File sharing system and file sharing method

• US 20090125522A1
• Filed: 02/04/2008
• Published: 05/14/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Uemura, Tetsuya, Kumazawa, Kiyotake, Kodama, Shoji, Iwami, Naoko
• Granted Patent: US 7,865,537 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/176 Support for shared access to files; File sharing support
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6254 by anonymising data, e.g. decorrelating personal data from the owner's identification
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/42 Anonymization, e.g. involving pseudonyms
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/083 using passwords cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using a predetermined code H04L9/3226
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0891 Revocation or update of secret information, e.g. encryption key update or rekeying
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0894 Escrow, recovery or storing of secret information, e.g. secret key escrow or cryptographic key storage

Abstract

Privacy information of a user is protected without hampering convenience when such user is to process a file in an online file storage. Provided is a file sharing system including at least one or more information processing units and a storage apparatus connected to the at least one or more information processing units via the Internet, and for storing files from the at least one or more information processing units in the storage apparatus and sharing the stored files with the at least one or more information processing units. The information processing unit includes a file creation unit for separating, when creating a file in the storage apparatus, privacy information that identifies a user creating the file from information required for creating the file in the storage apparatus, and creating the file in the storage apparatus by using information obtained by converting the separated privacy information.

Claims

1. A file sharing system including at least one or more information processing units and a storage apparatus connected to said at least one or more information processing units via the Internet, and for storing files from said at least one or more information processing units in said storage apparatus and sharing said stored files with said at least one or more information processing units,

wherein said information processing unit comprises:

a file creation unit for separating, when creating a file in said storage apparatus, privacy information that identifies a user creating said file from information required for creating said file in said storage apparatus, and creating said file in said storage apparatus by using information obtained by converting said separated privacy information.

2. A file sharing system including at least one or more information processing units and a storage apparatus connected to said at least one or more information processing units via the Internet, and for storing files from said at least one or more information processing units in said storage apparatus and sharing said stored files with said at least one or more information processing units,

wherein said information processing unit comprises:

a management table for at least managing privacy information containing a first account and a first path that identify a user creating a file, and storage management information containing a second account that is different from said first account and a second path that is different from said first path;

a registration unit for creating said second account and said second path from said first account and said first path upon creating a new file in said storage apparatus, and associating and registering said first account and said first path in said management table; and

a file creation unit for creating said new file in said storage apparatus by using second account and said second path registered in said management table.

3. The file sharing system according to claim 2,

wherein said privacy information further includes at least any one of the following pieces of information among the group to which said first account belongs, type of file, access authority of the file, and time that said information processing unit accessed said storage apparatus;

and

wherein said management table manages at least any one of the following pieces of information among the group to which said first account belongs, type of file, access authority of the file, and time that said information processing unit accessed said storage apparatus further included in said privacy information by associating [said information] with said first account and said first path.

4. The file sharing system according to claim 2,

wherein said information processing unit further comprises an encryption unit for encrypting said new file;

wherein said file creation unit creates the new file encrypted with said encryption unit in said storage apparatus; and

wherein said management table associates said first account and said first path, and manages an encryption key for decrypting said encrypted new file.

5. The file sharing system according to claim 4,

wherein a file creation unit of a first information processing unit among said at least one or more information processing units, upon creating a first new file, creates said first new file encrypted with said encryption unit by using a first encryption key in said storage apparatus by using said second account;

and

wherein a file creation unit of a second information processing unit among said at least one or more information processing units, upon creating a second new file, creates said second new file encrypted with said encryption unit by using a second encryption key in said storage apparatus by using said second account.

6. The file sharing system according to claim 2,

wherein said registration unit, upon creating said second account from said first account, allocates said second account which is different per file to a file group created by using said first account;

and

wherein said file creation unit creates the respective files in said storage apparatus by using said second account which is different per file.

7. The file sharing system according to claim 6,

wherein said registration unit, upon creating said new file, selects a second account with the fewest files from said second account which is different per file;

and

wherein said file creation unit creates the file in said storage apparatus by using said selected second account.

8. The file sharing system according to claim 3,

wherein said information processing unit includes:

an access authority determination unit for referring to said management table and determining, upon receiving a read request of a file designated by using said first account and said first path, whether there is access authority of said read requested file; and

a read processor for referring to said management table, issuing a read request to said storage apparatus by using a second account and a second path associated with said read requested file, and reading said read requested file when said access authority determination unit determines that there is access authority.

9. The file sharing system according to claim 3,

wherein said information processing unit includes:

an access authority determination unit for referring to said management table and determining, upon receiving a write request of a file designated by using said first account and said first path, whether there is access authority of said write requested file; and

an update processor for referring to said management table, issuing a write request to said storage apparatus by using a second account and a second path associated with said write requested file, and updating the write result of said write request when said access authority determination unit determines that there is access authority.

10. The file sharing system according to claim 2,

wherein said management table further manages time information per registered file;

and

wherein said information processing unit further includes;

an access unit that does not update time information in said management table of files decided randomly from said management table and accesses said randomly decided files in said storage apparatus at a randomly decided time.

11. The file sharing system according to claim 2,

wherein said information processing unit includes:

a dummy file creation unit for creating a new file containing random contents in said storage apparatus.

12. The file sharing system according to claim 2,

wherein said storage apparatus includes:

an account management table for managing a password associated with said second account; and

wherein said information processing unit includes;

a password change unit for periodically changing the password associated with said second account in said storage apparatus.

13. The file sharing system according to claim 2 including at least two or more said storage apparatuses;

wherein said information processing unit includes;

a shared processor for performing file sharing processing for sharing a file designated with said first account and said first path to said storage apparatus in which said file was created;

a read unit for reading said file using said second account and said second path of said file from said storage apparatus based on processing of said shared processor; and

a storage unit for creating a third account and a third path respectively associated with said second account and said second path, and storing said read file and said third account and third path in a storage apparatus that is different from said storage apparatus.

14. The file sharing system according to claim 13,

wherein said information processing unit includes:

a file deletion unit for deleting the file designated with said third account and said third path from said different storage apparatus.

15. The file sharing system according to claim 13,

wherein, upon requesting the sharing of a file, said storage unit adds explanatory information of said file by associating said explanatory information with the file designated with said third account and said third path.

16. The file sharing system according to claim 15,

wherein an information processing unit that is able to access said different storage apparatus includes:

a search request unit for accepting input of search information to be used in the search together with privacy information containing a fourth account for specifying a user searching a file, accessing said different storage apparatus by using a fifth account corresponding to said fourth account, and issuing a request for searching explanatory information in said different storage apparatus by using said search information; and

a search result reception unit for receiving, as a search result, explanatory information searched based on the request from [said] search request unit and a path of the file associated with [said] explanatory information.

17. The file sharing system according to claim 2 comprising a plurality of said storage apparatuses,

wherein, upon creating said new file, said file creation unit includes processing of partitioning said new file to be created into prescribed subfiles, determining said second path per partitioned subfile, and partitioning and creating said file in said plurality of storage apparatuses by using [said] second path per said subfile;

and

wherein said management table manages the correspondence relationship of a second path determined per said subfile and the storage apparatus in which said subfile was created.

18. The file sharing system according to claim 2 further comprising:

a server disposed between said at least one or more information processing units and said storage apparatus for converting an address on said Internet;

wherein said information processing unit accesses said storage apparatus via said server.

19. A file sharing method of a file sharing system including at least one or more information processing units and a storage apparatus connected to said at least one or more information processing units via the Internet, and for storing files from said at least one or more information processing units in said storage apparatus and sharing said stored files with said at least one or more information processing units,

wherein said information processing unit comprises:

a management table for at least managing privacy information containing a first account and a first path that identify a user creating a file, and storage management information containing a second account that is different from said first account and a second path that is different from said first path;

said file sharing method comprising;

a step for creating said second account and said second path from said first account and said first path upon creating a new file in said storage apparatus, and associating and registering said first account and said first path in said management table; and

a step for creating said new file in said storage apparatus by using second account and said second path registered in said management table.