USING AN ACCESS CONTROL LIST RULE TO GENERATE AN ACCESS CONTROL LIST FOR A DOCUMENT INCLUDED IN A FILE PLAN

• US 20080155652A1
• Filed: 12/22/2006
• Published: 06/26/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: DeBie, Tod
• Granted Patent: US 7,836,080 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/2
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/604 Tools and structures for managing or administering access control systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2141 Access rights, e.g. capability lists, access control lists, access tables, access matrices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2145 Inheriting rights or properties, e.g., propagation of permissions or restrictions within a hierarchy
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

Provided are a method, system, and article of manufacture for using an access control list rule to generate an access control list for a document included in a file plan. A file plan includes a plurality of containers, wherein each container is capable of providing management information for documents in the file plan. An access control list rule indicates one of a plurality of access control list rules, wherein the access control list rules provide different ways to form file plan document access control lists using at least one of an access control list defined for a container and a pre-file plan document access control list indicating users enabled to access the document before the document is added to the file plan. A request to add a document to the file plan is received and a file plan document access control list is generated according to the defined access control list rule. The file plan document access control list is associated with the document in the file plan.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

providing a file plan including a plurality of containers, wherein each container is capable of providing management information for documents in the file plan;

defining an access control list rule indicating one of a plurality of access control list rules, wherein the access control list rules provide different ways to form file plan document access control lists using at least one of an access control list defined for a container and a pre-file plan document access control list indicating users enabled to access the document before the document is added to the file plan;

receiving a request to add a document to the file plan;

generating a file plan document access control list according to the defined access control list rule; and

associating the file plan document access control list with the document in the file plan.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein one of the access control list rules indicates to include in the file plan document access control list the users indicated in the pre-file plan document access control list with read-only access to the document in the file plan, wherein at least one of the users in the pre-file plan document access control list had read and write access to the document in the pre-file plan document access control list.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein multiple access control lists are defined for at least one container, and wherein at least one access control list rule indicates to use one of the access control lists defined for the container to include in the file plan document access control list.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein a first access control list defined for the container indicates users enabled to modify container settings and wherein a second access control list defined for the container is intended for documents added to the file plan, wherein the access control list included in the file plan document access control list comprises the second access control list.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the access control list rule indicates to select one access control list defined for the container to include in the file plan document access control list by:

processing document metadata for the document; and

selecting one access control list defined for the container based on the document metadata.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the container has different access control lists associated with different types of documents, wherein processing the document metadata comprises determining a document type for the document in the file plan, and wherein the selected access control list comprises the access control list associated with the determined document type.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the access control list defined for one container that is included in the file plan document access control list comprises the access control list defined for a container to which the document is included in the file plan.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein containers are arranged in a hierarchical relationship, wherein the access control list defined for one container that is included in the file plan document access control list comprises:

one access control list defined for the container including the document in response to determining that the container including the document is defined to have one access control list; and

one access control list defined for a first ancestor container to the container including the document in the hierarchical relationship in response to determining that the container including the document is not defined to have one access control list.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein determining users in the pre-file plan document access control list comprises:

processing the document to determine users indicated in the document to include in the file plan document access control list.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the document comprises an electronic message and wherein processing the document to determine users comprises determining users indicated in address fields of the electronic message.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining the access control list rule defined for the container including the document, wherein the file plan document access control list is generated according to the determined access control list rule.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein containers are arranged in a hierarchical relationship, further comprising:

determining the access control list rule defined for a first ancestor container to the container including the document in the hierarchical relationship in response to determining that the container including the document is not defined to have the access control list rule.

13. A system, comprising:

a processor;

a file plan including a plurality of containers, wherein each container is capable of providing management information for documents in the file plan;

an access control list rule indicating one of a plurality of access control list rules, wherein the access control list rules provide different ways to form file plan document access control lists using at least one of an access control list defined for a container and a pre-file plan document access control list indicating users enabled to access the document before the document is added to the file plan; and

a computer readable medium including code executed by the processor to perform operations, the operations comprising;

receiving a request to add a document to the file plan;

generating a file plan document access control list according to the defined access control list rule; and

associating the file plan document access control list with the document in the file plan.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein one of the access control list rules indicates to include in the file plan document access control list the users indicated in the pre-file plan document access control list with read-only access to the document in the file plan, wherein at least one of the users in the pre-file plan document access control list had read and write access to the document in the pre-file plan document access control list.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein multiple access control lists are defined for at least one container, and wherein at least one access control list rule indicates to use one of the access control lists defined for the container to include in the file plan document access control list.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein a first access control list defined for the container indicates users enabled to modify container settings and wherein a second access control list defined for the container is intended for documents added to the file plan, wherein the access control list included in the file plan document access control list comprises the second access control list.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the access control list rule indicates to select one access control list defined for the container to include in the file plan document access control list by:

processing document metadata for the document; and

selecting one access control list defined for the container based on the document metadata.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein containers are arranged in a hierarchical relationship, wherein the access control list defined for one container that is included in the file plan document access control list comprises:

one access control list defined for the container including the document in response to determining that the container including the document is defined to have one access control list; and

one access control list defined for a first ancestor container to the container including the document in the hierarchical relationship in response to determining that the container including the document is not defined to have one access control list.

19. The system of claim 13, wherein determining users in the pre-file plan document access control list comprises:

processing the document to determine users indicated in the document to include in the file plan document access control list.

20. The system of claim 13, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining the access control list rule defined for the container including the document, wherein the file plan document access control list is generated according to the determined access control list rule.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein containers are arranged in a hierarchical relationship, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining the access control list rule defined for a first ancestor container to the container including the document in the hierarchical relationship in response to determining that the container including the document is not defined to have the access control list rule.

22. An article of manufacture including code enabled to cause operations to be performed, the operations comprising:

providing a file plan including a plurality of containers, wherein each container is capable of providing management information for documents in the file plan;

defining an access control list rule indicating one of a plurality of access control list rules, wherein the access control list rules provide different ways to form file plan document access control lists using at least one of an access control list defined for a container and a pre-file plan document access control list indicating users enabled to access the document before the document is added to the file plan;

receiving a request to add a document to the file plan;

generating a file plan document access control list according to the defined access control list rule; and

associating the file plan document access control list with the document in the file plan.

23. The article of manufacture of claim 22, wherein one of the access control list rules indicates to include in the file plan document access control list the users indicated in the pre-file plan document access control list with read-only access to the document in the file plan, wherein at least one of the users in the pre-file plan document access control list had read and write access to the document in the pre-file plan document access control list.

24. The article of manufacture of claim 22, wherein multiple access control lists are defined for at least one container, and wherein at least one access control list rule indicates to use one of the access control lists defined for the container to include in the file plan document access control list.

25. The article of manufacture of claim 24, wherein a first access control list defined for the container indicates users enabled to modify container settings and wherein a second access control list defined for the container is intended for documents added to the file plan, wherein the access control list included in the file plan document access control list comprises the second access control list.

26. The article of manufacture of claim 24, wherein the access control list rule indicates to select one access control list defined for the container to include in the file plan document access control list by:

processing document metadata for the document; and

selecting one access control list defined for the container based on the document metadata.

27. The article of manufacture of claim 26, wherein the container has different access control lists associated with different types of documents, wherein processing the document metadata comprises determining a document type for the document in the file plan, and wherein the selected access control list comprises the access control list associated with the determined document type.

28. The article of manufacture of claim 22, wherein the access control list defined for one container that is included in the file plan document access control list comprises the access control list defined for a container to which the document is included in the file plan.

29. The article of manufacture of claim 22, wherein containers are arranged in a hierarchical relationship, wherein the access control list defined for one container that is included in the file plan document access control list comprises:

one access control list defined for the container including the document in response to determining that the container including the document is defined to have one access control list; and

one access control list defined for a first ancestor container to the container including the document in the hierarchical relationship in response to determining that the container including the document is not defined to have one access control list.

30. The article of manufacture of claim 22, wherein determining users in the pre-file plan document access control list comprises:

processing the document to determine users indicated in the document to include in the file plan document access control list.

31. The article of manufacture of claim 30, wherein the document comprises an electronic message and wherein processing the document to determine users comprises determining users indicated in address fields of the electronic message.

32. The article of manufacture of claim 22, further comprising:

determining the access control list rule defined for the container including the document, wherein the file plan document access control list is generated according to the determined access control list rule.

33. The article of manufacture of claim 32, wherein containers are arranged in a hierarchical relationship, further comprising:

determining the access control list rule defined for a first ancestor container to the container including the document in the hierarchical relationship in response to determining that the container including the document is not defined to have the access control list rule.