evaluate by a process that is owned by an entity other than the end-user of the client.

21. The computer readable medium of claim 21 further comprising instructions to assign the name of the digital asset to the additional version of the digital asset and renaming the previous version of the digital asset.