Managing Document Access

• US 20090257596A1
• Filed: 04/06/2009
• Published: 10/15/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/15/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Secchi, Marco, Pichetti, Luigi, Secomandi, Antonio, Piccinini, Sandro
• Granted Patent: US 8,291,471 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 380/279
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6209 to a single file or object, e.g. in a secure envelope, encrypted and accessed using a key, or with access control rules appended to the object itself

Abstract

Methods, computer program products and systems for protecting a document from access by one or more users based on one or more document access rules. In one embodiment, the method includes creating a data set representing the one or more document access rules, storing the document and the associated data set, determining and storing a key for opening the document when one or more document access rules from the data set are met, and releasing the key to open the document to one or more users in response to a request from a user which meets one or more document access rules, thereby enabling the user to access the document.

Claims

1. A method of managing access to a document, the method comprising:

creating a data set representing one or more document access rules;

storing the document and the representative data set;

determining and storing a key for opening the document when one or more document access rules from the data set are met;

releasing the key to open the document to one or more users in response to a request from a user which meets the one or more document access rules; and

enabling the user to access the document.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising requesting the key by means of an authorization request, wherein the authorization request is generated at a viewer plug-in as the user attempts to open the document.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising creating a data set in the form of metadata.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising storing the data set in the document.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising basing the document access rules on one or more of a time, a date, a user access level, a trigger event or time, a user equipment, other user criteria, a start time or a finish time.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising denying access to the document by preventing determination of the key when the document access rules are unmet.

7. The method claim 1, wherein the releasing the key includes transmitting the key to the user.

8. A computer program product comprising:

a computer readable medium including program instructions for managing access to a document and implemented by a computer system, the program instructions for;

attempting to open the document by means of a document viewer;

creating a data set representing one or more document access rules;

sending an authorization request from the document viewer to an authorization server asking for permission to open the document;

receiving a key generated by the authorization server if the request meets the one or more document access rules; and

unlocking the document with the key to allow one or more users to view the document.

9. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the computer program product includes a storage medium for storing the document.

10. The computer program product of claim 8, further comprising program instructions for deriving the one or more document access rules from the data set.

11. The computer program product of claim 10, further comprising program instructions for creating the data set in the form of metadata.

12. The computer program product of claim 10, further comprising program instructions for storing the data set in the document.

13. The computer program product of claim 10, further comprising program instructions for basing the document access rules on one or more of a time, a date, a user access level, a trigger event or time, a user equipment, other user criteria, a start time or a finish time.

14. The computer program product of claim 8, further comprising program instructions for denying access to the document by preventing determination of the key when the document access rules are unmet.

15. The computer program product of claim 8, further comprising program instructions for releasing the key to unlock the document.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, further comprising program instructions for transmitting the key to the user.

17. A system for managing document access comprising:

a processor; and

a computer memory operatively coupled to the processor;

wherein the computer memory has disposed within it computer program instructions for;

creating a data set representing one or more document access rules;

storing the document and the representative data set;

determining and storing a key for opening the document when one or more document access rules from the data set are met;

releasing the key to open the document to one or more users in response to a request from a user which meets the one or more document access rules; and

enabling the user to access the document.

18. The system of claim 17, further comprising a viewer plug-in for opening a document, the viewer plug-in having a data set representing one or more document access rules.

19. The system of claim 17, further comprising an authorization server, wherein the viewer plug-in sends an authorization request to the authorization server.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the authorization server sends a decrypt key for opening the document to the user if the authorization request meets one or more document access rules.