DIGITAL DATA DISTRIBUTION DETECTION, DETERRENCE AND DISABLEMENT SYSTEM AND METHOD

• US 20080082827A1
• Filed: 02/15/2007
• Published: 04/03/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kevin W. Schick, Purusharth Agrawal
• Original Assignee: Kevin W. Schick, Purusharth Agrawal
• Inventors: Schick, Kevin W., Agrawal, Purusharth
• Granted Patent: US 8,407,806 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/176
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2463/101 applying security measures for digital rights management data processing systems or methods, specially adapted for commerce, e.g. marketing, shopping, billing, auctions or e-commerce G06Q30/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources

Abstract

A method of distributing a data over a network includes protecting the data as a protected document by encryption and watermarking, controlling access to the protected document based on permissions, checking for permissions from a database, recording a record of the step of checking in the database, and accessing the protected document if allowed per permissions from the step of checking. The method collects a so-called “document thread” indicating a fingerprint of the first accessor of the data and the distributions and uses subsequently made of the data. The method is operable via a web page interface, such as through a browser of a device of the network communicatively connected to a web server of a data center. The method is alternately operable atop a document/data management system, including a client device application of a device of the network communicatively connected to the document/data management system. The method provides detection and log of the protected data in each event of access by the device over the network, deterrence of inappropriate access to the protected data by the device through policies for the document and device and event recordation on access, and disablement of the protected data for access by the device if access is not permissible per the method.

Claims

1. A system for distribution of a data over a network, comprising:

a content protector for encrypting and watermarking the data as protected data;

an access controller for checking and reporting permissions to the protected data;

a database communicatively connected to the content protector and the access controller, for maintaining information of the protected data from the content provider and the access controller; and

the content protector and the access controller are communicatively connected to the network.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a server computer communicatively connected to the content protector for serving the protected data over the network via a browser network interface.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a document manager communicatively connected to the content protector for making accessible the protected data over the network via a manager client application interface.

4. A method of distributing a data over a network, comprising the steps of:

protecting the data as protected data by encryption and watermarking;

controlling access to the protected data based on permissions;

checking for permissions from a database;

recording a record of the step of checking in the database; and

accessing the protected data if allowed per permissions from the step of checking.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising the step of:

serving the protected data over the network via a browser network interface.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising the steps of:

managing the data, together with other data, via a document management system; and

communicating with the document management system in the step of accessing the protected data, over the network by a client system application.

7. A method for distributing a document, comprising the steps of:

detecting an event of access to the document in protected format by a data center;

deterring inappropriate action with the document by denial of permissions by the data center and through the step of detecting the event of access; and

disabling use of the document by denial of permissions.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the step of detecting is performed via communications of a device over a network to the data center, and includes logging of the event and the device in a database of the data center whenever the document in protected format is used by the device;

wherein the step of deterring includes check of the document for authenticity by comparison of hash calculations for the document access and the document as maintained at the data center, and also include the logging in the database; and

wherein the step of disabling includes denial of permissions to use the document in response to the device communications over the network to the data center in the step of detecting.

9. A system for distribution of a document by a data center to a device in communication with the data center, comprising:

a database for tracking access to and use of the document;

a content protector, connected to the database, for incorporating protections in the document prior to any access to the document by the device; and

an access controller, connected to the database, for logging any access to the document by the device and reporting to the device any applicable permissions for the access by the device;

wherein the content protector encrypts and watermarks the document prior to any access to the document by the device, and calculates a first hash of the document and a second hash of the document after protections are incorporated;

wherein the access controller reports applicable access permissions, per policies dictated by the database, for the document and the device, to the device upon any access by the device to the document;

wherein the database, in conjunction with the access controller, operate to compare a third hash of the document in any access by the device, to the first hash and the second hash, in order to determine to report the applicable permissions;

wherein the applicable permissions allow the device to obtain a key to decode the document as encrypted, if access to the document is determined by the access controller, in conjunction with the database, to be appropriate for the device; and

wherein the applicable permissions are not reported by the access controller to the device, if access to the document is determined by the access controller, in conjunction with the database, to be inappropriate for the device.

10. The system of claim 9, further comprising:

a web server connected to the content protector; and

a web page interface served by the web server to the device, the device communicatively connected to the web server;

wherein the document, in protected format from the content protector, is deliverable to the device from the content protector via the web page interface.

11. The system of claim 9, further comprising:

a document manager connected to the content protector; and

a client application of the device communicatively connects the device to the document manager;

wherein the document, in protected format from the content protector, is obtained by the device from the document manager via the client application.

12. A method of distribution of a document by a data center to a device in communication with the data center, comprising the steps of:

tracking access to and use of the document by a database;

protecting the document by a content protector connected to the database, prior to any access to the document by the device;

logging any access to the document by the device by an access controller connected to the database; and

reporting to the device any applicable permissions for the access by the device, by the access controller in communication with the database;

wherein the step of protecting includes encrypting the document;

wherein the step of protecting includes watermarking the document;

wherein the step of protecting includes calculating a first hash of the document and a second hash of the document after the steps of encrypting and watermarking the document;

wherein the step of logging includes communication by the access controller to the database, of an access to the document by the device and an identifier of the device;

calculating a third hash of the document as accessed by the device;

comparing the third hash to the first hash and the second hash to check that the document as accessed by the device is authentic and not altered;

wherein the step of reporting is dependent on a match result of the step of comparing;

wherein the step of reporting is also dependent on policies dictated by the database, in communication with the access controller, as to permissions for the document and the device; and

obtaining a key by the device to decode the document at the device, if permissions for the document and the device are provided by the access controller, in conjunction with the database, in the step of reporting.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising the steps of:

serving a web page interface to the device, by a web server connected to the content protector;

delivering the document, from the step of protecting by the content protector, to the device via the web page interface.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising the steps of:

managing the document for access by the device; and

connecting a client application of the device to perform the step of managing in order to retrieve to the device the document from the step of protecting by the content protector.