METHOD, SYSTEM, AND PROGRAM PRODUCT FOR PREVENTING UNAUTHORIZED CHANGES TO AN ELECTRONIC DOCUMENT

• US 20070288767A1
• Filed: 06/12/2006
• Published: 12/13/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/12/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Proactive Patents
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Boyer, John M., Trakhtenberg, Vladimir
• Granted Patent: US 8,572,751 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/194
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/64 Protecting data integrity, e.g. using checksums, certificates or signatures

Abstract

The present invention provides a method, system, and program product for preventing unauthorized changes to an electronic document (or a portion thereof). Specifically, under the present invention, an electronic document having a user interface control (UIC) is obtained. It is then determined whether a portion of the electronic document for which the user interaction is being attempted is protected by examining at least one of: a signature status of data associated with the UIC, or an archival status of the UIC. Based on this determination, the user interaction will be denied if it affects at least one of: the data, or a presentation property that affects an interpretation of the data is prevented. A notice indicating the denial of the user interaction can then be communicated to a user/party attempting the user interaction.

Claims

1. A method for preventing unauthorized changes to an electronic document, comprising:

accessing an electronic document having a user interface control (UIC);

determining whether a portion of the electronic document is protected by examining at least one of;

a signature status of data associated with the UIC, or an archival status of the UIC; and

preventing, based on the determining, a user interaction with the electronic document that affects at least one of;

the data, or a presentation property of the electronic document that affects an interpretation of the data.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising communicating a notice indicating the preventing to a user attempting the user interaction.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the notice is selected from a group consisting:

of an ephemeral message, a modeless message, and a modal message.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the data comprises a data item directly associated with the UIC.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the data comprises a data item associated with a user interface grouping UIC that contains the UIC.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic document comprises a contract, and wherein the signature status pertains to a signature by at least one party to the contract.

7. A system for preventing unauthorized changes to an electronic document, comprising:

a system for accessing an electronic document having a user interface control (UIC);

a system for determining whether a portion of the electronic document is protected by examining at least one of;

a signature status of data associated with the UIC, or an archival status of the UIC; and

a system for preventing, based on the determining, a user interaction with the electronic document that affects at least one of;

the data, or a presentation property of the electronic document that affects an interpretation of the data.

8. The system of claim 7, further comprising a system for communicating a notice indicating the preventing to a user attempting the user interaction.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the notice is selected from a group consisting of an ephemeral message, a modeless message, and a modal message.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the data comprises a data item directly associated with the UIC.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein the data comprises a data item associated with a user interface grouping UIC that contains the UIC.

12. The system of claim 7, wherein the electronic document comprises a contract, and wherein the signature status pertains to a signature by at least one party to the contract.

13. A program product stored on a computer readable medium for preventing unauthorized changes to an electronic document, the computer readable medium comprising program code for causing a computer system to perform the following steps:

accessing an electronic document having a user interface control (UIC);

determining whether a portion of the electronic document is protected by examining at least one of;

a signature status of data associated with the UIC, or an archival status of the UIC; and

preventing, based on the determining, a user interaction with the electronic document that affects at least one of;

the data, or a presentation property of the electronic document that affects an interpretation of the data.

14. The program product of claim 13, further comprising program code for causing the computer system to perform the following step:

communicating a notice indicating the preventing to a user attempting the user interaction.

15. The program product of claim 14, wherein the notice is selected from a group consisting of an ephemeral message, a modeless message, and a modal message.

16. The program product of claim 13 wherein the data comprises a data item directly associated with the UIC.

17. The program product of claim 13, wherein the data comprises a data item associated with a user interface grouping UIC that contains the UIC.

18. The program product of claim 13, wherein the electronic document comprises a contract, and wherein the signature status pertains to a signature by at least one party to the contract.

19. A method for deploying an application for preventing unauthorized changes to an electronic document, comprising:

providing a computer infrastructure being operable to;

access an electronic document having at least one user interface control (UIC);

determine whether a portion of the electronic document is protected by examining at least one of;

a signature status of data associated with the UIC, or an archival status of the UIC; and

prevent, based on the determining, a user interaction with the electronic document that affects at least one of;

the data, or a presentation property of the electronic document that affects an interpretation of the data.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the computer infrastructure is further operable to communicate a notice indicating the preventing to a user attempting the user interaction.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the notice is selected from a group consisting of an ephemeral message, a modeless message, and a modal message.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein the data comprises a data item directly associated with the UIC.

23. The method of claim 19, wherein the data comprises a data item associated with a user interface grouping UIC that contains the UIC.

24. The method of claim 19, wherein the electronic document comprises a contract, and wherein the signature status pertains to a signature by at least one party to the contract.